PRINCE AND THE NPG ACT II AFTERSHOW ZURICH 1993: BRING IN THE FUNK WITH AN ANTI-VIOLENCE, ANTI-RACE MESSAGE – PUT AWAY THE GUNS 4 FUTURE’S SAKE!
First off, let me say how thrilled I am that Hamish, Prince off the Record, has been back in circulation for a while now. No one gives a more thorough review than he does. Here goes:
The recording lives up to my expectations from the opening moments, a rising horn riff and the crowd on board from the opening seconds. They introduce themselves as The New Power Generation, and that is borne out by the following performance.
It is a complete band performance with Prince being very much band orientated for the bulk of the show. “Deuce & A Quarter” is right in line with this thought, Tony M does the speaking, while it’s up to Kathy J to provide the early initiative on the horns. She is, of course, ably assisted by Michael Nelson and his trombone solo.
With the band swinging, Tony M does his best to hype the crowd, and I am most surprised to hear it’s working for him. The party is already starting in style.
“Deuce & A Quarter” may have started the party, but it’s the following “Black M.F. In The House” where things take off. The band plays as the first song, only more so. The horns are brighter, the band funkier, and Prince sings his lines with great relish. As the crowd gives a rousing cheer it feels more like a house party than a concert, the audience and the band are already connecting.
Prince keeps in theme with “Race” following naturally enough after. The recording does give a wobble at this point, it’s no real problem, and Prince and the band are still chewing it up on stage. “Race” isn’t as intense and full on as I sometimes hear, it’s more relaxed and flows easier. The band is playing brilliantly and keeping it in the pocket without ever pushing the song, I think I prefer it this way, and I am thankful the recording is sounding as well as it does.
I haven’t used the word ‘intense’ yet, but that is about to change with the introduction of “The Undertaker.” With its creeping bassline and misty horns swirling there is a feeling of impending seriousness. Prince delivers that seriousness in his lyrics, and with the backing singers it does lose that party vibe as it slips into darker territory.
There is the much admired guitar break, but what demands listening from my point of view is the Tommy Barbarella keyboard break that pulls us deep into the swampy sound. It’s thick and all enveloping, a juicy warm sound that you can lose yourself in, and that’s exactly what I do for the next ten minutes. The final coda sees some funk enter the picture, and we are left on an upbeat groove that contrasts all that has come before.
Some guitar and keyboard interplay, and before I know it they are playing “Six.” What a great song to be able to pull out at a moment like this, and with the horn section on board it gets a workout in the full sound it deserves. It’s the keyboard and guitar that lead us into it, but come the chorus the horns make themselves heard, and they are the key component for the rest of the song. I can’t stress enough how good this all sounds, the song and the band are a perfect match, and this is certainly one of the standout songs of the night.
The horn section stays at the front of our minds, and the sound mix, as they next tackle “Intermission.” It’s lively and sharp, something I enjoy, but at only a couple of minutes it’s much shorter than anything else heard at the show.
I was surprised to see “Delirious” clocking in at over seven minutes, but all is explained as I listen, it’s played as a swing-time jam, with plenty of horns bouncing back and forth, and long guitar break by Prince that keeps in this theme, and a joyful sing along by the crowd. The mood and tempo are kept up the whole time, and it adds a lot of lightness and fun to the evening. Prince does very little singing and instead it’s the band that gets all the shine as they play.
I was looking forward to hearing “Blue Light” then when it starts I don’t immediately recognize it. After the beat and a few seconds of lead guitar it settles into the groove I recognize, especially as the horns begin to play. It has an easy way about it, and flows easily in and out as Prince and the crowd sing together. The horns give it the sunshine feel, and with the crowd singing along it seems to work much better than it does on album.
“Come” gets things moving again, with its smooth sound much more driving than the previous “Blue Light.” There is a slippery guitar underneath which I always listen for, and the crowd claps and chant their way through the song. They aren’t intrusive at all, and the overall effect is one of unity between the band themselves and the crowd. All in all, it’s a very smooth and clean performance, something I could easily listen to again.
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