Nagoya 7 February 1989

 

It is for good reason that the Lovesexy concerts are held in high regard. They offer the most complete package, conceptually and musically, that Prince ever put together. Other tours may offer more thrills in energy, or music, but none have the same overarching thematic cohesiveness that the Lovesexy tour does. This is Prince giving us some of his most personal, and challenging music, in a high concept performance that gives on every level. Never again would Prince be so “on message” as he was for this tour. I have previously dipped in and out of these concerts, but today I would like to go back to the Japanese leg and in particular the Nagoya concerts. Coming at the end of the tour these concerts are highly refined and Prince is playing like a well-oiled machine. The tour may be long, but it has given Prince a chance to master his craft, and these concerts appear effortless, a testament to the effort Prince put in to pull them off.

7th February 1989. Nagoya, Japan.

There is an obvious difference between the European and US legs of the tour as the concert begins not with “Erotic City” but with a propulsive “Housequake.” It is a snappy rendition, the hammering thrusts of the drums the most combative part of what is an otherwise swaggering introduction to the concert. Prince is brimming with showmanship from the start. His continual patter with the band holds the attention just as much as the buoyant groove they are creating. The music continues to clatter forward, the horns rising quickly to propel us beyond the minimalist beat before the song collapses into a sultry wash.

From this lush blanket of synth emerges “Slow Love.” It is a slow-burn introduction to what will follow. This is far from the longer version I listened to a few weeks ago from 1987. The song barely enters before Prince clips its wings. It is merely the start of a suite of songs that drives the first half of the concert, and the music continues to march forward. It has a soul mate in “Adore” that it comes paired with. The two songs are a chance to grab a breath before a helter-skelter of songs follows.

 

The first song to come tumbling from this uptempo blitz is “Delirious.” It is all kinetic energy and very little substance and Prince spins it into “Jack U Off.” Sadly both songs sound heavily dated in the few years since their release. But the horn section invigorates their energy and they are neatly slotted into the setlist.

“Sister” is drawn from the same predictable arsenal. With some ill-tempered guitar making an appearance there is a lot to listen for in the rush of sound. This final scramble of noise contains some nuggets of guitar gold, before Prince stakes another claim in the world of balladry.

The embers of “Do Me, Baby,” are fanned into a fire by some dazzling vocal work by Prince. Not just his croon, but every yelp and spoken word add fuel to the blazing sexuality of the song. The concert is saturated by the heat of the moment, and this is undoubtedly an early hotspot in the concert.

The introduction to “I Wanna Be Your Lover” is a mere feint before the drama of “Head” makes an appearance. The sweaty backing vocals lubricate the main chorus of Prince, slipping the song further into a decadent sense of raw sex. Brevity is the enemy. The song is five minutes, but one wishes it was much more. Some timely sax work towards the end from Eric Leeds steps us out of its dense sound and easily into the following number.

The horn stays with us for a quickfire “Girls And Boys.” There is very little for us to sink our teeth into here, and is a quick transition to a full-length “A Love Bizarre.” The song has a warmth that carries across the entire length of the song. It does sound fast, but it retains all its hooks, along with some horn flurries that color it beyond what is heard on record. The slippery funk of Miko’s guitar underpins most of the song, and remains the definitive sound of the song, as much as Eric Leeds tugs and pulls at the song with his own petulant sound.

“When U Were Mine” blazes like a comet across the concert, its youthful innocence (in sound at least) illuminating the otherwise dense material. There is a simplicity underlying the driving energy, and although many of these songs have come rapidly tumbling by, it is “When U Were Mine” that holds the most energy.

From this pop kaleidoscope emerges “Little Red Corvette” still sounding as fresh as it did the day it was released. Prince’s opening words place it into context for the Lovesexy concerts, but the opening verse and chorus are as familiar as ever. It is a mere taster, Prince has much more he wants to reveal, and the song doesn’t outlive the guitar solo.

 

There is much promise in “Controversy,” but it remains a slave to the needs of the concert, driving us quickly forward for a minute before disappearing into the rhythmic opening of “U Got The Look.” “U Got The Look” barely does any better, and this section of the concert rushes by all too quickly.

“Superfunkycalifragisexy” is the dark cloud that comes over the concert, and brings us to the darkest moment of the concert and we descend into the madness of “Bob George.” Thematically this sees Prince’s protagonist reach the lowest point of the concert, yet musically it is a high point as Prince pushes his funk into a challenge for the audience. The concert is reaching a turning point, but first, we must navigate Prince and his challenge as he draws the darkness out of his music and personalizes it in song.

The counterpoint to this is the timeless “Anna Stesia,” a song that draws its power from the confessional tone it takes as Prince offers lyrics that lay bare an honest truth from within. It is the very crux of these Lovesexy shows, the lynchpin that pulls together Prince’s themes and concepts in a single song that defines this era better than any other. As the guitar threads its way through the second half of the song the music draws in. The sparse and lonely opening is replaced by a cohesive overview of Prince and his belief as he clearly signposts the way to salvation. It is both spiritually and musically fulfilling, and immediately the entire Lovesexy concert makes sense.

“Cross The Line” uplifts, but it doesn’t carry the same weight as the previous “Anna Stesia.” However, it does bring light to the concert and heralds in the new beginning that is the second half of the show.

While the Lovesexy songs of this portion of the concert aren’t abridged as the songs in the first half, they are snappy, and Prince continues with his uptempo run through the set-list. “Eye No” is the first out of the gate, a hook-laden marvel with melody and instruments flowing from every groove. It is audio overload and speaks to the promiscuous creativity of Prince at the time. The song demands you hit repeat to catch every glistening note as it bursts from the speakers.

 

The titular “Lovesexy” continues in the same vein, with an endless flow of ideas and music coming from Prince and the band. It bubbles with polyrhythmic beats and glorious melodies, each competing with the other to catch the ear. The pace remains uncompromising. There is barely time to settle on one thought before another comes to bloom in the ear, each just as essential to the direction of the concert.

There is a swing to “Glam Slam,” and a lightness that isn’t immediately apparent on the record. With Prince calling to the audience to dance it is one last joyous celebration before the pious and hallowed following two songs.

“The Cross” sets the standard for this heavenly double shot, Prince building the song from the ashes of “Glam Slam”. The sound of salvation fills the air as Prince takes the pulpit with his guitar playing standing enthralled by his religious fervor. The Dortmund VHS releases give us some sense of this onstage rapture, and this concert sounds every bit as good as that as Prince loses himself in the music and his beliefs.

Atop the mountain, Prince faces down his own “I Wish U Heaven,’ a song that sounds as divine as its title. What it lacks in intensity it more than makes up for in pop sheen and purity of intent. Shelia E takes lead vocals, it is a timely counterpoint to Prince and the intensity of the last fifteen minutes. This is no extended version to my disappointment, and the song wraps up neatly after a few minutes.

“Kiss” sounds unbalanced and out of kilter, and as much as I want to like it, I don’t. That’s not to say there’s nothing to recommend here, but it is well-trodden ground and this arrangement doesn’t add anything fresh to the original.

There isn’t much to latch onto for “Dance On.” The jittery percussive drive remains, but it is chopped off and exists mostly as an introduction to Sheila E and her “Transmississippi Rap.” That naturally lends itself to a furious drum solo that demonstrates an uncompromising power and invention as she travels around the drum kit.

The piano set feels achingly short, and while the gravity of Prince’s a capella opening holds me enthralled, the rest of the set can’t compare. “When 2 R In Love” surrenders all too easily to “Venus De Milo,” a fine match but like a summer wine it slips away too easily, leaving only an aftertaste and warm memories. Against such company “Starfish And Coffee” sounds childish in comparison, and “Raspberry Beret” more so as each glides by beneath Prince’s fingertips. “Strange Relationship” brings a sense of occasion back to proceedings as Prince reveals a layer of funk beneath the piano’s veneer, a funk that can’t be denied in the darkness of the concert hall. However, the storm quickly passes as Prince rounds off the piano set with a lightning flash of “Chopsticks,” “Condition Of The Heart,” and “International Lover,” before circling back to the closing “When 2 R In Love.”

 

Prince returns the concert to a more conventional greatest hits extravaganza with “Let’s Go Crazy” There is a mischievous snarl in the opening riff, suggesting some bad-tempered guitar work might follow. It isn’t to be. Prince avoids any excess and presents a heavily neutered version. The final rush is exhilarating without any sense of dramatic tension or danger, undoing the opening that promised much.

Prince stays with his hits, and “When Doves Cry,” although familiar, is just as hollow as “Let’s Go Crazy,’ that proceeded it. It is curious to see Prince under-powering these hits from his largest album, but with the concert delivering so much earlier one can’t be too disappointed.

There is a release with “Purple Rain.” It is the most well-known song of the concert, and the Japanese crowd latch onto it immediately. It has an elegant swirl, and although not a weighty version, it still commands respect. Prince’s guitar solo comes early, a tempest that will not wait, and although it howls and squalls, it never hits with the hurricane-force intensity of some other circulating versions. It remains an essential part of any Prince concert, and even in a concept-heavy concert such as this, it finds its rightful place to fit. It’s not epic, but it blends in with the surrounding material and makes for a nice touchstone near the end of the concert.

One can hear that the end is near in the fanfare that brings forth “1999” It is not a respectful rendition of the song we know from the 1999 album, but rather an excuse to have the crowd involved for one last time. The flesh of the song is soon discarded, leaving just the bones of the music and the crowd chanting “party.” Retooled as a song that belongs to the audience it works remarkably well, and although there is disappointment in the fact the original song is gone, one can’t help but rejoice in these final minutes of the party. It’s not quite the ending to the concert we might have expected by halfway through the concert, but after a string of 1980’s hits, it sees the concert finish on a definitive high.

This concert is quite a journey. From the opening run through Prince’s back catalog to the uplifting spiritual component, the concert runs a gamut of emotion before the final triumphant blaze of Purple Rain era songs. There is a sense of purpose throughout, and every song is carefully placed in the setlist, making for a well-crafted, almost theatrical experience. Thirty years on I still find myself listening for clues, and experiencing the concert as if for the first time. Prince would revisit the spiritual aspects of his music later in his career, but he never did it as in-depth, or with such aplomb as he did here. This is Prince at the apex of his spirituality and musical creativity, and it all comes together in a heady mixture that will always be defined by the Lovesexy tour.