Minneapolis 16 January 2013 (show 1)

 I have been planning to write about the 2013 Dakota Jazz club shows for quite some time now, especially the jazz shows Prince played there. After rocking out for the last few weeks it will be a great change of pace and a little more interesting. I have a surprising amount of jazz albums at home, although jazz music is something I rarely talk about with other people or indeed write about. I hope I can find the words and vocab to do this show justice, I can write about a guitar solo in twenty different ways, but I might struggle to express what I am hearing on a more jazz-infused recording. The recordings from the Dakota Jazz club over three nights offer up Prince's whole oeuvre- starting with a jazz night followed by a funk night and a rock night, Prince gives us plenty of everything. I will in time listen to the other nights, but right now I am hungry to hear this first show. People often speak of Prince's jazz leanings and he has many jazz-infused songs, although it’s rare to have a whole show dedicated to just this one genre. For that reason, I think it's well worth a closer listen. 

16 January 2013 (show 1), Dakota Jazz Club 

Although there is plenty of audience talk at the beginning of the recording it doesn’t matter too much as the show opens with a thumping drum solo by Ronald Bruner Jr. I aren’t normally one for drum solos, but this one captures my attention however as it’s very crisp and loud. I soon forget that this is an audience recording as the drummer shimmers and pops over all other noise. Heavy on rolls and cymbals I find it to be less straightforward than other solos I have heard, and from my point of view, it is immensely enjoyable and starts the show with a bang.  

 

It becomes a Prince show soon after as Prince calls “one, two” and I realize the reason the drum solo was so loud isn’t because of the playing, but rather due to the fact I had the volume turned up too loud. I pull it back to a more pleasant level in time to catch a keyboard break that hops and bops along over the top of some very cool bass. It’s all rather jazzy sounding, and I notice that it is “Xpectation” I listening to, a song I would claim I am familiar with even though I didn’t recognize it here. The song drifts in and out and flows well with the band all being heard and I can hear Prince offering soft direction although I can’t catch exactly what he is saying. The horns are also on board at this stage and they lift the sound a lot, but they do seem to fade into the background on the recording and I am not sure why I can’t hear them well, although they are playing strongly. I prefer the second half of the song when the piano comes much more to the fore, it has a wonderful melancholy sound to it and I could happily listen to this playing all day long. The whole song quietens in the second half and this I like as I can concentrate and enjoy the instruments and players.  Things pick up again as the last few minutes of the song play, especially with the horns getting plenty of shine. After this first song, there is absolutely no doubt about what we can expect from this show. 

The Rainbow Children is perhaps the most divisive album Prince has released, and I have generally found that most fans fall into two camps, those that love it, and those that hate it -for this album there seems to be no middle ground. For the record, I am a big fan of The Rainbow Children, and when I hear the instrumental of “Muse To The Pharaoh” played here, I am in heaven. This is exactly what I like to hear, and I appreciate every note of it. It is instrumental as well as stretching for ten minutes, and it makes me realize how much I have grown with Prince as he has grown as an artist. I started listening to his three-minute pop songs when I was a teenager, and as he has stretched out and challenged himself he has also challenged me and I have grown with him. Prince has greatly broadened my music horizons and as I soak up this song I find it hard to imagine the teenage me listening to this.  It is superb, the changes softly moving us through the song, and the keyboard holding my attention throughout. I was drooling at the Power Trio gig last week, this one is completely different but has me feeling the same way.  

“Stratus” I have heard plenty of times at various shows. I wonder if this one will offer anything new, and I am slightly discouraged as it begins the same as I have heard before. I wait patiently to see what will develop. I do like the guitar without ever falling in love with the sound of it, yet I am still waiting to see if this band will twist anything new out of it. Things look up for me as the keyboard plays and I am lifted above the song for a time. It gets better yet with the bass solo, and by now I am beginning to get right into the song. The bass is the high point of the song, and as it closes I realize that my fears were unfounded, this was a great version. 

 

The bass is the thing that kicks off the next song for me too, as some quick playing leads us into an instrumental jam. There is a horn solo that gets the crowd excited too, and I am feeling them as they clap along, even here at home I am swept up by it. The keyboard break has a great tone to it and is reminiscent of the sound of The Commodores “Machine Gun.” My only wish is that there could have been more of it. There is also some back and forth between the horns and the bass which I find myself grooving along to. Things take a downturn in tempo and mood, yet the quality of music is still outstanding, and even as it slows I find myself listening carefully. I can easily say that these 15 minutes are the best part of the show for me. 

The piano solo from Cassandra O’Neal brings us quietly back to earth. It’s a gentle sort of piano break as if one was eavesdropping on someone playing in another room. Overall I like it, although I must admit there were a couple of passages I wasn’t overly fussed with. It does have an intimate sound to it, which I guess is only to be expected in a venue that holds 260 people. 

There is an abrupt change at this point as the music of “Sign Of The Times” sounds, and it becomes apparent that Prince is playing on the sampler. It still stays instrumental, as has everything else this evening, and the loop plays some cool keyboards, which is the most interesting part of the song. The more I listen to it the more I like it and even though the song is only three minutes, most of it I am listening to that keyboard sound. 

We move without pause onto the opening loop of “Alphabet St.” I don’t find the loop particularly appealing but some bass work and keyboards are playing which I get a lot of satisfaction out of. They do play off the sampler, and it becomes a much more instrument at this point. Normally I wouldn’t have much time for the sampler and “Alphabet St,” but to their credit, this is one of the more interesting renditions I have heard. 

 

“When Stars Collide” is begun by the bass, before the horns brighten it up with their refrain. For this band, the song seems to work well, and I find that I easily enjoy it without having to concentrate too hard. It’s an up-sounding instrumental, and I do like the horns every time I hear them. This feeling is reinforced with a perky-sounding solo that has me smiling and nodding along.  

The last song of the evening is another instrumental jam. There is some choppy guitar that has a clean sound and some more horns that I am falling more and more in love with. The horns are great, and something of a Trojan horse as a heavy guitar solo briefly appears. I expect this to go for some time, but the guitar slips quietly back into the mix and lets the horns do what they do best – that is to make me happy! I am on a high as the band pulls right back and it’s the horns that play us out for the last couple of minutes.  

This show was different from anything else I have written about in that not once did Prince sing. Maybe twenty years ago this would have been a problem for me, but not now. I enjoyed it just as much as any other recording, I don’t need to hear Prince's voice for me to enjoy it, I just need good quality music and that is something this show had plenty of. It wasn’t as jazz-sounding as I expected, although I was impressed that Prince had the ability and courage to play a show like this. Prince is definitely on a journey, and I am glad he is taking me with him. 

Chicago 26 September 2012 (am)

 The main show from 25th September 2012 in Chicago was entirely enjoyable, and the aftershow from the early morning of the 26th looks every bit its match. With an eclectic setlist and a band primed for the funk, this show rides easy on the back of the previous performance and offers the bootleg collector and unique companion piece to the main concert. I have listened to it several times over the previous few days, and it is a concert that offers plenty of surprises and rewards to the listener. 

26th (am) September 2012, House Of Blues, Chicago 

I was not familiar with “Shop Talk” by Cold Blood, and I can’t say if what Prince plays here is true to the original or not. What I do know is it twists and turns down several funky avenues as the horn section gets an early workout. It is a bright start to the concert, with a high energy level and a quality audience recording, that although it contains crowd noise still captures the music and the euphoric feeling of the event. 

The easy seventies funk continues to bubble and simmer with Shelby leading us through  a rendition of “It’s Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me.”  Shelby’s vocals are a fine match for the music and the song works as a mash-up with “Be Happy” Again the horns remain prominent, giving the song an extra spark and providing a foil to the all-conquering vocals of Shelby J. I would be quite happy with the song as it is in this state, but Prince's muscular guitar appears later in the mix and claims the song back in his name, even if Shelby was the real star of the performance. 

 

The horns take a back seat as it is the synth that colors the following “Outstanding” They flow thickly across the song, allowing little room for the rest of the band to make an impression. This changes with a Shelby-led chant and a surprisingly nuanced vocal performance that culminates in a feel-good chorus and sing-along. I can help but feel uplifted by it, even with little Prince the song still shines from within with its sunny feel. This ends as the dark clouds of a John Blackwell drum solo gather, and he unleashes a thunderstorm of a drum break to round out a song that has touched me in unexpected ways. 

“Jam Of The Year” is unexpected, yet warped to fit easily with the sound of the setlist thus far. With its synth lead line bleeding into the creamy horn section, the song is updated and Princes rides it out as he takes his turn to whip the crowd up into a chant. It is lighter than expected, and carries a lot more soul than heard on record, making for a pleasant and surprising experience, 

The same spirit is present for the short medley of “$” “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” and “Song Of The Heart.” However, it doesn’t burn as brightly as the preceding number and despite its easy feel, it is an unchallenging and slightly boring listen. 

“Days Of Wild” comes from the complete opposite end of the spectrum and challengers from the first moments as Prince spits and growls the beat into the microphone. From here the song pummels the listener across thirteen intense minutes as Prince and the NPG capture the spirit and aggressive funk sound of Prince in the 1990s.  The song isn’t as thick as back then, but the intent is there, although balanced with a lighter touch that sees less doing more. It is all well presented on a recording that captures every level of the performance, the spiderweb of sound lay bare across the bootleg. 

 

“Mountains” starts with an unhurried climb to the top, it is a couple of minutes before the horns add any color to the ever-increasing rhythmic spirals. It is the women’s vocals that stay strong out front, Prince merely providing context during the chorus. The latter half of the song is an unfocused and easy jam, Prince's guitar the train tracks that the rest of the music skitters and slides across. 

There is an air of predictability about “Everyday People,” that prejudices my listening experience from the start. The phrase “familiarity breeds contempt” becomes a truism as I mentally play the song in my head absentmindedly as I listen. A song that I have heard often, hearing it at this time makes me crave the original as Prince and the band fail to give me anything I haven’t heard before. 

I embrace the recording once again for an electrifying “The Dance Electric.” It’s not as incendiary as I have heard elsewhere, but it still smolders and burns with its unique intensity that makes the previous songs sound flaccid and weak in comparison. Prince’s guitar emphasizes this intensity, with its smokey sound turning into a blaze in the hands of Prince, the song inflamed as Prince brings it to a climax. 

Prince slips into the background as Shelby once again tears up “Brown Skin” Ably assisted by the horn section, she showers the audience with her sound and sense of drama and intensity. It’s not Prince, but it is a classy performance that matches other renditions of the song I have heard on boots. 

Prince is again heard for “Stratus,” – an instrumental, his influence can be heard across the range of instruments. It is the bass where he makes the greatest impression, popping and thumping his way through the heart of the song with an innate sense of funk and drawing a melodramatic quality out of the music. It feels much shorter than the ten minutes it is, perhaps attributable to the evolving sound that keeps the listener discovering new musical territories. 

 

The last song of the concert is “Get On The Boat.” After some of the longer jams of the evening, it is a much punchier and more focused performance, but even at five minutes, there is still time for the band to push at the edges and draw something extra from the song. Although pitched at the dance floor, it doesn’t quite get us there, the band is caught up in their private adventures and leaving the song just short of the required funk. It is an uplifting end to the performance, however, and does end the concert with some pizzazz. 

This is an interesting bootleg presenting a more modern after-show from later in Prince’s career. It may not have the mystic and sense of wonder as his after-shows of the 1980s, but it does contain the key elements to a great after-show and presents some quality material matched with a confident band. The setlist is what attracts me, there are some unusual song choices there (along with a few familiar faces) and this keeps me listening from start to finish. There is little to fault here, any reservations about this bootleg come from my idiosyncrasies rather than the music itself. Check it out. 

Chicago 25 September 2012

 Today I continue my journey by looking at main shows and after shows from the same night. This week I am taking in a 2012 concert from Chicago, with the aftershow to follow next week. This is part of a string of shows Prince played in Chicago at this time, playing three main shows and two after shows. The concert I will be listening to is the performance from the United Centre on the 25th of September, followed by an aftershow at House Of Blues in the early morning of the 26th. The main show offers no surprises, it is a standard set of the time, while the aftershow provides the usual mix of covers and jams. Across the two there seems little here to differentiate these performances from any other, but as I have found time and time again, listening to the recording can reveal much more than we see on the surface. 

25th September 2012. United Centre, Chicago 

The drawn-out introduction of “Let’s Go Crazy” is the first point of interest in the recording. The curtain of synth that heralds the oncoming spectacle lingers far beyond what we normally hear, with the only other input coming from the first sparks of excitement generated by Prince’s guitar. When the song does kick into gear it becomes less compelling, the vocals impulsive, but unmatched by the music, Prince’s call of “turn me up” is unanswered, and the guitar sound remains neutered for the end of the song. 

It is the keyboard stabs that provide the driving energy to “Delirious,” the concert propelled forward on the back of the contagious energy. It is an unbridled performance that better starts the show, Morris Hayes adding some depth to the pop, his keyboard adding a richness to the otherwise sharp sound. 

 

The final coda of “Let’s Go Crazy” leaves me with mixed feelings. The “on no, let’s go” chant adds nothing to the bootleg, but the more guttural sound of Prince’s guitar hits at something far more substantial, the song ending in an equilibrium. 

“1999” is a feel-good song, and it has the desired effect as I feel good throughout. The crowd is vocal throughout the song, as one they cheer and sing, and even though this is an audience recording, it puts the band first and foremost, the audience noise merely adding color to the recording. 

Prince chooses just the right moment to insert “Shhh” into the setlist, the pop and sparkle from the opening songs giving way to a more serious and mature sound. It comes as no surprise to see it appear at this point of the concert, looking back at many of these recordings as we see it popping up at about this time. It is one of the more weighty moments of the concert and sees Prince striking a powerful blow early in the show, a heavy-weight punch reminding us that we are listening to one of music’s great heavy weights. 

Prince takes us back to the 1980s for “Let’s Work.” As much as I like the song and the performance, it is lacking in the strong bass sound as it should, despite Prince’s call for “more bass.” It is an average moment of the recording and gets a pass based purely on its nostalgic value. 

“U Got The Look” is equally lackluster, this time it is Prince’s guitar that remains too far in the background. I do find myself singing along, but this isn’t the song that would make me recommend the bootleg. Prince’s final guitar stanza is louder but contains very little fire and fury, all flash and no show. 

 

The first moments of “Sometimes It Snows In April” are stunning, but the moment is lost as audience chatter takes over and drops me out of the moment. The song itself has its understated elegance, but with audience chat constantly breaking the mood it amounts to little. 

This flat spot of the concert is rounded out by the appearance of Andy Allo and “People Pleaser.” A good song, and fine performance, it fails to fire with the audience, and even on the recording, it sounds flat and hard work. The crowd remains unmoved and this leadens the mood of the recording. Coupled with the previous few songs this part of the show drags, despite the best efforts of Prince and the band. 

The ship is righted with a quickfire performance of “She’s Always In My Hair.” Although only two minutes in length, Prince regains the enthusiasm of the audience, and many can be heard murmuring appreciation as the open riff cries out. Prince keeps the performance neatly manicured, the guitar solo being both the high point and the closing salvo of the number. 

We stay with the aggressive guitar tones for  “Dreamer,” a song that is steeped in steely lyrics and guitar venom to match.  His speech mid-song still rings every bit as true today and backs up the lyrics he is singing. I am not normally one for mid-song speeches, but in this case, it works and the guitar break that follows matches his words for feeling and as a statement. 

 

It’s hard for me to be objective about the blues version of  “I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man,” I love it without reservation. This version is just as smoldering and made all the more affecting by the audience singing at Prince’s prompting. The guitar break has the guitar weeping in the hands of Prince, the emotion and feeling of earlier in the song made all the more real as Prince turns it into a tormented cry. Prince's final talk to the crowd does detract from the previously scaled heights, but the song stills stand monumentally above the surrounding tracklist. 

Andy Allo returns for “Take Me With U,” a song that seems to go over extremely well with the audience. Andy adds brightness, and with its generally upbeat sound, the concert turns purely pop for a few minutes. The best part though perhaps lies in the final minute as Prince turns this pop sound darker with an ominous piece of guitar work that brings the song to a definitive full stop. 

Hearing “Raspberry Beret” straight after is no surprise, although it is refreshing in this case not to have it segued from “Take Me With U.” It appears as a separate entity, and I find it all the better for it. It is short (especially in comparison to “Take Me With U” which stretched to five minutes) but its inclusion is welcomed and appreciated. 

Prince rounds out this trifecta of pop hits with a sedate rendition of “Cream.” The only spikiness, or indeed interest, comes from the sharpness the horns bring, otherwise, it is business as usual with a smooth rendition. 

It’s hard to tell where “Cool” ends and “Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough” starts and Prince intertwines the two with finesse, making them both sound like one long continuous jam. It is a celebratory moment, and even listening at home one can hear home much of a party is ignited in the arena by this performance. These types of songs don’t always work on bootlegs, but in this case, it carries across well on the recording, making for another eminently enjoyable moment. 

“Nothing Compares 2 U” is a showstopper. The appearance of Jennifer Hudson is a masterstroke, her vocals bringing a sense of shock and awe to the performance. It is almost a spiritual moment, and this is heightened by the solo provided by Morris Hayes on Princes’s command to “bring em to church”. The keyboard maestro obliges with a solo that has me both fearing God and bathed in his light. In a show that is three hours long, this is a song that passes us by in a flash, leaving me wishing that it could go on for longer. 

 

There is an air of predictability about “Purple Rain” and the first few minutes live up to that feeling as the song goes steadily through its paces. This changes with the arrival of Prince’s guitar break, as he once again lifts the song from another 1980s power ballad into something otherworldly. The first howl of guitar inflames the recording, and from here on in it's an emotive and riveting experience. As the final strains fade, I feel well satisfied, but the concert is far from over yet. 

There is very little time to reflect on the previous “Purple Rain,” as the bootleg takes us directly to the first encore of “Controversy.” It is an electrifying performance from the outset, with the insistent keyboard riff creating a tension that can only be released by the scratch guitar sound of Prince. The main riff itself is powerfully intoxicating, and even though the song is 30 years old at the time of this recording, it remains just as compelling as ever. The “Housquake” chanting is unnecessary, “Controversy” itself contains funk for days, and the chant only undoes some of its power. 

The recording sees a pause in the action before we return to a free-flowing and lucid “How Come You Don’t Call Me.” After the previous fireworks, its stripped-back sound is welcome. Prince hovers and lingers over the lyrics, drawing as much as he can from its bare bones and imbuing it with a sense of emotion that belies its bare form. 

 

The sampler set remains what has always been, a tease that demonstrates the vastness of Prince’s hit collection. “When Doves Cry” deserves far more than what we get here, but what can Prince do with a catalog such as his. “Nasty Girl” probably gets what it’s worth in this case, a mere taster and reminder of where he has been. The most interesting part of its 20 seconds is Prince calling to John to get ready for “Kiss”, a pointer to where the full band will rejoin at a later stage. 

“Sign O The Times” sounds the same on the sampler as it does on record, and so too does “Hot Thing.” Their electronic leanings are served well by the sampler and little is lost by not having a band performance. 

“Forever In My Life” promises more, and there is just enough time for us to appreciate its sentiment before the arrival of a song from the opposite end of the lust/love spectrum – “Darling Nikki.” No words are required, the riff enough to conjure the song to the front of the mind. 

“Mr. Goodnight” is short and sweet, both in sound and sentiment, and the following “I Would Die 4 U” swallows it up in sound and energy. 

John and the band add their weight to “Kiss.” The song doesn’t seem to have its usual propulsion, although it’s hard to discern why this might be. The finest part of the song is the final moments as Prince dances to the barest of beats, although we are robbed of seeing this on the audio recording. 

There follows a monstrous performance of “Little Red Corvette,” a song that Prince pulls and pushes in several directions over the next ten minutes. From the long drawn-out intro, through the pop of the original, to the final mournful moments, Prince plays with the song like putty in his hands. The crowd are willing accomplices and follow Prince with his whims, always on hand to provide whatever vocals and moods that Prince requires. At ten minutes, it is a shade too long, and it does languish towards the end. For all this though, it is a great performance and one of the more memorable moments in the recording. 

The end of the show is an unstoppable jam building the groove set down by “Act Of God.” The song sounds fresh in this setting and is a natural bed for the other songs to lie in. “What Have You Done For Me Lately” is a natural fit, and the song squelches easily across the two. It takes a drum break to switch us up into “(Theme Song From) Which Way Is Up,” a song that gives Shelby to shine brightly as the end of the concert looms large. It is only fitting that “Partyman” is the last song of this jam, Prince is the party-man personified as he and his music turn a mere concert into a communal party.  It is traditional for Prince concerts to end with a party, and this one is no different as Prince raises the energy levels one last time before the finale. 

At three hours long, this show had a bit of everything, although to be honest, three hours was a little too long, and there was a moment mid-setlist where it did drag and the audience wasn’t quite as engaged as they could have been. If the test of a good bootleg is “Would I listen to it again,” then in that case this certainly passes. Without being stunning, it nevertheless covers all the bases with a steady audience recording. The setlist managed to touch every part of Prince’s back catalog, and I look forward to listening to the aftershow from the same night and seeing how it compares. 

Melbourne 29 May 2012 (am)

 This week I will be posting about two shows as both are short, yet they are interesting for several reasons. Firstly, the legendary Bennetts Lane impromptu performance. Anyone who has spent time on the internet reading about Prince will be familiar with this concert; Prince made an appearance at Bennetts Lane Jazz Club early morning of 29th May 2012. The show was only announced very late, and Prince and the band played to a crowd of about seventy people. In almost darkness, Prince played for close to three hours, with a setlist that is chock full of goodies. From all accounts, this was a humdinger of a show, and it made all the mythical by the fact we don’t have a complete recording of it. We are spoilt nowadays by the scope and quality of recordings available for most shows, and this bootleg harks back to earlier days when shows were only partly available, or not available at all. The recording appears on an Eye Records release and covers a half-hour period early in the concert. We don’t get the gems promised by the setlist, but it is a taste of the flavor of the evening and I have to say it well and truly whets my appetite for more. I thoroughly recommend taking time to go online and read about this concert from those who were there, there is so much more to this performance than what is heard on the recording. 

 29th May 2012(am) Bennetts Lane, Melbourne 

I am salivating from the first moments as John drums up a funky brew with Erykah Badu’s “On & On.” There is the wow factor from the very first seconds, John’s percussive sound setting a vibe that the small audience responds to with shouts of encouragement. The recording picks it up well, the band is clearly heard, and although the audience calls out they aren’t right in the microphone and sound almost as if they have been added in for atmosphere. Prince introduces himself with his first tentative notes stretching into the darkness before the guitar takes an authoritative tone and lights the room in its luminescence. 

I have heard “Stratus” many times over the years and wasn’t expecting much from this performance. Instead, the band floors me with a well-rounded and satisfying performance. I think it is partly down to the recording, it is steady in its sound and seems to have the mix in balance. Part of me wants Prince’s guitar to sound louder, but sitting lower in the mix works well for the song overall and I have no complaints. The band idles loudly behind Prince's guitar sound, waiting for the clutch to be dropped and the concert to accelerate into the next few songs. It is John Blackwell who puts the pedal to the metal with a drum break that carries power, speed, and finesse in a combination that drives the show forward. 

There is a break in the recording next, “Stratus” fades out at the end before “Something In The Water (Does Not Compute)” fades in, delivering us late into the song. We only get the last few calls and responses of “must be something in the water you drink” before the song fizzles out.

 

It’s not all that bad though as the following song is  “Strange Relationship.” The bass may not be particularly prominent on the recording, but there is plenty of funk dripping from the keyboards and Prince’s vocals. However, things flip when Cassandra plays her solo, the piano is barely audible and the bass suddenly becomes the backbone of the song. It is a very loose performance, one that I feel as much as I hear, and it’s about this point that I decide I would gladly sell my right arm for a soundboard recording of this entire gig. 

Even “I Like Funky Music” sounds better in this context. A song I could happily pass on, here it becomes part of the “Strange Relationship” jam, and rather than drag it down it adds to it with the audience becoming involved with the chants. I must praise the keyboards again at this point as they continue to solo and delight me with their sprinklings of stardust. 

This funk jam continues to evolve, and “Up For The Downstroke” reminds me of how much this white boy has learned about the history of funk from Prince. My first introduction to Parliament/Funkadelic/George Clinton was from hearing performances like this and then going back to find the original artists. This performance is worthy of those predecessors as the song swells and bloats, Prince and the band playing the audience as much as they are playing the music. It remains a beautifully unfocused, all-encompassing jam that is further enhanced by cameos from “Fantastic Voyage” and “Give Up The Funk (Tear The Roof Off The Sucker)” it is not an intense jam that fills the recording, but it is one of the most enjoyable I have heard for a long time, and again I am quite ready to sell my body parts for more of the same. Oh to be there! 

I am seriously overwhelmed as the jam continues to creep across the land, this time swallowing up Mary J Blige’s “Be Happy” and consuming it into the body of the music. I regret that I am sitting at the computer at this stage, such is the urge just to get up and let my body move to the music. In my book, there is no higher recommendation. I am an old jaded fan who spends too much time listening to bootlegs, but performances like this are what I live for. 

A brief “Don’t Stop Until You Get Enough rounds off this jam before the recording ends with a final hit out from John Blackwell. At this point, the recording is raggedy sounding, with John’s drums distorting. In some ways, it is probably just as well it finishes here, lest my previous buzz from the funk jam is shattered by this less-than-stellar sound. Nothing against John himself, it is purely the recording that is sounding rough at this stage. 

There is no mistaking, this is a great show and one that I want to hear a lot more of. A sparkling setlist is matched with a classy performance and throw in the vibe of the room and this makes for one heck of a show. It is all the more disappointing then that we can only enjoy a half hour of the performance, with another two and half hours missing I can only imagine how good the rest of it is. Again, I strongly recommend researching more about this gig, with first eye accounts, the music takes on a whole new dimension. I am grateful for what we do have here, but I want so much more. This recording creates a thirst that I know will never be quenched, no matter how much I hope and pray. Worth hearing, just try not to think about what we are missing. 

Brisbane 27 May 2012 (am)

 “The greatest show I ever saw”

Not my words, but the words of the guys over at the Peach And Black Podcast (although I must admit, I have uttered these words several times over the years). The show in question is the after jam from 27th May 2012(am), just over a week since the last aftershow from Brisbane on the 19th. I have a lot of time and respect for the Peach and Black podcast, and although they were addressing the show rather than the bootleg of the show, it was enough for me to rummage in the collection to find it. A great show does not guarantee a great bootleg, but those words “the greatest I ever saw” keep rolling around my head, and I hope the recording captures something of the magic of that live performance. Even though Prince is not present throughout the whole show, the setlist is certainly appetizing, and the guest appearance of Andy McKee suggests that we may hear some different arrangements at his concert. There is only one way to find out if this performance lives up to expectations, so let’s jump right in with Shelby and a performance of The Gap band’s “Outstanding” 

27 May 2012 (a.m.) Eatons Hill Hotel & Function Centre – Grand Ballroom, Brisbane 

The word outstanding haunts me as the N.P.G. and Shelby play what turns out to be an outstanding cover of “Outstanding.” The bootleg is well balanced, as is Shelby and the band, the song playing to my sense of nostalgia while drawing the spirit of a party out of the audience. A warmth envelops the recording, and although I have sometimes dismissed shows from 2012 as being soulless, this one is anything but as Shelby and the N.P.G. create a safe space, the bootleg sounding as intimate as someone’s living room, a casual sense of ease and soul that will pervade the rest of the recording. 

The concert steps up a cog with “We Party Hearty,” a song that eases us from the opening “Outstanding” into a more uptempo jam, a song that sets the standard for the rest of the evening both by name and nature as the band come to the fore with a variety of sounds that are aimed squarely at the dance floor. For the first time, we hear the horn section, giving the recording added impetus and raising it above the heavier bass and keyboard that otherwise keep the music flowing. There is still no Prince on stage, but the band is stamped with his trademark sound, and this part of the concert is just as enjoyable as what will come later. 

Built on the stepping stones of some heavy organ riffs, “You Got The Love” sees Shelby and the band add substantial and forceful power to the recording. There is some rock guitar appearing through the cracks in the bassline, a new dynamic we have not previously heard at the show. Normally this would appeal to me, but in contrast to the soulful sounds of the first songs, it feels light and throwaway. The guitar eventually twists itself up into Shelby’s vocals and the bass, making for a noisy center of the song that doesn’t quite hit the right spot for me. 

Although “(Theme Song From) Which Way Is Up?” was only played occasionally at shows, it seems to have appeared often in the shows I have recently listened to. Shelby is enthusiastic by nature, and the song plays to her natural ebullient self, the driving beat and groove matched by her tempestuous vocal delivery. It is punchy and sharp, the snappy keyboards rounding out the chorus beneath Shelby’s more obvious hook. The vocabulary of the second section of the song is steeped in the keyboard and its tight partnership with the bass, both stealing each other’s rhythms and influences as two of the unsung heroes of the band come forward. There is the feeling that the show is beginning to reach a point where it might truly breakout into what it has threatened to become for the first half, and after this song, it can no longer be contained by the stage itself, and the real spirit of the show is released into the atmosphere with Prince coxing “Mutiny” from the band. 

It is at once familiar, and yet at the same time brand new as the band put a spin on it, the groove coming slower, demanding that you pay attention as much as dance to it. It is a Frankenstein version, “Ice Cream Castles” coming strongly over the top as Prince flits between the two. It is a classy performance, and just the sort of twisted version I would normally be attracted to, unfortunately in this case I don’t feel it as much as the band on stage, and for me, the untouchable highlight is the organic organ solo that pulls the song back to earth after it’s previous alien and cold sound. The rolling groove remains the bedrock it is all built upon, and no matter how Prince stretches and toys with the song, it always snaps back to shape on the back of this groove. 

The first real treasure of the recording comes with Andy McKee’s appearance and a pared-back rendition of “Africa.” It is a song that is instantly recognizable, and this arrangement with just Andy and Elisa Fiorillo highlights the songwriting craftsmanship that shaped the song, even in this form it is catchy and has me easily singing along. There is no Prince here, but it is another dip into the nostalgic past, the mists swirling around the recording as we venture back to my teenage years. 

 

I don’t have the same warm feelings for “Emotion,” the performance sounds warm enough, but the overall effect leaves me cold. I do enjoy the sound of the three female voices coming together, and Andy McKee has a light touch of sound behind them, but it is not a song I have heard often, and I am impatient to move forward through the recording. 

I am suddenly fifteen again as the song of “More Than Words” laps against my ears. The crowd can’t help but join in, as do I at home, the distance of time shrinks as the song rises out from a modern context played by this modern band. The vocals are again gentle, I am caressed by the sound rather than battered by it, and although I am a punk rocker at heart, this song captures my imagination and I am transported away as it plays. 

“Paisley Park” is drawn gradually from the audience’s hand clapping, the song slow to reveal its true self in public, before Andy McKee’s guitar sketches it into shape and makes the moment real. The song remains untouched by the band, asides from a beating heart of a drum beat, and it strolls softly across the sonic territory it inhibits, remaining an elusive dream that is always one step ahead. It is undoubtedly the highlight of the show, and although we will have stronger songs later on the bootleg, none can touch “Paisley Park” for raw beauty. It is the very heart of the show itself, a whimsy rendition that captures the spirit of the song in its organic sound. 

The sonic tease that opens “The Bird” stretches on for minutes, the song constantly threatening to burst into life behind the ever-building keyboard riff, yet it remains firmly under the strong will of Prince’s hand. The first cracks appear with the horn’s building before Prince unleashes the band for a full-blooded rendition that goes across a storm with the audience. The recording remains unblemished, but to my ears, this part of the concert doesn’t sound quite as good as the previous few songs. Prince does call for sound adjustment on stage, but this in no way has anything to do with the recording which suddenly becomes a whole lot stronger on the back of a precision strike of a guitar solo, not a single note wasted in an efficient and timely break. 

We have a call for “guitar up in the house” at the beginning of “Jungle Love” that immediately raises unrealistic expectations for what will follow. I was hoping for a storm of guitar, but what we have instead is a paint-by-numbers run-through of the song, and as much as I want to project my sense of occasion and thrill upon it, in truth it doesn’t deliver much beyond its reach. There is the requisite guitar solo, and as good as it sounds, it is not one for the ages, Prince keeps everything neatly trimmed as he rushes to the audience participation led by Shelby. A lot of fun to be there, the bootleg was not quite as fun as the music chops and cuts beneath the audience chants. 

 

We stay firmly entrenched in this era as the band eases the sound into a wider vista, and a sharp take on “The Glamorous Life.” The bootleg is a little uneven at this point, and as much as I want to love it, I merely like it. John Blackwell on the drums adds some excitement late in the piece, but not enough to overturn my earlier verdict. 

Things become far more serious as Prince and the band turns their hand to a brooding “Stratus.” It straddles two worlds, the guitar wiry and sharp, while the galloping bassline funks and rolls beneath. It is a beguiling performance, the previous songs appearing almost throw-away in comparison to this far more studious and unhurried piece. The guitar and keyboard together provide expressive melancholia that seeps through the music at every turn, the sound of the song far more important than any lyrical riff or idea. It is a predictable arsenal, “Stratus” has been heard numerous times through the years, but at this moment it is just the right song for the performance and reinvigorates my interest in the show. 

“Stratus” is the Trojan horse that sneaks “All Shook Up” into the show, the music remaining with its dark atmosphere while Prince reaches to Elvis’s infectious lyrics to offset this impenetrable sound. There is unease as the two worlds rub against each other, friction that sparks but never bursts into flame, the music pulling the lyrics down to its own shuffling uncompromising vision. 

I admire the grandiose intentions of “Insatiable,” intentions that remain unfulfilled as Prince’s vocals remain one step detached and just beyond any true sense of soulfulness. It’s a close enough facsimile, and I am satisfied with the performance, although again the bootleg doesn’t quite reach the level of greatness that I crave. 

A plush “Scandalous” has me one step closer to heaven, Prince pulling his submerged incantation from deep within the song, each breath, and word crafting an atmosphere and drawing the crowd further into his ever-expanding web of seduction. The electric fury of earlier in the evening is now replaced by a soundscape drawn from velvet and silk. I can feel the greatness of the performance crawling out of the speakers, and for a few minutes, I am inclined to agree with the assessment of the Peach and Black crew. 

It is the twinkle of the piano that lights the path into an emotionally crushing “Adore.” Following “Scandalous,” it comes as a heavy one-two punch, “Adore” as emotional and loving as “Scandalous’ was sexy and seducing. It is wholly immersive, I can feel the recording swallowing me as I am again buried deep in Prince’s world for this performance of a song that I shall never tire of hearing. There is a gentle ache to Prince’s lyrics, and with the backing vocals playing as a heavenly choir, the song has a sense of purpose, Prince is pitching it squarely at the heart of the audience, and I can attest from the recording, he is squarely hitting the mark. 

 

With an upbeat spray of color, “Jam Of The Year” springboards us into the final section of the show. It sounds shallow and thinner than it did back in its prime during the 90s, but it retains its fun and Prince’s sense of music being a party. It suffers in comparison to the previous few songs, but it sets the scene for Prince's final few songs, as always intending to raise the party. 

“$” was only played during 2012, and here it is presented only in the briefest of introductions to a medley that also includes “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” and “The Song Of The Heart.” I heard “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” on a golden oldies radio station today, and it was a lot more fun that the insipid version that gets tossed into this medley. Rounding out this flash-in-the-pan threesome is “The Song Of The Heart,” it brings it to a close, but it does nothing in terms of adding to the performance or the music. 

Unfortunately, the circulating recording is missing the final pièce de résistance “Days Of Wild,” no doubt the show-stopping highlight as it always is. It is paired with “Wild And Loose,” which makes me only want to hear it more, one can only imagine what a wild end to the show this would be. 

This bootleg is not the greatest ever, but there is evidence here that this is a great show, and for all that saw it I am sure it was the greatest. It is a reminder that as much as we enjoy these bootlegs, they will always remain a poor cousin to seeing a live performance, and no matter what quality we have them in they will never live up to that experience. As a bootleg, it is very good and has some spectacular moments. It also has a couple of flat points, but overall it is a timely reminder that these shows from the 2000s are in some ways just as good as the after shows of the ’80s, time has jaded us to just how special and amazing these shows are no matter what era they are. Of course, I recommend this recording, and for those that were there, I am sure this is a fine reminder of a great show. Peach and Black have their memories of the show, but for the rest of us, this is the closest we will get. It points to greatness, but that is a peak that can never be conquered by a mere bootleg. 

Brisbane 19 May 2012 (am)

 I shouldn’t like today’s show, but it is one that I listen to quite a lot. On paper it doesn’t have much going for it, it’s an audience recording, the set list is rather ho-hum, and it’s only just over an hour long. But I find myself coming back to it again and again- I guess there is no accounting for some people's taste. An aftershow from the Australian tour of 2012, it’s more recent than some of the gigs I have dusted off over the last couple of months. So before I begin, please bear in mind that although I enjoy this one, it’s probably not to everyone’s tastes. 

 

19 May 2012 (am) The Hi-Fi Brisbane, Australia 

There is an unusual start to this recording and show, as the first thing we hear is a couple of minutes of the PA, while there is a live sound check. While “I Know You Got Soul” plays you can hear various instruments being checked, a few drum beats here and there, and a bass run or two. Often I find that the beauty of listening to these recordings is that I listen carefully and imagine that I am at the show. And with the band sound checking with the PA I can well imagine the excitement in the room, as that is the feeling I get here listening at home. And to give you further insight into my world, I often dance around the room listening to these songs, before forcing myself to sit down and listen again and write about it, and believe me and was and truly dancing around the room for the first portion of this show. 

 

The PA stops playing abruptly and the drums of “Musicology” begin. It’s got a good shuffle to it, and the horn stabs are prominent while the organ adds depth behind it. The bass enters, and then some great rhythm guitar. It’s got a funky wah wah sound before it changes and starts to play some funky-sounding lead lines. I have never been a fan of “Musicology” but if it had been played more like this in the main shows then I definitely would have given it much more love. Played here as a jam with plenty of guitar and bass its sounds much fuller and funkier. The bass hits a nice loop and the singers join in with a good harmony of “I know you got soul”. Because this is an audience recording, there is a lot of crowd noise, and sometimes it does drown the band, but I feel it’s a trade-off, as it does give it a brilliant live feel. This one is far from the sterile shows I sometimes hear. Prince calls “Brisbane, I know you got soul”, and there is great cheer from the crowd before Prince goes on to play a lot more guitar. It is not a roaring guitar solo, just very long, funky, improvised playing. Mr. Hayes gets called for a solo, and there is a moment when you can hear Prince calling to the sound desk “Turn him up, help him, help him”. The organ then becomes noticeable louder and Mr. Hayes plays a very nice break. Shelby J follows soon after singing “Mama Feelgood,” and I must say it’s very refreshing to hear her singing, rather than encouraging the audience as we hear at the main shows. She does have a great voice and is a favorite of mine, but I feel she doesn’t play to her strengths at the main shows. Here it’s all about her singing, and I am on board as a fan. The band does all get a chance to play, there is a brief drum break for John Blackwell, and Cassandra O’Neal also gets a small solo. Both are good in their own ways but too short to be noteworthy. Again, there is very much the feeling that it is a live show as Prince gets on the microphone to speak to the crowd, and at the same time asks for the sound desk to give him “more high-end on stage, more high-end” I love that this is raw and unpolished, and they are working on it as they go. He further goes on to explain to the audience “we get it right, we can stay here all night” There are then a few minutes when the song is stripped back to Ida and John Blackwell, before the crowd starts to chant with Prince “ooohhhhh, Brisbane”. The last two minutes of the song are Cassandra and John Blackwell playing, it’s a funky rhythm and has me itching to dance. The song ends, and I see it’s clocked in at almost 18 minutes- a great way to start an aftershow. 

 

Ida on the bass and some heavy organ from Mr. Hayes starts us into “Days Of Wild.” The first call of Prince to the crowd of “these are the days, these are the days” has them chanting along from the start. There is some heavy organ which I do like before Prince starts to sing. As I said earlier, there is a trade-off with audience recordings, and here I find I don’t hear Prince's vocals as well as I expect. He’s not spitting the lyrics as intensely as he used to, and there is also some distortion in the sound which makes him hard to listen to. And of course, I should mention, that I have this playing way too loud for my speakers, so it’s not always just about the show! Prince comes out with his “oh by the way I play the bass guitar” but what follows is fairly muted and restrained by his standards. There is then a nice moment when the main refrain from “America” is played before we return to the heavy organ groove of Mr. Hayes. I have to give further love to Mr. Hayes when he then goes on to play a great organ break for a good minute or so. It is fantastic and adds warm darkness to everything. There is then a great break, with just the band pulling right back while the guitar plays a funky stroke. It’s the funkiest moment of the song before Prince begins to sing “Wild And Loose.” He only sings it for a verse, before there is another keyboard solo. This song is just dripping, and it’s impossible not to move to it. Liv also gets a moment to sing on it, and she delivers an impassioned and deep “Ain’t Nobody.” I am feeling this one as another keyboard solo comes at us, and the heavy groove goes on and on. Cassandra plays great on the piano, but it's only fitting that it’s Mr. Hayes who plays us through to the end of the song with his organ. “These are the days, these are the days”! 

 

“The Question Of U” starts as purely an instrumental, while Prince plays some restrained lead guitar. I say restrained, as in its not fiery and loud, but it does have a stratospheric sound. He does sing, but it’s not “The Question Of U,” instead he sings the lyrics of “The One” over the music. “The One” is some of my favorite lyrics, and I am pleased that the recording is good enough that I can hear him quite clearly throughout this song. He pauses after each verse for some guitar play, nothing wild, just suitably mournful. After the second verse, he does play with a tone more in line with what I expect from “The Question Of U.” Although he plays a good long break, the song isn’t totally about him and his guitar. After his solo, there is then a long piano break, played by presumably Cassandra. The surprises keep coming as Prince begins to sing “Gingerbread Man.” The band is very quiet at this point, and it’s mostly Prince's vocals and the crowd we can hear. I am not overly familiar with the song, but I enjoy it here, and it’s a great fit for the song. Soon after Mr. Hayes plays another break (he sure is busy tonight) before the song comes to a soft end with the audience clapping and singing “ooohh, ohhh. ohhh, oooohh” A beautiful song, and again it’s played to maximum effect with nothing feeling rushed at all. 

 

The dark bluesy arrangement of “I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man” follows next, and it’s soaked in a melancholy feel, especially the guitar tone and Prince's vocals. I am a big fan of this slowed-down arrangement, and this one is particularly smoky. Prince’s guitar playing is tight earlier on, but there is a great release when he does open up and play the first break. Like a door cracking open, the opening notes pull us in and I want to hear what comes next. Prince doesn’t unleash it right away, he returns to the verse after a few bars, but it builds the anticipation. At this point, you can hear some people in the crowd commenting that this version is better, and although I don’t like hearing them on the recording, I do agree with their sentiments. After the next verse Prince does open up on the guitar fully, and this is a good one, I mean the solo is full of emotion and soul. It’s not a solo for the ages, but on this song, on this night it’s just perfect. He does play faster as the song goes, but never furiously so, and as I said before, the fact is it’s a very soulful and mournful solo. The emotion continues as the music breaks down and Prince sings “I could never” over and over. Every word is full of passion, and it gives the song a vibe that is missing on the album. The keyboards play some piano and organ before Prince sings the refrain a couple more times and closes the song with one last mournful line. 

 

Prince gets a break from vocal duties next as Shelby takes the lead for a rendition of “Brownskin.” After the intensity of the previous song, it leaves me a little deflated. Shelby sings well, and I can hear the band is in good form with Prince on guitar, but it’s not at the same high level as the first four songs. There is a guitar break by Prince midsong which is noteworthy, with plenty of sustained notes and a very electric tone to his guitar, but it’s only short and we return to Shelby. On a better recording, I would give this one a lot more time, but being only an audience recording it is hard work to listen to, and even with another fine guitar break by Prince near the end I still can’t quite give it a pass. 

 

Prince calls for the lights to be turned up as he starts the rhythm guitar of “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).” I have heard this one plenty over the years, so it fails to fire me up when I hear it here. It’s as we have heard it previously, although the break with Prince playing plenty of rhythm guitar is cool and for me the most enjoyable part of the song. It’s at this stage of the gig that things speed up a little, and the earlier vibe of a jam is lost. This is very much a show that has two halves. The first few songs were all longer jams and plenty of intensity, but at this stage a lighter vibe is present, and the songs are getting shorter. “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” only goes for a few minutes before it ends and Prince plays the funky guitar intro of “Love Rollercoaster.” He doesn’t go on to play the rest of the song, we just have half a minute of him alone playing the rhythm before we move on to the next song. 

 

Next, his guitar playing moves to the rhythm of “Controversy” and the kick drum comes in behind him. There is the keyboard sound before we have the main groove that we know so well. The crowd gets a chance to sing along as the band play, and the band does a great job of it, they sound very tight. Prince does play with the crowd a little, getting them to scream and shout in a brief call and response. There is then another verse and chorus a breakdown and Prince doing his “people call me rude” speech. Then as the “Controversy” groove continues Prince asks “how many people know about the quake” and we get a minute of him and Shelby encouraging the crowd to clap their hands and stomp their feet before the song is brought to a close. Again it’s very short, and light. 

 

The party is kept going as Prince and the band start to play “I Know You Got Soul,” nicely taking us back to where all this began. Prince mostly speaks to the crowd, getting them dancing, before a very short chant of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie”. The funky guitar starts again and we move to “Play That Funky Music.” 

“Play That Funky Music” I have very strong feelings about. I don’t like it in his main shows, and I don’t like it here. The band plays it very easily, and it feels a little throw away for them. This one is slightly better than others, in that Prince starts a guitar solo early on and maintains it for most of the three minutes. It swirls and grinds away while Prince occasionally sings a line or two to the audience. The song never really starts, nor does it ever turn into a jam, and it ends very quickly with Prince's “Thank you Brisbane, and good night” 

 

So there it is. An odd little show that I listen to a lot. The first part is very strong, and even though I dislike the second part of the show, it is very short and the first few songs more than compensate. As I said earlier, it’s not for everyone’s taste, but if you aren’t averse to an audience recording and want to hear something a little off the radar, this would be as good a place as any to start. 

Brisbane 18 May 2012

 The Welcome 2 Australia concerts are normally a run-through of the hits, yet there are several special moments in the tour that make the circulating bootlegs interesting. The guest appearance of Public Enemy is one such moment, as are a couple of excellent after-shows currently circulating.  I have already written about the aftershow played on the same night as this concert, and I have it on good authority that the main show was just as good as the aftershow. A quick run-through of the setlist confirms this, I see "Empty Room" and "Extralovable" there, two songs that I need to hear. The recording is an audience recording, but Eye records have put together a complete package with the soundcheck, main show, and aftershow all presented together, something that I greatly appreciate. The completest in me is more than happy with the quality of recording when it comes all together like this. 

18th May 2012, Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane 

The concert has a somewhat unusual beginning with Andy McKee playing an acoustic rendition of “Purple Rain”. It doesn’t feel like the beginning of the Prince concert, the crowd is quite chatty through his performance – although I do find their singing along with guitar endearing. It is an odd way to open and when Prince takes the stage there are further surprises with his first number being “Jam Of The Year”. It is one thing to read it on the liner notes, quite another to hear it, and I must admit I get a lot of pleasure from this version. The band plays it with a lighter touch than what was heard at The Jam Of The Year concerts, and there is a buoyant sound provided by the keyboard and horns. The dreariness of the late ’90s is all but forgotten with this luminescent performance. 

It is disappointing that the next few minutes can’t match these opening songs for interest. “$” and “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” are lighthearted, but instantly forgettable. Even listening to the bootleg, there is the feeling that we are being short-changed and Prince has so much more that he could have offered up instead. 

“Let’s Go Crazy” is one of the overplayed hits that the more hardcore fans rail against, but in this case, it serves its purpose in igniting the crowd and the concert. Prince’s guitar has an ominous tone through the introduction that hints at darkness, but once the song starts the curtain opens on music that is filled with warmth and pop fizz. Even if the song is played straight, the crowd can still be heard rising to the occasion, and shorn of its final guitar break it becomes an altogether more danceable number. 

 

Dance is the theme of the moment and “Delirious” is in the same vein. It is a lot of fun, the music skips by in a hurry, barely pausing, and it is only the solo by Mr. Hayes that makes it something substantial. This keyboard runs from a flowery opening to a percussive finish, leaving little doubt about the abilities of Mr. Hayes. 

The reprise of “Let’s Go Crazy” see’s Prince return to the guitar, and this time the sheering guitar finish is present and firmly sets the tone for the next few songs. 

With the energy levels remaining high, the band storms through “1999”. They show no regard for the history of the song, everyone is in the moment and the performance brings it firmly into the present. It is far more organic sounding, and the band injects it with their own life, giving it a contemporary feel that carries the song well across to the crowd. 

What can I say about “Shhh” that hasn’t been said before. Prince and the band play every song at the concert well, but “Shhh” is the song that they truly inhibit and the performance that follows is the most soulful part of the show. The first versus crackle and fizz with unresolved tension before the song boils over with a volcanic solo from Prince. It begins with the dense haze of an ash cloud, before Prince turns it up to an eruption of boiling lava, every note coming as part of an unending fiery river. 

 

The guitar doesn’t let up as Prince plays a hard and heavy “Anotherloverholenyohead”. It certainly is a heavy hitter, and Prince comes out punching from the start with several strong jabs from his guitar. The rest of the song lives up to these opening moments, and although not as soulful as “Shhh”, it is every bit as intense. Of special note is Prince’s solo midsong, although not the best recording we can still hear the intensity of the moment. The “Rock Lobster” coda he ends with is right up my alley, this is exactly the type of music I gravitated to before I discovered Prince and the several minutes he spends shredding through the song has me feeling like a teenager. 

As if the last three songs haven’t been guitar heaven enough, Prince chooses to finish with one of his show stoppers – “Empty Room”. This is the moment I have been waiting for and the reason that my friend Marti recommended this concert to me. It lives up to the occasion, and even with some audible crowd noise, I am transported away on the wings of Prince’s soaring guitar. The verses lose some power due to the audience chat, no doubt this song isn’t familiar to casual fans, but every other part of the song is divine and I am immediately grateful for the recommendation. 

 

The sampler set that follows is a buzz kill, although it begins well with an ever-youthful “When Doves Cry”. Even as part of the sampler set it’s hard not to like it, the beat and main hook as irresistible as ever. 

The funk gets stronger with a brief “Nasty Girl” serving as a doorstep into “Sign O The Times”. The latter has an insistent bass that nails it firmly to the dance floor and propels the concert forward.  Prince follows this with two more songs from the same album, “Hot Thing” and “Forever In My Life” might come from different ends of the spectrum, but they are both forever tied together by the groundbreaking album they first appeared on. Hearing them side by side heightens the contrast between them, leaving the fact that they are from the same album all the more amazing. 

“A Love Bizarre” and “Darlin Nikki” are merely tasters before we have something more nourishing in the form of “Pop Life”. It does indeed have that pop, but it isn’t as filling as it promises and Prince ends it at the first chorus. 

There comes another flurry of songs with “Housequake”, “Extralovable” and “Pheromone”. The titles promise so much, but it is a false hope as Prince skips through them. I am particularly disappointed with “Extralovable” when I saw it listed I was hoping for something substantial, but I can’t say I’m too surprised to see it treated like this in the sampler set. 

This set ends with “Dance For Me” as Prince calls the band back on stage. It's little more than a pounding beat and a chance for the band to rejoin the fray. 

The “I like funky music” chant has the band introduced by Prince, and in this case, it is Ida who is the highlight, she may not be loud and forceful, but she is undeniably funky. The rest of the band follows her lead, and although Prince doesn’t sing the song is one of the funkiest of the evening. 

 

“Take Me With U” is light, even by its own standards, and it is merely a piece of fluff on this recording. Raspberry Beret is equally pop, but more rewarding as it runs substantially longer and features Prince singing “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC (now there’s something I never thought I’d write). It is only the chant that features at the beginning, but it does make for an arresting moment. 

An unsophisticated  “Cream” follows and although the crowd loves it, it is hardly essential. The keyboard wheeze of Morris Hayes is great, but it is submerged beneath the bright and breezy band, dissipating any backbone he may bring to the song. 

Morris Hayes underpins all that is great about “Cool” and “Don’t Stop Until You Get Enough”, it is his keyboard swells that lift the song and carries it forward. It is equally a chance for the singers to have their moment, and Shelby, Liv, and Elise are just as essential to the song as Prince. After the sampler set, this comes as a reward, a six-minute rendition that reignites the party. 

Prince returns to the keyboard, this time for a piano set, and this part of the gig shines as for the next few minutes he plays delicate renditions of some of his finest ballads. The opening minute of “Purple Rain” is every fanboy’s dream, but “Diamonds And Pearls” is even better as Prince begins to sing. Both these songs are heavily abridged, and it is only as he tackles “The Beautiful Ones” that the crowd is treated to something special. The piano is more colorful, the singing slower and less intense, yet the song is just as riveting as it is on record. 

“How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore” struts across the stage, all swagger and spit as Prince brings a bold attitude to the performance. A song that we have heard countless times, this rendition holds my attention through the entire song and is a healthy update of a classic. It is one of the key songs of the concert, which is surprising for a 30-year-old B-side. 

The piano continues with a flourish and sparkle as the opening of “Purple Rain” is heard. It is played as the epic power ballad it is, the crowd singing their piece from the opening moments while the keyboards drape ever morphing chords over it, letting the song build slowly into its true form. This is my “Purple Rain”, nothing is rushed and Prince pulls every strand of emotion from the song as he talks to the crowd, plays an emotive guitar break, and generally turns it into an unforgettable event. All this emotional energy is finally released with his heartbreaking guitar solo that is both forlorn and life-affirming at the same time. I don’t know about the crowd at the arena, but I feel drained by the end of it. 

There is a chance to recover with an easy listening “Everyday People” ushering in the encore. There’s nothing too demanding to be heard and it slides by easily, which is just as well as the following “The Dance Electric” lives up to its name and is electrifying. It takes a minute to warm up, but once the band starts cooking it becomes one of the hottest songs of the concert. I would have liked to hear more of Prince’s vocals, but the groove and the guitar that flickers and flames beneath it are more than enough to satisfy, making this the standout performance of the night, and this bootleg. 

“Kiss” is a song without a center. All the components are in place, but it remains unfocused and passes by in a hazy blur. It is the final song of the evening but it doesn’t put an exclamation mark on the performance and is a wholly unsatisfying end to what has been a very good show. 

I am very quick to dismiss concerts from 2004-2012 as nothing more than greatest hits shows, yet time and time again I find that they offer something for even the most hardened fan. They aren’t as good as the after-shows of this period, but they do offer something for everyone. This concert didn’t immediately grab me when I first saw it, but I was drawn in by the quality of the performance, and there was just enough in the setlist to appeal to my jaded ears. Not a show I would immediately gravitate to, but I appreciate the recommendation and found it worth the time to take a close listen.