Chicago 10 April 1983

After dancing through several 1999 concerts earlier in the year, today I have bitten the bullet and am heading straight for the good stuff -the tour finale in Chicago which well and truly lives up to its billing. The 1999 shows are generally short, punchy affairs that distill the sprawling genius of the 1999 album into a more palatable one-hour set. This concert isn’t much longer than that, but it does give us more than we would normally expect, including a couple of crowd-pleasing treats. With the 1999 tour coming to a close, Prince has paved the way and built an expectation for his next project, the world-conquering Purple Rain. This concert in many ways is a farewell to Prince and his formative years, everything that follows will be scrutinized under the hash spotlight of publicity and fame, and the youthfulness we hear on the recording is replaced with a self-awareness that steals this last vestige of innocence.

 10th April 1983, UIC Pavilion, Chicago

The opening spoken introduction quickly reveals the quality of the recording – an audience recording that, although contains all we might want on the musical front, also includes a large portion of crowd noise. As far as audience recordings go, it’s not too bad, but as always leaves me wishing for something just a little cleaner.

Loud and upfront, “Controversy” storms to the front of the stage, the music so muscular and powerful that it practically drags the band in its wake. The noise and loudness are all in its favor and Prince and the band remain pressed against the wall in the background while the song itself stomps the concert into life. The previous sheen of the 1999 concerts gives way to a real rawness that harks back to the Controversy tour and its almost punk rock energy. Prince may be riding the pop wave to the top with his current chart successes, but this performance roots him back to his unfiltered punk/funk sound that had propelled him thus far. The quality of the recording is temporarily forgotten as Prince and his band stirs up a storm of sound that washes over the audience.

 

I would normally expect “Let’s Work” to bring some sense of decorum to the concert, and bring the dance floor back to the fore. However, with the levels pushed high it continues to ride on the coattails of the previous punky explosion, the groove is present, but so too is a vocal delivery that is unconnected to any measured delivery, instead coming as Prince sees fit with shrieks of delight as the words themselves are lost to the sound of the recording, leaving just the intent of the singer and the band impressed upon the bootleg.

I can finally catch my breath as the tempo slows for “Do Me, Baby,” although it is only a temporary reprieve as Prince’s delivery leaves me breathless with wonder and delight. And it’s not just me, the audience reaction matched my feelings at home as they trace the song with their own outline of screams and squeals. The intricacies of the vocals are lost in the smear of the recording, but the intent is clear from the sultry and all-enveloping music. As I listen, cocooned in the sound of the band, Prince continues his seductive patter that remains undecipherable to me. Whatever he is spinning seems to have the desired effect, and the final cheer of the crowd suggests that this battle has well and truly been won. If only we could bottle such sexual energy.

The first 1999 song to make an appearance is Prince’s shorthand manifesto – “D.M.S.R.”  For the first time Prince’s vocals emerge from the sonic mist, the sharpness of the beat leaving room for him to emote the song’s central theme. Unfortunately not all the instruments are served so well by the recording, the bass is murky at best and the guitar is almost non-existent, leaving Prince and the synths to carry most of the funk and the groove. The cold, clinical sound of the 1999 album laid down a strong template for many of these songs, and this particular night the live settling isn’t the best match for “D.M.S.R.”

 

I am enraptured by Lisa’s solo, as it brings a cleaner sound to the concert, and reveals new sounds and influences swirling around Prince at the time. As it ebbs and flows, waves and washes, it cleanses the palate for the next treat that Prince will bestow upon us.

The instrumental “With You’ sets the tone for the piano set, and although it is desperately short, some would say criminally so, it does whet the appetite for what will surely follow. What does follow is a sublime rendition of “Free.” It may not be to everyone's taste with its somewhat naive lyrics, but there is no doubting the message of the song, and at barely a minute Prince pulls the rug from under it before its shaky premise is revealed.

Keeping things moving is the name of the game, and with that in mind Prince presents an equally quickfire “Something In The Water You Drink (Does Not Compute)” There is no time to scratch beneath the surface and reveal the true depths of the song, Prince’s lyrically delivery is perfunctory at best and only hints at the true emotion of the song. I do enjoy it for its appearance, but there are far deeper(and darker) renditions circulating that I would prefer to listen to.

“Still Waiting” brings a lengthy performance from Prince, the song dripping off the tip of his tongue as the piano lilts beneath his fingers. The song has a motion to it, the music non-linear, swaying easily under Prince’s command. One could easily fall between the cracks of the uneasy structure, yet it remains an easy ride, the song sliding to the most natural of finishes that it seems not to emanate from Prince himself, but rather it rises from the piano and into the universe.

 

Familiarity breeds contempt, and “How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore” can’t overcome the staleness of my ears.  There is no doubting that Prince is fully invested in this performance, one can hear it in his screams and the subsequent audience reactions, but I can’t escape the feeling that I have heard it all before. Time catches up with us all, and this is one song that I know just too well from years of listening, stealing the freshness and youthful yearning I used to know so well.

There is a jolt with the arrival of “Lady Cab Driver” and the concert is jump-started into life again. As with so many of these songs, the clean groove is lost in the excitement and noise of the show, very little of the song stands proud above this fog of noise. I have high hopes for the guitar as the song nears its end, and this certainly delivers as its wailing sound cuts through the din, finally giving a focus to the uncertainty of the rest of the song.

The emotive swells that wash “Little Red Corvette” ashore are undone by the persistent crowd sound and a drum machine beat that seems intent on dominating proceedings. The song settles on neither pop, nor raw emotion, and considering it is the current hit of the time is perhaps the most disappointing part of the show. It’s hard to accurately gauge if this is due to the quality of the recording, or the performance itself, it’s certainly hard to imagine that Prince hadn’t polished this song to the brightest point by this stage of the tour, and overall I feel that it is the recording that is letting him down.

There is another great rush of energy as “Dirty Mind” arrives unannounced and slightly unhinged. At almost seven minutes this is one of the pillars of the concert as Prince buries my previous disappointments in a youthful avalanche of pure lust and longing, something the teenage me could easily identify with, and even now I can feel that teenager inside me emerge as Prince calls him forth with his impulsive and furious sound. The raw-boned guitar break midsong says far more than words ever could, and all that Prince needs to say is in that electric howl and scream released from the strings.

 

The most disappointing aspect of “Sexuality” is that it is short. After hearing some excellent full-blooded renditions, what we have here is a quick facsimile that is as unsatisfying as it is disappointing. It is a song that lacks a heart or a clear direction, and the full version we are accustomed to is neutered in its brevity.

I am pleased to hear “Let’s Pretend We’re Married” in its entirety, the unevenness of the previous few songs forgotten as Prince sights the finish line of the concert and delivers a triumvirate of triumphant songs.  “Let’s Pretend We’re Married’ obits around the synth hook, never quite striking out on its own as Prince keeps it moving to his own whim. The synths stretch and pull, but they never break and the song continues in its own galaxy of sound and colors. The song climaxes naturally with the crowd chanting for Prince and the final encores.

Prince responds with a climax of his own as he swoops and dips into his seductive side for a dripping rendition of “International Lover” The vocals may be syrupy, but the music does just enough to keep the concert moving forward, even if Prince lulls and lingers over some of his lyrics. The finale is almost silly in its audaciousness, but Prince delivers it with such earnestly that one can’t help but buy into whatever he is selling. Even as I grown man I can’t help but feel a weakness and he pleads and rolls his way through his final lines with all the maturity of a drunken teen. Silly, but completely essential.

The 1999 album, the 1999 tour, and finally, the “1999” song. As a finale to the concert, and indeed the tour, it can’t be faulted. The song serves as a rallying call to all those who have embraced Prince, and those about to take the next step with him to a world with a purple hue. The mood is celebratory, and although the sound isn’t as good as I hoped, the song stands strong at the center of the recording, Prince's vocals and the all too familiar synth refrain pulling us through a purple black hole and directly into the heart of Prince’s world. I can’t think of a better way to end the tour, and although the show has at times been uneven, Prince is right here ending it on a high.

 

This is not a bad way to finish the 1999 tour. There are better recordings of the tour circulating, but none of them lay claim to being the finale such as this one, and as one of the longest this recording again stands apart from most of the crowd. I could bemoan the quality of the recording, but for me, the performance remains paramount, and Prince and the Revolution are firing on all cylinders as they close out the tour. An interesting boot, this is one that shouldn’t be overlooked when considering the 1999 tour, and although I have enjoyed other concerts of the era more, I still find this one a worthy listen.

Detroit 8 April 1983

 I have so far covered two Detroit concerts from the 1999 tour , and this week I will take a listen to the third concert from Detroit, this time from the end of the tour. The concert on 8th April 1983 is the third to last concert of the tour and is worth listening to for several reasons. Its setlist is different from the earlier two Detroit concerts from 1982 (including in this case a performance of “Free” and “Still Waiting”), giving us an added interest during the piano set. It is also filmed, and I certainly recommend checking out the video if you can. The sound quality is rough and ready, but the spectacle of the show is what counts, as Prince and The Revolution have the concert running faultlessly by this stage of the tour. I’m sure most fans have seen it at some stage, but it is still worth revisiting and taking another sip of the purple juice Prince was peddling at the time. 

8th April 1983. Joe Louis Arena, Detroit 

I watched the Vanity 6 set, and that of The Time that was also featured on the DVD. Their music and performance are just as much Prince as anything else at the concert, and who doesn’t want a bit of Vanity eye candy before catching the Prince main show. It is well worth taking in both as the Prince portion of the video is barely an hour, while if we digest these opening acts we get almost two hours of Prince music. Prince’s eventual arrival to “Controversy” has my heart-pounding time with the music, and while it sounds passable on the tape, the visuals more than makeup for it with Prince’s dramatic silhouetted entrance. This is definitely one to watch rather than listen to. 

 

The band comes alive for “Let’s Work” and the stage and recording are awash with motion and kinetic energy. The recording fails the song somewhat, the bass playing can’t be faulted, but it is lost in the general chaos of the recording, while most of the rest of the music becomes lost among the combined white noise of cymbals and crowd screams. However, I can’t take my eyes off Prince, even after 35 years I am still mesmerized by his stage presence and sheer cool. 

The sound improves for “Do Me, Baby” as the song carries more space for the band to be heard. It is as lush as the purple lighting that baths the stage, and Prince wallows in its melodramatic nature with a performance that matches it on every level. Prince sells the song, his performance, and himself with a display of raw sexuality neatly cocooned in a honey-dipped vocal performance that would slide by even the harshest of censors. 

My favorite song off the Controversy album is “Sexuality” (this week at least) and as much as I enjoy the bare-knuckled performance of it here, it doesn’t come remotely close to the power of the preceding “Do Me, Baby.” It’s brisk, and as much as I wish it was longer, it is only a couple of minutes. It does, however, serve as a nice intro to “Let’s Pretend We’re Married,” another song that carries a momentum that propels the concert forward. Prince embodies this energy with a physical performance that matches the non-stop nature of the music, again making this a recording to watch rather than listen to. 

 

The keyboard interlude by Lisa is as we have heard throughout the 1999 tour, but in this case, I would choose to listen to it on a proper soundboard recording rather than what we have here. The visuals add very little, and it certainly sounds a lot better elsewhere. 

The piano set is the portion of the show that makes this concert a key part of most people's collections. It doesn’t get much better than the moment when Prince hunches over the keyboard for a rare performance of “Free.” As always Detroit draws the best out of him, both with its inclusion, and his vocals which are loaded with an ornate power. Paired with “Still Waiting” it becomes an unmissable bootleg moment, this is Prince at his purist, just the piano and his unblemished vocals creating their own inner sanctum and turning the arena into the most intimate of temples. 

 

“How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore” doesn’t fill me with quite the same depth of feeling and as good as it is, that is all it remains – good. Prince’s vocal yoga at the end of the song is noteworthy, but the most dramatic part of the song comes when a stagehand comes to replace the stool Prince kicks over, only for Prince to pick it up and hurl it off the stage. Now that’s rock n roll! 

 

Hands are raised for “Lady Cab Driver,” a song that is deceptively good in this context. In a concert that seems to have its fair share of drama, this is one song that is played straight, and that is the strength of it as we finally can sit back and let the funk wash over us.  It initially has a smooth sheen, before Dez adds some bite with his overhead guitar playing in a final stanza that is a fitting exclamation mark. 

 

Prince reclaims the spotlight with a perfunctory performance of “Little Red Corvette” The Detroit crowd response isn’t as strong as it had been for some of the earlier numbers, which suggests to me that it’s not just the recording that is flat in this case. 

The feverish moans and howls at the beginning of “Dirty Mind” usher in a much more frenzied and wild part of the show, and a part of the show that sees the simmering tension of “Little Red Corvette” unleashed in a maelstrom of unbridled guitar, frantic keyboard lines, and instinctive dance moves from Prince. It is a heady mix, I feel myself becoming drunk on the music being created on stage and it is easy enough to imagine myself becoming lost in the moment if I was at the actual concert itself. 

 

This extravaganza is followed by Prince’s carefully crafted seduction piece “International Lover.” Unfortunately, the recording is missing the final “1999,” so as far as this recording is concerned, this is the finale. It is every bit as seductive as you might expect, the Detroit crowd furnishing the bootleg with screams of delight at all the appropriate places. It’s not as essential as some of the earlier songs, but it does bring the 1999 album back into firm focus for the end of the concert. We never reach the climax that Prince is building to as the recording finishes before Prince can scale the final heights of satisfaction, but we see enough to know where this one is heading. 

 

I can’t deny that this is another quality Detroit show. Each of the three circulating Detroit concerts from this tour is worthy in their own way, and although I feel last week's concert was better, this is the better bootleg, purely based on the visual aspect. The 1999 tour see’s Prince playing on a far grander scale, and this is a great visual representation of where he was at that time. The video has aged badly, with color dropouts throughout the concert, but there is enough there to make this a worthwhile experience. Definitely a must-have for the collection. 

Kansas City 19 March 1983

 1999 is to me Prince's best album. Many would disagree and say Sign O The Times, but for me, 1982 and the 1999 album is where Prince finally delivered on his potential and recorded the first masterpiece of his career. 1999 is the album that cemented my fandom, and it’s still much loved by me today. So it’s somewhat of a surprise that I don’t hold the 1999 tour in such high esteem, and although I listen to the 1999 album a lot, the tour itself is often overlooked by me. This is for a variety of reasons. Firstly, the 1999 concerts don’t concentrate on the 1999 album as much as I would like. Only about half the album is played, and it’s not until well into the shows do we first get a song off 1999. The 1999 songs miss that cold electric feel in the live setting, and there is more warmth to them. Secondly, Prince firmly has his eye on reaching a larger audience. There is nothing wrong with that, but I feel the band has a little less fire and freedom than they do on earlier tours. There are no wild guitar breaks, and Prince has toned down his look, as well as doing away with some of his racier songs such as Head.  The shows are now streamlined, and a lot more predictable. On the plus side, the 1999 shows clearly signpost what is coming next with Purple Rain, and there is newer professionalism evident that is required to reach the next level. Also, the piano set makes its first appearance at these shows, and although short, set the standard for the future. An exciting transitional period, it’s worth hearing these shows as they capture Prince just as he is reaching a wider audience. 

 

19 March 1983 Kansas City, Missouri 

The first thing heard in this recording is the “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you” voice from the beginning of “1999.” However, it’s not “1999” that opens the but instead the electrifying guitar riff of “Controversy.” It may seem strange, but one of the things I notice is the reaction of the crowd is different from previous tours. The response is loud, but not wild, and there is more of a sound of expectation rather than wild abandonment. The recording is an audience recording, and it has aged well. The music sounds strong and bold, and Prince's vocals are clear and easily understood. He calls to the crowd “welcome to 1999” as the band plays a polished version of Controversy. All Prince's bands are well-rehearsed, but here there seems to be an extra sharpness. They are very lean and polished sounding. The song is very tight, and even Dez's backing vocals are right on the money. It’s not a 1999 song, but it is a good opening song for the show. I like the guitar sound throughout the song, and it gains extra emphasis in this tight arrangement. The song isn’t overplayed and doesn’t get played out quite as much as I would like. 

Sticking with songs from the Controversy album the band plays an equally tight version of “Lets Work.” This elicits a more wild reaction from the crowd and there are many squeals to be heard. This song also seems to have a very strong sound to it, and it pumps through my speakers nicely. Prince’s vocals are out front and strong and he is well matched by the synth. I normally hear the bass much more when listening to recordings of this song, however here it seems to be lower in the mix. As per “Controversy,” the song is kept short, and Prince doesn’t jam on it in any way at all. It’s got a good party sound to it, and Prince can be heard winning over the audience and working them well. 

Third song in and we get the trademark slow song. “Do Me, Baby” has a long intro and it quickly quietens the audience. Prince has changed since the Controversy tour and he doesn’t overwork the song as he did on that tour. He is far more restrained in his vocals, yet they are still great and very strong, just he doesn’t pour as much emotion into them. Perhaps being a longer tour, or playing in larger arenas, he holds it in and just sings it straight down the line. The song itself is great, and I do enjoy it immensely. I love the long opening sequence before he sings, and as always his vocals performance and screams hold my attention. Performances like this are timeless. 

Finally, we get a 1999 song as the synths play the synth horn-line of “D.M.S.R.” The bass and the drums lock into step and it’s hard not to smile listening to it. It’s a little quicker than the album, I’m not sure if it’s due to the live performance or the tape recording. I can hear the audience clapping along, and that’s normally a good sign. The whole middle section is present complete with sirens and female shrieks, before some very funky rhythm guitar plays. Prince encourages the “White folks clap on the two and four”, acknowledging the changing color of his audience. I could have happily listened to this song much longer (I was clapping on the two and four) but it ends in a wave of shimmering synths before things quieten again and there is another change of pace. 

 

Next Lisa plays a lovely interlude. There are more shimmering synths that come in waves adding layer upon layer of sound. It’s a good couple of minutes and I am happy to hear Lisa showing some of her talents. 

The sound of the piano marks the return of Prince and he takes a solo turn at the piano. He warms himself and us up with an instrumental arrangement of “For You.” It serves as a nice introduction to his piano playing and is a sweet couple of minutes. It’s a good chance for Prince to showcase another one of his talents to the crowd, and they do show their appreciation with applause. 

“Still Waiting” has him singing, but it's slight and his vocals are soft sounding. I get a lot of enjoyment from the song, but I am mostly listening to the piano, and Prince's vocals don’t make much of an impression on me. 

“How Come You Don’t Me Anymore” is much stronger, both in his piano playing and his singing. He can be heard playing the keys much harder, and his vocals are sung with more gusto. This song is still a regular in the piano set to this day, and listening here I can see why it’s made such an impression all these years. The vocals are playful, and tell a story most can relate to, while the piano has a lilt and swing to it that is irresistible. It also contains some great screams near the end, as well as a hint of Prince's smutty humor as he asks “Don’t you want to play with my tootsie roll?” 

 

What follows next is my personal highlight of the show as they play “Lady Cab Driver.” They manage to capture the dry sound it has on the album, and the bass and synths are excellent. Prince has a detached sound to his voice, and for the first time I feel like it’s a 1999 show. Prince also has a brief but fine moment with his guitar near the end of the song. The only letdown is it’s nowhere near as long as it is on the album, and as an abridged version it sounds far more like a pop song. I do like it though, so I play it twice in a row. 

The ‘pop hit’ follows next as Prince and the band play an upbeat and sharp version of “Little Red Corvette.” It’s almost perfunctory in its delivery and it’s not the highlight you may expect. I would have thought Prince could do more with it, but he shuts it down right after the guitar solo, we are denied even hearing the album version.  I feel cheated as even the introduction keyboards are very short before Prince begins singing. The song does sound OK, but as it ends it seems like a wasted opportunity. 

The sound of a woman moaning heralds the return of the Prince I know and love as the band swings into a raucous version of “Dirty Mind.” For the first and only time in the evening, we hear Prince and the band play in a style I am used to from previous tours. There is a lot more energy in the song, Prince is singing his dirty lyrics, and the whole song has an exuberant feel to it. It also gets the jam treatment, which I like. There is a long bridge with plenty of keyboards before a rough-sounding guitar is heard underneath. The song comes to an end in a cascade of keyboard and guitar and I couldn’t be happier. 

“Fasten your seatbelts” and the seductive sounds of “International Lover” begin. Another professional performance follows as it played almost note-perfect to what’s heard on the album. The stand-out moments for me is as the music fades and quietens Prince delivers some great vocal work and especially some excellent shrieks. There is plenty of crowd noise as Prince goes through his stage show and it’s obviously going over very well with the audience. The recording is very clean here, and I love that I can hear every instrument and sound so clearly. Amazing sound for a 30-year-old audience recording. 

 

The song fades and instantly the synth riff of “1999” sounds. It’s got a good driving sound to it, and I like that it’s the synth that is driving it, rather than the pounding drum beat we hear on later tours. Prince’s vocals aren’t as clear as the other singers, but the music is the hero here, and that is perfect. The synth trumps everything, and at times it’s almost too much for me. Things become more balanced later in the song as the guitar sound becomes more prominent, as well as Prince's vocals become clearer. It’s no surprise at all that this is the party song of the evening and it closes on a high note with Prince and the crowd singing together. There is one final refrain before a glorious keyboard riff and the howl of a guitar wraps it up. The final crescendo is magnificent as Prince shreds the guitar over a wall of keyboards. 

My earlier assessment of the 1999 shows was perhaps overly harsh. I can’t deny that I greatly enjoyed listening to this show. There were some flashes of greatness from Prince, and I can’t deny the band was so tight and well-rehearsed that they were flawless. My only problem was it was too professional, too dry. I liked the looseness of “Dirty Mind,” and again the final couple of minutes of “1999,” but for the most part it was following a pretty tight script. Still, an interesting listen to the evolution of Prince, and a big step toward Purple Rain and world domination. 

Toledo 26 February 1983

 Holy Toledo Batman, another soundboard recording of the 1999 tour!

As I have written before, the 1999 tour is the unloved stepchild of my bootleg collection. Although I feel passionate about the 1999 album, that undying love has never quite transferred to the live tour. I always enjoy the concerts, but not to the same extent as I love the Controversy tour or Purple Rain tour that sit either sit of it in my collection. This new recording is unlikely to change that long-entrenched feeling, but I do celebrate its release, and a chance to indulge in one of Prince’s breakthrough tours is not one to miss. The set is short and sharp, perhaps a little too short, but one has to remember that The Time and Vanity 6 were also on the bill, making for an evening entirely of Prince music in one guise or another. 

26 February 1983, Toledo Sports Arena, Toledo 

The spoken intro of 1999 is a red herring, and the quickly-paced introduction of “Controversy” is the first indication that we are about to be taken on a funky ride. With the soundboard recording, it would be easy enough to pull the song apart and critique each instrument, but this song and band deserve much more, and in this case, it's best to sit back, turn it up, and tune out. The sleekness of the song is neatly undone as Prince’s guitar reeks of funk and the possibility that the song could easily slip into deeper and darker waters. 

 

It is a resolute keyboard that stands at the center of “Lets Work,” carrying the song and the rest of the band as it flows both under the rhythm and over the rhythm. Against this unrelenting sound, the band stays restrained, choosing to purr away in the background while Prince and his keyboard warriors lead the battle in winning over the dancing feet of the audience. The final cheer from the crowd suggests that this battle was won, and certainly here at home, it sits on the right side of victory. 

From the other end of the spectrum comes the milky flow of “Do Me, Baby,” a ballad that becomes all the more seductive, surrounded as it is by funk tunes and pop moments. The lushness of the music is only matched by the aching vocals of Prince, and the song, as it so often does, becomes an emotional counterpoint to the cold electronic funk of the opening barrage. 

The bootleg picks up pace with the introduction of “D.M.S.R” and normal service is resumed on the dance floor. The vocals in this case sound restrained, Prince has character to his voice but still holds something back for reserve. The normally piercing scream from Lisa is equally retrained, the show thus far has been excellent and this is the first song that doesn’t come alive in performance. 

 

I become far more invested in the concert in the next few minutes as the air becomes full of keyboard with a brief interlude provided by Lisa Coleman that segues into an entirely ethereal rendition of “With You.” Both are pure ear candy and provide a cerebral experience as much as an aural experience. The fact that none of this sounds out of place at what is essentially a pop concert, is a credit to the band and the carefully crafted set-list. 

“How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore” keeps the concert firmly outside the box. The muse guides Prince for the next few minutes and the music dips and dives beneath his fingertips, and it is all captured superbly on the soundboard recording. The song is still youthful at this stage, and the yearning Prince places at the heart of it speaks to us all in one way or another. 

 

It is a pleasure to see “Lady Cab Drive” on the setlist, especially after listening to a string of abridged versions from the Parade era concerts. However, it’s still not quite the tour de force that appears on record, the inflamed guitar captures some of the frustrations Prince sings of, but it also brings the song to a close. There is no extended funk jam here, Prince gives us the essence of the song and then moves quickly on. 

As a genuine pop hit, one would expect “Little Red Corvette” to be treated with reverence, here it is not.  Prince doesn’t linger over the introduction, nor does he draw out the ending. Instead, he presents a highly efficient version that ticks all the sonic boxes but never once touches on the soul of the song. It is pleasant enough for those in the audience that want to hear a hit but becomes a cold moment in what has mostly been a warm concert. 

It is instead “Dirty Mind” that gets lavished with attention and all the appendages that one associates with Prince and the band in full flight. There are desperately unhinged guitar breaks, wild chanting, unrelenting groove, and a song that sounds as if Prince is ripping it straight from his guts. It is a throwback to the wild days of the Controversy tour (a mere 18 months previous), and one can feel the carefree abandonment leaping out of the speakers at this stage. 

 

Equilibrium is restored with the seductive (and let’s be honest, slightly silly) presentation of “International Lover.” The lyrics are over the top, there is no denying it, but they certainly hit the right spot, and even I, a fully grown man, find myself slowly slipping under the hypnotic trance that Prince fills the track with. It brings further balance to the show after the previous “Dirty Mind” and Prince appears genius-like in his ability to play such contrasting songs back to back. “International Lover” brings a swirl of lace and dry ice to the recording, and the music heard conjures up a powerful visual image, even if we don’t see what is unfolding on stage. 

The concert feels as if it is building towards some sort of orgasmic release, but sadly the tension remains unresolved as “1999,” although sounding as sleek and shiny as an 80’s hairdo, doesn’t have the sense of urgency or danger about it that I was hoping for. It is a triumphant climax, without the climax and with very little triumph. As a listening experience, it is pleasant enough, although light on the experience side of things. The concert ends with another seamless and smooth presentation, and as much as I enjoy it, I find it lacks the bite I crave. 

I may not have been exactly glowing in my praise of every song on this recording, but overall it is another great sounding soundboard, and for that alone it should be heralded. This recording shows off the electronic funk of Prince and the Revolution, but the thought always remains in the back of my mind that this is only part of a much wider spectacle, and when we factor in the unrecorded sets of Vanity 6 and The Time, Prince’s genre-spanning music is much better represented. This is a recording that sees Prince placing another block in place in the empire he will create in the mid-80s, and for that alone it is a must-listen. 

Providence 10 February 1983

 I love early recordings of Prince. Although the setlists aren’t as varied, he more than makes up for it with the ferocity and passion when he plays. The performances aren’t as polished, and there is a rawness that connects with me. Today I am listening to a gig from the 1999 era, an era that I don’t have many recordings from. He is just playing to a larger audience, but still has that excitement of his early days. 

 

10 February 1983, Providence 

The show opens with the slowed-down voice from the intro of 1999. “Don’t worry I won’t hurt you, I only want you to have some fun” I fully expected to hear the band launch into “1999,” but instead a fast bass drum begins, and very soon the funky guitar of Controversy starts. As I say every time, this is the sound that I adore. Already I love this recording. It sounds big and bold, and when the keyboards and rest of the band jump in it sounds very strong. The keyboards are very loud, and then Prince hits us with his first “Awwww!” I can’t hear Prince singing, he seems very quiet, the keyboard and guitar drown him out, but you can hear him just fine when he sings the chorus and when he talks directly to the crowd “all together now!” He sounds very rock n roll, especially when he says “Welcome to 1999, I believe in Love” before singing the “I wish we all were nude” section 

 

“Let’s Work” follows, as seems to be very common during Controversy and 1999 tours. These songs are often paired together. Prince announces the song by asking the crowd “Is everybody ready to work, is everybody ready to work?” This song didn’t use to be a favorite for me back in the 1980s, but now it is one that I like. The performance here is excellent. It has some great keyboard lines. Dez plays a strong guitar solo, and this is followed by a quirky little keyboard run. It’s really fun, and like I say, very enjoyable to listen to. Princes’ singing seems irrelevant here, it’s all in the music. 

 

There is a pause to catch my breath after this, and then the lovely saturated keyboard sound of “Do Me, Baby” begins. The keyboards pull back, and there is some beautiful little guitar played. It sounds great and is obviously going over well with the crowd judging by the screams. The intro is long, but I could have listened to it for much more. I have always loved the piano in this song, and this recording is no different, it’s a nice sharpness against the lushness of the synth. For a long time this was in my top 10 ballads, but only just. Now it’s right up there in the top 5. This was the first time that Prince totally nailed the seduction ballad, and I still listen to it to this day. The bass has a deep rubber band sound that I enjoy, and it just sounds classic in every way. Prince unleashes some shrieks that sound just as good as they do on the album, and there is a bang just after the last one which I guess is a mic drop; I can almost picture it in my head now. I must check out some concert videos from this period, I don’t give them nearly as much love as they deserve. 

The last notes of it fade and the bass and distinctive keyboard of “DMSR” begin. There is quite a cheer from the crowd, it’s a fan favorite. I am enjoying this setlist. I am a huge fan of 1999 and Controversy and this gig is chock full of many of my all-time classics. The guitar and bass interplay here is fantastic. The song is played faster than on the album, and it sounds better. I certainly would have been up and dancing if I had been there. The best part of the song for me is when Jill Jones screams “Arrrghhhhh, somebody call the police!!” I wish I could see what’s happening at this stage, it sounds awesome! I find myself laughing when Prince sings “all the white people clap your hands on the 2 and 4 now”, always a favorite line of mine. 

 

There is then a shimmery keyboard interlude which I assume is played by Lisa. It’s not too long but is a nice transition into the next part of the show. Nowadays I am a little worn out by Prince’s keyboard sequences and medleys, but at this stage of his career it was still new and interesting and his keyboard section shows off his talent but isn’t boring, nor too over the top. There is a brief intro as he warms up on the keyboard, and I then expect him to play “How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore,” but instead he serves up a blinding version of “Still Waiting.” I very rarely listen to this song, which is a shame, because his performance of it here is excellent. I am not prepared to say it’s the highlight, but it’s a peak in the show. Then he plays “How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore” as you would expect, and it’s not a short version as he is playing nowadays, but the full version which we love. The midsection has some great screams with plenty of echo effects on them, and the crowd responds with plenty of screams themselves. The rest of the band quietly enters as Prince begins his spoken piece about how she won’t call him. “Have you another man, is he fine, does he have an ass like mine”. I have heard it all before but it is still good fun. This is the Prince I want to see more of when he’s playing with a sense of humor. “I have another woman, she’s a nurse” I actually laughed when he said this. Of course, he ends it with “Don’t you want my tootsie roll”   

“Lady Cab Driver” begins with street noise and Prince saying he’s outta here – Taxi! Jill Jones sings a lot in this song, in fact at the beginning I can’t hear Prince much at all. I have got a lot of love for Jill Jones, some of my best Prince moments are songs she is involved with. “Lady Cab Driver” is my favorite song from the 1999 album, so this is easily my best song of the night. There is a guitar solo, with a great tone. I am not sure who plays it, built it’s a definite highlight for me. Unfortunately, the song is not played out long as we hear on the album, it ends much too soon as the band segues into “Little Red Corvette.” 

 

I like the versions of “Little Red Corvette” where there is a minute of keyboard swells before the song begins. Unfortunately, this isn’t one of those versions, the band launched into it almost straight away. It is a hit at the time, so I expected that Prince would milk it for all its worth, but the version here is very truncated, it ends just one chorus after the guitar solo and is only two minutes. It’s very surprising indeed. 

 

I have said many times before that “Dirty Mind” is a firm favorite, and here once again it is a knockout. It begins with Prince saying slowly and with an effect on his voice “I….don’t……want….to……hurt you baby, I only want to lay you down”. From then on it’s all on as the band attacks it at full throttle. And that’s just how I like it! It’s very fast, and it all go go go. It is one of those songs that seem to have energy from within that bursts out. There is no let-up or break in it at all. Only a 5-second pause mid-song but apart from that, it’s ragged and frantic. Prince sings “All, alright” but it’s not a sing-along, things are hammering along too fast for that. The song climaxes in an all-in crescendo and I can finally breathe again. There is then a break, the show is very short, and we await the encore. The crowd chants “We want Prince!” After a minute we hear a woman’s voice “Fasten your seat belts, prepare for take-off”. I think I know what’s coming now. “International Lover” is quite a title to live up to, but Prince has made a fair effort at it all his career. The song on the album sounds a little flat to me, but here it seems to have much more life to it. Prince himself sounds impassioned as he sings, and the band gives it some strength in the live setting. I was wondering how the long seduction scene with the aircraft analogy would work, but it sounds alright. I can only imagine what he is doing during the long keyboard break, luckily there is just enough to keep me interested. 

 

After the final words “welcome to satisfaction” the band immediately start playing “1999.” Being the hit, and the title of the album, I thought the crowd would have acknowledged it more, but they are fairly subdued. Or maybe I am reading too much into the recording, after all, it is a recording of the band, not the crowd. 1999 is played standard; again it doesn’t stray from the script. There is some good funky guitar near the end, but asides from that nothing about it grabs me. That’s not a bad thing, I liked it, but there was nothing out of the ordinary about it. Actually, after singing ‘Mommy, why does everybody have a bomb” there is some nice guitar work and a long keyboard and guitar build-up to a final explosion that ends the gig. 

 

My overall feelings about this gig are mixed. I enjoyed it very much, and listen to it a lot. Some parts of it may seem a little dowdy or uninteresting, but I can’t fault the performance or the recording. As a fan of this era, I was always going to be a big supporter of this recording. It’s an excellent record of the time as Prince was just crossing over to a larger audience. All in all, excellent. The next post will be something from the nineties; I have been wallowing in early 1980s nostalgia too much. 

Lakeland 1 February 1983

 This week I am rolling back the clock to 1983 for another 1999 show. Although the shows are all very similar, I still love listening to and watching young Prince in action. What the shows lack in variety, they make up in energy, showmanship, and pure enjoyment. I have written of other shows from the 1999 tour, and this one doesn’t differ much from those, so this will be a shorter entry. I haven’t heard this one for a while, so I can’t wait to hear a few old favorites. 

 

1st February 1983, Lakeland Civic Centre, Florida 

It's classic Prince as the spoken intro of “1999” intones before a thunder roll opens the show. The sense of anticipation builds as the drum beat of Controversy plays before the sound of the guitar and Prince appears in silhouette, astride the action on his high perch. He plays the whole song like this, just silhouetted and singing, and I find it suits the song and the mood of the song – Prince the mysterious figure appearing in the mist to lay his funk upon us. The song has an air of causal professionalism, the band sound laid back in places, and it’s Prince’s guitar as well as some clunky piano that adds the tension to the song. I appreciate that Prince calls out Bobby Z, and I love that there is a nice little guitar moment just as the song comes to a close. 

 

  

“Let’s Work” has Prince back in the spotlight literally, while Brown Mark takes the spotlight musically. I think when most people think of Prince, this is the image that comes to mind, him resplendent in his purple trench coat and finely coiffured hair piled high upon his head. The band all gets moments on this song, and I enjoy hearing them all individually. I am surprised that Dez gets a solo too, in the 1999 shows his role is diminished, and the sight of him and Prince playing shoulder to shoulder in the Controversy tour is now just a memory. He still plays well, and his performance is fun, but that close-knit look of previous tours is gone. 

 

Dez shines early on in “Do Me, Baby,” his guitar line off setting some of the lushness, and for me, it greatly enhances the performance.   As always, Prince plays the showman on this one, and his performance is visual just as much as it is vocal. The highlight for me is Prince standing atop a little side platform and unleashing a couple of howls, it’s something the teenage me enjoyed, and I still get a kick out of it today. Somehow it’s not as down and dirty as it looked on the Controversy tour, Prince has toned down his performance somewhat, nevertheless still very enjoyable. 

“D.M.S.R” almost has me on my feet, but I am just a little too repressed to leap straight up and dance to it. The start of the song is great, with Prince, Brown Mark, and Dez all playing together and pulling a couple of moves. Again it feels like a band performance, rather than Prince backed by a band. This is heightened mid-song when the three of them again play together and slide easily back and forth in unison. The song finishes and I realize that I have just been watching in awe, it’s a great performance. 

 

Lisa’s shimmering solo is always a pleasure to listen to, and although different in tone from what we have been listening to, it never feels like it has been shoehorned into the show. The crowd however is here for Prince, and there are plenty of shouts and screams as he appears and begins to play at the piano. 

A brief introduction of “With You” before he grooves easily into “How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore.” I wonder what he can do with it this time, and after a couple of minutes of playing, he begins his shtick. Prancing across the stage, lying on the piano, and a couple of good screams is par for the course here, and he delivers it all with aplomb. It gets better as he goes, and it peaks as he tells the crowd that as he was making love to another girl he screamed out your name. Obviously the crowd laps it up, and it’s all done with a nod and a wink that gives it a fun tone. The tootsie roll line has been done to death, but the intro of “Lady Cab Driver” comes right on top of it and doesn’t give me a chance to dwell on the moment. 

“Lady Cab Driver” sounds effortless smooth, and seeing Prince singing and playing his guitar on this song is a definite highlight for me. The song is very smooth sounding except for Dez’s scorching guitar solo. Shirtless and throwing shapes as he plays, there is no mistaking he is the rock in Prince's sound, both figuratively and literally. The song somewhat disappointingly ends here, leaving me hungry for more. 

 

I am surprised at how quickly “I Wanna To Be Your Lover” starts. The beat doesn’t stop, it just segues straight into it. I Wanna Be Your Lover is kept very short, with a verse and chorus before “Head” gets even less, with a single line and a riff.  It is nice to get even that, and it’s a nod to those in the audience that has stuck with Prince, from his dirty days through to now as he is on the cusp of pop stardom. 

Again the music doesn’t let up as “Little Red Corvette” follows straight on the heels of the previous two songs. There is nothing in the ways of build-up, Prince starts singing right from the start. What I like about it though is the bass is nice and fat sounding, and it’s much more to the fore. As always Dez’s solo is great, and yet it’s the bass that I keep coming back to, especially as his solo finishes. It’s as heard on the 12-inch version, and as the bass loops over Dez comes back with another solo. I would say this part of the show is essential, Dez’s solo is fierce before the band drops out leaving the bass line playing and Prince encouraging the crowd to clap. The song continues with the full band and that fantastic bass for another couple of minutes, and I could dine on this all day long. 

 

Chants of “We want Prince” bring our Casanova back to the stage for the overworked “International Lover.” Prince plays his part so well, opening the song shrouded in smoke, before turning on the seduction as the song progresses. This song highlights how much a Prince concert has become a “show”. It’s not longer Prince and the band playing their songs in a furious assault, now the performance matters much more, and certain songs are tightly choreographed and done for show. This is the most staged of the songs, with Prince climbing high on his stage to the infamous hydraulic bed. There are plenty of screams as he performs a striptease before lowering himself to the bed. As he sinks from view I can’t help but think “what a great way to end a show!” 

There isn’t too much time to consider this as the familiar opening riff of “1999” begins. Prince reappears, looking every inch a pop star in his shiny purple coat. This song sounded great on the radio, and it sounds just as good live. It’s a lot of fun seeing Bobby Z standing behind his drum kit, playing to the drum track, while Jill Jones and Lisa share a microphone and vocals. It does have a triumphant sound to it, and it’s the right song to end the concert with at this stage.  There is no better sight and sound than seeing Prince and the band dancing and playing some great rhythm towards the end of the show. As smoke engulfs the stage the guitars begin to howl and with one last pose Prince ends the show. 

These older shows are always great, the freshness of the music, and the extra spring in the step of both Prince and Revolution. Even though the shows don’t vary much, I always enjoy listening to them, especially with The Time playing as well. It was about this time that I first became a Prince fan, so there is always a heavy dose of nostalgia when I listen to these shows- they may not be essential, but they are a lot of fun. 

Detroit 2 December 1982

 There is no doubt that Detroit has a lot of love for Prince, and Prince reciprocated this love over the years with many great concerts, and subsequent bootlegs to match. The most well-known of these is the 1986 birthday show, but I can point to any number of concerts where the energy levels of the Detroit crowds, and rabid fandom, lifted Prince and the band to new heights. So for the next few weeks, I will be listening to a string of bootlegs from across Prince's career all taken from his performances in Detroit. The earliest Detroit gig we have a recording of is the concert of November 30th, 1982  as the 1999 tour steamed across the country. I have covered that concert previously here, and it is an outstanding soundboard from the six concerts he played in Detroit early in the tour. Much less talked about is the bootleg from the concert a couple of days later released by African Shark. It is not a soundboard recording, but it is still a notable release as it includes both the Times set and Vanity 6. The Detroit crowd is lively, to say the least, and this recording captures the excitement and energy of a Prince live concert just as well, if not better than the clean sterile sound of a soundboard. The setlist of a 1999 show offers very little (read no) surprises, but it matters not, as the passion and love of the music burns through, and even the most familiar of material takes on a life of its own in this setting. To be honest, I have had a terrible day at work today, and I look forward to losing myself in the music for the next 60 minutes, and I can’t think of a better way to do it than with this recording. 

2nd December 1982, Masonic Temple Auditorium, Detroit. 

The recording drops us right into the midst of the action, thirty seconds into “Controversy” with the crowd at full noise, and the band already accelerating them into a funky frenzy. The sound of the recording is uneven, but the groove and heart of the song are firmly intact, the screams of the audience merely decoration upon the tower of funk the band is building. Some may fear the rawness of this audience recording, but I urge you to embrace it and let yourself become one with the inflamed Detroit crowd. 

 

“Let’s Work” takes the energy of “Controversy” and ratchets it up further with the band coming more to the fore than the previous song. The rolling waves of the synths crush all before them, while the crowd noise surfs across the front of the tidal assault. The bass gives the song further depth than the previous dry “Controversy” and the song becomes a moment to dance and celebrate rather than analyze. This may be the 1999 tour, but it is these two songs off the Controversy album that set the standard that the rest of the concert must live up to. 

The crowd noise threatens to overwhelm the opening heart-beat of “Little Red Corvette” but Prince and The Revolution punch their way out the corner with a rendition that is less emotional and far more insistent than one might expect. It comes on strong, a souped-up pop song that finds an extra edge and muscle in Detroit. I often write of the feel of this song, but in this case, it is a gut punch rather than a gentle caress, an excellent version that is worth checking out. 

 

The delicate lacework of Prince’s opening guitar of “Do Me, Baby” is well and truly lost to the crowd, they aren’t about to sit back and soak up his baroque musings, this is the Beatlesque moment when the lusty sexual cries of the female audience members smother the recording. Prince raises his performance again, he matches the strength of the audience with a steely performance that is more masculine than we have come to expect. Again, it is far from perfect sound, but I would happily take this over any number of other recordings I have heard, based purely on the wonderful way it captures the most spirited moments of a live concert. 

There is no let-up in the energy of the crowd as “D.M.S.R.” makes its appearance in the setlist. The real joy lies not in the lyrics of the song, but rather in the driving guitar lines that arrive in the middle of the song. However I feel cheated by its mere four-minute run time, there will be far more epic versions of “D.M.S.R.” in future Detroit shows, this is just a taster for what is to come. 

“Lisa’s Solo” shimmers and sparkles in a different light from these funk tunes, it carries its own inner grace and the song draws inward rather than an outward display of power. It is perfectly paced and placed, a chance to draw our breath before the Prince takes a turn at the piano. 

 

There is some piano noodling by Prince at the beginning of “How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore,” and the crowd remains relativity quiet before they erupt into orgasmic pleasure at the first strains of the song itself. This audience isn’t one to hide their feelings, and they immediately embrace the man and the music with their vocal appreciation. It serves as an important moment in the show, and the bond between performer and audience is never stronger than right here. 

The jam appended to the end of “Lady Cab Driver” excites me no end, it is a thrilling way to end a song I thought I knew so well. The main song offers no surprises, but all bets are off for the final three minutes as Prince ad-libs lyrics and the band adds a lighter touch to the groove, except Dez who dirties up the music with a bold and striking guitar solo. There is the briefest of keyboard solos that match him for sound, and along with the unstoppable groove, this becomes my favorite part of the whole recording. 

 

You could never call “International Lover” a letdown, but it certainly is a comedown after some of the previous unhinged moments of the concert. Prince gives a lengthy speech mid-song, one of the longer ones I have heard, and it is here where he demonstrates just what a naughty boy he can be. We don’t have the visuals, but the response from the crowd suggests he is being just as salacious on stage as he is being on the microphone. 

“1999” is the song of the moment, and in this case, it gets Prince’s full attention with an extended nine-minute rendition. The Detroit crowd let me down at this point, they are less vocal for this song than anything else heard on the bootleg. The music lacks the intensity heard earlier in the show, and overall this feels like a flat spot on the recording. There is a lively few moments with the guitar, but it’s not enough to jump-start the performance and it remains flat. 

The crowd is back on board for the band introductions, before Prince and the band flies through a wild sounding “Delirious” It’s fast and furious and is a fitting swansong to the evening. It has more body to it than I expect and the momentum of the bass line is what holds it all together. The keyboards are normally distracting, but in this case, they are subverted by both the bass and the lead guitar. The “1999” outro comes all too soon, and before I know it I am again sitting in silence. 

Detroit will see bigger, and better, concerts from Prince in years to come, but this is a fine place to start. The soundboard recordings from the 1999 tour garner all the praise, but this concert has its own aura and energy that isn’t always heard on those more pristine recordings. This may not be one to play loudly on your top-end hi-fi system, but it works well as a concert experience, and it will certainly be one that I will revisit. I might even go so far as to say that this is my favorite of the 1999 recordings currently circulating. A brave statement, but for me it contains all the key elements of a Prince concert, and has a feeling that is unmatched throughout the tour. 

Next week I will return to another Detroit show from the tail end of the 1999 tour. Five months later, it has a different setlist and hopefully is just as compelling as this week’s recording. 

Detroit 30 November 1982

 It has been two years since I listened to a recording from the 1999 tour. I know this because I wrote a blog post last time I listened to a concert from that tour. So, with that in mind, it is well overdue for me to revisit the tour. I have written disparagingly of the tour, and subsequent bootlegs, previously. Not that the shows themselves are bad, but when compared to the wider selection of bootlegs available they lack some of the sparkle of other eras. The 1999 tour doesn’t have the naked intensity of the previous Controversy tour where Prince and the band are playing with the blazing fury of underdogs. Neither do the shows have the unpredictability and rotating setlists that Prince will rely on later in his career. What we have instead is a neatly packaged show that runs just over an hour, with Prince choosing to present the 1999 album in the most efficient form, rather surprising given that it is a sprawling double album. There are no extended guitar solos, no songs thrown into the setlist, and no chance for something spontaneous to happen. Yet, the shows do have their charm, and when I first started to collect bootlegs I listened to them often. The concert I have chosen to listen to today comes from early in the tour and is slightly more interesting for the unusual appearance of “Head” and “Uptown”. It is also one of the longer shows of the tour, so while not entirely representative of the 1999 tour, it does present a unique listen. It has been a while since I dipped this far back, and I am looking forward to listening with fresh ears and reliving my youth. 

 

30th November 1982. Masonic Temple Auditorium, Detroit 

From the very moment that the spoken intro of “1999” begins I  am swept up by the quality of the recording. The introduction is merely used for the beginning of “Controversy” and for me, the most thrilling aspect is its wonderfully crisp and clean scratchy guitar of Prince. The quality of the recording is astounding, after listening to so many audience recordings recently this is bliss. The song is powered along by the rhythm guitar and the solid platform provided by the drums and bass, they are rock solid. The lightness comes with the vocals of Prince and the women singing, it is a song of layered contrasts that simply works. It’s a great start to what promises to be an outstanding bootleg. 

Things stay on the dance floor with “Let’s Work”. It isn’t as insistent as “Controversy”, but there is no denying the groove that it has and like the previous song it keeps the show moving briskly along. The synth squiggles provided by Dr. Fink give it a lift and with the rest of the keyboards, it floats much easier than “Controversy”. The brief guitar break by Prince reeks of his purple touch and paired with another keyboard solo it lifts the song far beyond what is heard on the album. 

The hit of the moment comes with the synth rise and fall ushering in “Little Red Corvette”. I do enjoy this version, but to be honest, it is played straight down the line and the difference between this live version and the studio arrangement is barely perceivable. Sometimes a good song is a good song, and it doesn’t need anything extra to make it work in the live setting. That is exactly what we have here, and although there isn’t anything new it is still every bit as good as anything else in the concert. 

“Do Me, Baby” has an innate richness to it, and that richness is emphasized with the long chocolaty introduction that Prince lavishes upon it. One can almost hear the sweat dripping off him as the opening music hangs, stretches, and draws out, teasing the listener with the promises it holds. We talk of music being timeless, or classic, and never has it been truer than in this case. It has a smoothness and soulfulness to it that could have come from any time, one can almost picture Sam Cooke or Marvin Gaye singing the same song. The rest of the song lives up to all that it promised and the following minutes are some of the finest seduction balladry that Prince has ever performed. 

From seduction, we need to move on to something much nastier – “Head”. It isn’t quite the barn burner I expect, Prince underplays the song and although the required funk is there it doesn’t get the time it needs to properly marinade into something substantial. Four minutes of “Head” is good, ten or eleven minutes would be better. It does, however, finish on a high with yet another outstanding solo from Dr. Fink. 

 

The second surprise comes with a rousing rendition of “Uptown”. This lifts the energy levels of the recording immensely and takes us back to the previous Controversy tour when Prince and the band were playing as if they had something to prove. It is short and vibrant, but it does herald in the second part of the show where the following five songs are played over an hour – giving you some idea of how much more of a jam the latter part of the show will be. 

Things start slowly with a relaxed rendition of “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?”. It has an easy sashay and is in complete contrast to the previous “Uptown”. Prince’s piano playing is the center of attention, but even better is how much the song spotlights his vocals. Naked out on their own, one can hear not just the range of the vocals, but also the inflections and character he sings with. He can channel plenty of personality into his vocals and this carries the story just as much as the words he is singing. 

The coolest song of the set is “Lady Cab Driver”. It is one of the key songs that attracted me to Prince, and this performance lives up to all my expectations. There is a driving groove that is sharpened by the rhythm guitar that brings it into sharp focus. Prince’s vocals sit in the background, it is the funk of the song that is important, and nothing gets in the way of that. Dez may provide one of his trademark rock solos, but the song is pure groove and continues in its way all the while he is playing. The second half of the song is sensational with Brown Mark coming to the fore with his bass warm and full, while the guitar continues with a chug – upping the intensity from the smooth first half into something that is forceful and demands attention. It is a firm pointer to the longer jams that Prince and the band will play in the future, and couldn’t be further from the neatly packaged songs played earlier in the concert. I can’t emphasize enough, this is the strongest song of the set and I would happily pluck it out for any mixtape I was putting together. 

 

“International Lover” is good, but I have an urge to return to “Lady Cab Driver” a few more times. It is played to the hilt as the seduction piece it is, although Prince does tend to go overboard with the cheese in this case. I like the music, and the overall sound, but I can’t get past the nutty things Prince is saying. Tune out the words and it’s a masterpiece, with the words it is a giant piece of cringe-worthy cheese. That would be fine if it was only a few minutes, but what we have here is ten minutes of Prince laying it on thick, almost (but not quite) ruining the moment. 

The opening fanfare of “1999” washes away a lot of this and as soon as the vocals begin all is forgiven. After listening to so many abridged versions of late it is refreshing to hear a full unadulterated version, Prince playing it as it was meant to be heard. The synths have more time to fill out the sound with a dense curtain and there are plenty of vocals to be heard all over the track. They are easy to hear on the soundboard recording, and one can admire that every member contributes to the band and the highest standard.  In the final minutes the song descends into a guitarfest that has my inner rocker all a flutter and by the final flurry and howl, I am completely in my element. 

It is “D.M.S.R.” that finishes the show, and what a way to finish. There has plenty of dance and funk on display already in the show and once again Prince and the band delivers a platter of funky treats. The bass that moves the feet, the rhythm guitar cutting through, synth stabs that punctuate and accent the beat, and lyrics that you can’t help but sing along with (rather loudly in my case, I’m afraid). It is the synths and guitar that take control of the song and they drive it strongly through the final minutes as the music spiral ever upwards. This brings us to the end of the concert and it ends as it began – with the spoken “I don’t want to hurt you, I only want to have some fun”, before the sound of an explosion puts an exclamation mark on it all. 

 

I find my feelings about these types of shows are often the same. I say that the show doesn’t really appeal to me and is rather staid, then once I start listening I find the thrill and excitement sweep through me and I am just as enamored by it all as I have always been. This bootleg can’t be, and shouldn’t be, compared to the long freewheeling shows of the 90s and beyond. It doesn’t come close to the quiet intensity of an after-show, yet this concert was just as enjoyable as anything else I have heard recently. This is the Prince that I first fell in love with all those years ago, and these concerts reassert those feelings. A short and sweet concert that barrels quickly through the essential songs of the time, this is always going to be a bootleg we can return to again and again.