Prince / Club Nokia, LA Live 2009 Complete Edition (1 DVD + 2 CDRs)

One-Off Concert - Club Nokia, LA Live, Los Angeles, Mar 29, 2009

1.Under The Cherry Moon (Instrumental)
2.Dreamin' About U (Instrumental)
3.When I Lay My Hands On U
4.Journey 2 The Center Of Your Heart
5.The Sun, The Moon And Stars
6.Sometimes It Snows In April(Instrumental)
7.When The Lights Go Down
8.I Love U, But I Don't Trust U Anymore
9.Prince Talks AEG (Not AIG)
10.She Spoke 2 Me
11.In A Large Room With No Light
12.Sweet Thing(feat. Chaka Khan)
13.Insatiable
14.Scandalous
15.The Beautiful Ones
16.Nothing Compares 2 U 17. Curtain Call

Pro-shot 93 min

Soundboard Live (2 CDR)
***Complete recording on two discs. The set list is the same as the DVDR, so it will be omitted.

The greatest soundboard and professional-shot footage ever released. This is the third and final gig from a promotional live show in LA in support of the triple-disc release of the album Lotusflow3r. The rarest of the three shows, the Nokia Club, has been leaked and made a stunning appearance by a source close to the source. The video offers unbelievably clear image and sound quality, and the camera, while simple in angle, captures Prince accurately and closely, professionally tracking NPG's performance. First, a spherical image, centered on Prince's mouth and beard (as seen on Lotusflow3r.com), is projected onto the screen in the center of the pitch-black stage. A conversation between a man and a woman can be heard. Amid the faint sounds of keyboards, drums pounding, and Rhonda Smith playing electric upright bass, the keyboard plays "Under the Cherry Moon" with a cheap, whistle-like sound. A wonderful version with a very jazzy piano sound! Rhonda's dynamic bass solo is also excellent. But Prince isn't there yet. Renato's piano leads the way into "Dreamin' About U." This song, from "Emancipation," was also performed on the Jam of the Year tour, but here it's a completely jazz instrumental featuring Renato, Rhonda, and John, with a simpler sound than the original. Prince finally appears, walking from the back to the front of the stage. He gestures with his hands to introduce the band members. Then, "When Eye Lay My Hands On U" is performed for the first time. Then, "Journey 2 The Center Of Your Heart," a Prince-composed tune from Chaka Khan's "Come 2 My House," is played, a first for both Prince and the band. Prince sits on a small chair and begins the opening melody with a whoosh and a falsetto. A close-up of his singing fills the screen. This is a fantastic camera shot, capturing Prince and the others directly. The meticulous vocals, faithful to Prince's studio recordings, are superb, and the keyboards provide a brilliant, faithful sound. Rhonda's expressive bass phrasing adds a touch of elegance. Prince's swivel in his small chair, encouraging Renato to take a piano solo, is also a cool gesture. Renato and Rhonda then trade phrasings on their respective instruments. We also see John drumming, and Prince plays a graceful guitar solo. And then, a performance that surpasses the rarest, appears for the first time and again. Just when you think the excitement is building with a slightly funky, booming phrase, the keyboard part turns into a truly astonishing "The Sun, The Moon, and Stars." Included on Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic, the original song features strings by the late Claire Fisher, but Renato's keyboard playing perfectly complements that atmosphere, creating a truly magnificent performance. This song is a soothing masterpiece, like a secret trick to warm your heart. Prince walks around the stage, smug and grinning, saying, "Come on, we're playing this song." He sings faithfully, and even invites the audience to sing along at the high points of the chorus, which they do (though the video doesn't capture much of the audience's voices, as they're muted). Prince's clapping is so clearly audible, a testament to the soundboard's quality, and the video is linked to it. While Prince revels in his singing, John is busy yet agilely drumming, stirring up the crowd. Even with such a beautiful melody, the audience feels relaxed and ready to straighten up. Prince baton-like, pointing the microphone stand at the audience and encouraging them to sing along. Then, Prince exits the stage, pointing his finger at the audience as if to praise Renato, and Renato takes the stage for an instrumental rendition of "Sometimes It Snows In April." He even plays the melody part he's singing, so listening to it brings to mind scenes from that movie. John's drums begin with a jazzy stomp, followed by another rare track, "When the Lights Go Down." It's a miracle that such a song was recorded with a professional shot. Rhonda's bass line is the main focus here. However, the guitar phrases start to sound scratchy, and Prince is there, approaching Rhonda while playing. Prince uses his guitar to check the band's condition. As a result, Rhonda also becomes more mature, playing faithfully without playing around. Then, as she sings into the microphone, all the air is suddenly focused on Prince, even though it's a quiet song. Even when you think things will stay calm, Renato is the only one who's treated differently, singing "booey, booey" like a siren. Prince, for some reason, inspired by Rhonda's style, stands his own alter ego, the Mad Cat, vertically and plays thin cutting. The result is a soft, bouncy ensemble, and when Prince delivers his storytelling vocals, the band tightens considerably. Then, "Eye Love U, But Eye Don't Trust U Anymore," Prince's careful yet inflected delivery and Prince's changing expressions are clearly visible in the video. And when Prince calls Renato in, his piano is superb. Up until then, he's been faithfully playing as a backing instrument, but once Prince commands him, he plays phrases with blinding speed and develops a smooth, cool tone, captivating you. The professional soundscape only this lineup can create. Then, Prince gives an MC speech, saying, "I came tonight to play a $3 million show." Then, a jaw-dropping first performance: "She Spoke 2 Me," a jazzy groove number from the soundtrack of the film Girl 6. Prince sings not in falsetto, but in a natural, broken voice. The bass sounds great, which is a nice touch. The flute-like keyboard sounds also add to the jazziness. Prince shifts to a falsetto in the second half, singing faithfully to the studio track. After finishing, he laughs and encourages the audience to keep clapping. For the second verse, he breaks down again, dancing a little more vigorously. He places his hand on his forehead, peering into the audience to gauge their enthusiasm, a gesture only visible in the pro-shot footage. Then, during a flute-like solo, Prince praises Renato for being a real musician, and he begins to play the flute melody alongside groovy keyboard sounds, becoming increasingly enthusiastic. Renato is incredibly skillful. The drums and bass then pick up, creating an even more jazzy instrumental. Prince returns to the stage after a while, fetching maracas, shaking them close to the microphone. Even though I was prepared for any song to come, who would have imagined he'd be playing something like this? Suddenly, drums come on, revealing Prince's greatest unreleased track? "Life Is Like Looking For A Penny In A Large Room With No Light"! It's so long I can't even remember the name, but it's a fantastic masterpiece! This debut is the first time it's been recorded in nearly 23 years. In this live performance, Prince, holding maracas, sings the song fluently and flawlessly, despite the fast tempo. As the audience begins to realize what the song is about, they start to cheer, go wild, and dance, Prince smiles with satisfaction. The flute sounds so real, it almost sounds like it's being played live. After Prince finishes singing, Renato and others continue with a jazzy instrumental, and Prince goes backstage, pulls out his red Stratocaster, returns to the stage, and begins playing with perfect timing as soon as he arrives. Prince's guitar eventually breaks into a cutting rhythm, and the keyboard adds various tones, creating a funky jam. But the rare moments continue. A grinning Prince appears on screen, playing the guitar phrase from "Sweet Thing." Then he glances at someone. It's Shaka Khan! He takes the microphone and begins singing, backed only by Prince's guitar. The audience sings along as the two perform in a relaxed atmosphere. They finish, laughing, and Prince exclaims, "I told you so, this is the place to be." But he also says he wants to go home, that this is it. Sleepily, he rubs his eyes and says, "I've already sang enough. What, you really want me to play more?" Prince laughs, then asks more seriously, "So what do you want me to play here?" "Okay, I'll play. I want to stay here all night," he says, and Insatiable begins. Prince sings jazzily in a silky voice, blows out candles, and Renato's flowing piano intertwines with Prince's falsetto. And then, with a lively tinkling hi-hat, John Blackwell is wearing a suit. Then, as the bells ring for Scandalous, Prince again sings in a silky falsetto. He yells, "Sing it in your natural voice!" The audience responds with a loud "Scandalous!" Prince then yells, "Come on!" The audience responds with, "Marvelous!" Prince then yells, "Good night!" and leaves the stage, even though the performance continues. Rhonda still turns the pages of the sheet music, the camera pans to John, and then, with a bang, The Beautiful Ones begins! Prince returns to the center of the stage. He throws his towel into the crowd. Perhaps he's tired, though, because the part he usually shouts, "Do you want me? Do you want him?" becomes a simple conversational tone. This was his third consecutive performance, and he'd also appeared on Jay Leno's TV show three nights prior to that, so perhaps his fatigue was showing here. But then, when he shouts "That's what I want you, baby," he does so with all his might, and it's incredible. He sings so bravely, with such effort that it makes you wonder if he still has this much strength left in this thin body. But even though he's tired, he continues singing Nothing Compares 2 U. Prince sings as if he's squeezing it all out from the beginning, and then for the second verse he raises his hands up and down as if asking for help from the audience, encouraging them to sing along, but when it comes to the chorus he still sings as if it's important. Then, as if he's really mustering his last bit of strength, Prince throws his jacket aside, sings the bridge, and gets the audience to sing the final chorus, before turning the microphone towards the audience. Even so, Prince sings the very last "you" beautifully in falsetto,And then Prince sings "to you" once more and returns to the wings. He sang the whole song, thank you. For imprinting this image and sound on me.