Toledo 26 February 1983

 Holy Toledo Batman, another soundboard recording of the 1999 tour!

As I have written before, the 1999 tour is the unloved stepchild of my bootleg collection. Although I feel passionate about the 1999 album, that undying love has never quite transferred to the live tour. I always enjoy the concerts, but not to the same extent as I love the Controversy tour or Purple Rain tour that sit either sit of it in my collection. This new recording is unlikely to change that long-entrenched feeling, but I do celebrate its release, and a chance to indulge in one of Prince’s breakthrough tours is not one to miss. The set is short and sharp, perhaps a little too short, but one has to remember that The Time and Vanity 6 were also on the bill, making for an evening entirely of Prince music in one guise or another. 

26 February 1983, Toledo Sports Arena, Toledo 

The spoken intro of 1999 is a red herring, and the quickly-paced introduction of “Controversy” is the first indication that we are about to be taken on a funky ride. With the soundboard recording, it would be easy enough to pull the song apart and critique each instrument, but this song and band deserve much more, and in this case, it's best to sit back, turn it up, and tune out. The sleekness of the song is neatly undone as Prince’s guitar reeks of funk and the possibility that the song could easily slip into deeper and darker waters. 

 

It is a resolute keyboard that stands at the center of “Lets Work,” carrying the song and the rest of the band as it flows both under the rhythm and over the rhythm. Against this unrelenting sound, the band stays restrained, choosing to purr away in the background while Prince and his keyboard warriors lead the battle in winning over the dancing feet of the audience. The final cheer from the crowd suggests that this battle was won, and certainly here at home, it sits on the right side of victory. 

From the other end of the spectrum comes the milky flow of “Do Me, Baby,” a ballad that becomes all the more seductive, surrounded as it is by funk tunes and pop moments. The lushness of the music is only matched by the aching vocals of Prince, and the song, as it so often does, becomes an emotional counterpoint to the cold electronic funk of the opening barrage. 

The bootleg picks up pace with the introduction of “D.M.S.R” and normal service is resumed on the dance floor. The vocals in this case sound restrained, Prince has character to his voice but still holds something back for reserve. The normally piercing scream from Lisa is equally retrained, the show thus far has been excellent and this is the first song that doesn’t come alive in performance. 

 

I become far more invested in the concert in the next few minutes as the air becomes full of keyboard with a brief interlude provided by Lisa Coleman that segues into an entirely ethereal rendition of “With You.” Both are pure ear candy and provide a cerebral experience as much as an aural experience. The fact that none of this sounds out of place at what is essentially a pop concert, is a credit to the band and the carefully crafted set-list. 

“How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore” keeps the concert firmly outside the box. The muse guides Prince for the next few minutes and the music dips and dives beneath his fingertips, and it is all captured superbly on the soundboard recording. The song is still youthful at this stage, and the yearning Prince places at the heart of it speaks to us all in one way or another. 

 

It is a pleasure to see “Lady Cab Drive” on the setlist, especially after listening to a string of abridged versions from the Parade era concerts. However, it’s still not quite the tour de force that appears on record, the inflamed guitar captures some of the frustrations Prince sings of, but it also brings the song to a close. There is no extended funk jam here, Prince gives us the essence of the song and then moves quickly on. 

As a genuine pop hit, one would expect “Little Red Corvette” to be treated with reverence, here it is not.  Prince doesn’t linger over the introduction, nor does he draw out the ending. Instead, he presents a highly efficient version that ticks all the sonic boxes but never once touches on the soul of the song. It is pleasant enough for those in the audience that want to hear a hit but becomes a cold moment in what has mostly been a warm concert. 

It is instead “Dirty Mind” that gets lavished with attention and all the appendages that one associates with Prince and the band in full flight. There are desperately unhinged guitar breaks, wild chanting, unrelenting groove, and a song that sounds as if Prince is ripping it straight from his guts. It is a throwback to the wild days of the Controversy tour (a mere 18 months previous), and one can feel the carefree abandonment leaping out of the speakers at this stage. 

 

Equilibrium is restored with the seductive (and let’s be honest, slightly silly) presentation of “International Lover.” The lyrics are over the top, there is no denying it, but they certainly hit the right spot, and even I, a fully grown man, find myself slowly slipping under the hypnotic trance that Prince fills the track with. It brings further balance to the show after the previous “Dirty Mind” and Prince appears genius-like in his ability to play such contrasting songs back to back. “International Lover” brings a swirl of lace and dry ice to the recording, and the music heard conjures up a powerful visual image, even if we don’t see what is unfolding on stage. 

The concert feels as if it is building towards some sort of orgasmic release, but sadly the tension remains unresolved as “1999,” although sounding as sleek and shiny as an 80’s hairdo, doesn’t have the sense of urgency or danger about it that I was hoping for. It is a triumphant climax, without the climax and with very little triumph. As a listening experience, it is pleasant enough, although light on the experience side of things. The concert ends with another seamless and smooth presentation, and as much as I enjoy it, I find it lacks the bite I crave. 

I may not have been exactly glowing in my praise of every song on this recording, but overall it is another great sounding soundboard, and for that alone it should be heralded. This recording shows off the electronic funk of Prince and the Revolution, but the thought always remains in the back of my mind that this is only part of a much wider spectacle, and when we factor in the unrecorded sets of Vanity 6 and The Time, Prince’s genre-spanning music is much better represented. This is a recording that sees Prince placing another block in place in the empire he will create in the mid-80s, and for that alone it is a must-listen.