Dublin 31 March 1995 (am)

 In many ways, I and my brother are complete opposites. Like most boys, when growing up we would fight constantly, sometimes coming to blows. Nowadays it is the complete opposite and I consider him to be my best friend. During our teenage years, we are different tastes in music, and we would often make mixtapes for each other trying to promote ‘our’ type of music respectively. I would often get tapes from him full of Metallica and AC/DC and in return, I would give him tapes with bands like The Cure, The Pixies, and Sonic Youth. Sometimes I would throw a Prince song on there, but it would have to be a heavy guitar-driven song to have him listen. The only music we agreed on when we were 15 years old was U2. The only time we wouldn’t squabble about who’s turn it was to use the stereo would be when one of us would play U2, it’s something we could both agree was good. This brings me to today’s show, a Prince after show from 1995 which has Bono himself singing the opening song. My brother sometimes admitted liking “The Cross,” you would think having Bono singing it as the first song would be enough for him to give the show a try. Unfortunately, the quality isn’t fantastic, and I’m not sure I could convince him to give it a try. On the other hand, I am very interested to give this a close listen, it does have some great songs from this period and it will be a nice change from a lot of the shows I have listened to recently. So I will be listening to this one with my teenage ears for me and my brother. 

31 March 1995 (am)  The Pod, Dublin 

“The Cross” is the first song we hear at the show, straight out of the box. I like it despite the rough recording. The music is delicate and alluring, and I quite like the audience noise, it lends it a certain ambiance. It is a novelty to hear Bono singing the song, but to be honest novelty value isn’t enough. Sure his singing is fine, and the song is appropriate for his style, but he doesn’t have the same depth of feeling in it as Prince does. Bono does make up some lyrics, as is his way, and as much as I admire his ability to do so I find it doesn’t add any extra value to the song. Much more noteworthy is Prince's guitar playing, and as the song increases in intensity Prince can be heard playing. It is unfortunate that as the song is increasing in intensity the recording is going the other way and becomes thin and muddy. I find myself turning it up loudly to try and catch the sound of Prince and even that is not enough. 

 

Bono departs and we get the Prince show we have been waiting for. Firstly, the briefest of “People Get Ready” (a couple of lines) and then “The Jam.” I sometimes lose interest in “The Jam,” I have heard it too often, but this time is different as it is much shorter, and the band doesn’t overplay their parts. Michael B gets a chant, and a few moments, and then Prince engages in some fretwork that quickly brings us to the next song. It’s brief, I don’t know why, but it works for me. 

We stay on a Larry Graham trip as the band groove on “I Believe In You.” That nice steady bass line and keyboard wheeze give plenty for Prince to play over. I’m not overly fond of the singing, the playing is what it is all about for me, especially the bass and guitar. Like the previous song, it’s kept relatively short (by after-show standards) and is a good song to get the crowd moving. 

“Glam Slam Boogie” ups the stakes, and over the up-tempo groove Prince plays the best guitar of the night so far. Not scorching searing solos, but a fast loose guitar that gets me excited to hear what comes next. What does come next is some crowd singing as the band swings into their work. I get a lot of pleasure out of the keyboard as it plays and I know for certain that had I been there I would be dancing my ass off. My brother would have been looking for the nearest exit. Prince tries to reclaim the song late in the piece, firstly calling to the crowd “What you singing for, I didn’t give you the cue” and then laying down some guitar work. 

The recording, although far from perfect, has improved considerably by this point, and “Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine” sounds nice and funky to my ears (well, my right ear anyway) The song doesn’t contain any surprises, I don’t need them as it’s always a pleasure to hear Prince sing “get on up” as the band gets tighter and tighter behind him. This is a great band, the more I hear them the more I appreciate them. I have been listening to them for years now, and I never get tired of this group of musicians, they are one of the best Prince bands. 

 

The bass that starts “Funky Design” has that feel to it that I love so much, it’s a shame the recording is below par. The introduction has me hooked from the start, and it’s even better as I know what’s coming. Prince spits and spins the lyrics in fine style, he sounds as if he is in the moment, and the band slithers and swirls around him. The keyboard in particular has a wonderful nasty sound, and again I don’t want to belabor the point, but it is let down by the quality of the recording. All is forgiven as Prince lifts the intensity levels and his vocals in the latter part of the song are particularly impassioned. This band always does keyboards well, and there is plenty to love in the last few minutes, and after ten minutes I am still wanting more. 

Things slow down for the first time in the evening as “Johnny” is the next song played. I always enjoy “Johnny,” the feeling is casual and it has an easy groove to it. The keyboard is once again to the fore and the hero of the song, along with my enthusiastic singing. Prince doesn’t sing much, it’s mostly a band groove, and I more than makeup for him. 

“Feel Good” is a close relative of “Johnny” and it slips easily into its groove straight after. The song isn’t too taxing, a verse, then the crowd chants the chorus and before I know it, it’s over and Prince delivers a pop hit. 

I am slightly surprised to hear “The Most Beautiful Girl In The World” next, I would not have thought of it as after-show fodder. That said, I do like it in this context and it does feel on another level from everything else in the evening. It has a brighter sound and I can feel it lifting my spirits as the band play. It’s not as bass and groove-heavy as the other songs, yet I notice the keyboards still have a strong and most welcome presence. A surprising inclusion, it shows another side of Prince that I sometimes forget as I immerse myself in after shows from this era. 

 

“18 And Over” is the one song of the night that I fall in love with right from the start. It should be a guilty pleasure, but I don’t care who knows it, this is the one. Dodgy lyrics aside, it has a seductive groove, and some snaky keyboards that swirl like smoke rings and leave me with that late-night feel. I don’t feel the least bit self-conscious singing “18 and over, I want to bone ya” even though as I type it I realize how ridiculous it sounds. Prince makes a point of highlighting his “bone-ranger” line, on another night I might cringe, but today I am just enjoying it too much. 

I am happy to say that “(Lemme See Your Body) Get Loose!” maintains this funky standard, and features extra percussion from James ‘McGoo’ Gregor. It doesn’t start great, things pick up as the song goes on, and the band gets funkier sounding to me, especially that ever-present keyboard. Bustin Loose is a nice fit as a coda, there is lots of keyboard and bass to get me grooving along. This part of the show feels like a proper after-show with plenty of band and audience having a good time, no longer a series of songs but rather a great groove to move to. 

The best is yet to come, as we get a “Santana medley.” I always like these and this one is no exception. Prince's guitar sounds just right and one can hear how much he has studied Santana. The recording is too quiet for my ears, but I can still hear Prince playing with great gusto. He does pull back and let the keyboards add some lightness to the proceedings, the guitar groove is never from away though and you can hear Prince chugging away in the background before he comes to the fore again for a further solo. The next solo is the show stopper for me, I have heard it before and I find it timeless. 

 

Typically, Prince finishes the show “with a ballad” – “Get Wild.” Normally I highly rate “Get Wild,” in this case I think it’s lacking due to the recording levels, it never reaches the brain-crushing intensity that I anticipate. The song has a feeling of finality as Prince plays with the crowd and the groove for the last night. There is the expected call and response, and plenty of jumping as the band hit their straps. Fittingly it’s the keyboard riff I can hear most as the song plays, the keyboards have been outstanding all night long. The show ends with a last hurrah from the drummer and an enthusiastic “thank you” from Prince. 

This show in the scheme of things hangs in the balance. It was a good show, a great performance, and the novelty factor of having Bono guest on the first song. On the negative side, the recording didn’t do it justice. That is no slight against the taper, I am eternally grateful to anyone who dares to record a show like this for all of us to enjoy, however, the sound doesn’t serve the band well, and there are key moments and performances that I don’t hear in their full glory. This is one show that I know as a super fan I will come back to again, especially as 1994/1995 always fascinates me, I just don’t think this is the one to convince my brother though.