Minneapolis 18 January 2013 (show 1)

 I must admit, I had been going through the motions when it came to writing this blog recently, but after seeing Prince live last week I feel completely reinvigorated, and a lot more passionate about what I am listening to. Prince, if there was ever a good reason for touring this is it, it keeps people passionate about your music and reminds us that music is a connection between performer and audience. Nothing can beat a live show, and the reason we collect bootlegs is often as a reminder of a great show or performance we have seen. I have been too long just listening to these shows, so last week was a timely reminder of why I am such a fan. 

This week I continue with my rumble through the series of Dakota recordings. They have been interesting, yet uneven, so far. This week I will be listening to the early show of the final night, a night that was billed as a surprise. It is of course 3rdEyeGirl, not so much of a surprise now although at the time it did cause a stir. I have listened to a lot of Prince and the piano recently, so a good rock-out is just what I need. 

18th January 2013 (show 1)  Dakota Jazz Club Minneapolis 

Things get off to a great start with “Endorphinmachine,” and although the recording sounds tame I am still enthralled by the performance. Plenty of rock sound, it’s full of infectious energy that has been missing from the previous shows. Prince throws the lyrics out at a fantastic rate, and I can already tell that this is going to be one energetic show. As the guitars howl and intertwine I am already in rockers' heaven. 

The recording next features the debut performance of “Screwdriver,” and I always like to hear debuts like this. It’s in keeping with the opening song, that is it’s full of energy and Prince sounds in fine form. I wish I could see his face, he sounds like he is having fun, and this shows through with his guitar playing which has a life of its own. It's a very lively performance, and this comes across well in the recording. 

I try to be all mature and cool, but every time I hear “When You Were Mine,” I immediately revert to being a wide-eyed teenager. There is some sort of magic in the song because Prince always sounds younger too as he sings it. The pop of the drums, the sound of the guitar, it all sounds so youthful and optimistic. Always glad to hear this in the setlist, it keeps with the positive vibe of the show so far. 

Staying true to form next we have “Guitar” which is the perfect fit for this setlist, and indeed this band. I do like the energy, and the solos, even if the main riff isn’t my cup of tea. A great plus on this is hearing Donna play. Having been in the band for barely a month at this stage, it is great to hear her play with brash confidence. I also like that Prince has the confidence in her to play like this, he steps back and lets her go, and that’s to his credit. Like I often say, Prince is great at being in a band. 

This setlist almost writes itself, and I am not the least bit surprised as “I Like It There” starts with a nice crunch in my ears. I have been concentrating on the guitar the last few songs, so it is great that I am reminded here that it's a band playing, and the drums have a good crash to them, even if I have to turn it right up to get their full effect. Prince’s voice is just as strong as his guitar playing, and they compliment each other well as the song progresses. 

What can I say about “She’s Always In My Hair” that I haven’t said a hundred times before? Oh, that bass, even before the guitar starts, I am feeling it and when that riff sounds I am in heaven. I have been impressed in the last few years about how well 3rdEyeGirl play this song, they do own it and it plays to their strengths. Donna plays a solo which sounds like she looks, all tough and angular and I feel myself change as I listen to it. The breakdown is always the part I anticipate the most and it never disappoints as Prince sings “Don’t stop the groove” The emotional guitar playing in the last minute carries me out on a high, I had forgotten just how good this sounds live. 

Another debut follows with a cover of “Liathach,” an aching instrumental that hints at something I can’t quite put my finger on. It’s so full of memory and nostalgia and yet I can’t pin it down. The song slowly raises my spirits and the guitar breaks come from a completely different place to the piano, and yet together they work off each other so well and give the sense of flying. I would love to hear this one so much more, I guess I will have to give this some more love in the future. 

Whoa, I get a shock as “Bambi” bursts from the speakers, and suddenly the stakes have been raised. The band plays as a tight unit, the song sounding tight and muscular. The song gets the full treatment, the guitars working themselves into a frenzy that whips me along with them. There is a nice natural moment as the song eases and Prince has the crowd sing “All your lovers” with him. It grounds the song after the howling attack earlier and gives it that human touch. It lasts a good few minutes, before the return of the guitars and a furious finish that belies the age of the song. 

Any song that starts with a “one, two” count in is OK by me. “Check The Record” might not be familiar to many people, and that’s understandable as this is the only live performance of the unreleased song. After a good start, it quickly loses momentum and I begin to lose interest in the bass solo, and that’s not something I normally do. The song is similar in tone to a lot of other songs of this period, but it doesn’t have a distinctive shape and sound to it, and I guess that is why it remains unreleased. Still, I am happy to hear it in this forum, I always welcome new or rare music. 

This is a night for debuts, and the next song to get an airing is “Cause And Effect.” A staple of the Live Out Loud tour, this performance still has a freshness to it that I enjoy. The song isn’t strong in any way, but it is perfectly enjoyable in its own way. I find myself smiling as I listen, asides from that it glides by and I find in a few minutes I have forgotten most of it. There is a nice moment as Prince has the crowd singing for a few minutes before closing the song with an instrumental. I feel I am there as the crowd sing, and it’s a reminder that the audience is an active participant at most Prince shows. 

The opening of “Beautiful Strange” is one of those moments where I can feel goose bumps as song as the low-key groove begins. The late-night smokey sound resonates with me, times I have spent in darkened rooms listening to and feeling things that this song so beautifully encapsulates. I feel this song as much as I hear it, and Prince's vocals and music roll together and swirl around stirring up a mixture of emotions. It’s a show stopper in my book, and easily eclipses everything else we have heard this evening. 

I am totally surprised when I next hear “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore.” Sure, I had seen it on the setlist, but I thought it must have been some sort of mistake. It works well, and lightens the tone after the previous “Beautiful Strange.” Prince is in a tongue-in-cheek mood, teasing the crowd a couple of times as the song swings in and out. In such a small venue it must have been a great moment, and the recording captures the joy and cheers of the crowd as they lap it up. 

“Purple Rain” has a raw sound to it that I just adore. The guitar buzzes and squeaks as it plays the intro, and the piano has a loud sharpness to it that makes you feel like you are right there. Prince’s vocals are solid as a rock, totally dependable and there are no surprises at all as he sings. It’s the rest of the band that I delight in listening to, and what I enjoy most is that they give “Purple Rain” a smaller sound, its not epic and grandiose sounding, rather it sounds like what it is, a small band playing it in a small venue. Just fantastic, Prince lets the song breathe and there is a long instrumental section that ebbs and flows, sometimes the soft guitar carrying it, sometimes the piano. Prince gentle encourages the audience to sing as the song continues on this gentle path, and this may be the best rendition I have heard of Purple Rain in a long time. 

The spell is broken as the next song begins. I don’t recognize “Elephant And Flowers” immediately, it’s looser sounding than I remember. I would normally love to hear something like this on a bootleg, but straight after that divine-sounding “Purple Rain” I find it jarring and I have to concentrate hard to stop myself from skipping back to the previous song. On the plus side, Prince is his usual humorous self as the song finishes, asking the crowd to “tell all your friends about us, so we can get another job” 

We close with another full rock song as the band gets their teeth stuck into “Dreamer.” Donna gets one last chance to rock out, and after a quiet start, she is eventually head. Again I am not a big fan of this particular performance, the band sounds like they peaked earlier in the show, and this doesn’t match some of the earlier highs they hit. Despite that, it’s still a rousing finish and does leave me feeling very happy. 

This show is much more focused and tighter than the previous shows in this Dakota series. What I found particularly interesting is this band played some great versions of Prince's earlier material, but couldn’t get the new songs to sing in the same way. I must say, I thought the performance of “Beautiful Strange” and Purple Rain was outstanding, and this show was well worth hearing for those two alone. They didn’t sell me the whole show, but 75% of it I found to be very good, and that’s good enough for it to be a worthy inclusion in my collection. 

Thanks for taking the time to read, it always looks like a lot of words, but the couple of hours I spend listening to each show seems to fly by very quickly and leaves me looking forward to the next week.