Prince / Oslo August 2nd+3rd 2011 Special Edition (5CDR+1DVDR)

The second half of the Welcome 2 America Euro Tour! The first live performance in August 2011 was two shows in Norway. The first day, Oslo August 2nd 2011, is a whopping 174 minutes long. It will be released with a high-quality recording that captures the immersive experience! The opener is Purple Rain, featuring an incredibly unusual rendition of "Feel Better, Feel Good, Feel Wonderful." Prince pompously introduces Maceo, and the funk becomes even funkier the moment he starts playing. Then, "Feel Better, Feel Good, Feel Wonderful" and Maceo's saxophone, which responds with a bang, are perhaps even cooler than the original. A nine-minute long performance! Then, the energetic "Musicology" features Prince's funky, wah-wah-driven cutting. Prince's rap-like MC is complemented by Shelby's chorus shouting "funky," leading to the chant "Eye Like Funky Music." Maceo, who had been absent for a long time, is then called out to play, as if to make the most of it. They then sing "Feel Better, Feel Good, Feel Wonderful" again, with Shelby adding a soulful chorus faithful to Prince's style. This moment surpasses the original! Prince demonstrates in a solitary way that his energy hasn't waned even in August. Then, like a carnival, they move on to "Mountains," with Shelby's vocals. Prince also sings, seemingly filling in the thin chorus without Liv. Prince calls out "Andy!" and a cutting cut is played. Then he calls out "Maceo!" and a warm saxophone overlays the song. Without a pause, they move on to "Everyday People." The second half of the song sees the irresistible funky cutting, played as if waiting for it. The keyboards also chime in, funky and funky, creating the opening melody for the following "Come Together." Then, as Prince takes the lead, the atmosphere shifts to a slightly rockier one. Shelby adds an exquisite chorus, and Maceo takes on a stunning solo. Then, Shelby sings "Kiss My Love," proclaiming she's the best female chorus in NPG, and Prince responds with a thunderous scream. "Feel Wonderful!" she shouts. Shelby urges the audience to "Come Together, Year!" and is captivated by the audience's responses, soulfully responding with "We Got To Love Each Other." Even with such an incredible Shelby, she calls out "Maceo!" without permission, but he doesn't come back. Prince calls out "Maceo," and says, "Is that still not enough?" Finally, Maceo bursts out, hilariously remarking that his master is Prince. He knows where he's going. From here, Andy's "The Look Of Love" plays, continuing the flow. Maceo's melancholy saxophone adds a touch of melancholy to the wonderful version. After the performance ends, a spacey guitar intro leads into "Crimson & Clover." Prince's vocals are unconventional, yet his mature playing exudes a sense of stability, allowing the audience to sing along with ease. The medley leading up to "Cool" is, of course, excellent with Maceo's saxophone, but Prince's subtle cutting adds a super funk. In the second half, Prince calls for Maceo, who plays like he's going wild. He shouts out "Gimme 1" through "Gimme 3." It looks like they're about to finish with "Las Vegas," but Maceo keeps going. Prince doesn't let up, instead shifting up again from "Gimme 2" through "Gimme 5" for a rousing finish. In "Kiss," after shouting "What's my name?", an enthusiastic Shelby chimes in with some funky interjections. Prince adds some freaky cutting, but he frets, and the song doesn't quite get going. Prince calls for Maceo, but he still doesn't play. Shelby calls for him to play again, but he still doesn't play. After a while, Maceo, seemingly dissatisfied, starts playing again, as if to say, "No way." Then, Sheila E.'s "Shortberry Strawcake" starts playing on the keyboard, and Maceo quietly retreats. Prince also sings "Feel Better, Feel Good, Feel Wonderful," and finally, we get to "The Bird." After the epic intro, this song is a fire pit. In Prince's kingdom, only Maceo and Shelby are loyal, and no one can rebel. The bass is faithful yet groovy. Prince's joyous guitar is intertwined. It briefly becomes Sex Machine, then, as if that wasn't a lie, Jungle Love. O-O plays a perfect call-and-response, hints at A Love Bizarre on the keyboard, Prince calls out to Andy, and for some reason, Maceo responds to his voice. And then, A Love Bizarre begins! Maceo's phrasing resonates like a joyous sound. Here, Maceo, already playing, is called back onstage, and he's already in a frenzy. It seems like a one-shot contract would cost a fortune. Then, the sampler set begins. For Sign O The Times, O-O, Call-and-Response, and Shelby are called in, and Maceo plays saxophone, delighting like a dog. Prince then sings Sign O The Times. This isn't just a sampler set; he's serious. Even in "Nasty Girl," Maceo plays the saxophone like a dog, flowing through "Darling Nikki" and "I Would Die 4 U," and Maceo's summer-breathing solo is incredibly refreshing. The bass drum rhythm leads into the keyboard intro to "Gold." Prince also sings well, summoning Shelby and showcasing some wonderful harmonies. This is Gold's best performance, with Prince's beautiful and divine call-and-response, and the audience, while bewildered, responds. A brilliant ending, tear-jerking.

And then there's the second day in Oslo. This is another excellent, high-quality audience recording. The opening is a medley that begins with "Let's Go Crazy," but with a four-minute introduction by Cassandra on beautiful piano. Prince, usually devoted to dancing and singing, includes a rare guitar solo on "Delirious." In "Nothing Compares 2 U," Prince mutters, "Life is good, life is better, life is wonderful," likely still influenced by yesterday. Then, Cassandra plays piano, and Prince plays the melody on guitar for "Love Is A Losing Game," like ambient music. Andy doesn't sing; it's a completely instrumental track, but it conveys Prince's pure emotion, conveyed directly to Amy Winehouse in heaven. Prince occasionally asks, "Are you OK?", but his words are very gentle. Prince then sings "People Get Ready." Shelby quickly adds a chorus. Then, Shelby takes center stage, and Prince takes over as the chorus, reversing roles. Andy, Eda, and Cassandra lightly add a female chorus, filling in the absence of Liv. Prince then suggests Andy will sing something, and plays "Crimson & Clover." Andy, on vocals, sings "Waiting In Vain," with Shelby and others providing additional chorus. It's cute to see Andy shouting, somewhat helplessly, "Let's all sing together!" Then, "Now it's our turn," he sings the first verse of "Take Me With U," and then immediately asks the audience to sing along, "Now it's your turn." Prince then says, "I'll sing the second verse of Raspberry Beret," and continues singing the second half. The drums then follow the Raspberry Beret pattern, but Prince adds some devastating guitar to get the audience singing along, leading to "Anotherloverholeyohead," where the song begins without singing. It's interesting to see Shelby's surprised exclamation, as they usually move into "Cream." The rock mood continues, as she shouts "She is a peach" and moves into "Peach." Then Prince sings Johnny B. Goode on vocals, and a female chorus joins in for a thrilling development. Prince then begins "Alphabet St." alone, and when the band joins in, the keyboards play the role of horns in a heavy version, where Prince freely delivers phrases that continue the rock mood from earlier. Ida's bass sounds funky, so much so that Prince even mentioned her as being funky. Then, a blast of guitar riffs bursts out, followed by a call-and-response for Oh! Slo, with Shelby sadistically yelling, "Speak louder!" Prince raps as he invites the audience to chant "Everything is alright" over a creaky keyboard backing, adding a Prince-esque melody. He then introduces Andy, saying she's dancing a new dance and her name is The Cameroon. Let's Work plays like a rehearsal, dominated by keyboards and bass, with Prince bringing out a hand-held speaker to agitate. It segues into "U Got The Look," followed by a cutting rhythm, evolving into "Controversy." Sounds suggest a sample medley, starting with Hot Thing. However, the drums come in and the song is cut off without singing. John is then called in for a full Kiss performance. However, midway through, Prince abandoned his falsetto second verse, then sang it properly again after a while, before seguing into a sample medley. A Love Bizarre moved away from the sampler set and into a full-fledged performance, leading to a long chant of Oh My God call-and-response before "Play That Funky Music" and Prince's rugged guitar playing intertwined exquisitely, leaving a lingering impression. If you had to choose between the two, it would be the first day, with its many surprises. But the second day, with its fast-paced feel, was also fantastic.

The special edition, featuring both August 2nd and 3rd performances, includes a compilation DVDR featuring audience footage from both days. This DVD includes a nearly complete recording of Purple Rain (with "Feel Better, Feel Good, Feel Wonderful" sandwiched between them), the piercing guitar solo of Crimson & Clover, and the first day of Kiss's precarious piano dance scene, totaling 18 minutes of footage. Also included are 24 minutes of fragmented footage, including Prince's unusual beige jacket with a slit at the back of his neck and the heartbreaking dance scene of "Little Red Corvette." This special edition, at a great value, is a must-have for anyone wanting to get to know Prince in August.

Oslo Spectrum, Oslo, August 2, 2011

Disc 1
1.Purple Rain 2.D.M.S.R 3.Pop Life 4.Musicolgy - Prince & The Band 5.Shhh 6.Mountains 7.Everyday People 8.Come Together 9.The Look Of Love

Disc 2
1.Crimson & Clover 2.Take Me With U 3.Raspberry Beret 4.Cream 5.Cool incl. Don't Stop Till You Get Enough 6.If I Was Your Girlfriend 7.Kiss 8.Shortberry Strawcake 9.The Bird - Sex Machine 10.Jungle Love 11.A Love Bizarre

Disc 3
1.When Doves Cry 2.Hot Thing 3. Sign O' The Times 4.Nasty Girl 5.Darling Nikki 6.I Would Die 4 U 7.Make You Feel My Love 8. Gold

Oslo Spectrum, Oslo,3rd August 2011

Disc 1
1.Instrumental Intro 2.Let's Go Crazy 3.Delirious 4.1999 5.Little Red Corvette 6.Nothing Compares 2 U 7.Love Is A Losing Game 8.Waiting In Vain 9.Take Me With U 10. Raspberry Beret 11.Anotherloverholeyohead 12.Peach/Johnny B Good 13.Alphabet St.

Disc 2
1.Purple Rain 2. Let's Work 3.U Got The Look 4.Controversy 5.Sometimes It Snows In April 6.Kiss 7.Hot Thing 8.When Doves Cry 9.Sign O' The Times 10.Forever In My Life 11.Darling Nikki 15.Single Ladies 16.Mr. Goodnight 17.I Would Die 4 U 18. A Love Bizarre 19. Play That Funky Music

Special 42min. DVDR for Special Edition Oslo, 2&3 August 2011

2011.08.02 Oslo 18min.

Purple Rain - Crimson & Clover - Kiss

2011.08.03 Oslo 24min

1999 - Little Red Corvette - Nothing Compares 2 U - Take Me With U - Raspberry Beret - Purple Rain - Let's Work - U Got The Look - Sometimes It Snows In April - Kiss