Copenhagen 29 August 1998 (am)

 It’s very easy for me to overlook certain years, such as 1998. Why would I pick something from 1998 when there are so many gems from the 1980s and early 1990s to choose from. 1998 hardly seems like the most exciting year of Prince’s career, yet recently I have been thinking about these shows and finding there are interesting moments that I have an urge to hear. Today I am listening to an aftershow from 1998 where Violet The Organ Grinder is played. That’s enough of a hook to lure me in, and I am further intrigued by some of the other songs played as well. Perhaps not my favorite band of all time, but there are enough key players there for me to have my hopes up for another great aftershow. 

19th August, 1998(am) Vega Mussikens Hus, Copenhagen 

I am liking it already as Prince lays the groundwork with some mellow organ as a guitar and bass flicker in the background. It is just a warm-up, yet I find it an easy way into the recording before we start properly. 

The warm positive feelings stay with us as the band begin to jam from the start. The instrumental is smooth and cool and has a groove that is effortless in its cool. There is a very intimate feel as the band is introduced and a sense that we are building to something greater with the yell of  “and we got the man, we got the man!” as an introduction to Prince. The groove is locked tight with the bass, guitar, and organ playing as one, in a way that only Prince and his band do. It grooves and rolls and is a fine introduction for the evening. 

 

“Johnny” is fantastic, a laid-back jam that is almost trance-like. The guitar and organ play around each other in a delightful groove that is dripping. The lead guitar breaks things up without overplaying and we stay with the summer vibe of it all. Prince sings, and the mood stays the same, his vocals staying with the laid-back sound. There’s only a verse and a chorus, but it hardly matters when the groove is this delicious. We have twelve minutes to wallow in this sound and to be honest I could have easily eaten up another twelve minutes’ worth of the same. There’s even a sax solo near the end to liven things up which is a nice exclamation mark on the whole song. 

The transition to “Thank You For Talkin’ To Me Africa” is every bit as smooth as you might expect, and for the first time this evening we can hear Larry Graham. What captures my attention though is the saxophone again, Tony Morris is adding a lot to this show, and it lifts it from the slow heavy groove to something brighter and it demands closer listening. The other instrument that features prominently in this song is the heavy swirling sound of Morris Hayes on the organ. The song becomes a very quiet sing-along with just the faintest hint of keys and guitar as the crowd carries the song for a couple of minutes. I do like this part of the song just as much as anything else we have heard thus far, and the band work themselves steadily back to the groove for a finish in a way that sounds pretty cool to me. 

 

“The Jam” fails to fire my enthusiasm at first, there doesn’t seem to be anything new in there for me. Of course, I always enjoy Mr. Hayes's contribution, and tonight it’s when Mike Scott comes to the party with a guitar solo that has me sitting up and taking notice. It’s short, and for the half-minute, it plays he has all my attention. Likewise, the sax solo has a touch of fire that has me interested, although it too is short and sweet. Mentally I tune out as Larry plays, no offense to Larry, but I have heard him for many years now and tonight he doesn’t bring anything new to the table. 

The following jam is of more interest to me and has a few different things in the mix. The steady groove is still firmly in place and sounds almost shuffling at times. As the music moves up and down we have Prince singing “Push It Up” before the song becomes an all-inclusive singalong. Usually, these don’t sound great on recordings, tonight I am feeling in the moment and happily listen to it and trying to imagine what it was like to be there. “Come On,” and “Acknowledge Me” are also in the jam in various forms, and the whole thing works as an evolving, tumbling jam. 

 

The change to “Gett Off” is subtle, and I almost miss it. The lyrics suddenly come at me, and although the music is a soft jam there is no mistaking the words and Prince’s delivery. The organ swells behind him, and we are a million miles from the Diamonds and Pearls version. The key hook is absent, instead, we have Mr. Hayes filling the spaces with his heaving organ. The hook finally appears, but only just as we swing into a jazzy “Violet The Organ Grinder.” 

It is jazzy sounding, with Prince scatting against a jazzy-toned guitar. Some noodling by Mr. Hayes adds to this feeling, and when Prince does sing “Violet The Organ Grinder” it’s with a croon that completely throws me. That’s not to say I don’t like it, I love it, it’s just not what I expected right now, which is exactly why I love listening to these shows and I never tire of listening to Prince and his bands. Prince playfully returns to his scat for the last couple of minutes of the song but returns to singing just as the scat was coming dangerously close to outstaying its welcome. 

After a lengthy break, the music and funk return with a long jam. It’s much faster than before but not as heavy sounding. The instruments play quickly and light and it does sound quite different from earlier jams, especially with a choppy guitar sound. There is the obligatory “I like funky music” chant, yet it’s all about the music and is a mostly instrumental jam. I am surprised to hear the lead guitar sound fire up, and Prince does give us a brief solo before the song becomes “Release Yourself” with a chant and singing to match. Although it goes for some time, it doesn’t reach any great heights, and it’s only a brief burst of guitar that sparks a flicker of interest in me. The rest of the jam is fine, but compared to the rest of the show it is a comedown. 

 

The show ends at this point and I am left to gather my thoughts. The show encapsulates everything I dislike and like about this period. There are some great moments and overall you can’t really fault the show and yet at the same time, something is missing, a fire, a passion, or an excitement. I get the feeling that Prince is comfortable and playing well within himself. I do like the song choices and the different arrangements keep me interested, it’s just enough to keep me coming back for more. For me this is an enjoyable ‘middle of the road’ show that is well recorded, I would happily listen to it without ever feeling the need to recommend it to anyone.