London 9 March 1995 (am)

 Recently I took a good listen to the Emporium set from London 1995. Viv Canal kindly got in touch to let me know that he had seen his first aftershow about this time at another London venue – The Astoria. This got me thinking that I should give this one a listen to as well, and I did wonder about it as I couldn’t immediately recall hearing it before. Some digging revealed that I do have it, and it was a bootleg I remember very well as I paid far too much for it back in the 1990s. It has sat unloved on the shelf for too long and is well overdue for another listen. It’s immediately made more appealing by the fact that both George Benson and Chaka Khan play with Prince and the band, and I do wonder why I haven’t played it more. The reason being, perhaps, that the recording isn’t great? I don’t recall, and there’s only one way to find out, let’s give it a spin. 

9th March (am) 1995, The Astoria London 

George Benson makes his appearance on the first song of the set – “Glam Slam Boogie.” Without hearing it and just seeing the name on the case it seems like a match made in heaven, one can almost hear the guitar sound of George Benson working very well with the lighter guitar playing that Prince sometimes indulges in. The reality is not quite what I expect, but still well worth the listen. Prince tells the crowd that George Benson is one of his heroes, and I fully believe him, you can hear it in the way Prince plays- there certainly is some influence there. The song is a fine introduction for the band as they each play their solo as the groove carries us along just right. The sound of the recording is much better than I remember, and I am finding it to be a very easy listen. Each instrument can be heard clearly, and the drum sounds full without ever taking over. It takes some time to reach George Benson and his playing, and he is well hyped up by Prince’s introduction. His solo is worth the wait, and as he plays I can hear how Prince has been influenced by him.  The solo is shorter than I hoped, and Prince resumes his dialogue with the crowd, this time having them singing “ooww, weee, oooww”. They sound great, and for a minute I am a touch envious and wish I was there. 

 

We go from one hero to another as the soft introduction of “Sweet Thing” brings Chaka Khan to the fore. It’s ethereal sounding, the sound of the keyboard wash while the guitar cascades, I am lost in the music as it plays. The crowd recognizes Chaka as she comes onto the stage, and there is appreciative applause before she begins her vocal delivery. I thought the intro was beautiful, things get even better as she sings. It's glorious in every way, and already I am regretting I haven’t been playing this bootleg more often, things are off to a wonderful start. The vocals are the centerpiece as they intertwine, rise and fall, and I feel myself falling in love as I listen to it. 

Things become more upbeat as the guitar begins a wah-wah sound and “You Got The Love” begins. A song from Chaka’s back catalog, it’s not something I am overly familiar with, but I do like the band's performance, and Chaka always gives a great vocal performance. As the song plays on I find I am swept up by it, and I find I am turning it up louder and louder as it goes- always a good sign. There is some silky guitar work near the end by Prince, he sounds good but it’s not enough to upstage Chaka or the band especially as they up the groove for the climax of the song. 

 

“Love Thy Will Be Done” initially sounds distant, but soon enough it becomes stronger as the audience claps along. It’s got a sound that is right to be played with, and sure enough, it is played out with a suitable long introduction before Prince speaks. As he counts off again the sound suddenly opens right up and he plays some punchy guitar that serves as a wake-up call. It’s probably wrong to say this, but I prefer Martika’s singing to his, at least based on this performance, however, the guitar playing amply compensates as I find the performance again to be top-notch. I have to give special mention to the last lead guitar break, it had just enough fire to ignite the song for me. 

Following straight after is “Funky.” I loved the version that he played at Emporium, this one tonight doesn’t reach the same heights for me, although the chorus has me sitting up and taking notice, especially as Prince hits us with a blast of lead guitar every time. Things get seriously intense after the last chorus, and at this point, the guitar is deep and rough sounding, it’s just the sort of naked raw sound I like to hear. 

 

I salivate as “18 And Over” begins. I have always had a soft spot for it on the album, and in the last few years, I have warmed to the live versions, to the point now where it is something I look forward to in the set. The music is enchanting, and I find Prince’s vocals to be just on the right side of clever, I listen with a big sloppy grin on my face as he sings. People get different things out of different shows, and for me, this is the highlight. I don’t care if there are no guitar solos, or a soaring vocal performance, the mood and groove of the song are just right for me. Despite the smutty lyrics the music retains a sense of elegance, it is beautifully balanced. 

Prince next plays homage to another one of his heroes with an enthusiastic cover of Graham Central Stations “I Believe In You.” The first couple of minutes is very much a band performance until Prince begins to play his guitar with a loud solo that claims the song as his own. There’s still plenty of funk there, but Prince certainly puts his stamp on it with his crisp and crunchy guitar sound. 

As “The Ride” begins I know we are about to get a whole lot more guitar yet in a completely different style. Sure enough, after a slow steady start Prince begins to weave his magic on his guitar. It’s got an easy swagger to it, and as Prince is so fond of saying, they do indeed sound as if they have days to play. He plays his solo for quite some time, and I find it interesting to listen to without ever feeling it punching me in the face with intensity. In particular, I like the way he gets the guitar to whinny and rear up like a horse. 

 

The last song played by the band for the evening is an extended “Get Wild,” I say extended but in reality, it’s always this way, played out to the max. The popping bass solo is cool, all “up” sounding and bright. The smile stays on my face Prince has the crowd singing “play that motherfuckin bass” -oh to be there! Mr. Hayes comes to the party with a trademark solo, very playful and heartfelt. Tommy matches him with a more electrifying break, it's shorter and much sharper.  As it becomes a jam and groove with Mayte dancing, it needs to be seen as much as it needs to be heard, all the calls for her to shake her moneymaker have all sorts of images playing in my mind. I hope for much more music to follow but the song ends at this stage, as does the show. 

As a final exclamation point, “Gold” is played over the P.A. It is on the recording, nice and clear and, although it’s good to hear, it doesn’t add anything else in terms of the show, especially since it was later released and now familiar to us all. 

I think Viv was lucky to see this as his first after-show. The centerpiece of the show was the band themselves, and at this stage of his career, Prince was very trusting of his band, as I have written of other shows from this era the band sound like they are a gang, bonded together against the world. This isn’t a setlist to set the world on fire, but it was all played well and passionately and with the bonus of George Benson and Chaka, it all adds up to make this a show worth listening to. Thanks for the recommendation Viv, I will be putting this one in the car for the next road trip.