Format: DVD, non anamorphic 1:85:1, stereo
Last fall I took a class with Adam Ayan from Gateway Mastering Studios here in Portland, Maine. It was a class that taught us about music technology: how to mic instruments, a look at different equipment used in recording studios and we even got a private tour of Gateway. Adam wondered what most people thought of when they thought about Prince. Most of the students in the class said they thought of "cheesy 80's music" and MTV videos with doves in them. Most students didn't think he was that good. I agreed with Adam that Prince is a musical genius. To watch Prince in this video is to see the synthesis of many musical influences: James Brown, Sly Stone, Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Funkadelic, Weather Report, Jimi Hendrix, Barry White, Otis Redding, and on and on. Like Frank Zappa, Prince has mastered a wide variety of popular music styles. He is a fantastic performer, a great soul singer and a guitar player who can play funk, jazz and metal. To top it off, he even produces and writes all his music himself. His band on this DVD is phenomenal and the whole show is a class act from beginning to end. If you think Prince is "cheesy 80's music" then you NEED to see this DVD.
The first thing you will notice if you watch this on an HD television is that picture quality is real bad. The stereo sound is OK but there are many moments when the sound person seems to be asleep at the board, not turning up people's solos or lead vocals. Forget all that. Within two or three minutes you will be completely taken in by Prince and his fantastic stage presence. The entire show never loses it's momentum but yet is filled with a wide variety of styles. The show starts off with the perfect opener "Pop Life" and then things get real funky from there. Maceo Parker is a special guest on this concert, as is Sheila E. and Eric Leads, all fantastic and engaging performers themselves. There is definitely a jazz feeling to the entire set exemplified by "Strollin'," where Prince plays a jazzy solo on a hollow bodied jazz box. Prince features his distinctive falsetto on "Gotta a Broken (heart) Again" and channels Sly Stone on "Strange Relationship." Maceo gets center stage for "Pass the Peas" and then Prince does Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta' Love" the justice it deserves. I know. Hard to be believe but watch it and you'll agree it rocks hard. After a very funky and passionate "Family Name," Prince makes everyone sway along to "Take Me With You," which receives a very nice arrangement that brings out the ascending melodic figure that ends on a 9th in the strings that recurs throughout the song and gives it a beautiful and surprising originality. The concert closes with "Sometimes it Snows in April," which always makes me cry. Prince seems to be taken with as much emotion as we are when he sings it but still manages to perform it beautifully.
This concert is very kid friendly and OK for the whole family. There is an extra bonus track, the bluesy "The Ride," which gets a little sexy in the way only Prince can get away with. It features some very effective and humorous guitar playing and is a nice night cap after you send the kids to bed. Many songs like "1+1+1=3" and "The Everlasting Now" seem to be about Prince's faith, which could have been the reason he didn't play some his more famous, sexually explicit songs. Either way, you won't miss them. It's nice to see Prince put on a good, classy show as he matures into an adult. I saw Stephen Tyler with Aerosmith several years ago in Old Orchard and I have to say the old sexually explicit comments made him look like a bit of a dirty old man. Prince is still the ultimate seducer for the ladies but he does it so smooth and sly that you can forgive him for being a bit naughty...after all, he still Prince.
In a few weeks my sister blog In the Groove will be taking an extended look at Prince's entire career with a look at most of his albums. Some of these albums are definitely "adults only" but nonetheless are classics. Be sure to check that out.
If you don't know Prince's music and you like dance music and pop at all, you really don't know the whole story and you need to check it out. I believe his music stands the test of time and this concert proves he still has it, even if he's cleaned up his message a bit.
NEXT UP: The Princess Bride
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