Melbourne 23 October 2003 (am)

 Last week's blog about the Melbourne show of 2003 left me unsatisfied. As much as I enjoyed it, it was an incomplete recording that left me wanting more. As luck would have it, I have in my hand the aftershow from the same evening. This is a complete recording, but it is short – clocking in at just under an hour. I don’t mind that too much at all as the contents within are interesting – an unusual arrangement of Musicology (still five months away from being released), a slowed-down “The Work Pt 1.” and a left-field cover version in the form of “When The Saints Go Marching In.” It’s a tidy setlist that keeps the listener engaged throughout as Prince leads us down various musical alleys and backstreets. It is in contrast to the greatest hits package served up at the main show, making it an even more intriguing listen for me. 

23rd October 2003 (am) Melbourne, Australia 

Prince emerges regally through the crowd noise, although the audience recording cannot match the moment and is not quite good enough to make out his introduction. It matters little as the music takes its rightful place at the center of the recording for the live debut of “Musicology.”  In the smaller and more intimate venue, it sounds soulful and full, the drums especially sounding huge in the opening stanza. The horns are still busy, and Prince delivers his vocals with panache, but it is less Vegas sounding than on the Musicology tour, and for my ears, it resonates with its soulful roots showing. Maceo and Greg Boyer are well into their work early here, and they are infusing plenty of kinetic energy into the song, Maceo with his furious saxophone solo, and Greg with his mighty trombone solo that for my money tops him. It’s early days and Prince is still playing with the arrangement for this song, in this case, it is broken into two with  “Brick House” making a cameo appearance between the two sections. As much as I love “Brick House,” on this recording, I am not too fussed. Prince is bold with his vocals, and, unfortunately, there is a slight distortion in the recording at his loudest moments. It is left to the horns to save the day, and they segue back into Musicology with aplomb and remain the main focus of my listening experience for the rest of the song. 

 

It is Rad that sings “Ooh,” but she is far from the center of attention as it is the rest of the band that grabs the song and shakes it up into a cocktail of horn and keyboard funk. Another shot of trombone action from Greg Boyer leaves me drunk in its wake, the music a powerful mix of 100-proof funk that is overpowering and intoxicating. There is little I can do but lose myself in the moment as Prince demonstrates exactly what after-shows are all about – purity of the musical experience. 

“Peach” is lost to me in the general noisiness of the recording, the vocals washed away in the waves of crowd noise and general thinness of the recording. However, the recording does a good job of capturing the horns (here, and throughout) and especially Prince’s guitar. It is a shame then that he doesn’t engage with his instrument as much as you might expect, and aside from a couple of storming runs, there is very little guitar to be heard. 

Rising on the back of the horn motif comes “The Work Pt.1” My soul sings as the horns play, but for me, the meat and potatoes of the song are the rhythm guitar that arrives later in the song. Even as the sound becomes busy and spreads out in several directions I can still hear the guitar, a style I have always gravitated towards and held dear. The rest of the song goes by in a blur and there is much to admire in the way the band all play so uniquely but blend their styles and sounds seamless. This may not be the best-recorded version, but there is still plenty there for those that listen close. 

It is Chance Howard’s time to claim some spotlight as he comes forward for his take on “No Diggity.” It's a relaxed cover version, the rhythm section, however, is flawless in their work, and although this isn’t the most energetic version in circulation it is still interesting enough in its way, especially when Maceo adds his talents to the mix. Truly a legend, he elevates every song as soon as his saxophone is heard on the recording. 

Prince leads hand-clapping into “When The Saints Go Marching In,” and this version isn’t just about the horn section as you might expect. There is some excellent keyboard to be heard, but in only a few minutes there is not enough time for anyone to show off their abilities. However, the crowd liked it and it is a neat way to bring us to the last song of the evening. 

 

That last song is an instrumental jam and a fast and furious one at that. The key elements are all in place, chants, whoops, and the various band members playing sharply throughout. It isn’t an elongated jam as we often hear at after-shows it's one of the shortest jams I think I have heard at barely a couple of minutes. That doesn’t count against it in this case, as the crowd sounds as though they have been whipped into a frenzy, and it is easy to understand why as the music vortexes and increases intensity. It isn’t what is expected, but it is a good way to finish the show, putting an exclamation mark on all that has come before. 

An interesting little bootleg this one, it doesn’t sound quite like other after shows in circulation, yet it has its irresistible style and feel. There are a few nuggets sprinkled throughout the set that keeps the listener engaged, and it does come as a nice palate cleanser on top of the main show I covered last week. The recording is far from perfect, but the contents of the bootleg more than makeup for it, making for an engaging listen from start to finish.