London 22 September 2007 (am)

 Last week I took in an aftershow that opened with the vocal talents of Bono singing The Cross as the opening song. That set me to think about similar shows where guest vocalists make an appearance. I have already covered the 1988 aftershow with Taylor Dayne, and this week I will take a listen to a 2007 aftershow that begins with Amy Winehouse. In the last few months I have caught the very highly recommended documentary about her life, and I can see what an outstanding talent she was. At the time I followed her through the tabloids, but there was much more to her, and she was purely about the music, as well as a wonderful performer. With nothing but respect for her, I can’t wait to listen to this show and reflect on the talent that was Amy Winehouse. 

22 September 2007 The Indigo O2, London 

I was anticipating hearing Amy sing right from the start, instead, the show opens with a lovely-sounding instrumental, with a piano and keyboards to the fore. It’s a suitable opening as the band feels their way in and gets the levels right. Near the end you can hear Prince testing the mics “one, two, one, two” – it is very much an instrumental sound check. 

Some soft guitar near the finish leads us ever so gently into “Love Is A Losing Game.” The piano and guitar interplay is spellbinding and as Amy begins to sing she gets an appreciative cheer from the crowd. For all her troubled life, here she is angelic, her voice is simply beautiful, and as Prince begins to play lead guitar it lifts it to another level. I have seen grainy YouTube footage of this performance, but just listening to it is even better, I can concentrate and wallow in Amy’s every word.  Prince does his best to match her feeling with his guitar playing, and as wonderful as it is I still can’t get past Amy’s voice, it’s unique and something wonderful. Normally I listen to whole shows rather than individual songs, in this case, I would make an exception and would happily pluck this song for any playlist. As the song finishes Prince says “I got tears” and I know exactly what he means. 

“7” has a raw sound and the guitar is heavier which I dig. Prince plays while the crowd sings for him, and it’s a sound I find most enjoyable. Prince does his vocal duties as the song goes on, and he too is in fine voice this evening, and he needs to be after Amy’s performance.  Already this is proving to be an excellent show, and I see there are plenty more good things to come. 

That raw sound persists into the next song which is a pumped-up version of “Come Together.” “Come Together” popped up regularly over the 21 nights, this one is much better than any of the others I have heard from the main shows. Prince plays some fiery guitar mid-song which has me gasping for air, it’s head-spinning stuff and we are only three songs into the show. The song is well and truly ‘Princeified’ as they stretch it out to nearly ten minutes with plenty of cool interplay between the instruments. 

 

Next Prince gives us a much-loved cover of “Honky Tonk Woman.” The guitar riff sounds full in the venue, and the band sounds great on the groove. Shelby takes lead vocals, which may not be to everyone’s taste, but truth be told she sounds great. She belts it out with great gusto, while Prince and the band rock on behind her, and they sound well in the groove, the highlight for me being when Morris Hayes bangs out a solo on the keys. I am sure by now you are well aware of how much I love the sound of him on the keys, he always delivers. 

I am not sure about “Rock Steady.” It seems to have the “Whole Lotta Love” bassline, and although it gives it an ominous sound, I don’t think the bassline works very well when the singing starts. The rest of the band though sounded hot, and all of them were right on the money. The keyboard swells, the guitar chimes, and there are just enough horns to liven it. Beverly Knight is on vocal duties and as good as she sounds, for me, it’s the horns that steal the show. 

Prince's guitar riff opens “Whole Lotta Love” next, and there is an initial rush of excitement in me although I have heard it many times before. I do quite like this rendition, it’s an instrumental, and as you might expect there is plenty of Prince howling away on the guitar. I like my funk just as much as anyone, but I am in awe as Prince rocks out on the guitar, it’s a face-melting solo that has me flying. 

“Shhh” gets off to a heavy start, there is still guitar pyrotechnics from Prince as it begins. It drops back as Prince sings, and I find I am lost in the music. Although I have heard this countless times, it’s still one of those songs that hits me every single time. Prince is quiet/loud, rough/smooth, emotional and passionate, all those things which I love about his live performances the most. The vocals are oh-so-good, but then that guitar playing comes in and I wonder how it could ever get any better. 

 

All this guitar and rock malarkey is put to one side as we hit a strong groove in “All The Critics Love U In London.” The band goes to town on this one, and there is plenty to dance to before any sort of vocals begin. Keyboards, horns, guitar, all of them lock in and play on the groove for what seems the longest time. And even then it’s not long enough for me, I could nod along to this all night long. Once again I find the horns practically alluring, they do add so much to his sound when they have to. The horns maintain their dominance right through the song, the whole seventeen minutes, and never once do I tire of them. 

We get more funk next as the pounding of the bass drum leads us into “Sexy Dancer – Le Freak.” I am a fan of both songs, so this plays to my tastes. Shelby is back out front, she does a well enough job but in this case, I would have preferred to hear Prince. It’s a party song, so there is some element of Shelby extolling the crowd to get up and party.  I get a lot more enjoyment and satisfaction as she steps back and we once again get a funky trombone solo.  It’s this solo that carries us through to the end before the bass of “Chelsea Rodgers” starts. 

I am a fan of “Chelsea Rodgers,” it’s an easy listen, and the bass has a good pop to it. Shelby sings it and injects plenty of energy. The trombone can be heard in the background, adding a nice fat sound to it. Prince accompanies Shelby later, and this sounds very cool to my ears, my only wish is that I could hear him better. This song sounds like it was it would have been a lot of fun to be there, you can hear the crowd dancing and moving along to the song. It’s not quite so much fun here at home, but it is a good listen. 

“Misty Blue” has a great horn intro that sounds very inviting. Shelby is singing again, and this is the Shelby I like, laid back and singing rather than hyping the crowd. She does a good job on the song, but for me, it’s not Prince, and I find I am waiting patiently for it to end so we can get to the main attraction. On another show, or another recording I would find this to be great, but right now this isn’t what I want to hear. 

It was Mr. Chris of The Soul Brother Show that introduced me to Mother’s Finest and it’s only recently that I realized that is where this next song comes from. “Baby Love” has its moments here, although it’s not a patch on the original. The band sounds great when they rock on, and Shelby sings loud and passionately, so I can’t quite figure out why it’s not as good as it appears on paper. For all that, it is very good and does raise the level again after the previous couple of songs. I think having Prince solo on the guitar certainly helps in this respect. 

 

A couple of excerpts follow, firstly a few seconds of “Love Changes,” then some funky guitar riffing on Kiss. Then we are back in business proper as Prince tears into “Alphabet St.” It’s one of those times where I can’t help but love it. Firstly, Prince stops and lets Josh play that bassline, and it sounds fantastic. Then the band rejoins and things begin to pop and swing. Maceo joins the fray and puts his trademark sound all over it, upping the funk levels considerably. In fact, to my ears, Maceo pretty much owns the song, even when Prince is grooving on the guitar it’s still Maceo’s sound that I am listening to in the background. 

The horns remain the center of attention well into the next song which is “Get On The Boat.” It becomes a party jam with the horns providing the lead riff that everyone else plays off. Prince does break it down for chanting and singing and it’s obvious that he is getting into party mode at this stage. Renato adds some delicate funky notes while Prince sings with the crowd. The chanting does wear out after a minute, and the band returns with a sound that takes a different twist, it seems to have more of a flourish to it. 

I am less than impressed as I hear them begin to play “Love Rollercoaster” next, however, it is kept mercifully short and they quickly segue into another song I dislike, “Play That Funky Music.” I am pleasantly surprised though, there is very little singing and it quickly becomes an exercise in Prince’s guitar playing. He plays lead and without ever getting overly heavy he plays some very fast and sharp runs. If it was always like this, I would much prefer it. 

Prince next takes his time to address the audience, telling them to look after Amy Winehouse, before telling them it was time to mellow out before taking public transport home. He then proceeds to hit us with a rocking version of “Anotherloverholenyohead.” The singing is great, as is the band, but once again it’s the guitar break that seals the deal for me. Prince was very fond of playing this rocked-out version at the time, and I must say it is something I take a great deal of joy from. I also like the Rock Lobster coda he throws in, something I grew up listening to a lot. 

We stay with this rock sound, although Prince slows it down for a smoking rendition of “Villanova Junction.” As the sounds of Morris Hayes simmer underneath, Prince lays on the guitar sound. Like so many other songs, I could listen to this one all night long and I would never tire of it, so I am somewhat disappointed as it draws to a close after a few minutes, if it had been twice as long I would be a very happy man. 

Guitar strapped on, we steam into “Peach” next. It offers nothing new at all but is infused with infectious energy. I should be sick of it by now, yet tonight I find I enjoy it just as much as anything else, and it’s easy to imagine Prince playing this with a big sloppy grin on his face. 

 

“Stratus” seems to usually arrive earlier in these shows, tonight we get it towards the end. Tonight it’s Renato’s playing that I enjoy the most, he solos for the first half of the song, and he seems to capture the mood of the piece just right. The second half is a contrast with Prince’s guitar doing all the talking. He has the same spirit as Renato but injects it with a lot more passion and fire. The two complement each other very well, and for me, it shows the strength of the band. 

The steady sound of “The Question Of U” sounds, and after the sombre guitar opening, Mike Phillips plays some soulful saxophone that sets the tone for what comes next. Prince quietens the crowd, having them snap their fingers, and I can hear the emotion fill the gaps. “The One” follows, and as always I sit open-mouthed and listen to it. It’s a fantastic song, and it deserves much more attention than it gets. Prince's singing is the only thing that matters throughout the song, and he does some great screams that convey the emotion of the song. Maceo plays after Prince has sung, he is good, but for me, the best part of the song has already been. Likewise, Renato’s playing is fine, without ever coming near what the earlier part of the song was like. Things get back on track as Prince's guitar plays “The Question Of U” refrain to bring the song to a close. 

It’s a very funky bass run that signals the beginning of “What Have You Done For Me Lately.” It’s shaping up to be particularly funky as Prince talks to the crowd and stretches the intro out with some more guitar. It’s got a lively sound as the girls begin to sing, and it gets better as the horns join the fray. It easily grooves into “Partyman,” and it’s at this stage I feel we are into the medley that will carry us to the finish. 

The crowd mostly sings “Partyman” while the horns provide the main riff. It’s upbeat and fun, although it doesn’t have any shape to it, and for me, it swirls around a lot without ever going anywhere. Maceo is the best part of the whole thing, his playing is exciting and energetic, and listening to this makes me want to dig more into his catalogue. 

“It’s Alright” is the final song of the evening, although to be honest by this point I am tired of this party medley to finish, I much preferred the heavier emotional songs earlier in the night. It is an upbeat way to finish the show though, and I can hear plenty of whops and cheers as the song and the show come to a finish. 

This show has proved to be a mixed bag. The first few songs were top-notch, I can’t fault them in any way and if the whole show had been at this standard we would have something special on our hands. The show is overly long, and there is a little too much Shelby J and filler.  However, the highs were superb, and I would happily listen to them any day. This is a show where I will cherry-pick the best songs for playlists.  The highlight for me was the appearance of Amy Winehouse, and listening to her sing with Prince only served to remind me of what a huge loss she was. When I remember her I shall remember her like this, in her element singing her wonderful songs.