Minneapolis 21 March 1987

 

For Those Of You On Valium is surprisingly short. I always thought it was longer, but today when I was listening to it, it seemed to fly past pretty fast. Every warm-up gig that Prince plays at First Ave is special. The music is fresh, the crowds are always up for it, and Prince is always happy and at ease. This recording has Prince introducing a new band after the demise of The Revolution, and a raft of new material from the Sign O The Times album. It’s a classic Prince recording and is often quoted by Prince fans. For today’s post, I listened to the CD and then decided to also watch the DVD. It was well worth the effort.

21 March 1987 Minneapolis

Who doesn’t love the start of this show! Prince’s intro is just great and the way he keeps the crowd waiting only adds to the excitement. He’s in no hurry at all and is completely at ease as the gig begins. The gig starts with Prince and the band coming on stage, and Prince introducing the new band. He briefly explains that this is still just a rehearsal, then after a pause “These are my new friends” and quickly runs through the band members before coming to “That’s an old friend, Dr. Fink, this is a new friend, polka dot suit” then the rest of the extended band. His look is one of my favorites, with his hair slightly longer, his polka dot suit, and his glasses. He finishes his introductions with one of his most famous lines “and for those of you on valium, my name is Prince”. I knew of this recording for a long time before I finally heard it. I always thought that it was a great title “For Those of You on Valium” and I was intrigued by what it could mean. I had a grin from ear to ear when I heard Prince utter those lines and all was revealed.

 

“Shut up already, damn!” What a way to kick-start the music. “Housequake” is a great song for a gig like this. Who am I kidding; Housequake is a great song for any gig! The band is immediately behind him and tight as ever. They are well-rehearsed, as it goes without saying for all of his bands. Within 30 seconds of the music starting the glasses and suit jacket are gone. Prince is working the stage very well, moving from side to side and dancing. I am not a great fan of Prince's dancing, I would rather see him play some sort of instrument, but here he is right in step with the rest of the band, and I can’t help but be impressed by how well drilled they are. This song was made for playing live, the beat is captivating, and the horn lines are everything you could ever want from Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss. They are crucial to his sound at this point. I should also mention, that Prince's facial expressions throughout this are priceless. He is always so expressive on his face.

Prince encourages the crowd to clap their hands as Shelia E drums in the intro to “Girls and Boys.” “This is my jam” is not a phrase you would normally hear me say, but in this case “Girls and boys is my jam!” That guitar is hypnotic to me, and I enjoy Eric’s playing on it. At any gig, this is the song that stands out for me, and the version played here is a lot of fun. Again Prince is very busy with his gesturing and facial expressions. Oh, and there is plenty of ass-wiggling for the ladies. The coolest guy in the band and perhaps on the planet is Eric Leeds. When he steps forward to solo, he is the epitome of cool, with his sunglasses and classy suit. With Cat on his shoulder, feeling it, it’s a great moment in the song. Prince himself is having a lot of fun in this song; he is very active off the mic and is all smiles. I do have one complaint, and that is that the song ends much too soon.

 

Three songs in, and we have a ballad. “Slow Love” on any other album would be a stand-out. On Sign of the Times, it sounds a little average surrounded by the other classics on that album. The performance here has Prince in full seduction ballad mood, and it comes across very well. It doesn’t deviate from the recorded version, but it does feel nice and strong. Prince’s voice is more forward, and the horns are much stronger. After listening to it here, I think it’s something I should probably play more often. This is a must for my slow jams playlist.

Prince introduced the show by saying that it was a rehearsal, and it seems most like that during “Hot Thing.” “Hot Thing” is excellent, and played very well, but it seems like the band and Prince are trying very hard to get their dance moves right, and working on the stage routines. As a result, it feels too tight, and a complete contrast to “Girls and Boys” which was loose and joyful. Things kick up a gear after Eric plays a solo, and Prince quickly bangs away at the keyboard, but unfortunately, it ends just after this.

 

I have never properly understood the purpose of “Now Is The Hour,” aside from an obvious costume change by Prince. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy it very much, but it does seem a waste to be at a Prince concert and he’s not on stage. The band is great here, every member shows off their obvious credentials. I particularly enjoyed Atlanta Bliss and Miko. Everyone was very good, but these two in particular I don’t hear enough off. It’s hard for me to get excited about Shelia E’s drum solo. I have never been a fan of drum solos, by anyone, anytime. But it is a suitably exciting way to close out the song.

The next song, “Strange Relationship,” is the absolute highlight of the gig for me. This version always makes my best of playlists, I rate it very highly. It starts with the beat and some great keyboard that puts me in mind of Stevie Wonder. It’s nice and drawn out, just the way I like it. Prince encourages the crowd with his now trademarked “ooh wayy ohh” The main lead line plays and my head is bobbing. As much as I love the singing, the beat, the horns, it’s the keyboard that I love on this. The song and band are very loose here, with Prince jamming on the keyboard a lot throughout. But the very best is after the main song finishes and it does move to a jam. Shelia plays a great percussion solo, as Prince calls for “just the drums” while he plays the keys for a minute or two. Boni brings her unmistakable sound, while Prince calls over and over “Is he good to ya?” A couple more changes and we are left with a stripped-down beat, and Eric playing a nice little riff underneath. Prince then gets on the mic and mentions “we have some new shit for you, squirrel meat.” Yes, it doesn’t make any sense, and sounds mad, but as we all know it's absolute genius. Miko gets a brief moment to play, and then a little flourish by Prince. He does sing a few lines from Superfunkycalifragisexy but I don’t think any of us know what he was singing about at that time. It all looks and sounds effortless, and as I said, it's the highlight of the gig.

 

The show has been getting better and better and after “Strange Relationship” is another classic as he plays “Forever in My Life.” For a song so slight on record, it certainly packs a punch live. There is no extended intro here; he goes straight into singing over the beat. It gets interesting right after the singing when he picks up the guitar and plays. I remember the first time I heard this, I had never heard anyone play an acoustic guitar like this, and even today I am struck by just how great it sounds. He gets so much soul and funk out of it. Every time I hear it I find myself moved. The song then moves into the sing-a-long that it always is. It’s no bad thing, and again Prince is looking like he is having plenty of fun, with lots of smiles and facial expressions. And watching this I am again reminded that Prince is as much a visual experience as an aural one. I love listening to his music, but when you can see him at the same time it adds a whole new level to it, and being there live is even more intense. Nothing can capture the live experience like being there.

 

“Kiss” is a great song, but I have never heard a live version I like. This one probably comes closest. The first part of it here is played nice and strong and sounds pretty good. There is some very nice dancing between Prince and Cat. It’s all short and sweet, but excellent. The song then fades out to just the sound of Miko on the guitar. I haven’t too much about it, as it is the shortest song all night, but it is my favorite live version of Kiss.

Prince thanks the crowd for coming at the end of “Kiss,” but there is one more song to come. The energy level goes right up with “It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night.” I am a big fan of this song, and I enjoyed this performance a lot. As you might imagine, the version here is the same as seen in the Sign O Times movie, with every dance step, move, and Prince on the drums. Again it feels very rehearsed, and yet it is completely believable and fun. There is one moment when Prince is talking about a brand new dance, and for a moment I worry he is going to break out the wooden leg again, but thankful he doesn’t. We get a variety of dance moves, but no wooden leg. “It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night” is one of those songs with plenty in it to keep you interested, so no matter how many times I hear this, I never get bored or tired of it. There is one more horn flourish and Prince ends the song and the gig with a “Thank you, good night”

 

There are many great Prince recordings out there, and I am reluctant to use the word ‘essential’. However, this one certainly is essential to any fan. Showcasing new material and band to a small audience, this one is outstanding. The fact that there is a pro-shot video of it circulating makes it even better. This should be in any true fan's collection.