Now It's On

Bootleg Review: Prince And 3rdEyeGirl - Fox Theatre Detroit: From The Soundboard

I complete my look at the three new soundboard releases from Prince's recent HITnRUN Tour with a very special set for me, capturing his triumphant return to Detroit after a near eleven year hiatus. There have been many Detroit shows I've attended over the years that have never surfaced on bootleg, so to get this show and in crystal clear soundboard as well? Incredible. 

And much like the two Louisville shows that help make-up this essential trio from Free Boot Generation, this recording could easily be sold as is directly from Prince it sounds so pristine. Getting these shows so close to when they happened is another treasure. Soundboards from the 80's continue to appear to this day, thankfully we did not have to wait that long for these to make it to the fans.

For a more in depth recap of this show at the Fox Theatre from April 9th, 2015, see my recap here. This recording does not include Judith Hill's opening set, but does capture Prince's entire, nearly two and a half hour marathon of funk and roll. Unlike the Louisville shows, Prince and 3rdEyeGirl were joined by a horn section and keyboardist Cassandra O'Neal, meaning they were able to switch back and forth at will between the leaner rock sound of 3rdEyeGirl and the funk of the NPG. Classics like "Housequake" and "Cool" definitely benefit from the addition of the live horns.

Don't miss the performance of "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore" here either, as Prince proves his falsetto hasn't lost a thing. The cover of Laura Mvula's "Green Garden" is a live rarity and another highlight. And the night ends with a beautiful version of "The Love We Make" that is a must hear.

This recording also captures the pure joy Prince was feeling and exhibiting on the stage. Numerous times he calls out to the fans and shows love to one of the first major cities to embrace him. You can tell in his voice that love and appreciation for Detroit and what it meant to his early career is still there. In fact, the only downside to this recording is a couple of Prince's speeches from the stage have been edited down or cut out for time. But this is still an amazing release, one I am especially grateful to have for those times I want to recapture the magic of that night. Prince was back in Detroit and all seemed right in the world.

Bootleg Review: Prince And 3rdEyeGirl - The Louisville Palace: From The Soundboard 2nd Night, 1st Show

 

So here we have the second recent soundboard release from Prince's current HITnRUN Tour, the second from the Louisville, Kentucky shows that opened what has been a sporadic series of shows more than a full fledged tour. You can find my review of the first release here. This recording features the first show of the second night in Louisville, March 15th, 2015.

There isn't much more to say about the quality on this release that I already said in my review of the first night's show. It is again fantastic soundboard, official release worthy. As for the show itself, one look at the setlist will tell you this is a show that will appeal the most to diehard collectors and long time fans. Sure there are plenty of hits still played, and as I mentioned in my prior review, I dig the way most of these are being performed on this tour, but for this set Prince and 3rdEyeGirl started the show with four newer songs and a cover.

Things kick off with "Wow", Prince's version of the song "The Unexpected" he wrote for Liv Warfield. "Funknroll" is next before he does the rarely performed on this tour "The Breakdown" from last year's Art Official Age. It becomes apparent during this song that Prince is battling a cold as his falsetto is a little rough, he obviously realizes it and you can tell during the rest of the show he tries to avoid using it as much as possible. It doesn't distract from the listening experience, if anything it gives you appreciation for how he battles through it like a true pro.

"Pretzelbodylogic" is next before a cover of Billy Cobham's "Stratus" which I never get tired of hearing Prince do live. After this, the set goes back into the usual run of hits starting with "Let's Go Crazy", but there are still a few more surprises to come, most worthwhile an absolutely scintillating, over eight minute long version of "Something In The Water (Does Not Compute)". If only this song were a regular in the setlist, but its rarity makes it all the more special here. After the first verse is performed with just Prince and piano, the band joins in and there is some powerhouse guitar work to follow.

After the main set, Prince and the band return for the first ever live performance of their cover of the Nichole Nordeman song "What If". A studio version of this song was also released as a download only during Prince's stay in Kentucky. I have to confess this song does not do much for me, and this performance sounds a little disjointed, but it's obviously a rare performance collectors of Prince's live shows will be eager to add to their archives.

After "Purple Rain", the show goes into the sampler based segment of his show. Things then end on a pair of covers as they do "Play That Funky Music" and "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" back to back. That is where this particular show ends. but this release closes with four bonus tracks from the second show of this evening, including "Guitar" and "Plectrumelectrum". 

Prince's voice being a little rough actually gives this show a bit of a memorable quality. He shouts a lot, you can hear a scratchiness in his voice and it almost gives his vocal performance a sense of urgency and emotion you wouldn't expect. And once again, the beautiful soundboard quality makes this an essential release to own. Again, a huge thanks to Free Boot Generation for this series.

Bootleg Review: Prince And 3rdEyeGirl - The Louisville Palace: From The Soundboard 1st Night, 1st Show

For reasons I'd rather not dredge up, things have been rather quiet on the Prince bootleg scene. It's not that they've gone away, certain pressed labels continue to sell their wares. But the free releases have been few and far between. Thankfully the last few weeks has seen that change in a glorious way with a number of fantastic releases courtesy of the always excellent quality Free Boot Generation. As Prince himself said, and the artwork on this release states, "I have some bootlegs but I wouldn't sell them. But fans sharing music with each other, that's cool." And that is exactly what is happening here with three incredible new soundboard releases from Prince's current HITnRUN Tour.

Yes, you heard me correctly. Soundboard releases. The 2015 HITnRUN Tour kicked off in Louisville, Kentucky with four shows over two nights in March. Chosen since it is the hometown of 3rdEyeGirl drummer Hannah Ford-Welton, Louisville quickly sold the shows out, with help from fans always willing to travel great distances for a Prince show. Captured on this release is the first show from the first night, March 14th. 

Before I get into some of the show details, the quality of the recording itself is spectacular. Beautiful, crisp soundboard, worthy of an official release. And that brings me to the question and issue I always have when things like this get out. Why isn't Prince, with such a rabid fan base of collectors, willing to release this type of material himself? This should be a no-brainer. Fans and collectors would GLADLY hand over their cash directly to the man himself for the privilege of downloading full length soundboard recordings. With this being an unofficial release, all credit to Free Boot Generation for sharing these releases for free when it would have been so easy for someone to try to make money off of them. But Prince continues to miss the boat on his incredible legacy of live shows. I refuse to believe a download site of live recordings could not be a profitable venture for him. Yes, it is his music, to do with it what he wants, but the goodwill and recognition he would get for that type of venture is being wasted. Oh, and don't overlook the artwork either. That too is official release worthy.

As for the show itself, it is hits heavy as this tour has been. Prince announces, "Let me tell you how this is gonna go. Have you ever heard nine hits in a row? At any show, have you ever heard nine hits in a row? That's the way it's gonna go, you ready?" before he and 3rdEyeGirl kick into "Let's Go Crazy". Oddly enough, "Funknroll" is included in that run of "nine hits in a row", although the only place I have ever seen that declared a hit is on the sticker that came on the shrink wrap of my Art Official Age CD. 

Unquestionably, an early highlight of the set is a nearly seven minute version of "Controversy" and no current Prince show would be complete without him sound checking from the stage as he does at the start of this song. "Turn this mic up in the front wedge" he calls out before turning it into a mini-chant of, "Up up, up in the front wedge." These calls from the stage that are prevalent in every show to some extent have become a bit of a running joke at this point. Still, it can't detract from the funkiness of the performance on this one.

Another standout is the performance of "Nothing Compares 2 U". Yes, I've heard him perform this hundreds of times, but I especially like the way the song is being performed on this tour, arranged much like the original version on The Family album at the start while also calling to mind how it was performed on the Nude Tour. Prince gives an especially impassioned vocal performance on this night, taking a song you've heard to death to a higher level.

The majority of the second half of the show is based around the sampler that Prince uses, although at least he has started to incorporate the band into songs like "Housequake" and "Sign o' The Times". Even though it is to pre-recorded backing music, the performance of "The X's Face" is of interest as Prince sings the whole song. Still, I know if most long time fans had their way, Prince would retire this sampler based segment of his shows. It stands in complete contrast to his boasts of "real music by real musicians." Having seen it live a few times though, I can tell you casual fans usually go crazy with every start of a recognizable song. Surely most people would rather hear songs from Prince's deep catalog performed live?

The recording of this show ends with another high point, "Pretzelbodylogic" which also incorporates "The Sailor's Hornpipe" before going into a cover of "Stratus" which I always enjoy. Here Hannah Ford-Welton is given the chance to show off for her home town at the end with a drum solo segment. Sadly, the closing song of this set "Purple Rain" was not recorded, so this was replaced on this release with "Purple Rain" from one of the next night's shows. As a completist collector, I've never been a big fan of mixing shows like that, but viewed as a bonus track here it's fine.

Even though the long time fan in me would love to hear deeper cuts and rarer material over hits shows, the quality of the recording here can't be denied and I've warmed to the way a lot of these songs are being performed on this tour. It's hard to complain when you're getting soundboard releases of shows that took place barely a month ago. A must have for any Prince collector.

Bootleg Review: Prince - D.N.A.L.O.L. - 24-2

Here we have the second Live Out Loud Tour show to surface and it is another San Francisco show, this one from the second night Prince and 3rd Eye Girl were in town. D.N.A.L.O.L. - 24-2 captures the second show of the evening of April 24, 2013 at the DNA Lounge, and although it shares many of the songs from the recording of the 23rd I reviewed here, there are some new inclusions that make this a worthwhile release to add to the archives. 

First off, credit again to the taper and Confusion Records for their work on the audio here. This is once again a highly listenable, clear audience recording. Yes you get the occasional chatter which is unavoidable, but it never distracts from the amazing performance Prince and his all female backing band once again deliver. This tour has become an instant favorite of mine and I'm seeking out any new recordings like an addict. It has been too long since I have been able to say that about a current Prince tour.

After opening once again with their re-done arrangement of "Let's Go Crazy", Prince and 3rd Eye Girl go into two songs not played on the show recorded from the 23rd. First is "Let's Work" which loses nothing from the lack of its keyboard lines, here played on guitar instead. The song was originally recorded as "Let's Rock" back in 1981 and that title would certainly be suitable for this version. This then leads into "U Got The Look" before the set veers back into the territory of songs played most nights like "Screwdriver" and "She's Always In My Hair".

There are noticeable screams from some in the audience when the drum loop from "Forever In My Life" starts, a fantastic addition to the set and this is stretched out just past ten minutes featuring some killer bass work from Prince. The familiar guitar intro to "Purple Rain" brings even more excitement, even though Prince is on keyboards for this version meaning the signature guitar solo is nowhere to be found. Funny that on a tour that focuses on his guitar playing prowess, Prince is eschewing one of his most famous solos, but chalk this up to the excuse most fans should know by now. "It's Prince, he does what he wants." Prince stays on keyboards for another crowd favorite, "Adore" before returning to the guitar for the slow burning version of "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" that has become a show stopper. 

The rest of the main set is a guitar assault with the likes of "Guitar", "Plectrum Electrum", "I Like It There" and "Bambi" keeping the energy level high. Sadly, the Sampler Set rears its ugly head after this, although thankfully the band also performs on a number of the songs including "Sign 'O' The Times" and "Hot Thing". After the completion of the Sampler Set, Prince and the band return for one more number, a cover of Billy Cobham's "Stratus" with the traditional "The Sailor's Hornpipe" interspersed into the performance. 

Although still a highly enjoyable listen, I personally prefer the show from the 23rd that is making the rounds a bit more. Still, due to its sound quality and the differences in the set lists, this is another must have release. Thanks, as always, to all involved in getting this recording into our ear drums. 

Bootleg Review: Prince - D.N.A.L.O.L. - 23-2

As Prince's Live Out Loud Tour with his new backing band 3rd Eye Girl comes to a close, bootlegs of the month long run of West Coast shows are finally starting to surface, starting with this one thanks to The Professor and the good folks at Da Bang who enhanced the recording. D.N.A.L.O.L - 23-2 captures the second show of April 23, 2013 at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco. And as someone who has been relatively bored by Prince's live shows for some time now, this is a revelation. 

The Live Out Loud Tour focuses mostly on much of the rock material in Prince's vast catalog. It is perfect for the stripped down band of Donna Grantis on guitar, Ida Nielsen on bass and Hannah Ford on drums. It is also perfect for long-time fans who have grown sick of the hit and medley heavy arena shows Prince has been doing for some time now. Prince has a guitar in his hand almost the entire night, except for when he moves to piano for a couple songs, and he is the only one onstage singing, a welcome respite from the female backing singers he lets overtake his arena shows way too often lately. It is a tour designed for the diehards and judging from this recording, it delivers. 

Although there is a basic setlist and a number of songs are played in each show, there is enough of an element of surprise to keep things interesting. Some rarely performed songs have been pulled out for this tour, and this show has a couple examples. Thankfully for an audience recording, The Professor delivers here with a very clear sounding show. Prince's vocals are very clean and prominent, the guitar work is mind blowing, it is only slightly bassy at times but an excellent audience recording overall. 

As for the show itself, it starts with the new re-working of "Let's Go Crazy" which has been slowed down to a fuzzy rocker complete with a segment from the Edgar Winter Group's "Frankenstein". This heads into one of my all time favorites, "Endorphinmachine"  and I can even overlook some of Prince's slight lyrical changes as it is so good to have this song in his live show again. "Screwdriver" starts with the studio version playing over the speakers as Prince asks the audience, "Do you mind if we lip-synch a little bit? Everybody else does it!" before the band kicks into the rest of the song. 

An over nine minute version of "She's Always In My Hair" and a slowed down "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" are sandwiched around the band's instrumental take of Jo Hamilton's "Liathach". This is all an outstanding segment, but there are so many highlights in this show you can't single out just one. A jaw dropper, however, is the rarely performed "When We're Dancing Close And Slow", here presented as a sultry, slow burner. Even more shocking is Prince still singing some of the racier lines. I certainly wasn't expecting Jehovah's Witness Prince to sing the line "I want 2 come inside of U" ever again. And I guess the "Baby U need 2 bleed" line in "Bambi" is still acceptable as well. Shhh, don't tell Larry Graham.

The new "2Y2D", for "2 Young 2 Dare", is another high point here. The studio version is much more of a funk/soul track, but it works well as a rocker too. Hopefully this song sees release some time soon as it is among a handful of songs Prince has previewed that are some of his strongest new material in years. The main set closes with covers of Tommy James and The Shondells' "Crimson And Clover" and "Let's Go" by The Cars. But the night was not over just yet. 

The remainder of the show is filled up by the infamous Sampler Set. For a show so dominated by real music, this seems a silly way to close out the concert, but it also seems like a way for Prince to appease those who might be disappointed by the lack of many of his biggest hits from the main set. Still, the 15 minutes would be better filled with a couple more songs from the full band, Lord knows Prince has enough to choose from. Ida does at least join him on "Alphabet St." during this Sampler Set, and he does play a short teaser of The Family's "The Screams Of Passion", but I still don't get someone who brags about "real music by real musicians" finding this an acceptable way to end a concert.

Even the inclusion of the Sampler Set can't derail this show however. Prince hasn't sounded this inspired live in at least a decade, fans of his guitar work will be in heaven, and D.N.A.L.O.L - 23-2 brings it all to you in an excellent audience recording. Definitely a must have release and a big thank you again to all those responsible for bringing it to the collector's community.

Bootleg Review: Prince - Dakota VI

Although we didn't know it at the time, the last night of Prince's shows at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis served as a precursor to the Live Out Loud Tour he is currently on the road with. Joined by Donna Grantis, Ida Nielsen and Hannah Ford, Prince and 3rd Eye Girl performed a number of songs at their two Dakota shows that have become mainstays in the current tour's setlist.

Dakota VI captures the final concert of the amazing three night run in Minneapolis and, once again, the recording by Perks and enhancement by Confusion Records is superior to that of the Eye Records Dakota release. In fact, I would call this the best quality of any of the Dakota shows recorded, as well as my personal favorite show of the six. The difference here is in Prince's energy. He seems to let loose in this show, he is way more talkative than any of the other sets, and in a great mood throughout. Half the fun to me in listening to recordings of more recent Prince concerts is the banter from the stage. And there are some classic moments contained here.

The second show of January 18, 2013 starts off the same as the first with run-throughs of "Endorphinmachine" and "Screwdriver". The latter provides the first highlight of the night as we get an extended dialogue from Prince that I assume makes sense in his mind. He first tells the crowd that a song whose key line is 'I'm your driver and you're my screw' is "not what you think it's about." Then this gem follows. "This song is about the counter clockwise. Everybody thought the world was gonna end. Maybe it just started spinning in an opposite direction. Perhaps. Which way do race car drivers go? When you try to turn in a screw tight, which way does it go? It's kinda hard for left handers though, ain't it? Another question. Why is microwave food always hot just in the middle? Maybe you should ask your microwave. Question. Which way do the planets revolve? Clockwise? You're not as smart as you look!"

Things then slow down with "Beautiful Strange". As good as this recording is, you can hear a lot of talking in the audience on this one, to the point Prince even tells everyone upstairs to be quiet. I'll never understand people who go to a show just to babble through the entire thing. "Purple Rain" follows but the intro drags on for over four minutes before Prince starts singing, a real momentum killer. "Guitar" and "I Like It There" bring the energy back up with Prince even declaring, "I gotta clap for myself on that one!" after the latter.

Before an over 13 minute version of "She's Always In My Hair", Prince jokingly says, "Y'all are too young, you don't know my music. I haven't seen one old person in here yet." Liv Warfield is brought up onstage during this one to lead the audience in a sing-along but her vocal style really doesn't work at all with the bluesy rock breakdown the band is on. A killer version of "Dreamer" follows, definitely one of the night's highlights. The funky ending portion includes some improvised lyrics from Prince touching on calcified pineal glands and other such wacky things he finds while surfing the Internet.      

As they did in the early show, the band does their instrumental cover of Jo Hamilton's "Liathach". I'm a big admirer of the original and love this version as well, with Prince featured on piano. I'm sure this would be considered the 'bathroom break' segment of the show to many, but it is a captivating listen. Prince then announces, "We'd like to do another ballad right now" before tearing into a near nine minute version of "Bambi". Despite Grantis being a little off on that last note, I'm still thrilled to see this returning to the set regularly. The less than exciting "Check The Record" and "Cause And Effect" close out the main set. These newer songs really can't hold a candle to the classics played, with "Cause And Effect" again going on way too long. A weak song doesn't gain from lengthy noodling. It is funny to hear Prince announce the band though, as he says, "On guitar, Donna. On bass, Ida. On drums, Hannah. On vocals, Prince-a."

The night ends with a rearranged, slowed down version of "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man". Warfield, Shelby J. and Elisa Dease join the band on backing vocals for this one, but don't really intrude on the performance as they too often do on Prince's arena shows. I love Prince's guitar work here and it's a perfect ending to the best of the six Dakota shows. Dakota VI is impressive in every way, from performance to sound quality, an absolute must own.  

Bootleg Review: Prince - Dakota V

Dakota V is the second release to come out after the Eye Records Dakota Diaries set and, with all due respect to Eye, this recording again blows theirs out of the water. Confusion Records has captured the third night of Prince's run at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis beautifully with this release and Dakota VI which I will review in the near future. This was the night I was most looking forward to hearing as it was the debut of his 3rd Eye Girl backing band and the rock oriented setlist is one I've been hoping to see from Prince for quite some time, breaking away from his hits heavy usual live show.

Dakota V captures the early show of January 18, 2013 and is the release you need to get to hear this in the best quality. For an audience recording this is superb, very clear and rich. Yes, it is impossible to completely avoid some of the audience conversations, especially in quieter moments, but there is no one talking incessently through the show to ruin the taping. Soundboards are great, but I always love a fantastic audience recording that gives you the feeling of being there in the crowd the night of the show and Dakota V does that perfectly. Major credit to Perks for capturing this historical night and to Confusion Records for the enhancement.

As for the set, things start out with an assault of guitar heavy tracks beginning with "Endorphinmachine", still one of my favorite rock tracks Prince has ever recorded. The new "Screwdriver" melds perfectly into the set of older material, it's one of those songs that is even better live than the studio version. "When You Were Mine", "Guitar", "I Like It There" and "She's Always In My Hair" continue the early onslaught of energy and stripped down rock that 3rd Eye Girl bring in the first half of the show.

Everyone gets a chance to take a breather next as the band slows it down for an instrumental cover version of the beautiful "Liathach" by the British artist Jo Hamilton. Prince moves to the piano for this one and it's a wonderful performance, certainly a surprise in the middle of the set, the kind of out of left field surprise I love to hear at a show. Prince then asks the crowd if they want to hear an old or new song before ripping into an over 12 minute long version of "Bambi". I especially dig the breakdown halfway into the song where he gets the crowd to chant 'all your lovers', it's a cool extended version of a classic track.

The show loses a bit of steam with the new "Check The Record" followed by "Cause And Effect" which goes on entirely too long. This was a mediocre song to begin with and a 14 minute live version isn't going to change that. Thankfully "Beautiful Strange" helps put things back on track. Prince then returns to the piano for a solo version of "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore" before the girls return for "Purple Rain". This is a frustrating performance of the song as Prince stays on piano and adds some really cool parts while Donna Grantis handles the guitar work. It has a lot of promise to be a new take on a song we've heard endlessly since 1984, but after singing the first verse things dissolve into some noodling on the piano and the performance just kind of fizzles out. Prince tells the audience to "Tell all your friends about us so we can get another job" after "Elephants & Flowers", before the night ends with the funk/rock of "Dreamer".

As the best document of this show, Dakota V is a must have release. The sound quality is superior, the set is much more interesting than the majority of Prince's recent shows and it marked the debut of 3rd Eye Girl. Yes, the band can sound a little sloppy and overly noisy at times, but that is to be expected in a debut show. I'm curious to see how this line-up will sound after their forthcoming Live Out Loud tour gets underway. I'll take the energy and focus on Prince and guitar that this show has over the cover and hits heavy live set Prince has been coasting on for ages now.  

Bootleg Review: Prince - Dakota II

As I mentioned in my review of the recent Eye Records sets of shows from Prince's run at the Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant, a number of other releases are starting to make their way out of the woodwork. The good thing for fans is these releases are not only all completely free, but sourced from different recordings and, so far, proving to be of better quality than the Eye set. 

One such release comes to us from Akashic Records and their Dakota II disc, a recording of the late show from January 16th, 2013. This was the first night of shows at The Dakota, billed as 'Soundcheck', and they focused on instrumental versions of some of Prince's jazzier material, as well as extended jams and covers.

This night was also advertised as a new drummer audition and Ronald Bruner Jr. gets even more opportunity to shine in this show than he did the earlier one from this night. RBJ is highlighted numerous times during the opening jam on "Xpectation", which also features some tasty guitar work from Prince. "Muse 2 The Pharoah" focuses more on the second half of the song and is one of the funkier grooves of the set. "Stratus" gives Prince a chance to take center-stage on guitar before each band member gets to take their time soloing. 

After Prince psyches out the audience with the opening guitar lines of "When You Were Mine", the band goes into a long instrumental jam that makes prominent use of the horn section. After a brief instrumental take on Prince's "Satisfied", the night comes to a close with the only song to feature any type of vocal work by Prince, a cover of James Brown's "I Don't Want Nobody To Give me Nothing (Open Up The Door, I'll Get It Myself)". Prince basically sings a few lines off mic, but it is as close to vocals as he gets all night. A remix of Andy Allo's "People Pleaser" is then played over the P.A. with some of the horn section adding to it, but the show is for all intents and purposes over after the James Brown cover.

Again, a major thanks to the taper and Akashic Records for making this recording available for free. The Eye Records version of this show is certainly more than enjoyable, but the Akashic version is superior in sound quality and worth tracking down.

Bootleg Review: Prince - Dakota Diaries One & Two

Prince sent his hometown into a frenzy earlier this year when a series of shows at the intimate Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant were hastily announced. Taking place over three nights, January 16-18, with two shows scheduled per night, it was a rare opportunity for those in Minnesota to see their own musical legend in such a tiny venue. And with so many new musicians incorporated into an ever growing roster of backing bands, the shows had fans across the globe excited that something historical was going to go down in Minneapolis. The only question was, would fans not lucky enough to score the expensive, in demand tickets get to hear these shows? 

Prince tried his best to avoid this from happening with a strict no cell phone policy, but if he really thought that alone was going to stop these shows from being recorded, he was rather naive. As we've now learned, a number of those willing to 'Do The Work' were in attendance and all six shows, as well as a short DJ set Prince attended on January 19th, are now in circulation amongst the collecting community.

The first recordings to be publicly released are on this massive eight disc set from Eye Records. It is fantastic to have the entire run of shows available between the two volumes, so credit to Eye for making this happen. Recordings from different sources of some of these shows have since started to come out of the woodwork, obviously delayed due to Eye's habit of ripping free releases, pressing them, then selling them as their own. I'll get to the other sourced releases at a later date but want to focus on the Eye set to start with.

The good here is that you get everything amongst the eight discs. All six concerts and the DJ set which contains some new, as yet unreleased, studio material. The recordings are decent, certainly highly listenable considering the tight security and high risk involved with taping these shows. The vocals are clear throughout, you never have an issue hearing what is being said or sung. But the music can certainly be muddy at times, especially during the last two nights.

My biggest gripe about the set is the inexcusable inclusion of some of the new material Prince is currently selling on his 3rdeyegirl.com website. It is not like these are songs no longer available from an old site, they have just gone up for sale in the first couple months of the year and to include them here is a new low for Eye. I do not have an issue with the inclusion of tracks streamed for free on YouTube, I am only pointing the finger at the inclusion of songs you can pay a meager 88 cents for to buy directly from the artist. I'm also not fond of the way Eye have broken these shows out between the sets. There is Dakota Diaries One which contains the early shows from each of the three nights. Then Dakota Diaries Two which has the late shows from each night. The best way to listen to these is obviously chronologically so you can hear the progression and differences in each set as they happened and it would have been wiser to lay them out that way on the discs too.      

As for the shows themselves, Night One was billed as 'Soundcheck' and also advertised as a new drummer audition. Although speculation was that new drummer would be Hannah Ford, to the surprise of many it instead was Ronald Bruner Jr., or RBJ, making his first public appearance in Prince's band. As expected, the first night was more of a loose jam, a lot of jazz instrumentals and opportunities for individual band members to solo and share the spotlight. Highlights of the early show include an instrumental version of "Muse 2 The Pharoah" featuring some funky guitar work from Prince, and an instrumental take on Andy Allo's "When Stars Collide". The late show had a similar setlist, but RBJ gets a number of solos, at one point causing someone in the crowd to shout 'You're hired!' loudly. "Stratus" features Prince on guitar for the first portion, but then he gives way to allow Andrew Gouche on bass, Cassandra O'Neal on keyboards and members of his horn section to do their thing. The funniest part of the night is when Prince plays the first few notes of "When You Were Mine" on guitar, before saying 'Psyche!' and moving on to a long instrumental jam. It was a night for stretching out musically and improvising around basic structures of songs and makes for an interesting listen for sure.

Night Two was billed as a 'Jam' and featured the same backing band as the first night, with the addition of his three female backing singers and Ida Nielsen on guitar and bass. Prince makes it clear right away that this night will be different as he announces 'Dancing is allowed' at the start of the early show before opening with "Act Of God". The band is certainly tight and there are many funky moments to be had, especially during a mostly instrumental "Housequake", but my biggest problem with this set and the later show on this night is one that has plagued Prince's live show for awhile now. Way too many covers, way too much emphasis on his female backing singers and way too much of a Vegas Revue element to the arrangements. It's hard to get excited over such a watered down version of "Days Of Wild" from the late show, especially when his trio of female singers is turning it into a Broadway number with their 'These are the days of wiiiiiiiiild' three part harmony shtick. The new, seemingly improvised "Chapter & Verse" is of interest, especially once Prince rips into a guitar solo. Overall, I prefer the late show from this night, but it is another example of how much Prince coasts with so many other band members onstage to hide behind. He is turning into George Clinton before our very eyes.

Night Three is the one that held the most promise as it was billed as 'Surprise' and carried with it the highest ticket prices of the three night stand. As anticipated, it marked the debut of Prince's new all female backing band 3rd Eye Girl, Donna Grantis on guitar, Ida Nielsen on bass and Hannah Ford on drums. I will say this for these shows, the band is a bit sloppy, they obviously need more time to gel together, but I will take sets like these any day over the previous nights. Prince is back front and center, where we want him to be, he is handling all the vocals, he is playing lead guitar, the music is stripped down and raw and actually has some excitement to it. Both shows are filled with songs that are a thrill to hear live again, including "Endorphinmachine", "Beautiful Strange", "I Like It There" and "Bambi", which has a killer breakdown. The new single "Screwdriver" is also a welcome addition to the set. These are by far my favorite of the shows, certainly far from flawless, but much more interesting given the setlists and Prince's prominent role.

The most interesting part about the recording of the DJ set from January 19th is the inclusion of three new studio songs played over the PA. "Down" seems to have all the makings of a classic Prince ballad, although like most of Prince's recent work the lyrics are sketchy. "Ain't Gon' Miss U" is pretty funky to my ears and "2 Young 2 Dare" has promise as well. None are played in full, just a couple minute teases of each, so hopefully these will go up for sale sooner rather than later on the 3rdeyegirl.com website. The rest of the night is filled up with one of Prince's sampler sets and tracks spun by DJ Rashida.

Obviously as a document of a historical three night run of concerts in his hometown, this is an essential set to own. It seems better quality recordings of some of the sets are starting to surface and I will touch on those individually in future reviews. But as a one stop shop for all six sets, Dakota Diaries One & Two serve their purpose well. Just remember, in this day and age there is no need to pay for a bootleg. Ever. Even pressed sets can easily be found in lossless quality with a little hunting.

Bootleg Review: Sheila E. & fDeluxe "A Family Affair At BB Kings"

Things have gone fairly quiet on the bootleg front in Princeland, although that will surely change once his upcoming Welcome 2 Chicago residency starts up. But in the meantime, Akashic Records is keeping the funk rolling with this double disc set of two of Prince's finest proteges who teamed up recently in New York. A Family Affair at BB Kings documents the double bill of fDeluxe, formerly The Family, and Sheila E., recorded August 29, 2012 at the B.B. King Blues Club & Grill.

fDeluxe opens things up with a nearly hour long set that splits things right down the middle, six songs from their lone 1985 self-titled Paisley Park Records classic and six tunes they've recorded over the last few years as fDeluxe. Their set opens the way their debut album did with "High Fashion", though this is a rather sloppy version. The title track from last year's Gaslight and "Sanctified" from that same album are next. The set starts out a little slow but things start to heat up with their lone 'hit', "The Screams Of Passion". The audience reaction to that drum pattern makes it obvious there are a lot of Purpleheads in the crowd and their response to the set picks up from here as well.

St. Paul Peterson introduces the next song by saying, "We let somebody borrow this song for awhile but we're taking it back", as they go into "Nothing Compares 2 U". Their new single "You Got What You Wanted", a cover of an Ike and Tina Turner song follows, and I really like their rendition. Things slow down a bit with "Desire" and "Lover" played back to back but their set closes out in truly funky fashion. After a brief portion of "River Run Dry" they go into two of my favorites off Gaslight. First up is "@8" featuring Eric Leeds' masterful work on sax. That is followed with an over eight minute jam on "Drummers And Healers" and by this point the band is truly smoking onstage, very tight and in a groove musically. Things come to a close with the fantastic "Mutiny" with Leeds again shining on the sax. This man is simply a funk legend on the saxophone, what a shame Prince no longer has Eric's talents gracing his music.

Sheila E.'s set starts with a near five minute samba jazz intro before she goes into a run of Prince written tracks that have you thinking this show is going to be hot. It starts off with "Holly Rock" and, after a brief segue, goes into "The Belle Of St. Mark". Prince wouldn't dare touch "Erotic City" these days but Sheila pulls it out for a couple minutes before heading into "Koo Koo". On paper this looks like a great setlist but the problem is Sheila is now living in the same 'Medley-land' Prince is, only playing these songs in shortened two minute bursts before moving on to the next one. Just when the crowd is really into a song, she's on to the next one. It becomes maddening, especially because Sheila doesn't have nearly the amount of hits Prince does.

Of course the one Prince penned song you probably care to hear in full the least, "Leader Of The Band" is given the full six minute treatment. This is an obscure, Latin jazz flavored track from an EP Sheila sold at a couple shows in 2010 that Prince wrote uncredited. The second half of the show seems to drag between gospel covers and a laborious cover of the Mary Jane Girls "All Night Long" performed by her backing singer Sy Smith aka Sy Boogie. "A Love Bizarre" is sandwiched in the middle of all of this but, frustratingly, after playing the single version of the song it deteriorates into twelve minutes of free-form jazz. The only real 'fun' part of the second half of Sheila's set is the closing "The Glamorous Life".

I'm not saying Sheila E. has to play nothing but the songs Prince wrote for her to put on a good show. Where was "Hold Me" for example? I've seen her put on tremendous concerts focusing on jazz, her shows with the E. Train back in the day were outstanding. This particular set here just suffers from rather dull songs about how great Jesus is and doesn't keep things upbeat enough for me. The true winner of the night is fDeluxe. Their new material blends very well with the more well known Prince penned tracks, there is very little fall off in the flow of their set between new and old material. With Sheila E., as soon as she wanders from the Prince material, this becomes a snooze fest. 

As for the quality of the audio, this is clearly an audience recording, but as I have stated before, in this day and age it is hard to get a truly crappy audience recording with the technology available to those who 'do the work'. The sound quality here gets a solid B and all credit and thanks again goes out to the tapers and those bringing us these completely free, first rate releases. Big thanks to Akashic Records for sharing this one.