Paris 6 May 1994 (am)

 Paris, nous vous aimons. 

  

6 May 1994, Le Bataclan, Paris 

This recording has a beautiful sounding beginning. Admittedly it’s an audience recording, and yet it’s got a real warmth to it. The audience is audible, and in this case, they add to the recording rather than detract from it. There is some cheering, and some fine-sounding lead guitar from Prince as he obviously prepares for the first song. After a minute of great guitar playing, the keyboard intro of “Gold” begins and as the crowd begins to clap I am transported back to another time and place- such is the power of music. “Gold” sounds distant on the recording, but it’s joyful to hear it in this setting, and with the noise of the crowd there is a celebratory feel to it that more than makes up for the recording. Although Prince sounds distant, the crowd rejoices in singing the chorus, and I sing and cheer with them all the way. Late in the song Prince and the band disappears in the crowd’s singing, but when he returns with the coda I can hear him just fine. It is apparent however that this song belongs just as much to the audience as to Prince. 

 

The intro of “The Jam” features some more lead guitar from Prince, and that’s always very listenable for me. I find myself writing about “The Jam” week after week, and seems to be a favorite of Prince. This one is par for the course, although the crowd noise and chanting do add an extra dimension. Again, I can’t speak highly enough of Morris Hayes, I always love his contribution and usually find myself tuning out when he isn’t to the fore. Tommy Barbarella also plays well, it’s a shame that I can’t get past the goodness that is Mr. Hayes. There is a treat later in the song with some sharp rhythm guitar from Prince himself, before he switches to more lead. I find his rhythm playing to be what I like most, and I would love to have him play much more like this. 

“I Believe In You” changes gears somewhat and has Prince singing in a tone that sounds more natural, and he has a lot of character in his voice. There is no doubt that Prince is a great singer, but what I think is best about his singing is the way he can put character and emotion into his vocal performance. Without vocal gymnastics here he sings with plenty of character and feeling. There are a couple of fun guitar moments, they don’t however overshadow the singing in the first part of the song that I enjoyed so much. 

I did a double-take when I heard “Interactive,” I didn’t read the tracklist before I started so it is a pleasant surprise to hear it on here. It does sound a little wishy-washy, I’m going to give Prince the benefit of the doubt here and put it down to the recording rather than him and the band. The guitar break is nice to hear, without ever scaling the guitar hero heights. 

“Days Of Wild” also sounds muted, again I put it down to the recording. The bass comes through well, as do Prince’s vocals. It’s the rest of the band that I don’t get booming through my speakers, and the song is weaker for it. However, that doesn’t stop me from singing boisterously throughout and bobbing my head like a grinning idiot. This song sums up my feeling about Prince at the time, both in sound and style, and it’s this new wild-sounding Prince that I couldn’t get enough of. He does pay tribute to Larry Graham, with a verse of “Hair” and not a bad impersonation of the man himself. 

After the heaviness of “Days Of Wild,” “Now” adds a lot of fun and energy to the show. Prince’s vocals sound fun as he spits his lines, and although they may not sound great on record, in the live setting it certainly has a party vibe.  I find that I am once again smiling through the whole song, and I really can’t ask for anything better than that. Now slows to a smooth groove and over the organ stabs Prince begins to sing Babies Makin’ Babies. I have heard it like this plenty of times, and I still get enjoyment out of it to this day, especially when the quirky-sounding solo begins. Oh yes, this is right up my alley. The song weaves in and out for the last couple of minutes, it may not be to everyone’s tastes, but I listened enraptured. 

There is plenty of guitar noodling to keep the guitar geeks happy before Prince finally settles on the steady beat of “The Ride.” This too is another great track and sounds lighter than I have heard elsewhere. Prince’s vocals are playful, and the beat doesn’t dominate the song as much as it sometimes does. The audience adds their touch with an upbeat clap through the song, and I think that this, as much as anything else, adds lightness to it. So too does their chanting which is surprisingly good, I know if it was me I would be drunkenly shouting. The chanting goes for a good few minutes, and I don’t mind it at all. I do at one stage wonder if Prince is going to play guitar at all, but he does oblige with some classic sounding solos, all of which I could rave about. The song ends with plenty more crowd interaction, and it sounds very celebratory. 

There is more guitar sound from Prince as things take a break at the beginning of “Acknowledge Me.” Prince does his spoken intro, and it has a delicious sound to it that sounds both inviting and scary at the same time. I turn it up to hear him better and I am caught off guard as the band jump in and the song begins. With my speakers cranked right up this song sounds great and I could easily see myself driving around town with this pumping out in my car. Even Prince’s spoken rap sounds good in these circumstances, and I give him full credit for managing to get it sounding so good in a live venue. Michael B drives the song along and this is especially apparent when the band drops out and we can hear his drums in full effect.  The last few minutes are great with the bass, drums, and audience claps pulling us through to the conclusion of the song.  As with some of the other songs, there is plenty of audience interaction that for me captures the beauty of going to a live show. 

There is again silence as Prince solemnly delivers up a spoken intro before the song opens up to “Dark.” The title may be “Dark,” but the song is anything but, and it’s a ray of pop sunshine to an already joyful-sounding show. Prince is in fine voice and he gets better as the song goes along, injecting more passion and fire as he goes, before pulling back into a deep laid back voice. The song is pitched just right and is perfect for this lazy Sunday afternoon. 

The Instrumental that follows is an up-tempo jam that flies along at a clip. Of course, Morris Hayes and his organ excel at this type of thing and his playing holds it all together. The crowd clap enthusiastically, so I have to listen carefully to hear the band, and I’m not complaining one bit- that’s what I love to do. The band is playing quickly, but the crowd still ably keeps up with them with their clapping and cheering. Sonny gets his time in the sun, and I can’t hear him very well (Is it the recording or is it my hearing that I have abused all these years?) but what I do hear, I like. In fact, I like it a lot, and it gets better for me as it progresses it gets louder and easier for me to hear. 

Prince returns to front and center next for a performance of “Solo.” There is some talking in the crowd early on, but Prince’s vocal performance silences them. I believe that this was Prince’s first live performance of the song, and he does it justice with a knockout rendition. There isn’t too much more to say about it, but I assure you, that despite the recording, it’s Prince doing what he does best. 

“Race” has the crowd singing loudly as Prince leads the band in a tight performance. Everyone is sounding good, but again I must mention Morris Hayes as a standout. He is the lynchpin of this band and the sound at the time. When I listen to these shows, it’s his sound under it all that binds it all together. Without him, this configuration of the band would have a different sound, and it’s richer for having him there. The latter part of the song is a keyboard jam that captures the spirit of the whole song. 

After a couple of minutes of the “oh way oh” chant the band returns with a noisy sounding “Peach,” as always dedicated to Mayte. There is some fiery-sounding guitar before the song kicks off properly and the party starts – guitar, band, and crowd all adding their sound to the mix. There is singing from Prince, some chanting from the crowd, and then the guitar takes over for the last couple of minutes, as you might well expect. It’s not rocket science, but it is exhilarating. Prince ends by encouraging the audience to show some appreciation for Michael B, who dutifully finishes the show with a cameo of a drum solo. 

This show is for me what live music is all about. Sure, the recording isn’t great, but that’s irrelevant. There is an x-factor to it and it captures the magic of a live show. I have used the words joyful and celebratory a couple of times already, these words are important to me and my feeling toward live music. Nothing can beat that joyful feeling as the band soar and everything drops away leaving you swimming in the music. The audience was just as much a part of the show as the band, and that sense of celebration and togetherness seep out of the recording all over the place. Listen to this and revel in that feeling that only the magic of a live show can give you.