London 12 September 2007

 I liked the 21 nights in London shows. They were aimed at the masses, yet the set lists varied every night, and there was just enough there for more serious fans. This show from the 12th of September 2007 is a favorite of mine. Again, it was a show I was lucky enough to attend, but after repeating listening on CD, and watching the DVD I find that it’s not just the thrill of being there, this is a very good show and worthy of repeated listening. As with the previous recording from the 21 nights that I covered, I apologize in advance if I stray from purely the recording onto some more personal observations. For me, this is a total package. 

12 September 2007, O2 Arena, London 

The hall of fame opening gets tiresome if you trawl your way through all the recordings from this run of concerts, but on the DVD I am watching I find it’s a nice inclusion. The familiar talking heads gushing about the genius of Prince is quite touching, and I find I enjoy it more now than I did at the time. I don’t have the urge to skip it, and it’s a fitting introduction to the show. 

 

Opening the show is “1999.” It’s played exactly as is on the album, with the robotic voice beginning. It’s a fine choice to open with, and serves as a good ‘on your feet’ type number. Prices vocals sound thin on the recording, whereas Shelby J sounds big and bold. My ears do adjust to the sound, and it’s not too bad. This is not a soundboard recording, but for an audience recording, it’s not too bad at all. The keyboards do carry the bulk of the song, I certainly hear them a lot better than any other instrument on stage. I love the sound of Prince's funky guitar, but it isn’t heard much here at all, just a little near the end of the song as the band quiets down as Prince sings “Mommy, why does everybody have a bomb” The song ends with Prince calling “London, I am here, where are you” 

There is plenty of nostalgia early on, the very next song is “I Feel For You.” It has plenty of pop and sparkle, even after all these years. I hear much more Shelby on it than Prince, but she does a good job, and she doesn’t take over the song, Prince is much more in the mix as the song progresses. The horn section gives it a brassy sound, as you might expect from a horn section. 

Things move along at a fair clip as we segue into “Controversy.” I enjoy the electric sound of it on record, but this performance has lots of horns and backing singers which fill it out much more than the song I love from the early eighties. It’s very much played for audience participation, and Prince gets the crowd singing along early. This continues to the “People call me rude” sections he has them sing the lines back to him before the ‘Clap your hands, stomp your feet” becomes the chant from him and Shelby. The horns get a nice break, and then this is further emphasized when just the drum plays while they jam some more. I am not a big fan of it, but next Prince calls for Maceo to solo, and this blows the doors off it. He sounds awesome, and I have a whole new appreciation for horns. I can see why the man is a living legend. Maceo plays for a good minute, and he is going to town on it. Prince changes tack shortly after by asking the crowd if they know about the Quake, before encouraging them to jump up and down. As always, I am not a fan of this. It would be fine if you were at the show, but on the recording, it leaves me feeling shortchanged. Luckily he only does it briefly before closing the song out. 

 

A bit of blues next as Prince and Renato Neto start a smoky rendition of “Satisfied.” It feels like quite a jump after the last few numbers, but it's par for the course at a Prince concert. Prince plays up the song as much as he can, and you can hear the audience reacting to him as the song progress. With just him and the organ, it’s the lyrics that matter most, and the crowd is hanging on his every line. Mike Phillips breaks up the proceedings with a sharp-sounding sax solo. It’s not my cup of tea, but I do like it when Prince ends the solo with a few screams of his own. There is plenty of humor in the performance when Prince runs through ‘the rules’ He begins with “Can I talk to just the ladies” which immediately brings forth plenty of screams and whoops from the crowd. He then runs through the rules, such as “learn to work the toilet seat, if it’s up, put it down” He half sings, half speaks, and as he runs through his lines I can’t help but laugh out loud. It’s all funny because it’s true. He ends it with one more “satisfieddddddd” and the steady beat of “Cream” begins. 

It doesn’t sound great on this recording, the beat is too insistent, and I find it’s all I concentrate on. The band plays well, and Prince sings well, but the mix has me scratching my head. Prince saves the song somewhat with his brief but worthwhile guitar solo. For a few moments I stop concentrating on that beat, and I enjoy the song. The last couple of minutes of the song are decent, and I am happy as it transitions to “U Got The Look.” 

“U Got The Look” isn’t too guitar-heavy. With only Prince on guitar, there is a little more space, and I enjoy the drumming much more. Prince keeps a good rhythm line going on his guitar and it’s not too loud or distortive, but it does have a nice little buzz to it. His solo is reined in, and surprisingly I enjoy it just as much as this. He plays sharp but not too extravagantly. 

“Musicology” is neither here nor there. It’s not good enough for me to enjoy it, yet there’s nothing bad about it. The song moves along, but it never moves me. I do like it as Prince moves around the band for each of them to play. The drums and trombone In particular I enjoy the most. Things take a very interesting turn as Prince injects “Prince And The Band” into the song. It takes my brain a few seconds to register what I am hearing, but yes, Prince And The Band is a nice fit for it musically. “Ohh Funky London” is the next chant we hear. But after listening to quite a few of these concerts, it’s something I could happily pass on. The crowd sounds like they are enjoying it, and it certainly achieves its goal of getting the audience involved. Greg Boyer ends the song with a funky few seconds of the trombone. A song of ups and downs, the jury is still out on this one. 

Next is the highlight of the show for me, the Prince piano set.  Prince prefaces it by telling us what a beautiful thing music is, and how a little music can make everything all right. The first song in this piano set is “Little Red Corvette.” “Little Red Corvette” has taken on many guises over the years, but I always enjoy a piano rendition. The crowd enjoys it too, and they sing along. Prince’s vocals don’t sound 100% focused on the music, but his piano playing is delicate and sweet. He toys with the audience a little before the song ends with a cheer. 

I am not a great fan of “I Would Die 4 U,” but the piano arrangement played here is my favorite version of all time. I love this part of the recording. Prince starts singing and playing quietly and softly singing but after the first verse he starts playing the keys harder and harder, his head starts bobbing and the song becomes much stronger. His vocals take on that impassioned sound (real or faked) and it’s got an emotional feel to it. It’s a shame it’s only a minute, but it’s a great part of the show for me. 

 

“How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore” has long been a stalwart of the piano set, and here is no different. I still enjoy it, but it’s no different from any other version I have heard. The quiet bits are quiet, and the loud whiny bits are still loud and whiny. Everything is as it should be. I am impressed that he doesn’t shorten it here at all, and he plays it right through to the fade-out of “Why don’t you call me sometime…” 

Another great song follows with “Something In The Water.” For me, there is plenty of emotion in the song as Prince plays it alone at the piano. The stripped-back sound leaves just Prince’s voice to listen to, as there is very little happening at the piano. His vocals don’t have the cold empty sound of the 1999 recording, they are richer as he plays with the arrangement. It’s not outstanding, but it is very good. 

There is a real 1999 flavor as he follows this with “Delirious.” I dislike this song, but I find that in the piano set that it is very fun and enjoyable. If it was like this more often I could warm to it. Its rockabilly sound comes through well on the piano, and you get the sense that it was written in this way. 

Another 1999 treat next as Prince plays “Free.” Not one of the stronger tracks on 1999, it gets much more of my attention on this recording as it’s played surrounded by other piano tunes rather than surrounded by the cold electro-funk of the 1999 album. Prince plays it delicately and it lacks some of the cheesiness of the recording. This is a great piano set, and it’s a pleasure to hear so many songs from 1999 get an airing. 

 

Darkness, then the sound of the introduction of “If I Was Your Girlfriend” – ‘look at the bargains over here ladies.” I become excited at the prospect of hearing “If I Was Your Girlfriend,” but it quickly changes to the chant of we will rock you. This flows nicely into an up-tempo bright brassy sounding “Let's Go Crazy.” I am not crazy about the song, but it does fill me with the hope that we might hear the set similar to the super bowl set. The horns keep it moving brightly along, and with the keyboards, it has a very full sound. Prince does play his breaks, but they are somewhat overshadowed by the band, and this is further heightened when he does some call and response with the crowd which seems to take more attention away from his playing. 

There is the fanfare of “1999” and Prince keeps the party going with “Baby I’m a Star.” We are getting the super bowl set, and I’m pretty damn happy about that. “Baby I’m a Star” is just a transition song, and we are very quickly into the next song. 

 

“Proud Mary” is up-tempo and mostly horns. As with “Baby I’m a Star” it is very short, no more than a verse and chorus before the music turns around and we get something darker and slower. 

Prince begins “All Along The Watchtower” with a nice guitar break. I say nice, but I mean great. He plays much longer than he does at the super bowl show, his guitar playing goes for perhaps a minute before he sings. He makes the guitar moan and whine, and it’s a more expressive solo. There’s nothing fast in it, just song clean drawn-out notes. Already it’s on my highlights reel of this show. I am so used to hearing the soundboard quality of the super bowl show that at first, I find Prince’s vocals a touch off here. But that’s the recording, rather than Prince himself. He sings the first verse before the music takes an upswing and the next highlight strikes us. 

“The Best Of You” sounds just as good at this show as it did at the super bowl gig. Sure there isn’t the added intensity of the falling rain, but Prince has his funk face on as he contorts himself with the guitar sound. I would have liked to hear the guitar clearer, it’s mixed in with the rest of the band, but the song does sound good, and it’s worth it just for the showmanship. 

 

“Take Me With U” follows on, and it feels light and breezy after the heavy guitar tones of “All Along the Watchtower,” and “The Best Of You.” It’s not quite as poppy as it sometimes sounds, there is too much in the sound, but the crowd is enjoying it, I can see plenty of hand waving on the DVD. Prince’s vocals are a little ragged, which is unusual, normally his vocals are crisp and clear. 

The opening strum of “Guitar” keeps the tempo and vibe up. Prince sings, but I’m not interested at this stage, I want to hear what he can do with his guitar. Like the previous song, his vocals still sound rough so it is a relief when he stops singing and moves into Guitar God mode. His guitar breaks aren’t on the great level, but they are lots of fun, and a good listen. The advantage of the DVD is I can see how much he turns it on for the crowd and it’s about the show as much as the playing itself. And on a personal note, when I was at this show there was a guy in front of me with his young daughter, and as he came to our side of the stage he saw her and gave the biggest nod and wink before pulling out another face-driven solo. The song finishes with Prince standing still and delivering one final guitar break. 

The songs from “Let's Go Crazy” to “Guitar” had been played without break, so it’s somewhat of a relief when Prince pauses to address the crowd. He breaks things up with his patter “what can I play next, I got too many hits” The opening strum of “Kiss” ends this moment and he gives us a very smooth rendition of “Kiss.” The first part of the song I don’t find very interesting, but I do like it much more when he picks up his guitar for a funky rhythmic break. He changes the “You don’t have to watch’ line to “Big Brother” thus firmly dating this as a mid-2000s performance. 

 

“Purple Rain” is one of the weaker songs on this recording. The mix seems to be all out, it opens with the keyboards, but they feel out of balance, and things don’t improve when Prince sings. For most of the song, it sounds to me like Prince's voice is overtaken by the keyboard.  It doesn’t have the clean sound I associate with it, the sound where I can hear every instrument playing together, instead it sounds like they are thrown up against each other and it’s a battle to who will be loudest. I cross my fingers that it will improve when Prince starts his guitar break. It does improve, Prince’s guitar is much louder and cuts across everything else. And what I like is that he is playing it on the Horner, which to my mind is the way it should be played, as that is how it was originally recorded. Prince keeps the guitar break modest, and the crowd is soon singing their “oowww owww ooooswws”. All in all the song is kept very short and tidy. 

There is now a break before the band return for the first encore. The encore begins with the song “Chelsea Rodgers” which sounds like a classic pop song here. It begins with some nice bass and threatens to be funky, but when the band joins it becomes very pop. I do like the song, and this is a good performance of it. Prince's vocals aren’t heard very well, I can hear Shelby J better than him. The horn lines aren’t as intrusive as I expect, they lack sharpness, but they do have a break which gives them a chance to be heard. Maceo gets another break later in the song as does Greg Boyer on trombone, and both of them sound great to my ears. 

Prince calls for the lights to be turned off, and we hear the synthesizer sound of “Sexy Dancer.” The music is “Sexy Dancer,” but it's “Le Freak” that Shelby and the band sing over it. Prince himself doesn’t sing, but he does provide the rhythm guitar underneath. There’s not enough Prince in the song for my liking, it’s all Shelby and the horns, with Prince calling the shots. Renato does play a solo on the keyboards, it's note-perfect but fails to move me. Things improve immensely when Prince plays, we have a minute of funky rhythm guitar before the band moves back in. The song finishes with Prince's rhythm guitar and the band. 

 

“Play That Funky Music” finishes before it begins. The rhythm guitar kicks off nicely, but after the band joins in Prince ends it after only a few lines. It’s not a must-listen-to me, so I am not too upset by it at all. 

Shelby J comes to the spotlight again as she leads the band through “Crazy.” I like her vocals a lot, and she does a fine job singing this. As much as I enjoy it, once again there is very little Prince in it, so I find my attention waning. I love the vocoder sound playing in the background, and this is one part of the song I listen to the most. Shelby then proceeds to sing “I Can’t Get You Out of My Head,” but here I feel she overdoes it, and it’s not as good as the original. With a final shout-out to Shelby from Prince the song ends. 

Prince then comes back on to the microphone for “Nothing Compares 2 U.” It’s very much Prince’s song, but he only sings every second line here, preferring to let the crowd do the rest. It’s great for the crowd, but a frustrating listen here at home. Mike Phillips improves things no end with a fantastically enthusiastic sax solo. He gives it all he’s got, and it’s the best part of the song in my eyes. Prince then sings one more chorus with the crowd before the song ends. This song could have been so much more, but it feels like they skimmed over it a bit, the only thing that stood out was that great sax solo. 

The main show proper ends at this stage, but Prince does return for another encore with a sampler set. As you well know it’s going to be a lot of teases and short snippets, but we will give it a listen anyway. 

The first song to get an airing is “Sign O The Times.” Prince doesn’t mess around too long at the start and surprisingly sings the whole first verse before we jump right into “Pop Life.” 

“Pop Life” is another surprise, he doesn’t tease it at all and sings the entire verse and a chorus. Being the sampler, the music sounds exactly as on record. Prince sings from his stool, and freed from any instrument engages the audience with lots of eye contact and waving. 

“Mountains” is another pleasant surprise to my ears. Unfortunately, this time it is a tease, before just a few moments of “Irresistible Bitch” is played. 

“When Doves Cry” fairs a little better, Prince does sing the first verse and a chorus. As always I am hungry for more, but Prince moves on. 

The opening of “Erotic City” has me disappointed, as I know there was no way he was going to play it. Sure enough, after a few bars, he moves into something more suitable to his current convictions. 

“Alphabet St” has the crowd dancing. Once again there isn’t too much I can say about it, as it too only has the opening verse. It is good while it's there, but it's barely there at all. 

Prince takes the cheers of the crowd, before telling them “I gotta do this for me” and the funky shuffle of “D.M.S.R.” begins. Another 1999 song, it has me overjoyed. As is the way of the sampler set, I get my hopes up, and then it fades away. I am just thankful we get the first verse as we do. 

“Raspberry Beret” probably gets the best of the sampler set. Prince has the beat playing on the sampler but then plays piano live over the top of it, which gives it a nice simple feel. He trades lines with the crowd, for the first verse, and then finishes the chorus, and the song with the audience singing “I love her” and him replying “I love you too” There's nothing great musically here, but it is a nice way to finish the show with the audience. The recording and the concert end at this point, with no bombastic finish, just this easy sentiment. 

Asides from the sampler set, I thought this show was great. It can be broken down section by section, he started with a block of hits, then a nice piano set, the Superbowl set, a block of guitar-heavy songs, a dancey/party encore, and then the sampler set. Purple Rain was a disappointment as was the sampler, but everything else was about as much as I could ask for, especially hearing so much off the 1999 album. If I was choosing a good main show to listen to, I would choose this one. The fact that I was there is just the icing on the cake. 

London 1 August 2007

 Today’s entry is going to be a little different from anything else I have written. I have written about some great recordings previously, and some significant gigs in the world of Prince, but this one is special to me for another reason. Today I will be writing about the first night of the 21 nights at the O2 London. Not only is it the first night of that series of concerts, but it is also the first time that I ever saw Prince playing live. For me, it is impossible to detach the recording from being at the event itself. I normally try to be fairly objective in my writing, but today any semblance of objectivity will go out the window. A lot of my memories and feelings are tied into this recording, I can’t listen to it without all these coming to the surface. So with that in mind, let’s take a listen- the CD is in the player, my cup of tea beside me, but in my mind, I am coming up the escalator at North Greenwich station, and the excitement in the air is electric. 

1 August 2007 O2 London 

Opening the show is a video of the UK Hall of fame introduction. Prince is marketing himself as an Icon/legacy act at this stage, and the video serves as a useful reminder to the fans there that he has had an outstanding career. I find it a little ho-hum, but it very much sets the scene for what comes next and gets the excitement levels rising in the crowd. 

 

I am not convinced that “Purple Rain” is a great song to open a show with. Although, once again, I have to concede I do understand exactly why it is here at the beginning of the show. Prince is making a statement, opening his 21-night stand with the song that is most closely associated with him, and from the most stellar part of his career. On a personal note- this is not one of my favorite Prince songs, it has been played at 100’s of concerts over the years, and has long since lost its sparkle for me. But, this was my first time to see Prince after being a fan for 25 years, and as he rose out of the dry ice, singing his signature song, I have to say it was pretty emotional. There may well have been a tear in my eye (I am sure it was just from the dry ice). On listening to the recording now I find that away from the hype and excitement, it is a good rendition of the song. Instead of the hanging guitar chords at the beginning, we get a nice little piano intro. It’s not drawn out at all, and Prince starts singing without too much intro. The drum beat isn’t as strong as it used to be, and the music sounds very much in the background, this is all about Prince’s vocal delivery, and it is nice and strong right from the start. To his credit, he does play a full version, every verse is there as it should be. I am always pleased when it gets the full treatment, and the crowd is in fine voice for every chorus. The guitar solo has a fine sound to it, it’s not muscular as it sometimes sounds on the symbol guitar. There is nothing extra or unheard of in the guitar break, but it is very decent sounding. It is a little strange to hear the crowd singing “oww, owww, owww” and knowing that this is still the first song, and we have a long way to go yet. I found it enjoyable, but perhaps a much better measure would be what a more casual fan thought of it- immediately after the song finished my friend, who had rather reluctantly come along to the gig, turned to me with a massive grin on his face and said: “That was brilliant- I got my money worth right there with that song”. 

 

“Girls and Boys” ups the tempo, and for me the gig begins now. Although the recording isn’t soundboard, it still is good, and “Girls and Boys” sounds great. Prince has a great funky-sounding vocal delivery and the keyboards and horns propel it along in a non-stop fashion. This is the funky Prince I enjoy most, and it is an early highlight. The best part of it is when Maceo takes over and delivers a killer solo. It just takes off and has a life of its own. There is also a trombone solo, which although not as good as Maceo's solo is still a different addition that I enjoy. Prince does break down the song at one stage for some audience singing of Dance, Music, Sex, Romance- it does break the momentum, but things ramp again with some more great horns and singing straight after. This song has lost nothing of its funk after all these years. It finishes with Prince yelling “Somebody scream!” It’s an excellent start to show after the slow start. 

The third song in and things pull back with a smoky version of “Satisfied.” It’s quite a change after the stomping “Girl and Boys,” but as Prince says- he’s got two sides and they’re both friends. There are plenty of roars from the crowd as Prince performs this one in typical seduction mode. It sounds like the ladies in the crowd are hanging on every word as there are screams and yells after almost every suggestive line. Maceo gets a nice lead break, and he shows another side of his playing- completely different from the previous song. He is a master, and I love listening to this one too. Maceo finishes up and we return to the seductive sounds of Prince. It sounds like he could deliver this easily all night, but he winds it up after just another minute. 

Normally I would readily dismiss “Cream,” but this one is more up-tempo, and the drums and horns are more to the fore. It strengthens the song a lot, and I find I enjoy it much more than I have in years. Prince reminds the audience midsong that he wrote this one looking in the mirror, and the crowd gives an approving cheer. The guitar break is worth mentioning, the sound is not as weak and thin as the album version, and although it’s very short, it is an improvement in my opinion. I also find the horns add a lot to it, they aren’t playing anything extra, but they do fatten out the sound. 

We segue easily into a rock number next as “U Got The Look” gets an outing. With only Prince playing guitar it’s less rocky than usual, but he makes it for it with some extra oomph in his vocals and the drummer does give it plenty too. His lead break is good but does sit low in the mix. We can perhaps blame limitations in the recording for this, but his guitar sound does sound a little lost amongst the other instruments. It’s a shame, as I have often felt that this song hinges on the sound of his guitar breaks in it, and here it comes across as much lighter. 

I don’t think I have ever heard a version of “Shhh” that I didn’t like. This one is no exception. Again I am somewhat limited by the quality of the recording, but Prince sounds just as good as ever. This song dates from my favorite era of Prince, and I only wish that more songs from this period were played live now. Of course, he delivers the verses with plenty of passion, but it's the guitar playing where the emotion comes through in this song. His guitar says what his voice can’t, and sitting here today listening to it I find it brings all sorts of emotions out of me. A fine performance of one of his greatest songs, this one is only let down by it being an audience recording. The song ends with half a minute of furious guitar work, and I am already reaching for the repeat button. 

 

“Musicology” sounds like a song that was purpose-written for shows like this. A throwback nostalgic song in both sound and lyrical content, it’s very much tailored for audiences like this, as well as serving as an introduction to the band. It’s a party song, and you can hear the audience responding to it, it very much lightens the mood. Again, Maceo is very much a highlight in this for me, his playing is exceptional. The other band members all play well too, no slight against any of them, but Maceo is the one I enjoy most. There is some chanting of ‘Funky London’ and the audience does seem to get behind this a lot. It does perhaps go on a little long for my liking, but I always prefer that rather than having songs cut short. 

Prince takes the time to talk to the crowd between songs at this point. It’s a nice couple of minutes, he asks about his stage, and how’s the band, and then mentions his excitement about playing in London again. 

The up-tempo beat of “I Feel For You” has me back on board. Prince doesn’t have to try too hard with this one, it has a nice inner energy to it, and pushes all the nostalgia buttons to me. This isn’t the greatest version I have heard, Shelby (love her) is just a little too strong on it, and although she doesn’t drown out Prince, I hear her voice more than his. If anything, it feels like there is a little too much on this one. It doesn’t have the cleanness that I like about it. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it’s not as great as it could have been. 

Staying in the era, Prince calls for “Controversy” next. It’s got that great pounding beat, and what I like most about it, is the beat doesn’t overwhelm everything, as per other recent versions I have heard. The bass is nice and prominent, and it’s a great throwback to his early years. The horns are another nice touch and give it some color. The only problem I have with it is when Prince calls for people to jump up before the main groove. It seems to derail the song somewhat. But more than making up for that is another appearance of Maceo. His sax is sharp sounding against the neat, and it works very well. Later in the song, the rest of the horn section joins for a horn break, but it doesn’t seem to work quite as well. But I do like that they played around with it. And there is a nice break when just the trombone plays that I enjoy. 

 

Things slow down as Prince leaves the stage and Renato Neto and Mike Phillips play an instrumental “What A Wonderful World.” I have been effusive in my praise of the horns so far on this recording, but here is a bridge too far for me. With Prince not on the song at all, I find my attention quickly waning. Although it all sounds pretty, I find this one bland and am bored with it before we even get halfway. 

“Somewhere Here On Earth,” although sounding good, barely gets my pulse going again. I am not going to dismiss it though, Prince's vocal delivery on it is excellent. I would like to hear more ballads in this vein as he ages. It’s got an easy listening sound to it, with a nice gentle horn playing in the background. Prince has a nice croon in his delivery and I could well imagine him singing like this in a piano bar well into old age. And that is the reason I don’t like it. The quality is excellent, there is no denying that, but it’s too safe, too middle of the road for my tastes. It’s a nice deviation in the gig, but in the end, I find it to be a side dish, rather than the main course. 

“Lolita” has questionable lyrics, but an upbeat pop sound. I have seen a variety of opinions on this song, it’s very much a song you either love or hate. I enjoyed it on record, but here it doesn’t match that. Prince’s vocals are easily heard, but not easily understood. I can’t make out the words, and this time I’m not sure I can blame the recording. The O2 does have some sound issues, and I am putting it down to this. The song is OK, but it does finish before I can form a strong opinion one way or another. 

Prince then engages the audience with “I got more hits than Madonna got kids” I have heard it plenty since then, but at the time it was still quaint and funny. I am expecting him to then play one of these hits he is alluding to, but instead, we get a reprise of the last chorus of Lolita. 

 

We are back on track when the steamy groove of “Black Sweat” begins. It doesn’t have the dark sound of the album, but it still sounds good to my ears. It could have been much funkier and heavier, but the crowd seems pretty happy with this arrangement, and so am I. The only things that count against it are Prince shouting “I got too many hits” midsong and the fact that it barely reaches the three-minute mark before it ends. After the last few songs dragging us down, it would have been good to hear this one worked up more and injecting a bit more funk into the evening. 

There is another interlude as Prince name-checks possible songs he play next. This elicits a predictable response from the audience before the strum of “Kiss” brings us to the next song. Prince gives the audience a few chances to sing along with this one, and they respond with a loud call. The best part of the song is very much the guitar solo, his guitar has a nice tone to it, and as I say so many times, it sounds great. Prince does have another couple of crowd-pleasing moments- the lyric change “You don’t have to watch desperate housewives, or big brother” and then lets the audience finish out the song singing themselves. It’s very very short, but it is crowd-pleasing. 

There is some more of Prince name-checking possible songs he could do next before he decides to go old school with “If I Was Your Girlfriend.” Again, to leave the recording for a moment, this was the point at the gig where ‘I lost my stuff’ so to speak. This song is a top 5 favorite for me, and to hear it live was sensational. And today as I listen back to it, I realize it’s not a great version, but every gig will be someone’s once-in-a-lifetime chance to see Prince, and sometimes the quality of the song doesn’t matter, the fact it’s played is enough. Back to the recording itself, it’s a light version of the song that is played. It’s very much played as an upbeat party-type song. There are calls from Prince for the crowd to wave their arms side to side, and Prince addresses the audience informally several times, which takes me out of the song. There is a very nice deep organ groove under it, and that is what makes the song for me on this one. Prince asks the crowd if they are having a good time, and he gets a rousing cheer in response. 

The song segues easily into “Pink Cashmere.” I often overlook “Pink Cashmere,” but it is a very good song. It got a little lost in everything else that was happening in Prince world at the time it came out, which is a shame, as it has the sound of a hit to my ears. The rendition here is smooth enough, and Mike Phillips plays an upbeat Sax solo on it, which does lift it a lot. As he finishes Prince says “Careful Mike, you might get someone pregnant” His easy humor always makes me smile, and it’s a fitting comment for a nice solo. There is some nice Prince talk near the end of the song, and surprisingly it’s not corny at all. I would have enjoyed it much more if he hadn’t then started singing “Oh funky London” again. Mercifully it’s only for a couple of bars before the band jumps back in and brings the song to a close. 

I hadn’t expected to hear “7” next. It’s played very straight and doesn’t seem to deviate at all from the original recording. At this point I am reminded of why I dislike audience recording, there is a loud hand clap on the recording, and for the duration of the song, I find it hard to listen beyond this. The song is played well, but as I said before there’s not too much about it that stands out. 

The band then moves directly on to the next song, “Come Together.” There was a time when I would have loved to hear a cover such as this, but in this case, it was mostly disappointing. It’s played with the UK audience in mind, but it’s mostly Shelby that I can hear. In the first half of the song I mostly concentrate on her voice, and the annoying audience hand clap. The second part of the song through picks up immensely and Prince plays the best guitar solo of the night. It’s a shame the whole song wasn’t as good as that solo, but at least the solo does redeem the rest of the song. The song finishes, predictably enough with the audience clapping and singing “Come together” 

Every week I write that I don’t like “Take Me with U,” but that whatever particular version I am listening to at the time is great. Maybe I should just face facts, and admit that I probably do love this song. The drums aren’t the strongest on this, but the keyboards are sounding very bold. They have a nice full sound to them, especially during the chorus. Prince’s voice has a slight echo to it, and that is not due to any of his doing, it’s the sound in the venue that is at fault. The song gets the energy levels back up and this continues as the next song starts quickly after. 

“Guitar” is one of those songs that always sounds ‘up’. It’s hard to imagine Prince playing this without a big smile on his face. The sound isn’t great during the song, his first break does sound a bit muddy and lost, but the second break is much more clear and crisp. I always think of this as being a very short and sweet song, but it does seem to go on for a while here, there are more verses than I remember! But the playing on it is good, and I always enjoy anything that showcases Prince's guitar playing. The end of the song is when he goes deep into it, and there are some nice moments during his playing. 

Another 360 next as Prince puts down his guitar to sing a beautiful rendition of “Planet Earth.” Yes, it’s beautiful, but it fails to engage me emotionally. I think this song could sound better and he could do more with it. This sounds good to me, but I just can’t connect to it. There is almost too much band in it, and I do wonder if it would be better served with a stripped-back arrangement. I should point out that the song does also suffer from being a less-than-ideal recording. Listening to this I am reminded of my teachers' comments at school “Shows potential, could do better” 

A longer break ensues before we get an encore. Shelby J leads the band through a fairly robust version of Gnarls Barkly’s “Crazy.” It’s redundant and doesn’t add anything to show, asides from giving Prince a break and showing off Shelby’s vocals. There is no denying she’s got talent, but like many people, I do tire of her extolling the crowd to ‘Put your hands up. I do like the funky break when they start to sing “One Nation Under a Groove” and I would have preferred to hear a full-blown cover of that rather than “Crazy.” It is however of its time and place, and in 2007 that was THE song, so there is no doubt that the audience at the time enjoyed it. 

Prince is back in form with a fantastic “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Asides from letting the audience sing a line here and there, it is great to hear him perform on this. Like a lot of songs on this recording, it does have its positives and negatives. He does only sing the first verse, but then he hands it over to Mike Phillips who plays a very decent sax break. Prince returns after the sax break and sounds much more impassioned. If anything he sounds too passionate, and the song loses some of its emotional clout. The audience is left to sing the last few lines before it fades out. 

“Dearly beloved” followed by a long pause and organ into leaves me hanging for what seems an age. After a long tease, Prince eventually follows up with “we are gathered here today, to get through this thing called life” and “Let's Go Crazy” follows proper. There isn’t much left of the song, Prince skips all the verses and plays the first guitar break straight off, before encouraging the crowd with “let's go crazy, go go go”. There is another brief guitar break and some more singing along with the audience. As I said before there are no verses and no choruses sung, it’s all guitar and sing-along. It ends, predictable enough, after a couple of minutes with Prince’s guitar howling ending. “Thank you and good night” ends the main part of the show. 

Pausing for a minute, I would like to explain what happened next at the show. All the house lights came up, there was a minute or two of cheering, a few technicians appeared on stage and the crowd began streaming out of the exits. Not being in any hurry to leave, me and my friend stood for a few minutes discussing what a great time we had, and comparing highlights. After a couple more minutes there was a shout and Prince came running across the floor of the arena and hauled himself back on stage, sending the technicians diving to get out of the way. Immediately there was a rush as people clambered to get as close to the stage as possible, and people came running back into the arena. Prince picked up his guitar and began to play solo (it should be noted, that this was the best moment of my life). The lights dim and the show resumes. And on that note, we return to the recording. 

With just his Horner guitar for accompaniment Prince now plays a solo version of “Little Red Corvette.” In a mark of just how great this song is, it more than stands up in just this simple arrangement. The lyrics and basic melody are all that are required for this one. It seems to gain something more from its simplicity. Although he doesn’t play the whole song, these couple of minutes are more than enough, and this song stands out as a highlight of the recording. 

Prince then calls for all the lights to be turned up and again with just him and his guitar he plays a very simple, yet beautiful version of “Raspberry Beret.” Having been there, I would have to say it was amazing how he made a 17000 seat arena feel incredibly intimate. It was more like a campfire sing-along than a rock concert. Prince only sings the first verse and a chorus before letting the crowd sing “I think I love her” and replying with “and I love you too. 

Keeping in character he then plays “Sometimes It Snows In April.” This is one of the better versions I have heard, the audience doesn’t drown it out, and with only Prince, it shows off his playing and vocal skills much better. He isn’t unaccompanied, there is a keyboard playing softly along with him, but it still does have a lovely solo sound to it. I thought it may have had that overplayed sound about it as many of his songs from the 1980s do, but it still sounds like it's fresh and has legs. It’s a great way to finish this mini solo set. 

Next, the band rejoins the stage and after a couple of “Oh funky London” from Prince (enough already) we get a nice brassy rendition of “Get on the Boat.” With all the horns on board, this one jumps. This works much better live than it does on record and it’s a shame that it is cut short in its prime. It sounds great here, and it needed to be played in full. 

Thankfully another one of my favorite songs follows, with “A Love Bizarre.” This recording is finishing on a high, the last few songs are all top-notch. “A Love Bizarre” sounds good, with the girl’s vocals fitting in very well behind Prince, it harks back to the Sheila E days (although I don’t want to be accused of wallowing in nostalgia). The horns again shine out, they go all sorts of places I didn’t expect during their break. Unfortunately, and it is hard to be critical about something so small, Prince does begin to chant “oh funky London” again, and it’s at this point I inwardly groan. But it’s only briefly and does lead us into the next song. 

I didn’t expect to hear the music of “Sexy Dancer” again, but here it is in all its glory. On the downside, the lyrics are dispensed with, and instead, Shelby sings “Le Freak” over the top of it. It’s not such a big deal, they are a good fit and the song is enjoyable enough. There is not enough Prince there for my liking, I can only hear Shelby, and then a brief but enthusiastic sax solo. The song has the vibe of a party or disco, and when Prince is heard again it is to get the crowd chanting “oh funky London”. Insert sad face here. And it is on this note the show ends properly. 

There is plenty of interesting moments in this show. Opening with “Purple Rain,” the mini solo encore, and of course, it is the first of his 21 nights and Prince is trying to make a splash in London. Asides from being there, this show was enjoyable for me to go back and listen to. I was amazed at how many of the moments and songs I had forgotten already (I had no idea he played “Black Sweat,” I don’t remember it at all). A pleasant recording, it was a good listen asides from nostalgia value.