Chaka Khan blows Sydney crowd's minds with powerful pipes and smoking hot jumpsuit
That powerful voice, which has lost none of its range or potency. And how Khan rocked that glittering jumpsuit at 72.
Before the ageless superstar took the Opera House stage this week, her stellar band of musicians and backing singers warmed up the crowd with an old school soul show introduction, demanding everyone 'get up on your feet'.
And for most of the next 80 minutes, everyone stayed on their feet as Khan and her crew romped through a tight setlist of songs from her old band Rufus and her signature solo hits from the 80s.
Just a week after the equally age-resistant Cyndi Lauper concluded her joyous farewell tour of Australia, so Khan demonstrated at her opening Sydney show that music is one of those rare careers that keep you young.
The septuagenarian superstar stamped her intentions with the opening number, This Is My Night, from her mid-80s pop peak when the funk star became a bona fide global chart star.
The crowd cheered when she introduced Tell Me Something Good, the 1974 hit for the band Rufus, written by Stevie Wonder.
A strategically-positioned onstage fan acted both as a hair prop to billow those disco-frizzed locks and airconditioning for the all-singing, all-dancing diva who admitted she was sweating up a storm in that body-hugging jumpsuit.
'It's hotter than the dickens,' she told the crowd as she then went old school and cooled herself down with a giant ornamental fan, a rare accessory on a concert stage these days.
While most pop concerts now are tightly choreographed affairs with big screens, dazzling production and the same setlist every night, Khan brought back the old showbiz stardust of a freewheeling concert which also trained the spotlight on her peers.
Cynics may suggest those moments where the backing vocalists take the lead or the guitarist stretches out in a solo are just to buy time for the main attraction to get their breath back.
But when you've got singers and players as good on stage, why wouldn't you let them do their thing?
'Maybe I'm gonna sing a bit of background with the girls … improv … nothing better than off the cuff,' she told her fans.
By the time she got to her signature hits, the 1978 classic I'm Every Woman and 1983 dance smash Ain't Nobody, the beaming Khan was feeling the love from the euphoric crowd.
'Thank you mums and dads for playing my songs for your kids; and thank you grandparents for playing my songs for your kids.'
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Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
A whisky collector, PS40 bartender and bottle of Ice Magic walk into a new bar ...
Eating out Just open Pack up the Kingswood and head to Silver's Motel in Enmore to relive the great Aussie road trip. Previous SlideNext Slide The spirit of the great Australian road trip has been distilled into Silver's Motel, a new Enmore Road bar serving a 300-strong whisky collection alongside bright-green Midori Splice slushies until 2am most nights. Like the highway motel your dad pulled into after a gruelling six hours behind the wheel, Silver's is all nostalgia and unpretentious charm. Behind the art deco exterior, it's all vinyl bar seating, walnut laminate veneers and sunlight filtering through venetian blinds. Funk queen Chaka Khan is playing over the speakers, rare whiskys are hooked up to a line of spirit dispensers, and there's a conspicuous bottle of Cottee's Ice Magic behind the bar. Silver's Motel is the second venture from acclaimed bartender Michael Chiem, who owns and operates PS40, recognised as The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide's Bar of the Year in 2023. This time around, Chiem has partnered with former employee, bartender and whisky enthusiast Tynan Sidhu. 'We've always had a fascination with roadside motels,' Sidhu says. 'They're these beautiful time capsules of the 𝄒70s and 𝄒80s, and they really spoke to the kind of environment we wanted to create here in Enmore.' Enmore, which has become one of Sydney's go-to destinations for a night out over the past two years, feels more laid back than its Kings Cross cousin. With a 90-person capacity, Silver's Motel is set to be the largest bar on the strip, but Chiem says it was important for the pair to lean into the suburb's characteristic approachability. 'The concept came from looking around at all these fancy hotel bars [that were opening in Sydney at the time] and thinking, well, we're definitely not one of those – we're more of a motel bar,' Chiem explains. 'You know, somewhere that's approachable and warm, somewhere you can come and go as you please.' That means plenty of seating, at tables, booths and along the shiny veneer of the nine-metre-long bar. It also means a friendly bartender is on hand and eager to walk you through their whisky selection – demystifying a liquor that can be intimidating for some. Chiem says that same down-to-earth approach carries through to the drinks list, which features eight house cocktails, three whisky sours, a tight selection of mostly craft beers (the Crown Lager and GB Bitter being two necessary exceptions) and mostly Australian winemakers (save for the champers, of course), with standouts like Patrick Sullivan and Samantha May. 'Our drinks aren't too over-the-top,' Chiem says. 'They're very considered, very comfortable, and very delicious, but we're not trying to force new things onto people.' The house cocktail list ($24 each) channels rustic country cooking: the Semi Gloss cocktail is a three-day process of burning down mandarin peels to create a syrup, paired with gin, Margan vermouth, lemon verjuice and orange bitters; while the Marigold Rush is a whisky sour using freshly muddled marigolds.
The Age
3 days ago
- The Age
A whisky collector, PS40 bartender and bottle of Ice Magic walk into a new bar ...
Eating out Just open Pack up the Kingswood and head to Silver's Motel in Enmore to relive the great Aussie road trip. Previous SlideNext Slide The spirit of the great Australian road trip has been distilled into Silver's Motel, a new Enmore Road bar serving a 300-strong whisky collection alongside bright-green Midori Splice slushies until 2am most nights. Like the highway motel your dad pulled into after a gruelling six hours behind the wheel, Silver's is all nostalgia and unpretentious charm. Behind the art deco exterior, it's all vinyl bar seating, walnut laminate veneers and sunlight filtering through venetian blinds. Funk queen Chaka Khan is playing over the speakers, rare whiskys are hooked up to a line of spirit dispensers, and there's a conspicuous bottle of Cottee's Ice Magic behind the bar. Silver's Motel is the second venture from acclaimed bartender Michael Chiem, who owns and operates PS40, recognised as The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide's Bar of the Year in 2023. This time around, Chiem has partnered with former employee, bartender and whisky enthusiast Tynan Sidhu. 'We've always had a fascination with roadside motels,' Sidhu says. 'They're these beautiful time capsules of the 𝄒70s and 𝄒80s, and they really spoke to the kind of environment we wanted to create here in Enmore.' Enmore, which has become one of Sydney's go-to destinations for a night out over the past two years, feels more laid back than its Kings Cross cousin. With a 90-person capacity, Silver's Motel is set to be the largest bar on the strip, but Chiem says it was important for the pair to lean into the suburb's characteristic approachability. 'The concept came from looking around at all these fancy hotel bars [that were opening in Sydney at the time] and thinking, well, we're definitely not one of those – we're more of a motel bar,' Chiem explains. 'You know, somewhere that's approachable and warm, somewhere you can come and go as you please.' That means plenty of seating, at tables, booths and along the shiny veneer of the nine-metre-long bar. It also means a friendly bartender is on hand and eager to walk you through their whisky selection – demystifying a liquor that can be intimidating for some. Chiem says that same down-to-earth approach carries through to the drinks list, which features eight house cocktails, three whisky sours, a tight selection of mostly craft beers (the Crown Lager and GB Bitter being two necessary exceptions) and mostly Australian winemakers (save for the champers, of course), with standouts like Patrick Sullivan and Samantha May. 'Our drinks aren't too over-the-top,' Chiem says. 'They're very considered, very comfortable, and very delicious, but we're not trying to force new things onto people.' The house cocktail list ($24 each) channels rustic country cooking: the Semi Gloss cocktail is a three-day process of burning down mandarin peels to create a syrup, paired with gin, Margan vermouth, lemon verjuice and orange bitters; while the Marigold Rush is a whisky sour using freshly muddled marigolds.
News.com.au
25-04-2025
- News.com.au
Chaka Khan blows Sydney crowd's minds with powerful pipes and smoking hot jumpsuit
After the Queen of Funk Chaka Khan whipped the Sydney Opera House concert hall into a heaving dancefloor over two wild shows this week, her adoring fans were all raving about two things. That powerful voice, which has lost none of its range or potency. And how Khan rocked that glittering jumpsuit at 72. Before the ageless superstar took the Opera House stage this week, her stellar band of musicians and backing singers warmed up the crowd with an old school soul show introduction, demanding everyone 'get up on your feet'. And for most of the next 80 minutes, everyone stayed on their feet as Khan and her crew romped through a tight setlist of songs from her old band Rufus and her signature solo hits from the 80s. Just a week after the equally age-resistant Cyndi Lauper concluded her joyous farewell tour of Australia, so Khan demonstrated at her opening Sydney show that music is one of those rare careers that keep you young. The septuagenarian superstar stamped her intentions with the opening number, This Is My Night, from her mid-80s pop peak when the funk star became a bona fide global chart star. The crowd cheered when she introduced Tell Me Something Good, the 1974 hit for the band Rufus, written by Stevie Wonder. A strategically-positioned onstage fan acted both as a hair prop to billow those disco-frizzed locks and airconditioning for the all-singing, all-dancing diva who admitted she was sweating up a storm in that body-hugging jumpsuit. 'It's hotter than the dickens,' she told the crowd as she then went old school and cooled herself down with a giant ornamental fan, a rare accessory on a concert stage these days. While most pop concerts now are tightly choreographed affairs with big screens, dazzling production and the same setlist every night, Khan brought back the old showbiz stardust of a freewheeling concert which also trained the spotlight on her peers. Cynics may suggest those moments where the backing vocalists take the lead or the guitarist stretches out in a solo are just to buy time for the main attraction to get their breath back. But when you've got singers and players as good on stage, why wouldn't you let them do their thing? 'Maybe I'm gonna sing a bit of background with the girls … improv … nothing better than off the cuff,' she told her fans. By the time she got to her signature hits, the 1978 classic I'm Every Woman and 1983 dance smash Ain't Nobody, the beaming Khan was feeling the love from the euphoric crowd. 'Thank you mums and dads for playing my songs for your kids; and thank you grandparents for playing my songs for your kids.'
