Several weeks ago I started writing about the 21 nights book launch and subsequent bootleg covering the event. It’s taken me longer than I thought to return to this bootleg, but the second half of the recording covers the almost three-hour aftershow and is well worth the wait. This is another Eye records release, it’s only by chance that they have had so much coverage on this blog recently, and although it is an audience recording it still holds my attention as Prince plays with a lighthearted touch across the sprawling set.
11th October 2008 (am) Hotel Gansevoort, New York
The pairing of “Crimson And Clover” and “Wild Thing” has grown on me over the last ten years. The fact that Prince dirties up the sound at this performance and gives the song some grit is all the more appealing, as is the hurdy-gurdy guitar break that serves as an improvised opening. Prince leads us through delicate verses and well-crafted choruses, but the real action occurs between these moments as he spits fire with several flights of fancy on the guitar that inflames the audience and the casual listener at home alike. The audience is loud in their appreciation, the only negative of this audience recording.
Prince’s cover of “Let’s Go” was in vogue at this stage of his career, and the performance of it here is true to form. It is punctuated by shouts and bursts of guitar heroics, but for the most part, it stays neatly boxed, and all Prince’s guitar work is nothing more than pretty packaging with no real gift to be revealed.
The a capella introduction of “7” suffers on this recording, the fully engaged crowd drowns out anything happening on stage with their singing. The song itself comes and goes quickly, there is no catch or hook to lure the listener in. Prince doesn’t give it time to work its magic, and it eventually decays into “Come Together”
The “7,” “Come Together” combination doesn’t initially excite me, although I must admit I do find myself singing the chorus with Shelby J before I know it. The recording perks up, and so do I, with Prince’s stabbing guitar solo, but interest wanes for the singalong. As always, great at the concert, not so great here at home.
The wheeze of the keyboard heralds the arrival of “1999.” This band may not be The Revolution, but they do hold their own with a version that could have been lifted from any time in the 1980s. The distinctive voice of Shelby keeps us in the present, even as the crowd indulges in the chant of “Party” over Prince’s scratch guitar. It is these final minutes that stand out for me, and with Princes high pitched singing and funk guitar 2008 disappears from view in a fog of electro-funk.
Prince continues with his musical time machine, “Controversy” just as firmly rooted in the past as “1999.” I am surprised to hear Prince himself comment on this with his quote “they say where you from? I tell ’em the 80s” He lives up to this comment with a synth-heavy, funk-driven rendition of this classic slice of Prince's 80s output. Shelby can be heard (imploring folks to clap their hands and stomp their feet), but the song firmly remains in Prince's hands with his vocals and guitar the key sonic signature of the song. Even the bass break doesn’t derail this feeling, and it is almost with sadness that the song comes to an end after five minutes, bringing the curtain down on this diversion into nostalgia.
The comment “You ain’t ready for this” sums up my ambivalence towards “Sexy Dancer/Le Freak,” – I’m not ready for it. “Sexy Dancer” gets a thumbs up from me, “Le Freak,” however, leaves me less than cold. It lacks a distinctness, the music sounding watered down from the preceding songs.
It was P-funk who belittled The Doobie Brothers with their “It was cool, but can you imagine Doobie-in’ your funk?” line. As is his way, Prince goes against the grain, instead celebrating the Doobies with an infectious, and surprisingly likable, cover of “Long Train Runnin’.” There is an added energy to the performance, Frédéric Yonnet providing some harmonica that is a celebration in itself and lifts the song beyond the diesel locomotive sound of the original. Prince's train isn’t as driven as the Doobies, but it does carry more sounds and textures lying deep in the grooves, making for a well-rounded listen that delivers on several levels.
All these other songs are mere children in the presence of “Shhh,” a song that is steeped in maturity and strength. The lyrics are light and can’t compare to the power of the music that is the bedrock of this song. The guitar blows at storm force across the recording, while the drums crash like waves on a breakwater as the song reaches its hurricane peak. Even on this audience recording, it has a radiating power that can’t be ignored, and it blows the doors off any doubts I might have about this bootleg.
There is audience noise marring the beginning of “Musicology,” as well as a touch of feedback. It is airy against the concrete of “Shhh,” and this is further emphasized by the appearance of “Prince And The Band.” As much as I like “Prince And The Band,” it is a guilty pleasure and not comparable to “Shhh,” or even “1999” that came earlier. With such a spread of material, some of Prince’s later songs suffer in comparison, and “Prince And The Band” are certainly one of those.
Things become harder and heavier as “3121” marches into view. Like most of the other songs, the audience detracts from the moment, but one can’t blame them for enjoying one of Prince’s strongest songs in the latter part of his career. The guitar break he laces it with adds just enough venom to make it a dangerous moment. I temporarily forget the audience noise and focus on the dark clouds that swirl around Prince’s guitar solo.
There is a slightly deranged sound to “Girls And Boys.” To my ears it is unbalanced, and the fact that Prince lets the crowd do all the singing counts against it. He does pick up the baton for the second verse, but the sound remains out of kilter, the song not quite meshing into the killer performance that Prince’s guitar break hints at.
“Honky Tonk Woman” comes in waves, the initial crunch of the guitar riff, Shelby’s soulful voice, and then the incisive guitar solo by Prince. As a Stones man, I fully approve, even if this slice of retro rock doesn’t reach the heights of some of the other performances of the evening.
There is a lack of bite to “Stratus” and although I usually love the meandering way that Prince takes us down various rabbit holes, this time it just doesn’t spin my wheels. It continues to grow and evolve, but there is not enough change for my liking, and for the most part, I feel we are stuck in the same place. There are other bootlegs where this song is outstanding, unfortunately, this concert doesn’t live up to those high standards.
The moment is saved as Prince rasps his way through a light-headed-sing-along-at-home rendition of The Rolling Stones “Miss You.” The recording isn’t quite good enough to catch the nuances as Prince invokes the spirit of Mick Jagger, but it does capture the busy harmonica work by Frédéric Yonnet. Prince shines a different light on the song with his guitar work, it is a delight on the ear, but hidden behind the not-so-soft veil of the audience recording.
Prince stays on this classic rock trip as he sashays into “Red House.” Without ever becoming challenging, it manages to tread the fine line between a smooth listen and something that slips into the background. It is one of the least demanding parts of the show yet at the same time the one part that rewards a closer listen.
“Purple Rain” is a smoldering, slow burn that never ignites into life. The delicate introduction sets the standard for the song, and it stays with this low-slung sound for the duration, even Prince’s final guitar break fails to fly as is its wont. Thin and sickly, this “Purple Rain” can’t match the performance captured on the first disc of the earlier concert.
The bootleg derails with a brief set by Dave Chapelle. Although it makes the show complete, it does break the flow of the music, and to be honest, I would have been forgiving of Eye records if they had left it off. Normally a completest, in this case, it is unnecessary and adds nothing.
The music resumes with Shelby J and “Brown Skin.” It has a sense of purpose and brings fullness back to the concert after the anorexic “Purple Rain.” Forceful and proud, Shelby gives the song the respect it deserves in one of the stronger songs in the set.
An audience member's comment “Do you think he’ll play Raspberry Beret?” suggests that this audience isn’t as cool as Prince and the band. No doubt this commentator was disappointed as in the next twenty minutes Prince takes on a series of well-considered and mature cover versions. “Summer Madness,” “In The Morning,” “Can’t Hide Love,” and “Free” all have an easy way to them and a vibe that hints at Sunday mornings relaxing in the Sun. The music flows easily, transporting me far downstream from the Prince hits we heard earlier on. On a raft of gentle keyboards and soulful vocals, Prince drifts a long way from the “Raspberry Beret” wanted by the audience and offers something far more refreshing and cool.
Equally relaxed is “Cream,” in this case the music is well behind Prince and his vocals. This isn’t served well by the recording, for the most part, it sounds distant and is a lot harder to listen to than the previous few songs.
It is “U Got The Look” that gets the crowd screaming, again messing with the recording. Prince’s guitar is forceful, yet weakened by the quality of the recording. It is an enjoyable enough performance, but with the recording as it is, it is another moment that could have been more.
I am pleased when the funk arrives back in the form of “What Have You Done For Me Lately,” although I could do with a lot more bottom in the recording. The bass is hot, but it deserves a better recording, and one can only imagine how it would sound with a heavy sound. The segue into “Partyman” is unnecessary as far as I’m concerned, but I understand that this is the way Prince chooses to present it. As much as I love Prince’s original material, it was “What Have You Done For Me” that caught my attention.
The show continues to accelerate in this way as the band quickly swarms over “It’s Alright” It is similar to the previous songs in both sound and intent, a seamless part of the setlist where all the jigsaw pieces come together. After a weak start to the concert, this half-hour is where the treasures lie, and it is worth the wait.
An equally brisk “Alphabet St.” has the crowd on board with hand claps, to the detriment of the bootleg. Prince is crisp and sharp with his guitar, and it keeps the tempo of the show up as we approach the end of the concert.
Prince rounds out the show with a string of songs he gave away to others. “The Bird” opens this feeding frenzy, before giving way to “Jungle Love.” I prefer “Jungle Love” for its fierceness and the blowtorch guitar solo that Prince ends the song with. It is worthwhile for that moment alone, the guitar shining out in the audience noise.
There is a long introduction to “The Glamorous Life,” but the song is little more than this. The song vanishes soon after the introduction, it is fleetingly pleasurable but ultimately unsatisfying.
However, there is a satisfaction to be found in the last song of the concert – “A Love Bizarre.” Prince loads it at the front end with a guitar line that has a fierceness and fire unheard elsewhere on the recording. For the first time, the music rises above the quality of the recording, giving the show a punch and direction that is lacking elsewhere. It is a shame that the rest of the show doesn’t sound as purposeful, but I am more than happy to have this to cling to. It is an ending that is unrepresentative of the concert, giving the show perhaps more gloss than it deserves.
After listening to the earlier show in this set I was looking forward to hearing this later aftershow. It did not live up to expectations. The biggest problem was the quality of the recording. While nowhere near as bad as some I have heard, the audience was still far too prominent and detracted from several key moments throughout. As always I found some positives to enjoy, but the show did leave a bad aftertaste in my mouth. I would happily listen to the first concert in the set again; this one I’d take a pass on.
Thanks again
Hamish
NOTE: The Eye package has Prince’s guest appearance with Q-tip as a bonus track. It doesn’t sound like much on the CD and is a waste. But the guest appearance is one of my favorite videos. The reaction of the crowd when Prince appears on stage is priceless, and Prince himself has never looked so cool. You can check out the video below, it’s well worth a look.
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