San Jose 1 June 2004

 I have for a long time now avoided the Musicology shows. To be honest, I haven’t been very open-minded about these shows, I only listened to them shallowly and for too long I have regarded them as nothing more than a crowd-pleasing package. In recent times I have come around, and I have been overdue in blogging about these shows. When looking for a good show to listen to from this tour, I found the concerts far more rewarding than I anticipated, and some great shows are circulating from this tour. The show I am listening to today is from San Jose, and the main reason I chose this one is due to the acoustic guitar set, which I believe is one of the longest- if not the longest, from the tour. There is plenty more to enjoy on this recording too, and with a running time of slightly over two hours, there is something for everyone. 

1st June 2004. San Jose, California 

I don’t know if I’m the only one, but I enjoy the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame video introduction, the speech from Alicia Keys does a fine job of neatly summing up all the reasons I am a Prince fan. Whoever wrote that speech, be it Alicia or someone else, they certainly captured the passion that keeps me listening to this day. 

Musically the show opens with “Musicology,” and it’s a rousing rendition that makes the album cut sound rather tepid. The recording is outstanding, it’s an audience recording of the highest order- outstandingly clear and crisp sounding, every instrument and Prince is heard in perfect balance. The rhythm guitar is heard much better at this show, and it gives it just a little more of the oomph that I need. I often think of “Musicology” being a longer song, here I enjoy it so much that it seems to go by in the blink of an eye. Greg Boyer and his trombone end the song on a high, and I am very happy with what I have heard so far. 

“Let’s Go Crazy” has a Vegas sound about it, with the horns playing prominently and Prince's guitar a little more in with the band. His solo is clean and clear, and although it doesn’t have any real fire to it the crowd does cheer appreciatively. Candy playing a solo is a nice touch, I don’t find myself too enthusiastic about it although it’s not bad in any way. Prince closes the song in the manner to which we have become accustomed, and like everything else in the song, it’s nice but doesn’t raise any pulses. 

The pop of “I Would Die 4 U” is infectious, and as soon as it starts I feel myself warming to the show. I don’t know if it is nostalgic value or the performance, the song has a life of its own, and the show ups tempo. It’s barely a minute, and I was grinning through it the whole time. 

 

I am very surprised as we next get a fuller take on “When Doves Cry.” The earworm of a keyboard riff and a fantastic-sounding elastic bass keep me hooked, and although some verses are missing there is still plenty here to listen to and enjoy. It’s an interesting arrangement and one I could happily listen to again. 

The keyboard intro of “1999” leads us straight into a crowd-pleasing “Baby I’m A Star.” Crowd noise is minimal on the recording, but there are plenty of whoops and cheers as Prince rips through the song. With four songs straight from Purple Rain, Prince is playing to please the crowd. I am not enamored with “Baby I’m A Star,” it’s a shade too polished and clean for me. The horns get plenty of play, and it sounds to my ears a little too close to a Vegas revue. There is a piano interlude mid-song which I find far more enjoyable and it’s more than enough to keep me interested to the end. 

For me things the show goes up several notches as “Shhh” begins. That guitar and drum introduction gives me time to prepare myself for what I hope will be a highlight. I am rewarded with an excellent rendition of a long-time favorite. Prince’s vocals are brilliant and the recording does him justice, capturing every nuance of his performance. Prince’s guitar playing matches his vocal performance, the tone is just right and the sound is crisp and restrained with the emotion present but reined in. John Blackwell doesn’t sound as strong as we sometimes hear, but that may well be up to the recording as much as anything. The last-minute of guitar work from Prince is outstanding, and it transports me away from the glitz and glamour we heard earlier. 

I have always loved the “D.M.S.R.” performances from the Musicology tour, so as the music starts I am already looking forward to hearing what comes next. The vocals are strong, the music funky, and the horns sound great with their top-end sound. The song has a fantastic slide to it, and this is heightened with the bass sound under it all. Greg Boyer and his trombone appear for a solo that keeps the party groove going. I am not surprised to hear the “Crazy In Love” riff thrown in, its horn vamp working well with the “D.M.S.R.” groove. Prince has a swagger to his voice and he is running the show, with both the crowd and band responding to his calls. Candy’s solo is fun, but it's Mike’s break with the vocoder that I dig, I could have easily listened to much more like this. I had almost forgotten about Maceo Parker, and he does a fine job of playing us out to the end of the song with Prince chanting with the audience. 

The briefest of introductions from “Love Bizarre” and “Glamorous Life” sound before we swing into “I Feel For You.” Prince's vocals are a little lost in the sound of the band, but aside from that the song is just as good as it has ever been. The sound is warm, and there is a comforting feel to it. The bass pops out of my speakers and the crowd responds to Prince's calls adding to the familiar feel. 

The pulsating rhythm of “Controversy” keeps us firmly rooted in the 1980s. The bass and drums drive along while Prince's crystal vocals sound sharp over top.  The guitar does become stronger after the first verse, and anyone who follows this blog regularly knows this is what moves me most. I don’t truly feel the song until Candy plays a scorching solo, and the bass ramps up. It pulls me right into the song, and I stay there as some choppy guitar plays. Prince reminds us of some of his great catalog by singing several lines of “Love Bizarre” before Candy gets another moment followed by the rest of the band. It’s very much one of Prince's band leader’s jams, with the band stretching out and getting a chance to groove on it while he calls the changes. This is a band that is often overlooked, but on listening to this I realize that they are very versatile and they had been with Prince for some time by this point. Housequake is in the mix too, with the horns making themselves heard again. 

I find the piano interlude by Renato Neto to be a pleasant surprise. I am gobsmacked when I hear the “she’s crying, it’s backward’ from “Purple Rain” playing. There is no way in a million years I could have ever guessed that I would hear this in concert. It’s an interesting diversion before Renato begins to play “God.” His piano playing has a tender solo sound before Maceo joins him playing saxophone. I like the sound of the sax, although I preferred the solo piano that we started with. The saxophone sounds good with the piano and the final sustained notes he plays get the crowd cheering before the song closes gently with the solo piano again. 

 

The acoustic set begins with Prince playing a heartwarming rendition of “Little Red Corvette.” With the song stripped back like this, there seems to be much more room for Prince to inject emotion with his vocal performance and guitar playing. The crowd lends their voices to the chorus and there is a real warmth to the recording. 

I have never been a big fan of “Cream,” but hearing it like this I feel the roots of it and I get a lot out of it. Prince is in fine form with his humor and chastises the crowd for lip-synching as they sing along. It’s almost like a campfire sing-along in places, and it has a lot of heart to it. If it was played more often like this I would be a much bigger fan of the song. 

“Sometimes It Snows In April” is tailor-made for an intimate performance like this. The naked sound of Prince and his guitar has never sounded so good, and this is one of the best live recordings I have heard of this song. There are cheers and calls from the crowd, but the recording is perfect, and I can only hear them as background noise, Prince and his guitar are front and center the whole time. All in all, it’s an excellent recording of a beautiful song. 

I have always preferred the live versions of “Dear Mr. Man” over what was released on the album, like I have said in previous songs here there is much more warmth and humanity to it.  The crowd claps along and it’s very in tune with the feel and the soul of the song. Prince plays loose with his guitar to end the song, and for me, this song is the heart of the show. 

He follows up by playing a few lines of “The Most Beautiful Girl In the World.” I look forward to hearing the whole song, although we only get half a minute, and surprisingly I am not too bothered as the next song is a glorious-sounding “Adore.” 

“Adore” works very well in this setting, with only the acoustic guitar playing I find that Prince's vocals gain an extra emphasis, not that they need it – the crowd certainly knows every word, as do I. It’s abridged, and only runs a couple of minutes before Prince breaks the spell with “Remember that song from High School’ as an introduction to “Sweet Thing.” 

He does very little singing on “Sweet Thing,” instead it’s the crowd that does all the heavy lifting in providing vocals to his guitar playing. His playing is indeed sweet and the song sounds just like its title. It’s a lovely moment, and it takes me back to a time and place. 

Likewise, “Raspberry Beret” sounds equally as sweet and pop. In this format, it works even better as there is much more space for the crowd to sing along with Prince as he plays. Naturally enough he ends after a verse and chorus with the traditional “I think I love heeeerrrr” Short and sweet, but it has its place here. 

Things get more upbeat with Prince playing “I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man.” It works well acoustically, and I like that I can hear what the key components are for me, Prince’s vocals and his guitar. I have always had an enormous soft spot for this song, and I am delighted to hear it in this context. Prince seems to be in a great mood, playing with the crowd as they sing the chorus, and I can’t help but hark back to that feeling of a campfire sing-along. 

There is more humor as Prince next plays the opening to “Jail House Rock” and sings the first lines.  He pauses and tells the crowd “We can be Princes, but we don’t want to be no Kings” It gets a cheer from the crowd and a big grin from me at home. 

“Telemarketers Blues” is equally humorous. There isn’t much happening musically but the lyrics are always a lot of fun, and the last minute of Prince crooning and playing the blues is worth hearing. It segues in “12:01” which is a good bookend to it, and as it is similar in sound and humor they work well as a pair. 

I begin to lose interest in the acoustic set as “On The Couch” plays. It doesn’t stand out in its vocal performance, and the guitar playing isn’t particularly strong or interesting, and for me, the enthusiasm for the acoustic set wanes about now. 

“7” signals the return of the band, and I enjoy hearing the bass line in particular. The backing vocals seem too strong for the song, and for a while, I hear them more than I hear Prince. It’s no bad thing, as the song is kept to barely two minutes, so it doesn’t get long enough to bother me. 

I hadn’t anticipated hearing “Sign O The Times” at this show, but I’m sure glad it’s in there. The horns add a nice little riff to it, and I like that there are a few other differences too that don’t for a moment detract from the song. It’s not the bare-bones sounding song we know from the 1980s but this re-imagining of it for the 2000s works much better than some of his other updates. There is even a howling guitar later in the song that pulls back to a Santana sound which works equally well. 

 

I play “The Question Of U” a lot here at home, so I am not too excited to hear it on this recording. It’s a good clean version, nice sounding, but not as intimate sounding as I have heard at some after-shows. The guitar break almost has me eating my words, as Prince shows us why he is so highly regarded as a guitar player. His guitar says plenty as it howls and whines with emotion. The last squeal in particular before it changes tone has me beside myself. The music slows and Prince plays a stabbing break that shudders and shakes me before he builds up to “The One.”  I have always felt an emotional connection to “The One,” and here it lives up to my expectations as Prince's vocals capture the emotion of the lyrics. There are the lyrics of Alicia Keys Fallin sung by the girls, but it's Prince's singing of “The One” that holds me. He releases a final emotional charge with a fierce guitar solo to finish. 

“Let’s Work” is completely different from what we have just heard, and it takes me half a minute to get into it. It’s a chance for Rhonda Smith to shine and shine she does. Her bass work is solid, and the solo she gives us is a lot of fun. It’s rather short before the horns come back in, but still worth hearing. 

“U Got The Look “has a very different sound to it, initially there is no guitar at all, and it’s unlike anything I’ve heard. The keyboard fills all the gaps, and Prince's guitar can be heard later in the song, without ever coming right to the fore and dominating. 

“Life O The Party” stays with this upbeat vibe, and it too sounds just as shiny and bright. The bass and drums lock in, while the brassiness of the horns keeps things moving up top. I enjoy the party atmosphere, and I know that this signals the end of the show is getting near. 

“Soul Man” is a welcome addition to the setlist. Prince doesn’t sing, but that doesn’t matter in the slightest as I am sure the crowd is on their feet already for this. It’s all part of the greater medley and a lot of fun. 

We segue right into “Kiss,” it’s not the strongest version I have ever heard, but in a show like this it serves a purpose and that is to keep the party going to the end. It’s a chance for the crowd to scream and shout, and, in places, sing along. It’s still part of the surge to the finish line, and after a couple of minutes we plow into “Take Me With U.” 

I don’t normally get a lot out of “Take Me With U,” but this one is an exception. I find the band gives a push to it, and it works well in this party-like finish. The crowd gets another chance to sing along and the horns once again take over, with Mike Phillips playing Meet The Flintstones, as well as Greg Boyer and Candy both playing solo lines. John Blackwell’s shout-out sees him playing “777-9311” before a sample of The Time saying “We don’t like new wave’ ends the medley with Morris’s inane laugh. 

The main show ends here, and we get a couple of minutes to catch our breath before Prince and the band return to play “Call My Name.” It’s the first proper seduction ballad of the show, without any competition in its category I find it’s great and a song I would often overlook gets the attention it deserves. The song is a welcome addition to the show, and I enjoy the horns and keyboards in it just as much as I enjoy Prince's vocals. 

 

“Purple Rain” opens without fuss, just a quick piano line from Renato before Prince's guitar plays a strong lead break that takes us to the opening lines. The rest of the song ebbs and flows as is its way until Prince unveils the guitar break that will carry us to the end of the show. The crowd of course has their final opportunity to add their voices to the show, and the whole thing concludes with an overall feeling of togetherness and positivity. 

It’s been a while since I listened to a proper main show like this, normally it would be something I eschew in favor of a good after-show, however, this one has shown me that I should be more open-minded. Not only was it a very good main show, but it was also something from a year I have shied away from for too long. The Musicology tour has a great many circulating shows, and now I see why so many people enjoy them- a good configuration of the NPG, an interesting acoustic set, and a lengthy performance make this a good listen for all occasions. I shall be digging through more of these Musicology shows in the next few months, and hopefully, I will have a few more gems to blog about.