hjd said:

Excellent! I was hoping there'd be a lossless version (though I'm grateful for the mp3). Thanks for letting us know.

Holy schmock.





Empty Room is amazing.

udo said:

Funny to read that I'm portrayed as being non-critical while in the line above I just mentioned my dislike of the NC2U cover (that's tight, I ACTUALLY MEAN cover!)
three bands??? In two shows??? Imagination maybe? or confusion with LA?
Normal concerts? All the more reason to NOT assume they were any different

Stopping here, you obviously want YOUR truth to be THE truth here and you know what? you can have it.....

eelco

P.S BTW I'm one of the most critical people of his post 95 output (ONA and TRC exluded), Yet I can see the highlights and for me, listening to these shows, they are one of them. That's my feeling only, nothing like an abolsute truth.

byebye

eelco said:

Originally 3 concerts were rumoured, see various threads about that, and the Claude interview, where he confirmed the 3 shows !!

I hear a fluit...who's playing?

Vanity45 said:

keyboards.

udo said:

As were nearly 4 thousand others and yet I can only see a small handful of complaints about these shows mainly by people who were complaining before they even went.

Even the people who didn't attend are saying how great these shows were, do you not think that maybe you're talking out of your arse?

I ran through both shows over the last 3 days & the only standout was IMO "All The Critics Love You In Montreux", the rest wasn't bad, but he's done better!

I absolutely adore Empty Room.

Take a listen to the medley Scandalous/The beautiful Ones/Nothing Compares 2 U !
...And the Killing Empty Room!

Prince,please put out the dvd or just leave it to the Montreux Jazz festival!!

One of the Best Prince Live performance of the 21st century!

Phishanga said:

Yes it was. I was just about speechless when I heard it.

fakir said:

He will never do it, but leaving it up to the Montreux peoples would be the best thing.
Just release show #1 uncut with show #2 as bonus,.
A 2DVD..

Please put it out, I'm holding back but I want to see. I don't care about perfection, if this is the reason he holds back. please.....thats perfection of a dvd release type thing

I am such a ... and a jealous one at that!

xenon said:

So it's important with real musicians but not real instruments!!? Just do some midi in, out and thrue-connections, put Renato Neto at the keys, et voilá! You got an entire band...

purpleizpassion said:

yeah, me too.

It looks like the page where folks could get these shows has now deleted links.. Prince, release these shows on DVD so anybody can hear how they were amazing!

Is Prince getting better or is the return of a much BETTER drummer and bass player making the live performances better?

Maybe they rehearsed their parts?

after alllll night searching and thinking and reading , i found some stuff. wooooo hooooo. i am off today and even though i am sitting in my LR, i have been transported back to the conga room , back to nude, omg... to montreux, and back to earth. don't want it to stop!




[Edited 7/27/09 17:16pm]

My Montreux cherry is now popped...

Genesia said:

The lossless version is out now (+ artwork).

thecloud said:

Agreed. All this talk of this being one of, if not THE, best bands of his is just ludicrous to me. The shows are all right but still lack that magic and energry his performances of yesteryear had. And no, I'm not one of those who wish it was still 1984 or '87, but his songwriting was superb back then and he wasn't interested in becoming the lounge singer he is today.

Great technical musicians do not make a band with synergy and feeling!! That said, his rewoking of LRC was pretty cool!! One of his best rearrangements since ICNTTPOYM at the Celebration 2002.

alexnvrmnd777 said:

This is interesting because I love what Prince has involved into as a live performer and recording artist for that matter. After watching that MJ 30th Anniversary MSG concert the other night on TVOne, I thought how sad it was that MJ seemed like a parody of himself 20 plus odd years earlier. Prince, on the other hand, has evolved into a more mature/mellow performer who is still one of the greatest of all time. What he's given up in theatrics he has replaced with musicianship. The arrangements and his playing on some of these songs are the best that I have ever heard. I was at all three shows in L.A. in March, and the last two really just blew me away musically. I was in complete awe of what this man has become musically and as a performer.

I am so thankful that he is not clinging to the past as a performer or songwriter. His songwriting is still good to me. It's changed because he has, but it is still very good. I think that he's written songs in the last 10 years that are as good as if not better than some of his classics.

After all those years of hitting some of the highest notes I have ever heard, how in the world does his voice sound so great? He sounds as good if not BETTER than he did back in the day!! Remember SHOE on Leno?
[Edited 8/3/09 6:45am]

All I can say is the man is amazing! u Prince.

rolled up my joint, ready to listen..

[/quote]

This is interesting because I love what Prince has involved into as a live performer and recording artist for that matter. After watching that MJ 30th Anniversary MSG concert the other night on TVOne, I thought how sad it was that MJ seemed like a parody of himself 20 plus odd years earlier. Prince, on the other hand, has evolved into a more mature/mellow performer who is still one of the greatest of all time. What he's given up in theatrics he has replaced with musicianship. The arrangements and his playing on some of these songs are the best that I have ever heard. I was at all three shows in L.A. in March, and the last two really just blew me away musically. I was in complete awe of what this man has become musically and as a performer.

I am so thankful that he is not clinging to the past as a performer or songwriter. His songwriting is still good to me. It's changed because he has, but it is still very good. I think that he's written songs in the last 10 years that are as good as if not better than some of his classics.[/quote]

Very insightful!!

after a good 3 listens, i am just amazed at LRC & When You were Mine, man he took it back with the live sound! L;oved every bit of it, and the fact he performed them in the entire fashion. Man wish i was there..

wish he performed i woudl die 4 u in that same formula.

Big up to those who went to this show..!!

Short review:

So far I have 'heard' Little Red Corvette, When I lay my hands on U and All the critics love U in Montreux.

I am not as fond about this version of LRC as others here seem to be. I find it rather boring and i am missing the real 'spark' in Princes guitar playing. If anything it shows his age a bit: a bit too 'dad-rock' for me.. lol

I am not very familiar with When I lay my hands on U. I have heard it a few times as an MP3 i think, but it didnt really 'stuck' in my mind, I guess.
I am not really a 'fan' of his more recent ballads, but I must say this rendition is rather nice. His vocals sound good especially.
I have said it before, Prince seems to get better as a live-singer with age (his normal register sounds a bit more full, and he seems to use his technique better), and this song is proof of it.

Finally, All the critics love you in Montroux: Allthough it uses the same 'blueprint' as the version on the 21 nights CD, it sounds more raw, more gritty (Maybe because its missing the horn section) and I like that.
Especially the guitar-solo about three-quarter in the song is great. He is just using a few notes, but is putting so much venom into it.
I prefer this more raw and minimalistic approach over the 'Vegas' like polishness he TOO often shows in concert lately (he spoiled his covers of Creep and the Long and winding road with that, for example).