Rotterdam 10 July 2011

 Following last week’s post on the first night of the North Sea Jazz Festival, this week I will be taking a listen to the second show. I would like to thank those that contacted me about the last blog post, especially Roy and John who were both at the show and provided me with some much-appreciated first-hand information. I was unaware that these Prince shows came after the main shows, and began after midnight. With that in mind, Prince is playing to a much more hardcore fan base, and I think that is reflected in the set-list of today’s show. The first show was plagued with sound issues, and the overall show was uneven. This second show has quite a few interesting song selections, and I am sure that with a good sound it will be an excellent show. I have heard many good things about this show, so I am eager to begin. 

10 July 2011, Ahoy, Rotterdam 

This is not your run-of-the-mill main show, and Prince lets us know that right from the start with his choice to open with “Joy In Repetition.” The opening bare piano playing to the hushed auditorium has a beautiful melancholy feel to it, and the swell as the rest of the band enter is equally clean, but brooding sounding. This is a fine choice to start with, and I’m sure many of the hardcore fans out there appreciate Prince’s intent. It would be easy to open with an up-tempo crowd pleaser, but this is a better choice for the audience and venue. Prince’s delivery is excellent, and he sings as if he is in a small club. There are times here that as I watch him, I can picture him delivering the same performance in the studio. His singing is very much part of the song, and it does sound as if he is living it and feeling it. I had expected him to sing with his guitar in hand, but instead, he clutches a small bunch of flowers in his hand as he sings, a much more feminine choice than the masculine guitar. Andy Allo is onstage drawing on her easel, and I could easily imagine David Bowie doing something like this in his stage show back in the 1970s and 1960s. Here it seems unnecessary and is out of place. I am disappointed to see that she has drawn the symbol, I was hoping for something more creative. I anticipate a great guitar solo from Prince, and I am surprised when he introduces Maceo for a solo on his saxophone. It’s not something I would want to hear every time I played this song, although I do like it here. Prince doesn’t let me down though and does bring out his guitar to play us out to the end of the song. The song ends with a sultry and alluring Prince and the bare beat. It’s an excellent opener and has set the bar high for the rest of the show. 

 

Andy Allo’s “Nothing More” throws me, for its similarity to “The Love We Make.” The music is close, and I temporarily start singing the wrong words as it begins. Andy’s voice seems very quiet, and although she sounds nice I wish she was a little louder in the mix. This point is highlighted by Maceo, as he begins to play he is nice and loud, and I find I am following him more than Andy’s vocals. Prince appears with his guitar, and the song very naturally becomes “The Love We Make.” Prince is in total command of his performance and he knows what the crowd has come for. He plays slow and takes his time with the guitar before he begins to sing. The difference between his vocals and Andy’s previous is quite glaring. He is much stronger on the microphone, and very confident and full sounding. I suppose thirty years of being a superstar will do that for you. This is another song that I often enjoy, both for the vocals, and the music. After being drawn in by the gentle melodies early in the song, Prince then unleashes his guitar break, and I find I mentally take a step back.  After listening carefully early on, I want to lean back and just soak up his guitar sound. 

Next, there comes another surprise as “Mountains” begins and Prince is joined on stage by Seal. I was going to say pleasant surprise, but I am less than impressed by Seal and his performance. He doesn’t sound great on the mic, and at times he seems to be mumbling. I’m not sure if he knows all the words, and he is mumbling to cover up. His voice initially isn’t strong, and I wonder if he is slightly hesitant. He does sound much bolder on the following lines, but I still don’t understand everything he is singing. Prince’s rhythm guitar is much more interesting to me, and after Seals exits the band begins to sing the song again from the beginning. Now it’s obvious Seal didn’t know the words, and I do feel for him. At least he made an effort, and his ad-libs will keep me amused on future listens. The song gets a lot of energy near the end, especially as Maceo begins to solo as the guitars get a nice rhythm going. The singing of “Come Together” at the end doesn’t do anything for me. Sure, the groove is still there, and it does add to the light atmosphere, it’s just that there is nothing very interesting going on for me to listen to. Prince does chastise the crowd for taking pictures and urges them to participate, and now that I am officially a grumpy old man, I agree with him. 

At this point, I must compare this show to the previous night. The first night Prince looked far more businesslike as he went about his playing, this second night he looks very much more relaxed, and you can hear that in the music, it does sound like they are having fun playing together. 

 

“Alphabet Street” has the crowd singing along to Prince and his guitar, and even as he speeds up they keep with him. The band enters and the song hits a deeper groove that sounds just like it did in the good old days. Prince plays a short honky tonk break as the organ leads the band in the groove. The song does get the extended treatment, and Prince strips the song back several times to encourage the crowd to sing. It’s all good fun, and I am ready for the next song by the end of it. 

Another treat for me next, as the bass groove begins for “Dear Mr. Man.” I am very surprised to hear it, and now that I am hearing it live I wonder why I don’t play it more on the album. Prince plays the bass himself and you can hear him adding his flourishes as Maceo plays a solo. He repeats the trick after another verse with Morris Hayes playing an organ break while he locks down the groove on the bass. I don’t just like this, I love it. And it gets even better for me when Prince begins to sing “If You Want Me To Stay.” This is one of my most played songs of all time, it’s on almost every playlist I make. To hear Prince sing it while playing bass is fantastic for me, and just when I think it couldn’t get any better, Prince plays a bass solo. This show is something else, and when Prince says “Ya’ll got the funky face, don’t ya” I swear he is talking directly to me. The song then finishes with Prince and Maceo playing side by side, and it’s a fitting funky finish for a funky song. 

 

Another funky cover version next as Prince sings “Stand!” Initially just him and his guitar, before the rest of the band join him later in the song. I prefer when it’s just him and the organ, and when the rest of the band joins in the song loses momentum. Order is restored when Maceo plays a staccato-sounding solo that sharpens the sound. 

Things take yet another twist as the song morphs into The Jackson's “I Want You Back.” Shelby takes the lead in the singing on this one, the beginning is very good, but she scats, raps, and talks later in the song and it loses some of its appeal. Prince singing the bass line though does make me smile and is a great touch, especially when the band stops and leaves just Prince singing the bass line to close out the song. 

 

There is a brief pause as Prince adjusts the onstage sound, but it’s nothing like the previous night's show, this time it’s just minor tweaks. The show resumes with a soft-sounding introduction to “When We’re Dancing Close And Slow.” It’s got a lush sound with plenty of atmospheric sounds to be heard. Prince’s vocals aren’t overly strong, but they are well worth listening to as he gives a beautiful clean performance. Andy serves as a counter-voice to Prince, and she trades verses with him. Again she is good, but she pales in comparison to Prince. Even when he is singing soft and slow there is a presence to his voice that Andy just doesn’t have. That’s no slight on her at all, she does a fine job, but she is no Prince. The song builds slowly, with Prince adding guitar lines and the piano playing an understated solo. It has a floating sound and feel to it, and I am impressed how Prince can create that feeling in a live situation. We float gently back to earth before a pounding beat moves things along. 

The next song is also sung by Andy Allo, and this time she wins me over completely. She sings “The Look Of Love,” and owns it. Having Maceo playing on it also adds to its depth and complexity and it’s the first Andy-centric song that I feel for. Her stage presence goes up several notches and she works the stage back and forth much better than previously. There is a more confident sound to her voice, and she is very a home in this song.  Prince doesn’t sing or play, so it’s even more surprising that I give this song plenty of praise. Maceo plays another hot-sounding solo, followed by a cooler one as the music slows down and the song comes to a gradual end. I wouldn’t have thought this would be a song I give attention to, so I have to hand it to the band, they got me on board for this one. 

Prince is again front and center and gives us a nice minute of guitar before the next song begins. Nothing too exciting, ‘nice’ more than adequately covers it, and it’s more for the benefit of the sound guys than for the audience. What follows is a stomping version of “Guitar.” “Guitar” is a little ‘by the numbers for my taste, its light and throw away, and yet I can’t deny it’s got an energy to it, and it certainly earns its place at this show. Knowing what is coming next, I can see that this is a transition song, signposting what is to follow. The sound is full, and there is the fat rock sound to the song that the recording picks up well. Prince's solos are solid and crowd-pleasing, and you get the sense that he is playing with a knowing smile. 

 

This show keeps delivering surprises, and what comes next is the best of them all. The band strips back to just a power trio of Prince, Ida, and John Blackwell and serves up some good old-fashioned rock. Ever since “The Undertaker,” there has been a chorus of voices online wishing for more of the same. Prince has done something similar in the Josh and Cora power trio after-show during his 21-night run in London, and this garnered a lot of online chat and excitement. In this show here the band strips down to a trio for only three songs, and it’s an exciting moment to hear these songs played in a raw form. The first played is “I Like It There” from his Chaos and Disorder album. Nowadays we have heard it a lot from the 3rd Eyegirl, at this Festival it’s still a rarity, and the crowd responds as such. The bass and the drums sound deep and heavy, and Prince emphasizes this with his strong guitar sound. His playing is loud and strong, it’s not free as you might expect, but it stays very heavy and in the rock vein. This song makes “Guitar” seem pale and weak in comparison. A great moment, and it’s about to get even better. 

Prince plays the opening to “Colonized Mind,” and I want to close my eyes and lean back and enjoy it. The guitar tone is much sharper than the previous two songs, and all the better for it. Prince is playing cleaner, and yet he sounds just as strong as ever. Less is more, and this is the song I prefer most in this selection of rock songs.  Princes’ playing is more emotional, and whereas in the other songs it sounds like he is playing for the sake of playing, here every note carries a weight to it. It’s so good I have to listen to it twice. 

 

“Bambi” is the obvious choice to round out this power trio segment. “Bambi” isn’t as heavy as I thought it may have been, I could easily name several other versions I prefer. It’s by no means bad though, and I do enjoy Prince’s soloing, especially later in the song when he plays lighter and faster. The song finishes with a couple of fast runs from Prince before his long howl brings this part of the show to an end. It was an interesting part of the show and something he has explored much more in the last couple of years with his 3rd Eyegirl band. 

Prince acknowledges the sound issues from the previous show with an apology to the crowd before they play a loose-sounding “Johnny B Goode.” Andy shares the mic with Prince, it's unfortunate that I can hardly hear her. It does improve as she sings alone, but then again she disappears as Prince begins to sing again. Maceo does a much better job at making himself heard, and his sax adds some nice top end after the previous guitar-heavy sound. Prince and the band blend “Peach” into the mix, and Prince plays a solo that sounds straight off the record. The sound strips back as the band play “Peach” and Prince has the crowd clapping and singing before he sings “Peach.” I am not so excited by the crowd singing “oowww weeee” but I do have a lot of time for Maceo as he plays a long solo. I am caught off guard as the song ends here, I was expecting it to go for some time, and I am again caught off guard as it starts again. I have been a fan long enough now not to be caught out by these things, or so you would think. 

 

Following all this noise, Prince takes another turn as he sings the classic “The Beautiful Ones.” He sounds great, not the same as when he was younger but still very good. This song has stood the test of time, and even if Prince’s voice isn’t as pure, he still gets plenty of emotion in there. The climax of the song is the part everyone is waiting for, and Prince does give his impassioned pleas to the crowd, without the shrieks and screams I had hoped for. As I said, he’s not a young man anymore, but he does give enough to the song that it strikes an emotional chord with me. 

Shelby implores the audience to put on their dancing shoes as the beat of “Dance (Disco Heat)” begins. It’s an ‘up’ way to finish the show and one last burst of energy from the band and crowd alike. The band keeps the groove going while Prince engages in some awkward-looking dancing. The song quickly segues into “Baby I’m A Star” without any let up in tempo or energy at all. This is a great song to finish the show with and harks back to some of his classic shows. The sound is good, and it is about now that usually, the band has a chance to show us what they’ve got. Instead, Prince sings the verses, engages with the crowd, and only leaves room for one quick solo and groove. Maceo does hit the groove in great style and this could have been drawn out so much more as we have heard in previous years. Prince elects not to do this, however, and instead, the song ends just as I thought it was really about to take off. Still, it’s a great end to a brilliant show. 

Listening to this show I can’t help but compare it to the first show. The difference between the two is night and day. Whereas the first show had its technical difficulties and the band sounded uptight, here the sound was sharp and the band played with a lot of confidence and freedom. I thought Prince's song choices were very good, and I like that he threw a power trio moment in the mix too. Not everything worked, but 90% of the show had me listening close and smiling. A nice comeback after the first show, and this one certainly lived up to the hype surrounding it. 

Thanks for reading, if you made it this far