Paisley Park 9 September 1995 (am)

 After the glory of listening to Prince’s outstanding show of 30th August 1995 at Paisley Park, this week I return to hopefully more of the same. On September 9th, 1995 Prince played two concerts at Paisley Park, one in the early morning, and then another late night of the same day. To avoid any confusion I will write about both, one this week, and one next week. Prince played a string of concerts through August and September of 1995, but all have different setlists and offer a scope of different listening experiences. This particular performance is short but well worth a close listen as Prince and the NPG continue to strip mine a rich vein of funk throughout this year. 

9th September 1995 (am), Paisley Park 

The concert doesn’t burst into life, instead, the music strolls easily on, swaying back and forth on the easy guitar line from Prince. With a strong bass line appearing, the song blooms, revealing itself to be “Shy” in full techno color. It’s an easy glide, Prince and the band proving to be a well-oiled machine with barely a hint of friction throughout these opening minutes. It is a soft opening, and the feeling that the band is still holding their cards close to their chest, not wishing to reveal too much of the heavy funk they are renowned for. 

 

With “People Get Ready” as the following song, there is the sense that this concert is different from many of the others throughout 1995. These opening two songs come as warm comfort food, nothing is challenging or threatening as the band groove easily through the music, just a hint of soul in the air as they play. “People Get ready” is short, but it does give a nod to Prince’s soulful roots. 

“The Jam” ups the tempo considerably, while providing the band a chance to stretch out for the first time in the evening.  And stretch out they do, with every member providing a new or different idea. Even with my jaded ears, I find something to enjoy, and “The Jam” is the perfect vehicle for the band to demonstrate their unique abilities in a song that sprawls across the next few minutes. 

 

The concert is punctuated by a dark chocolate rendition of Chaka Khan's “U Got The Love” With Morris Hayes adding plenty of heavy swirl, the song is rich in sound, Prince's vocals being the sharpness that brings it all together. His guitar final guitar break cleaves through this sound and ends the song on a high note. 

The instrumental jam that follows is a slow-building structure, assembled atop a foundation of Prince's guitar work. It takes some time to rise out of the ground, but it is an architecturally designed song, with every note carefully placed and all contributing to the essence of the song. It is the most straight-sounding rock song of the evening and sketches a simple blueprint of how a rock song should be. 

 

Several songs of the evening foretell Prince’s future, the covers of Larry Graham and Chaka Khan both predict a time in the next few years when Prince will work and tour with both artists. The second Chaka Khan song of the evening is “Sweet Thing,” and although I have heard this in various guises over the years, this is one of the earliest renditions by Prince, and it veils the concert in an emotional softness once again as Prince dwells on a gentle beauty from days gone by. 

The change to Ohio Players “Heaven Must Be Like This” is barely perceptible, and never has a song title been so apt. It is gorgeous sounding, and nowhere more so than the opening keyboard runs, claimed by Prince with his comment “Don’t mind me, I’m just jamming.”  As a companion piece to “Sweet Thing,” it is a match made in heaven, and this combination is the heart and soul of the gig. 

 

“Hide The Bone” is a far better representation of where Prince and the band were at this time, although I do initially mishear it as “Ride the bone”. Michael B stakes out his territory with an unmistakable pound, while Prince contributes his usual shotgun blast of smutty lyrics, all of which brings a huge smile to my face.  Walter Chancellor Jr gives the song extra gloss with his saxophone contribution, it is just the fresh blast that the song needs and it tightens up my enjoyment immeasurable. The final minutes meander, but it provides plenty of sparkling treasures before this and is another key part of this show. 

The crushing version of “Funky Design” blows the roof of the concert and signals what to expect in the next half hour. With its suffocating groove sucking all the oxygen out of the room, there is very little room for Prince to spark up and ignite the concert, instead, he remains buried under the incessant groove and all-consuming rhythm. He does briefly flare up for a verse, but the song remains firmly in possession of the band, and again  Walter Chancellor Jr proves mighty in his contribution with his saxophone riding this wild music to the finish. 

 

The band is in full force for the “Santana Medley,” at first it is the bass and keyboards that capture my imagination with their shades and color, but eventually they give way to Prince and his forceful guitar playing that stomps all over the rest of the song. It plays to Prince's strengths, with its changing feel and swing from moments of intense guitar ecstasy, to more nuanced and soulful playing. A cover version, it still remains a treat in Prince’s setlist and is just as important to understanding the man and his music as anything else that is heard at this show. 

“The Undertaker” simmers and bubbles for the longest time before the inner heat of the song boils over with Prince’s scolding guitar break. As much as I like this relentless groove and unforgiving bass line, it is Prince’s guitar that is key, and even as  Walter Chancellor, Jr again puts his brand on it, thoughts and feelings conjured up by Prince’s guitar linger. It matches “Funky Design” for pure intensity, and is the dark heart of the performance with its depths of emotion and musicality. 

There is the sweetest of instrumental introductions appended to the beginning of “Sometimes It Snows In April” It doesn’t add anything to the moment and is nothing more than empty window dressing to a song that is already loaded with its own emotional weight. The rest of the song belongs to the audience as much as Prince, and it is they that carry the chorus while the music rises and falls, cascades and splashes behind them on the waves' keyboards that fill the tape. It’s not quite all that I had hoped it would be, but it is interesting to see a pure Prince song keeping company with a setlist of Gold-era songs. 

The concert ends as gently as it started, and it leaves me scratching my head. It is not typical of other shows of the era, the setlist is far more balanced and there is a Prince song, but it is undoubtedly just as enjoyable as the other shows I have listened to in the last few weeks. These Paisley Park concerts from 1995 are proving to be a treasure trove of different experiences, songs, and concerts. This is merely one of that run, but is just as essential as any other, and is a unique listening experience. Check it out of you can.