Minneapolis 8 July 2007 (am)

 In 2007 Prince played three shows in a day in his hometown of Minneapolis. I have already taken a listen to the matinee show at Macy's and the main show at the Target Center, so to round out the trifecta today I will have a look at the aftershow at First Ave. It’s notable in that it was the first time Prince had played there in 20 years, and anticipation was at an all-time high with queues snaking around the block with fans desperate to see their hometown hero. The show doesn’t disappoint. There are some uneven moments, but it is beautifully recorded (the bootleg sounds great) and the opening “3121” is so enormous in its heavy funk that any other weaker moments are immediately forgiven. I have listened to this show a couple of times this week, and I can’t wait to tell you about it. 

8th July 2007(am) First Avenue, Minneapolis 

“3121” has a steamroller of a groove that rolls heavily over everything from the first moments.  It’s hard and heavy and reminds me of “Days Of Wild” on a good day. With an insistent bass and horns early on, it puts me in mind of the performance of “Days Of Wild” from Belgium in 2002, dark, heavy, and feeling like it might roll on for days. “3121” builds with cheers from the crowd before some chopping guitar heralds the arrival of Prince. His vocals emerge from the fog of the music, ghost-like yet full and with a darkness of their own.  It’s as hard as nails, with Prince’s guitar adding plenty of venom later in the song, it too emerging from the morass of music with a piercing whine. The song rolls on for ten minutes, I could happily put it back on repeat and listen to it all day long, the show is worth listening to just for this song alone. It encapsulates all that is great about the aftershow experience and puts me right in the moment. 

 

We go from dark to light, with a bright and sharp “Girls And Boys” following immediately after. With plenty of honks from the horns and keyboards, it keeps the show moving at a clip, each stab adding to the momentum. Prince himself is sounding great, and I must again point out that this is a great-sounding recording. It may be an audience recording but it is full and rich sounding, with the crowd audible but not the least bit intrusive. 

“I Feel 4 U” is sprightly, with Shelby adding her infectious energy to the show. She is reasonably restrained and nicely focused. The song itself is short, and as Shelby begins to call “Put your hands up” things quickly move on to “Controversy.” 

In recent times “Controversy” has been played with and thrown into crowd-pleasing medleys, and I am happy to say that the rendition here is faithful to the original. It may not be the bare funk of the album, the band is bigger and fuller, but the song is the same arrangement, at least until the final minutes as Prince calls for the audience to jump up and down. It’s not my favorite part of the song, but there are plenty more positives I enjoy listening to, especially the frenetic horn solo that adds a sense of urgency to the song. The closing guitar break from Prince is equally fine, it takes a while to get to it but it is well worth the wait. 

Things slow for “Beggin Woman Blues.”  The groove is the steady sound of “Satisfied,” as Prince sings “Beggin Woman Blues.” The lyrics are hilarious, and the crowd is quiet as they listen carefully to catch the jokes. The real surprise is Prince’s vocals, they sound fantastic, especially in the first few minutes. There is plenty to enjoy on the keyboard front too, with both Morris Hayes and Renato Neto taking solos before things cut loose with a wild sax solo from Mike Phillips. Prince brings us back as he returns the song to its roots with his vocal delivery of “Satisfied.” Morris Hayes does a great job of filling the sound out behind him, and it highlights Prince's vocals further, his high squeals contrasting with Morris Hayes's deep organ swirls. 

I can’t say I am overly impressed by “Down By The Riverside.” It’s a breather and a chance for me to grab another drink (this is thirsty work). 

“Gotta Broken Heart Again” is a standout moment. It has a stillness to it, with Prince's vocals being the backbone of the song. I can’t speak highly enough of his vocals, they are outstanding and listening is a reminder of how much of a pure singer Prince was. He even matches the horns for shrillness and intensity as the song reaches its climax, an impressive feat. 

Shelby takes on “Love Is A Losing Game,” a tough job as it is a song that in my mind is indelibly associated with Amy Winehouse. I’m not sold on the performance, although Prince provides several guitar breaks that do elevate it, but not quite enough. The guitar does sound sweet and has a zesty sound to it, on another song it would be a whole lot more. 

I enjoy Shelby’s performance of “Love Changes” a whole lot more. She is soft when she needs to be soft, and strong when she needs to be strong, and I think it is a great match for her vocals and personality. Prince adds his input with some more guitar work, and this hits all my sweet spots, they complement each other well and this is further highlighted as Prince sings alongside Shelby. It may not be a lot of peoples’ cup of tea, but for me, this is as good as anything else heard on this recording. Prince's guitar in the final minutes underlines the performance and seals the deal. 

We have all heard “Thank You (Falettinme  Be Mice Elf Again)” plenty of times, and this rendition contains no surprises. Larry Graham adds his deeper tones to the song, and it does have an energy that is sometimes missing in these performances. Things heat up near the end as Prince stops the band and we get some real rumble out of Larry and his bass. 

 

This rumble settles into “Hair,” and with the keyboard playing a retro sound we are cast back to the Seventies. Larry starts on vocal duties, but he gives way to Shelby who doesn’t do a bad effort of the song herself. It does become a medley with some funky guitar running things into “Sing A Simple Song” before things quickly change again, this time with “Everyday People.” “Everyday People” ends the medley on a high, it is feel-good through and through and one can almost hear Larry Graham smiling as he plays and sings. 

“Alphabet St” may start as expected, but soon enough it is spinning off into all sorts of weird and wonderful places. Greg Boyer is present for a trombone solo before Larry Graham's bass settles things back into a groove. Sheila E playing percussion is easily the highlight, she is the right person at the right time and her input is timely and welcome.  Unfortunately, things come to a sudden end (due to curfew restrictions), but it is a fine way to end the recording, as Prince thanks the crowd as he explains why they are stopping, demonstrating that he is a law-abiding citizen through and through. 

I had heard good things about this bootleg, but to be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from it. On the surface, it seemed to be the same old songs brought out again for the aftershow. I was caught off guard by the funk of “3121,” and the appearance of Larry Graham wasn’t what I had come to expect, the show had a lot of energy when Larry arrived on the scene and provided his input. Of the three shows from this day, I would easily rate this as the best of the three. A short, sharp show played with intensity and energy, and I can’t ask for better than that.