Atlanta 4 January 1985

 

The Purple Rain tour is very well documented in the bootleg world. There were several very good shows I could have chosen, but I plumbed for one I have a DVD of. The Purple Rain shows are standard from show to show, they didn’t deviate too much from a set formula, and listening to them is sometimes a little repetitive. I especially tend to lose interest in the mid-portion of the show when there is a lull in the proceedings. However I love watching the shows, the Purple Rain tour looked great the costumes, the dancing, and there was something exhilarating about the whole thing. It was an event, not just another gig. So with that in mind, today I will be watching a show from Atlanta 1985, Prince playing his most successful album to an adoring audience.

January 4, 1985, Omni Atlanta

I don’t mind admitting that even after 30 years I still feel a thrill of excitement when Prince says in darkness “Hello Atlanta, my name is Prince, and I’ve come to play with you.” The organ swells that we know so well, and the spoken intro of “Let’s Go Crazy” gets screams of anticipation from the crowd, and when the single spotlight hits Wendy for the main rift there is a further scream before the stage lights up and the show begins in an explosion of light, noise, and flowers raining down. I have seen it I don’t know how many times, and I still get a kick and a rush from it. The song does not do much more than what we hear on the record, there is no piano break in the middle or drawn-out solos, but it does lack any intensity or punch. And to my mind there is no greater sight in concert than seeing Prince playing the guitar lead here, leaning back, face contorted with the music, and his pink stole blowing in the wind over his shoulder. This will always be the Prince I reference when people ask me about being a fan. The song ends much as we have heard plenty of times before, Prince wailing on his guitar. He doesn’t solo too long or hard, but it’s still a perfect opener to the show.

 

There is plenty of noise from the band next as they stall while Prince hands off his guitar and removes some clothes. Things suddenly take a pop turn as with a shout from Prince of “one-two” the band strikes up “Delirious.” I often dismiss “Delirious” as it's not my cup of tea, but even my ice-cold heart enjoys it here, it's a lot of fun to watch Prince prancing and dancing around the stage. The music doesn’t do much for me, but the visuals more than carry it. As an up-tempo fun number, it does its job and keeps the show moving at a fast pace.

“1999” is next and it's performed as we see it in the video clip. Prince dons his shiny purple trench coat and we are back to the 1999 era. The vocals from the rest of the band aren’t great, but I’m going to blame the sound recording rather than them personally. Nowadays Prince often races through this one near the end of the shows, so it’s a joy here to hear it given the full treatment. And the vocals from the rest of the band do improve as it goes, and by the end of it, I have nothing negative to say. It sounds better here than it did on the 1999 tour, and it has a little more energy to it. The band seems to enjoy playing it, and again it is great to see them dancing and interacting together. Perhaps the last minute is my favorite, after the “mommy, why does everybody have a bomb” Prince plays a nice guitar break, then ramps it up as the song ends in a crescendo of sound, light, and smoke.

 

The other big hit from the 1999 album follows close behind, with the warm swells of “Little Red Corvette” beginning as the sound and fun of the last song fade. There is the sweet piano refrain played, which I know I have said before I love. Wendy does of course hand out flowers to the crowd before encouraging them to clap their hands. It’s contrived, and yet I find it very endearing. Prince begins to sing bathed in red light, and it’s obvious that this show couldn’t fail, everything seems to have a touch of class to it. Prince's vocals are getting better and better with each song, and on Little Red Corvette when he sings “oowwwww owwww owwww” it’s a great concert moment for me. He does his dance while the guitar solo plays, and while I do enjoy it, I find that it distracts my attention from Wendy. One thing I will comment on about this show is that Prince and Wendy are the centers of everything. The other band members don’t get the moments that Wendy gets, and she does have plenty of interplay with Prince. Sure, a large part of that is the fact she is the guitarist, but I would have liked to see Brown Mark and Prince more often, or perhaps Lisa given more time. “Little Red Corvette” ends with a sudden handclap, and the rolling drums from the start of “Take Me With U” begin.

Prince is right in his element for this one. Right from the start of “Take Me With U,” he stomps back and forth across the stage, guitar to the fore. I can hear Prince’s vocals very well, but unfortunately, the girl’s vocals are lost in the mix. I can hear them, but not loud and clear as I would want. However, all that is made irrelevant as after a quick verse and chorus everything just becomes a big beat and groove for Prince to play guitar god over. And play he does, the next minute is guitar playing Prince at his very best. There is no sweet delicate playing here, it comes at us fast and furious, and plenty of rock poses thrown in to boot. I should be cynical and point out how clichéd it all is, but in truth, I lap up every single moment of this. I love this arrangement and this performance. The only problem is it ends way too short for my liking.

Usually, I skip right over the “Yankee Doodle Dandy” section when listening to Purple Rain shows. It doesn’t do anything for me musically and I find it annoying. I have never properly understood what is happening on stage at this time, and even watching the DVD I’m not sure what’s going on. Mercifully it is quite short, but in the future, I think I will go back to my normal ways and skip right past it.

The next section starts with Prince sitting at the keyboard, and I am much more comfortable again. I do enjoy watching him play the piano, it’s hard to believe it’s the same man who floored us with his impassioned guitar playing just a minute ago. The piano set begins with some very soft and delicate paying from Prince, and I enjoy this just as much as any song he plays. He does settle down and begins to play “Free.” “Free” works a lot better live than it is on record. It’s not as over the top and the piano playing is much better without being drowned in the other distractions.

Prince leaves the piano next and delivers “Do Me, Baby.” This performance is very nice, he has all his moves and vocal styling down and comes across very smooth. It’s not the greatest sounding version I have heard, the instruments are too loud and Prince is fighting against them to be heard. But the showmanship more than makes up for it, this is to be seen as well as heard. It’s very short on this recording, I was expecting more from it. Not the greatest I have heard, but still a vital part of the show.

 “How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore” has Prince back at the piano, and initially it is his piano playing that excites me the most. He does interact with the crowd to get them clapping along, but it’s the vocals and piano playing that are the most important things here. There is showmanship, but it's all in his vocals and the looks at the crowd. That changes however when he does the whole “I’m gonna stand over here until you make up your mind” The crowd shriek and yell in delight, but I have heard it too many times by now to get excited. The song progresses to the point where Prince plays with his vocals and demonstrates just how good a singer he is. Like everything it is just a few moments, but it's enough. This guy really can do everything.

Things pick up when Prince starts with a spoken intro to “Let’s Pretend We’re Married.” We now know that the spoken intro would later become the song “Temptation,” but at the time it was new to our ears. Prince teases us with the vocals, some piano playing, and at one stage throwing off his jacket. Finally, the teasing ends and Prince kicks into the song. His piano playing is very expressive and it’s a nice full sound he generates from the piano. The song played as we know it is only very short, it’s all about the tease at the start. There is good energy to it, and Prince delights me, and the crowd, by leaping off his stool and playing standing up.

“Father’s Song” gets only a minute, but it’s my favorite moment at the piano, and of the whole show. In almost complete darkness Prince plays the refrain, and it’s filled with melancholia that stays with me long after the performance. Sometimes the shortest moments are the best moments.

 

The lights come back up a little as Prince begins to play “God” alone at the piano. With smoke swirling at his feet it does have a heavenly appearance. This is tempered somewhat by his vocals early on being fuzzy on the recording. After the first few lines, this does improve, and I can better sit back and enjoy the song. The song does sound good, and Prince delivers some great screams near the end of the song. He loses me shortly after with his conversation with the audience being played out on stage and the bath sequence. Listening to the show, this part goes for too long, and even watching it I find myself just wishing it would end. Yes, it was cool the first time I saw the bath sequence, but now I just want it to end so we can get back to the music.

The purple part of the concert starts next as Lisa asks Wendy “is the water warm enough”. The next seven songs are all off the Purple Rain album and it’s quite a performance. First Prince rises from the stage to play “Computer Blue.” The song starts with plenty of keyboards. I usually associate this song with guitars, but the keys are nice and strong and form a nice thick sound for the guitars to play against. Prince starts off singing and playing well, and he gets louder and louder from there. His solos aren’t spectacular- they are as you hear on the album, but once again it’s the performance of the song that has to be seen. Firstly Wendy gives Prince simulated fellatio while he solos, then later in the song Prince puts down his guitar and dances. His dancing isn’t delicate, but he does capture the mood of the song. And visually it looks quite striking, especially when he dances next to the rest of the band.

 

In a seedy red-light Prince next sings “Darling Nikki.” An audience favorite, I am sure most of them just want a chance to sing the x-rated lyrics. There are several opportunities for the audience to sing various lines, asides from that the arrangement is as heard on record. The fun part comes later in the song when the good Dr. plays his solo and the band all look like they are having a good time. I also appreciate the end of the song when the backward music we hear on the album is played forward and we hear Princes ‘hidden message’

“The Beautiful Ones” is, well, beautiful. Up high and in softy blue and red light Prince plays piano and sings the emotional high point of the Purple Rain album (asides from the “Purple Rain” song itself) Prince’s piano playing is good, buts it is the other keyboards dong all the work, and Dr. Fink and Lisa fill out the sound with plenty of swells and swirls. Prince leaves his piano for some delicate dancing, and to concentrate on his vocals. This is his best vocal delivery of the night, there is no distracting talking to the crowd, no guitar playing, it is all pure vocal delivery. He looks suitable moved and drops to his knees to deliver some passionate screams and whoops. He eventually rolls onto his back for a final howl before the keyboards play us out with a couple more swells.

 

“When Doves Cry” gets the full treatment next. There is a brilliant long intro, with just the bare beat and the piano lead line played over it. It builds plenty of anticipation in the crowd, and for me here at home. The lead line on the piano is the key element in this song for me, and even though I have been listening to it for most of my life it’s still something I enjoy immensely. Prince begins his lines but has almost too quiet, and I don’t get the strong vibe I hear on the record. The lyrics of “When Doves Cry” is amongst the best he has written, and it’s a shame I can’t hear them better on this. I used to think that the bass line would detract from the song, but it’s quite funky to hear the song with a bit more bottom end in the mix. Prince introduces Wendy to play the guitar solo, and I must admit that I fall in love a little. She plays so well, and she looks dead cool while she is doing it. The final section of the song features a lot of dancing from Prince. He doesn’t always look cool, but I have to admire his efforts to entertain us.

There is then a very long pause as the crowd chant for more. Finally, the band return and the next song is “I Would Die 4 U.” It has a lightness and pop sound to it and is enjoyable right from the start. Wendy’s vocals sound good next to Prince, and there is a nice moment when they share the microphone before Prince engages in some enthusiastic dancing. There is some very funky guitar playing later from Wendy while Prince sings along with the crowd. It is reminiscent of the 12-inch version, and that is fine by me. However, after only a few minutes it segues into “Baby I’m A Star.”

“Baby I’m a Star” is an absolute joy to watch. Musically it’s awesome, and having the extra players on stage means there is so much to take in. Early on it's Eddie M who I enjoy the most, his saxophone playing gives the music an edge. Prince also takes the opportunity with the extended lineup to indulge in some James Brown-style dancing, and band leadership. As is par for the course there are plenty of stops and starts from the band. After such a choreographed show it’s wonderful to see the band playing here, and there is the feeling that anything might happen musically. “Baby I’m A Star” as we know it disappears and the funky jam takes over. It's Eddie who steals the show on this one, he is just killing it on the sax. There is a funny moment when Prince begins to take the band off, before stopping to the calls of the crowd. It’s staged but has me smiling. Prince gives us a little of everything, he sings, he dances, and he takes the piano for a while too, always keeping the groove and the beat going.

 

Finally, the last song begins, in what I’m sure was the high point for everyone there. I have heard many arrangements and performances of “Purple Rain” over the years, some are great, and some not so great. But for me the definitive version will always be the one played on the Purple Rain tour, starting with the beautiful chords played by Wendy. Here is no different, the song begins with Wendy alone playing the soft chords I have heard a thousand times before, and I’m not tired of it one bit. She does get a few minutes along to play and I feel the song slowly drawing me in. The appearance of Prince is understated, and he adds his lead lines into the song. Playing the Horner he plays his delicate pieces, not hurrying at all, but slowly building the song up. I think this is my favorite style of his playing when he’s softly playing lead guitar. He keeps it fairly short and begins singing early on. At first, his vocals are a little lost in the echo, but it soon sorts itself out after a few lines. He is singing here in his vulnerable voice, rather than the triumphant tone we sometimes hear in Purple Rain. After only the first verse and some softer guitar, he leaves the stage and returns with the cloud guitar. He immediately plays a more hard rock and anthemic-sounding solo before singing the next part of the song. I can’t speak highly enough of his vocal performance, it’s not the notes he hits or the strength of his voice, it’s the emotional delivery and personality in his voice. Normally I would be writing about his guitar playing, but in this case, it’s the vocals that have made the bigger impression on me. Prince does finally get to the guitar solo, but he doesn’t seem to pull anything special out for it. It’s played straight, and it’s only much later that he begins to let off some fireworks on the fretboard. I have certainly heard other solos that have left me opened-mouthed, but not this one. Despite that, my girlfriend tells me I did watch the TV transfixed while he was playing, so he must have had some sort of magic in there. He clambers to a high point to deliver one final blast before the keyboard twinkling ends the show.

Writing today’s entry was a labor of love. The show was an excellent record of Prince at the peak of his powers, and despite the material and performance being very familiar to me I still loved all of it. There was a reason that Prince became a global superstar, and this is it. If you ever needed to see him during his purple period, this would be the place to start. It's not perfect, but I couldn’t take my eyes off it.