Oberhausen
27 october

Sound check: Prince sat down at the edge of the stage talking to the members. I guess there were around 600 members and guests present. I was too far at the back to clearly hear the conversation; there was a lot of laughing and joking. At 17:30 Prince took the stage with his cloud guitar (yeah!), and started the Santana Medley for a few minutes, followed by Who Knows. All the time Prince was playing heavy guitar. Next was She’s always in my hair, beautifully, like on the Rave un2 the year 2000 DVD. He ended the sound check with the second part of the Santana medley. This was a long jam, Prince played simultaneaously(!) the Rhodes keys with his right hand, the cloud with his left. Musical magician. Prince left the stage (17:50) and walked to the soundmixer in the middle of the hall. The band started a jazz tune while Prince was listening in the back. 18:00, Prince: “Is the sound ok with U? Ok, we will be right back.”
Regular show started at 20:10 until 22:50. Band: Renato Neto, John Blackwell, Rhonda Smith, Candy Dulfer, Greg Boyer, Eric Leeds. Prince wore a white jumper, white pants and white “astronaut” boots. List (as far as I can remember right now):
Rainbow Children
Pop Life
The Work
Purple Rain
1+1+1=3 (with Love Rollercoaster and Housequake)
Money don’t matter 2nite
Peach
Question of U
The One (with Fallin’)
Strange Relationship
Pass the peas (Greg Boyer on vocal)
When you were mine
Sign O the Times
Take me with U
Raspberry Beret
Everlasting now
Piano encore (Prince dressed in the beige suit, white shirt)
Adore
Condition of the Heart
Delirious (with band)
Blues: “Oberhausen, get down” At this point Prince told the band to play: C, F, G and come back to C, while the audience chanted “Oberhausen, get down”. Same chant was used in the end with “Days of Wild”
Diamonds and Pearls
Strollin’ (on piano)
Gotta Broken Heart Again
The Beautiful Ones
Nothing compares 2U
The Ladder
Days of wild

For the guitar lovers (like me): He played the Habibi only on Purple Rain, and the (blue) Cloud on Peach/Question of U/One. All other songs with the Hohner. The Ibanez George Benson wasn’t touched at all, although Takumi had it in his hand to pass it to Prince just before the piano encore started. At the Days of Wild Prince grabbed Rhonda’s bass, Rhonda was behind the Rhodes keys.
There was no afterparty announced. I guess Prince is saving energy for tomorrow, the double in Paris. Oberhausen was just a stop between Copenhagen and Paris? Remarkable that Xenophobia wasn’t played. Also there was (almost) no preaching: only the reference to the bible during Purple Rain, and the one truth at the Ladder.

Maurits said:

Dat man ain't no kinda decent human being...dat's downright disrespectful.
Thanx, Maurits
PEACE 'n LOVE

Maurits said:

IS THAT POSSIBLE???

Damn...

CalhounSq said:

yep that is possible if you're both a good guitar player and a keyboard player.

Mike Keneally does it very often (and very good by the way). I'm not so surprised that Prince has mastered this technique as well.

CalhounSq said:

On the NPGMC site it said that he played the instrumental break on The Work Pt.1 in the same way. At least on the single version (the TRC version is a bit different, don't know about that). You listen to it, and realise it's him playing these 2 instruments simultaniously. Quite amazing.

Man, was that concert great! I was standing in front of Princes microphone, maybe 1,5 meters away. I loved the soundcheck, he was so funny and nice, he joked around, he took some time to talk with us. Remember how he asked if anybody got a razor? He must have found one, because he was shaved for the concert...
It was the first time I saw the new NPG. I was really impressed with John Blackwells drum-playing and with Eric Leeds.

And the show was the bomb! Such a great setlist, Prince in such a playful mood. It was my best Prince-moment so far.