Now It's On

Concert Review: Prince and 3rd Eye Girl - The Myth - Maplewood (St. Paul), Minnesota, 5/25/13 Late Show

After sound problems frustrated Prince during the early show at The Myth (my review can be found here), hopes were high he would channel that frustration into the late show at 11:30. For me, after an obstructed view in the balcony for that first show, I was just as excited to be headed to the main floor and a good vantage point for the second one. The club allowed everyone who had tickets to both shows to enter before the rest of the crowd, giving us first dibs at the best spots to watch the next concert.

Unhappy about the technical problems, specifically issues with his guitar, Prince asked for us to be cleared out so the band could soundcheck again to make sure things were fixed. We were then all escorted along the side of the building for about a half hour. Once we were let back in, we headed right for the front of the main floor, to the right of the stage. I've only been closer for a Prince show once, for the opening of the One Nite Alone Tour in Saginaw when we literally were right at the foot of the stage, in arm's length of the band in a tiny auditorium. The only reason we weren't right up at the stage for The Myth show was the small area they had sectioned off for VIP's apparently, which ended up being half empty all night and filled with a lot of youngsters who seemed more excited about the free drinks offered with main floor tickets than the music. But I ignored that buffoonery and concentrated on the show.

The second show started exactly as the first had for the first four songs. They opened with "Let's Go Crazy", followed by "Endorphinmachine", "Screwdriver" and "She's Always In My Hair". But there was a different feeling and mood to this set. Prince had 'that look' on his face. The one that says "I know I'm still a bad MF'er, and I am about to kick your ass for the next couple hours." It was obvious he felt he had to make up for the issues with the first show, and when Prince is in this mind-set, forget it. No one can touch him onstage. His guitar work was fierce the entire night, you could feel it in every solo, this was a special show. And speaking of "She's Always In My Hair", this song absolutely sizzles live with 3rd Eye Girl. Especially the second half when it breaks down into a funky groove with Ida Nielsen laying down a bassline that is tough to stop. 

The set veered in a different direction for the first time when Prince headed to the keyboards for a surprise version of "Free". I believe this was the only time the song was performed on the Live Out Loud Tour and it was cool to hear even though Prince completely forgot the lyrics to the second verse. I have heard and seen Prince flub lyrics many times, especially in more recent years, but he always has a way of recovering to try to make it look intentional with an ad lib. He appeared legitimately lost this time, unable to come up with something on the fly and let the song play out until the chorus when he picked it up again.

It was then back to the guitar for Prince for "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man". He stuck to the keyboards for this song during the first show due to the technical issues so it was nice to see him trading licks with Donna Grantis up close this time. "Guitar", "Plectrum Electrum" and "Fixurlifeup" followed, with Prince again showcasing some monster guitar work. The set then changed up again with "I Like It There" and another song rarely played on the tour, "So Far, So Pleased". I always thought this should have been the lead single from the ill-fated 1999 Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic album, so it was nice to see him pull it out a couple times on this tour. I still much prefer hearing material that is not played often live over the same old hits so this was a welcome addition. The main set then closed with a fantastic version of "Stratus", showcasing the talents of everyone onstage.

The encore was simply 30 minutes of Prince at his best. Things started with "Purple Rain", again with The Revolution's Bobby Z guesting on drums. Much like the first show, Prince broke the song down and used the occasion to say some nice things regarding Bobby. But this time he seemed to go to a deeper, personal place with his comments. "Who is that on the drums? His name is my brother, understand? No matter what happens, Bobby has always been a source of encouragement. It's what all of us need sometime. I can find many people to put me down. I'm just trying to figure out, how long do I have to walk through this apocalypse of pain? I hear you laugh at me when all I wanted to do was see you laugh in the Purple Rain." 

After Bobby Z left the stage to thunderous applause, Prince started the piano line from "The Max" and I about lost my mind. I knew this had been played previously on the tour, but was not expecting to hear it during these shows. This performance proved Prince can re-work some of his funkier material to fit this current, rock oriented lineup. He then further proved it by calling for "Laydown", one of his better funk tunes of recent years. Prince stayed on the keyboards for this one as well, with Donna Grantis and Ida Nielsen killing it on guitar and bass. By this time, Prince's voice was clearly hoarse and it actually added to the overall funkiness of the performance. "Ain't no party like a purple party cuz a purple party don't stop" Prince chanted as the song closed the first encore out.  

After a few minutes of the audience screaming for more with the curtains now closed, Prince and 3rd Eye Girl returned to take bows and he pretended to whisper something down the line to Hannah Ford who announced "Prince wants me to tell you that he doesn't have a voice... but he has fingers" and the roar from the crowd had them heading back to their instruments for an instrumental cover of Pearl Jam's "Even Flow". Normally this would not excite me that much, but Prince absolutely tore shit up on the guitar for this one, there is no other way to put it. It was one final reminder of his greatness on the instrument and of the special nature of this late show. I have seen some speculation the vocal issue was an act, but there is no question Prince's voice was fairly shredded by the end of the first encore. 

The trip to Minnesota was absolutely worth it. I think the last second nature of the whole thing made it even more memorable. I had resigned myself to not going, then to have it all fall into place just days before the show made it an unforgettable weekend. It was truly a perfect storm the way it all came together.  Prince seems refreshed and challenged again instead of riding on the auto-pilot, greatest hits revue he has been on for years now. I have not been this excited over Prince concerts since probably the 94-95 shows at Paisley Park. This lineup feels like a BAND, not backing musicians, a big difference and I haven't had this feeling with Prince since the original NPG. Donna Grantis especially impressed me as someone who has grown tremendously as a player during this tour. 3rd Eye Girl was definitely rough around the edges when they debuted earlier this year at The Dakota, none more so than Grantis, but no longer. It was fascinating to watch Prince direct the action onstage as well, pointing to who should solo during songs, always in complete control of his stage.

I love to watch Prince play the guitar so these shows were right in my sweet spot and to see the second show that close will be something I will never forget. The second show was clearly mostly diehards in attendance and the vibe of that combined with what Prince was bringing from the stage made for a legendary performance. I'm so glad we made the decision to go and I hope Prince makes the decision to stick with this direction and band for awhile.

Concert Review: Prince and 3rd Eye Girl - The Myth - Maplewood (St. Paul), Minnesota, 5/25/13 Early Show

It had been almost ten years since I'd last seen Prince in concert. 2004's Musicology Tour was the last time he had brought his talents to the Detroit area and a number of reasons have prevented me from traveling to see him when he was playing anywhere near Michigan. One of the biggest has been this perpetual 'greatest hits' tour mode he has been in ever since he was supposedly playing his hits for "the last time" during the Musicology shows. 

Prince came to Chicago last year and although I was tempted, the NPG Vegas Revue style of the Welcome 2 (Insert City Here) shows made it an easy decision for me to save my money and hope for something better. Well, that something better came this year with the Live Out Loud Tour. Featuring his new backing band 3rd Eye Girl, an all female three piece of Donna Grantis on guitar, Ida Nielsen on bass and Hannah Ford on drums, this tour has been a revelation for Prince's hardcore fan base. The shows were all scheduled for the West Coast, in small clubs, and eschew a good portion of his biggest hits for album tracks, new material and re-worked versions of a few of his more famous songs. Most importantly, the Live Out Loud Tour features Prince front and center, either with guitar in hand, or behind a keyboard, providing all the vocals for the show. No annoying backing singers, no rappers, no dancers, no distractions. I have dreamed of seeing Prince like this again and when two shows were announced in Minnesota to close the tour, the panic to figure out a way to get there began. Hearing bootlegs of other shows on the tour just made the need to figure out a way to get there worse.

One of the biggest criticisms of this tour were the hefty ticket prices. For the two homecoming shows at The Myth, each ticket was $289 by the time fees were tacked on, meaning you were coming out of pocket nearly $600 to see both shows. I love Prince, but these days I don't have that type of money to see anyone at those prices. My only hope was for ticket prices to fall and as the shows approached it was obvious something was going to give. Tickets were not selling well, Prince was giving interviews to hometown papers to try to drum up interest and local radio stations started ticket giveaway contests.

But finally, just three days before the show, after I had resigned myself to the fact I could not go, the news I had been waiting for broke. A new pricing structure was announced, with both $99 balcony and $149 second tier tickets released, and that is when we made our move. Balcony tickets for the first show and, thanks to a wonderful seller on Craigslist, drastically reduced main floor tickets for the late show. With tickets now in hand, and a quick hotel reservation booked, this was really happening. A road trip to Minneapolis for two Prince shows in a small club.  

We left metro Detroit around 6AM the day of the show and started the long, nearly 12 hour trek to Prince's home state. Other than a spot of construction in Illinois, the trip was smooth, Wisconsin especially provided a glorious opportunity to gain time with empty roads with nary a trooper to be seen anywhere. We arrived in St. Paul about an hour before doors were supposed to open at The Myth, grabbed a quick bite and made our way to the club. The Myth is in a former shoe superstore and the building does seem out of place amongst the other big box retailers located around it. It shares a parking lot with a Toys R Us and is across the street from a Best Buy and other typical mall outlets. When we pulled in, the lines were already long to get in. Myth personnel were all over the parking lot warning everyone about Prince's strict no cell phone or camera policy, and I wasn't about to risk getting tossed out of these long awaited shows to send a text. 

Considering the time we arrived at the venue, the chances of having a good spot in the balcony were slim and the view was definitely obstructed. All the spots around the edge of the balcony were taken so we moved up a level to the bar area where you could at least see some of the stage over people's heads. Not ideal by any means, but knowing we would be on the main floor for the second show helped relieve any disappointment. Prince and the band took the stage shortly after Hannah Ford came out to make one last announcement about their no cell phone or picture policy. Starting out with the new 'Reloaded' version of "Let's Go Crazy" is genius as it satisfies the casual fans in attendance and gets them into the show right away. It was hilarious though to watch these same people stand in confusion when less familiar songs like "Endorphinmachine", "Screwdriver" and "The Love We Make" kept coming at them. 

More rock tracks like "Guitar" and "Plectrum Electrum" filled the first part of the set, but Prince was fighting technical problems with his guitar and feedback was prevalent throughout, causing him to veer from the setlist and dive into the Sampler Set about midway through the show. The most hilarious part to me was watching the same people who seemed bummed out about all the material they did not recognize suddenly go absolutely nuts for familiar material being played from Prince's sampler. Yes, he sings live over a lot of it, but I've made my feelings known about the Sampler Set before. It's a cheap ploy for a guy who loves to brag about "Real music by real musicians." Prince even appeared to make light of this, seemingly mocking the crowd going nuts by saying things about them "not liking real music" and saying 3rd Eye Girl was not a lip-synch band, "but they are tonight!" At least the band did play along on a few tracks like "Housequake" and "Sign 'O' The Times".

One of many highlights of the evening then followed as "Mr Goodnight" closed out the Sampler Set. Prince asked "Can we get Mr. Goodnight to the stage?" and out came Revolution drummer Bobby Z to play on "Purple Rain". This had been announced earlier on Twitter so it was not a surprise, but it was still an awesome moment to be in the building and see these two onstage together again.  Prince broke the song down and mentioned how his "brother" Bobby had been there for his first concert, his first television appearance, his first awards show and he was still with him today. It was a touching tribute and a heartfelt nod to his past I wish we would see more of from the man. The only downside of the "Purple Rain" performance on this tour is Prince sticking to the keyboards for the whole song. For a show that is focused on his guitar skills, it is such a Prince move to not play, arguably, his most famous guitar solo.

The band then returned for their instrumental take on Pearl Jam's "Even Flow" before closing out the first show with "Bambi", "Stratus" and an abbreviated "U Got The Look". Overall, I enjoyed the show, but the technical problems definitely marred it. It is tough for me to be overly critical though, not having seen a Prince concert in almost ten years, I was just ecstatic to hear the man live again. But the second show was what I was truly stoked about, knowing we would be on the main floor and knowing Prince usually takes out his frustrations over an uneven show by delivering big time in the next one. Luckily, we only had to wait about an hour for that next opportunity.

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.

Breakfast Can Wait - Prince Launches New Website With New Music For Sale

Prince's "Big" 2013 continued today with the surprise unveiling of a second new website, this one offering new music to download. His fans have been begging for this option since the NPG Music Club shut down, so here is hoping this is the start of much bigger plans to sell his music directly to the fan base. While 20pr1nc3.com now sits as black as the cover of the Black Album with a "Coming Soon" promise, 3rdeyegirl.com went live early this morning.

As expected, the site was overloaded with traffic as soon as word started spreading it was live via Dr. Funkenberry's website and many of Prince's band members on Twitter. Prince's fan base is ravenous as soon as there is mention of new music being available, thankfully I didn't get word about the site until the bugs were worked out. Purchasing the songs, up as digital downloads for 88 cents each, could not have been easier. It literally took me two minutes to enter my information, pay and download the four tracks that were offered today. No hoops to jump through, no mazes to solve, simple, quick and easy and that is all most fans want. 

As it is set-up now, the site is very simple but it doesn't need to be much more than that. As long as it functions properly in delivering new music, I don't need anything else and I think most fans would concur. My only gripe, and it's a small one, is not all the songs are available in lossless format. Hopefully this will change as it simply needs to be an option going forward and there will be no complaining from me if the lossless option costs a little bit more. I will pay more for lossless sound files. In the meantime, let's take a look at what is currently up for sale on 3rdeyegirl.com.

"Screwdriver" - This is the new 'single' as it was just released Monday via all the usual online avenues, iTunes, Amazon, etc. The benefit of the 3rdeyegirl.com version is this is a lossless WAV file instead of an MP3. As for the song, it's incredibly catchy and one of the best singles Prince has put out in ages. Now, diehards were originally going gaga when a short rehearsal video was posted on YouTube of this track with Prince and his new, all female backing band rocking out, but that excitement seemed to dissipate when a snippet of this studio version was later shared. Once again, it seemed Prince had held back on a studio version from the all-out, stripped down, raw rock of the rehearsal version. Think of the SNL performance of "Fury" versus the studio version that appeared on 3121. But, now that the full length track is out, I don't see as big a discrepancy. But for those still not happy, we move on to the next track.

"Screwdriver" (Remix) - Over two minutes longer than the original version, this is less a remix and more a completely re-recorded, harder take on the song. It's as if Prince saw some of the criticism thrown at the studio version and said, 'OK then, you want rawer and more guitar? Check this out." There is certainly a lot more guitar prevalent here, it's stripped of some of the more poppy elements of the original and it makes for a great 'alternate take' on the song. This is currently only available as an MP3 on the site, but is a must have.

"Rock and Roll Love Affair" (Remix 7) - This version of Prince's last single was also originally shared on YouTube via the 3rdEyeGirl channel, but it is nice to have available for purchase. I wasn't too moved by this mix at first, but upon further listen, I think I now prefer it to the original. It just sounds more 'Princely', I like the bassline, and it is a nice improvement on the song. I did not have the disdain for the original that a number of long time fans seemed to have, so like "Screwdriver" it is nice to have a quality alternate version of the song.

"Breakfast Can Wait" - I'm saving the best for last here as this track has had numerous diehards gushing on Twitter all day, including no less an authority than super-fan Questlove. This one reminds me of something from the 3121 period, in fact, I can see it as the vibe Prince was going for on "Incense And Candles", but this time he nails it with a far superior song. That bass popping, the drum pattern, his vocal work, the lyrics, this song just has that laid back, smooth, sexy vibe that no one can do quite like Prince when he is on. And make no mistake, he is ON this time. I even dig the crazy sped up vocals in the last minute, I mean this is Prince who has played with vocal effects his whole career. Think Camille on speed, it shouldn't make sense, yet it just adds to the funky groove the whole song has.

Again, here is hoping this is just the beginning. His fans would love nothing more than to give their money directly to Prince for new music, and being greedy, some vault material distributed this way would be nice too. And here is a continued call for his recent run of shows at the Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis to be released in this manner. We know these were recorded as soundboard samples have been shared on YouTube by 3rdEyeGirl. With a bootleg set surely on the horizon, what an opportunity to beat the bootleggers by releasing far superior quality documents of six historic shows in Prince's career. Say $20 per show with the option to purchase all six for $100, giving a discount to those who want everything. Today was a great start, let's see how deep Prince is willing to go in 2013 with getting his music to his fans.

Make sure to visit 3rdeyegirl.com and purchase this new music from Prince. 

2013: The Year of Prince?

Written by Matt A. of Media Junkie

Prince started fueling the fire for his big 2013 plans recently with a series of tweets by a mysterious account known only as 3rdEyeGirl.  Fans and journalists initially debated what to make of these new "leaks" - were they real, or carefully planned promotion?  Time proved they were indeed all part of a strategy to help drum up promotion for what promises to be a busy year for the musical legend. Whatever your thoughts on how he went about things, it had his fan base buzzing and Prince would be wise to take advantage of it.

In a recent Spreecast chat with Dr. Funkenberry and Seth Everett, several questions were posed to fans about their thoughts on 3rdEyeGirl and what they would like to see from Prince in 2013.

As a new contributing writer to Now It's On, I was asked to give my thoughts as a Prince fan and fellow blogger, and as a sucker for op-ed pieces, I couldn't resist the offer. 

Topic #1. I wanted to debate the pros and cons of "free" content. Let's say "3rd Eye Girl" was/is posting unreleased content without permission. Shouldn't 3rd Eye pay for what they post? Then say the NPG could pay all of the employed producers of the content. A 19-member band paid annually is no joke. We all have bills to be paid.

Bootlegs are a tricky issue.  Technically, it's stealing.  However, I think it's important to take into account what is done with the material, and to understand why fans share unreleased content in the first place.

Let's face facts: the only people who want bootlegs are diehard fans.  That goes for any artist.  Casual fans are content to make due with readily available material, and in Prince's case, many of them are content to own a copy of Purple Rain and possibly a Greatest Hits collection of some kind and nothing more.  It's only the diehards who are willing to listen to low quality third generation copies of songs, even if they're so fuzzy they're nigh inaudible, or watch a concert video of someone filming an arena's screen from the back of said arena at a weird angle.

With that in mind, an artist shouldn't be expected to overlook rampant music piracy and bootlegging.  Even as an "archivist," to use the kinder term, I understand the need of the artist to protect their intellectual property.  However, the penalty should depend partially on what the fan does with the material.

Bootleg labels that professionally press CDs which are then sold for extortionist prices are a far cry from a fan foaming at the mouth for unheard material from their favorite artists.  Attempting to profit from someone else's work is, I feel, on a completely different level from excited fans sharing unreleased songs amongst themselves.

Had 3rdEyeGirl not been a Prince plant, I think the cease and desist letter was sufficient.  You can't bite the hand that feeds you, but you can give it a little smack.  The next step would be following through with a lawsuit, which would do nothing but build resentment between the fans and the artist.  As Prince fans, we've seen it happen before, which brings me to the next topic.

Topic # 2. A discussion of a new web site. With so many of the Prince community hooked up online would and could the fans get together and start their own NPG MUSIC CLUB (Prince's successful subscription and membership service used back in the early 2000's), pool their $ and vote on what type of music they want?

Meaning if they wanted new songs, rehearsals, material from the vault, complete live shows, certain videos. This way, it skips the need of i-Tunes and other 3rd (sic)parties. If the fans created a network similar 2 Facebook, a fee could be given to the NPG and they could just fill the order, pay those deserving and stop all the lawsuits in one fell swoop. Thoughts?

Does anybody remember a site called Housequake?  That site pretty much fit the bill for what a Prince fan would want in a site designed by and for other fans.  Sadly, Prince had it shut down, knowing they didn't have the means to defend themselves in court.

Given Prince's recent aversion to technology (see: "the internet is dead"), and his control freak attitude, I have no confidence that a fan designed website, even one with his blessing, would be worthwhile.  More likely, it would be a group of yes-men who lap up whatever table scraps he chooses to brush aside.  If fans were to design a one-stop shop for all things Princely, it would have to be done without Prince exerting control over every aspect of it.  If someone attends a concert and takes a crappy cellphone video of a performance, that shouldn't be deemed an "unauthorized bootleg" and taken down.  That is a fan sharing a positive experience with other fans, and in this day and age, Prince's "no cameras" policy is a draconian one.

The sad thing is that Prince fans could make a truly spectacular site.  Lyrics, scans of album and single artwork, a chronological discography, years upon years worth of pictures, tour books, video clips, audio.  With Prince's blessing and trust, fans could combine all the resources he's had shutdown over the years into the ultimate Prince Mecca.

I'm sure there are some who would naively jump at the chance to work for Prince, and they would soon find themselves under the artist's thumb.  Prince has built up a lot of ill will with his online fanbase over the years, and the idea of having fans design a site for him for free, but having to relinquish control of its content to his team, seems like nothing more than fleecing his fanbase for something most artists pay professionals to design.

Topic # 3. IF "3rd Eye Girl" turns out to be a band member, say the NPG's newest additions Hannah Ford or Donna Grantis, what should be the disciplinary action taken? In the past, former band members have leaked material. Perhaps more thorough background checks are needed.

This response was written before we all but received confirmation 3rdEyeGirl was part of Prince's camp, but given the questions asked, I feel it is worthy to post my original answer. This is operating under the assumption that Prince was unaware of 3rdEyeGirl's action, which I'll reiterate is highly unlikely.  Consider the text of the posts - written in Prince Speak.  Most of the leaks by former band members have occurred years after their time with Prince had ended, and likely after being offered large sums of money for unreleased content from his golden years.

These new leaks are of a completely different variety.  While unreleased music still trickles out through underground channels, none of it has been more recent than a poor quality bootleg of Ice Cube's "Black Sweat" remix from 2006's 3121.  No outtakes from Musicology, Planet Earth, LotusFlow3r, MPLSound, or 20Ten are circulating amongst fans to the best of my knowledge.  Prince's camp is wound up pretty tight, and it seems more than a little strange that suddenly, on the cusp or a potential new album and tour, several recent tracks and rehearsal footage with a brand new band has suddenly "leaked" out.

Perhaps Prince takes his fans for fools, and no doubt some of them are.  But the odds of this leak being done without Prince's knowing are slim to nil.  I assume he keeps a tight watch on his bandmembers' phones and social networking accounts to ensure this sort of thing.  This is unsubstantiated, but it doesn't seem unfeasible for a man who has waged a war on bootleggers for decades, and has fired band members for far less than releasing his music without his permission.

I'd also like to remind everyone of the "Jam of the Year"/"Face Down" cassette tape, sold exclusively through 1-800-NEW-FUNK, which prominently stated "4th generation bootleg, but it's all good" on the cover, despite being perfect soundboard quality (if edited from the original performance, thus failing to eliminate the need for actual bootleg recordings).

Not that I think the whole 3rdEyeGirl mystery isn't a fun diversion.  If it turns out to be someone from Prince's camp, I applaud him for finally using the internet as a promotional tool.  Some of the material being "leaked" is indeed intriguing as well.  Time will tell who's really behind it, but I don't think anybody will be truly surprised to find out it was little more than a promotional tool.

Topic # 4. Andy Allo was indeed the co-producer of the CD Superconductor. I was in the studio first-hand to see that happen. It is jointly owned by NPG and Alloevolution.

Of the all the artists that worked with Prince, Andy was one of the few who did not follow guide vocal trax originally laid down by Prince. Only the 3 songs that Prince co-wrote were produced in this manner. Andy is extremely talented and a quick-learner. She refuses to punch-in individual songs and rather goes back 2 the top when necessary to get a performance that she has sole approval of. She was given an unlimited budget by NPG to fulfill her vision. The results are something all of us can be proud of.

What do you guys think of Superconductor?

Having not listened to Superconductor, I will have to defer to those who have. My brother claims it is the best Prince associated artist release since the 80's glory days and Baron3121's glowing review which appeared on Now It's On last year more or less backs that opinion up. 

Topic #5. Paisley Park. The soundstage at Paisley Park is currently under renovation. It looks like Barbarella meets Sweet Charity. Are there any new fans that wanna experience late-nite parties at Paisley Park? What's a good cover charge that everyone can agree on? Yes, Prince will be there.

By this point, many of you are probably wondering, "how can someone so cynical about Prince call himself a fan?"  It's true, I am cynical.  I'm jaded by years of abuse and mistreatment at the hands of my favorite artist.  And just like women flock to bad boys, so too Prince fans take his abuse and return for more.

The fact remains that Prince is still, and always will be, my favorite musician.  The man behind the music is irrelevant.  Many artists in many different mediums are not very nice people, but that doesn't make their art any less provocative or alluring.  There is something about Prince's music that has spoken to me since I was a small child, and continues to speak to me into my adulthood.  Like most longtime fans, I feel there has been an undeniable drop in the quality of his music, but once he takes to the stage there are fewer performers capable of electrifying an audience in the way Prince does.

Even in recent years when his shows have largely been Greatest Hits medleys a few steps shy from being full-blown Vegas showroom revues, he can still bring it, as evidenced after a disastrous opening night in Chicago last year, which he immediately followed up with a show for the ages.  Even when coasting, Prince's live shows are energetic and fun.

The chance to see Prince on his home turf - Paisley Park Studios - is a no-brainer.  The last time he held such an event was 2002's Celebration.  My brother was lucky enough to attend, while I foolishly opted to stay at home and receive updates from him on a nightly basis.  Upon hearing Prince rented out a movie theater and treated the audience to a screening of Minority Report, reports from an awkward music workshop where Larry Graham answered every question by launching into a bass solo, and rave reviews of a guitar-oriented show filled with rare performances, it has been a decision I've regretted ever since.  Not even excellent quality audience recordings could ease the pain that I had a chance to go, but passed on it, and it's a mistake I won't make again if the opportunity presents itself.

I was fortunate enough to attend one show at Paisley Park, in August of 1995, but it was cut short thanks in part to Prince's late arrival, Chanhassen's curfew, and sound problems.  It was a memorable experience, but more for spending the day in a frat house filled with Prince fans listening to then-uncirculating tracks like "God Is Alive" and watching as two female fans argued over who looked more like Mayté.  Oh, and for meeting Nathan J. Wright who, by the way, still has not sent me my copy of the Purple Underground magazine.

Cover charge is another matter.  There has to be a happy middle ground to account for travel expenses for fans far and wide, but still worthy of Prince's stature.  What that number is, I can't tell you, but if we're talking a multi-night event, perhaps offering single-show tickets, or a full event package at a discounted price - e.g. - Friday-Saturday-Sunday for $30 each individual show, or $80 for the package.  Those are strictly ballpark figures, but it's a practice many festivals have adopted that caters to both crowds - those who can only attend one show and don't want to miss their chance, and those who plan to attend them all, come hell or highwater.

2013 could potentially be one of the most exciting years for Prince fans in quite some time, with a possible full scale tour, a new band, and rumblings of another multi-disc album.  When it comes to Prince, I've learned to take every rumor with a grain of salt because he is notorious for losing interest in projects quickly, but for right now, I'm cautiously optimistic.