By JOHN NORTH

 CHEROKEE — A strobe light pulsed and a mirrored disco ball glittered in its slow, seemingly timeless rotation high above the stage, while the crowd of 3,000 fans waited below in keen anticipation for the appearance of KC and the Sunshine Band.

The venerable band was there to lead them back in time, musically, to celebrate the mid- to late-1970s’ disco dance scene, when many of those in attendance were in their late teens and early 20s. The band from tropical Miami, Fla., radiated warmth — perhaps even generated some heat — inside Harrah’s Cherokee Casino’s Event Center, contrasting with the blustery cold outside on what would transform into a snowy Dec. 29 night.

As showtime approached, a 2009 recording of The Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” was pumped at full blast over the speaker system. It was a curious choice —a non-disco song by a non-disco group. However, perhaps oblivious to the irony, the fun-loving crowd of disco enthusiasts did not hesitate in singing along:

Suddenly, the song stopped, the 10 black-clad musicians in KC and the Sunshine Band strolled onto the stage in somewhat of a boogie walk, followed by the grand entrance of disco king Harry “K.C.” Casey.

As the crowd stood and cheered, Casey shouted his greeting, “Cherokee, North Carolina — are you ready to join our dance? Are you ready to make a little noise? Are you ready to get down ... tonight?”

His teasing questions were answered with wild pandemonium from the predominantly female crowd. After a pause, Casey added, mischievously, “As you can see, that’s the way, that’s the way ... I like it.”

He and his bandmates then burst into a medley of Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed and Delivered” and his own mega-hit “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty,” as four young female dancers from his troupe joined him on stage, providing a comical contrast between the four hotties and the now-portly Casey.

The female dancers were dressed in sometimes outrageous costumes, but surprisingly not so much in disco stylings of the era. Also, their dance style exhibited more of a modern athleticism than quintessential disco movements.

“Let me take you back to 1978,” Casey said, as he and his band rocked into “Boogie Shoes,” his one — albeit big — contribution to the iconic Bee Gees-dominated “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack that some say encapsulated the disco era. At Cherokee, Casey missed a few notes on “Boogie Shoes” and seemed a step (or two) slow with his dancers.

After finishing the popular song, Casey inadvertently coughed into the microphone and, at that point, admitted to the crowd, “I’m sick as a dog, but the show must go on. I couldn’t just call in sick” for the show and disappoint his fans.

Good-naturedly, the crowd cheered and shouted its encouragement. (Ever the trooper, he ended up performing for 90 minutes.)

With a smile, Casey, in the first of many charmingly self-deprecating quips of the night, said, “I’ll be 62 years old” on Jan. 31. He noted he became a star with his band at age 22 and has gained 57 pounds over the years. It has gotten to the point, he joked, that “OMG, I must rename the band ... KFC and the Sunshine Band!” The crowd roared with laughter.

As for his flu-like illness, Casey said he could not even talk two days before the Cherokee concert and could only sing during the show with the aid of strong cough drops — and the crowd’s support. Mixing metaphors, he asserted, “It’s cold as hell out tonight. I think it’s going to snow.” (The disco king was right on that one.) Casey also noted he is from Miami, so anything beyond balmy beach weather is a shock to him.

He then lambasted “the critics (who) have tried to put us down for 40 years” because of their hatred of disco music. No disco performer ever was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Casey added, but he spoke with pride of the 2013 nomination to the Hall of the late Donna Summer, billed as “the queen of disco.”

After coughing again, he turned his back on the crowd and drank something, took more cough drops and said, “Bear with me. If I hit a couple of wrong notes, you’ll know why... I amaze myself sometimes.” A number of women audience members then shouted their love for—  and encouragement to — him, as the group kicked into a tribute to Donna Summer.

Next, Casey and his group, which was only topped by the Bee Gees as disco-era hitmakers, churned through a number of their classics, including “That’s the Way (I Like It)” and “I’m Your Boogie Man,” among many hits The crowd and band members joined in to help Casey, especially on the high notes, and the singer-keyboardist appeared appreciative.

On 1979’s “Please Don’t Go,” the group’s first love ballad, in which Casey pleads for a second chance, the crowd at times drowned out the star in an appropriately slow and dramatic sing-along:

The group followed that up with a dynamic and extended version of “Keep It Comin’ Love,” with terrific choreography that showcased Casey, the dancers and his band. The song included some jamming — vocally and instrumentally — that was not in the original recording. And, with the crowd on its feet singing along, the chorus of “Keep it comin’ love, don’t stop it now” was repeated at length a cappella-style, like a mantra for a revival-like finish.

Amid the cheering, Casey left the stage, but soon returned and performed — to the crowd’s delight — “Rock Your Baby,” which he noted was his first No. 1 song.

He performed a rendition of The Commodores’ funky “Brickhouse” and closed with his hit “Give It Up,” leaving the crowd on its feet and chanting for more.

Returning for an encore, a grinning Casey told the crowd he had just two questions. “First, is that the way you like it? And second:Is that the way you like it?” As laughter erupted, he launched into “Get Down Tonight,” as colorful confetti was released, fluttering down upon the delighted crowd.

At the end of “Get Down Tonight,” Casey bent down deeply in an elaborate dance move and winced — with a comical wink at the crowd — in  a salute to his and the crowd’s advancing years. He quipped, “What the hell happened?”

The crowd, which he had charmed all night, laughed once again and remained on its feet cheering. Casey shouted, “Happy New Year, everyone!” and left the stage for the night.

His ever-stylish band then lined up in the style of a classic New Orleans funeral, and boogied off the stage.