Prince / The O2 September 9, 2007 Original Master (1BDR)

This stunning audience recording captures Prince's September 9th show at the O2 Arena from Prince's 21 Nights of London in 2007, shot from above, capturing his dizzying movements with a high degree of precision. Originally released on a PAL DVDR, this footage has been preserved in HD and released on Blu-ray to prevent degradation due to the NTSC conversion. Most of the original footage, including "We Will Rock You" and "Let's Go Crazy," is missing. Still, it's a joy to have footage of this incredible day, featuring the Super Bowl medley. During "Musicology," Prince points and proclaims, "Freaks on this side." He gets the crowd pumping with "Prince and the Band." The footage cuts off during "Play That Funky Music." "Your Song" was first performed by Renato at this time. The other tracks were only performed on September 16, 2007, making it a track specifically for the 21 Nights of London concert. Mike Phillips also plays "What A Wonderful World," but both are instrumentals. In fact, both songs share lyrics—Louis Armstrong, a black man, sings, "What a wonderful world," while Elton John, a white man and gay man, sings, "Life is wonderful just because you're here." They share a common thread. The second half of "Adore" develops heavily in an improvisational way, making it feel like a new song called "Crucial." "Straight Relationship" is also performed at an extended length, saying, "Is it new or old?" Prince asks, and everyone demands the older version, but Prince himself presumably already decided on "If I Was Your Girlfriend." This is followed by the new song "Black Sweat," followed by a performance of Kiss, a song that's not too old-school. Next, Purple Rain, played at the end of the Super Bowl medley, is played here, bringing the show to a grand finale. The stage logo disappears, making it seem like the show is over, but Prince immediately reappears onstage, asking, "Who's making that noise? We're not done yet." The sampler set is captivating, with a shot of Prince's back (wearing clothing with the 3121 logo) working at the keyboard. Raspberry Beret is primarily Prince's own piano playing, rather than a sampler. He then prepares to leave, but returns for more hits, continuing the sampler set. This is particularly evident in "Alphabet St.", where the rhythm track plays as he presses the keys with his left hand, and he adds piano phrases with his right. Then, while the backing for "Lady Cab Driver" plays, Prince calls drummer Cora Coleman "CC" and instructs her to play the kick drum and bass drum. The process looks incredibly cool on film. The lights are dimmed, and from there, he launches into a masterful performance of "I Feel For You." The finale is "Controversy," and after adding the jumps and up-and-down chants of "Housequake" to build excitement, the concert truly closes with "Funky London, Goodbye!"

Earth Tour
O2 Arena, London
9th September 2007

Let's Go Crazy / 1999 (intro) / Baby I'm A Star / Proud Mary / Baby I'm A Star (reprise) / All Along The Watchtower / Best Of You / Take Me With U / Guitar / Shhh / Musicology / Prince And The Band / Play That Funky Music / Sexy Dancer v's Le Freak / What A Wonderful World (instrumental) / Your Song (instrumental) / Piano Intro / Somewhere Here On Earth / Diamonds And Pearls / Adore / Strange Relationship / Sometimes It Snows In April / 7 / Come Together / If I Was Your Girlfriend / Black Sweat / Kiss / Purple Rain / audience / Irresistible Bitch (intro)* / Sign O' The Times* / Raspberry Beret* / When Doves Cry* / Erotic City (intro)* / I Wanna Be Your Lover* / Alphabet St.* / D.M.S.R.* / Nasty Girl (intro)* / Soft And Wet (intro)* / Sexy Dancer (intro)* / She's Always In My Hair* / Lady Cab Driver (intro)* / I Feel For You / Controversy (including Housequake)

*=sampler set

Aud-Shot
103min.