Prince / Club Nokia, LA Live 2009 Maniac Edition (1DVDR+4CDR)

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 CDRs), Audience Live (2 CDRs)
***Each is recorded in its entirety on two discs. The setlist is the same as the DVDR, so it will be omitted.

Club Nokia Audience Live (1 DVDR) 7 min.
When Eye Lay My Hands On U - Insatiable (pt. 1) - Insatiable (pt. 2) - The Beautiful Ones

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. It's an ultimate performance with no gaps, right down to the final pause. But don't be surprised by this. Then, Journey 2: The Center of Your Heart, a song written by Prince and included on Chaka Khan's "Come 2 My House," is played for the first time. Prince sits on a small chair and begins singing the opening melody with a whoosh and falsetto. A close-up of him singing fills the screen. This is a fantastic camera, capturing Prince and his bandmates directly. Prince's meticulous vocals, faithful to his studio recordings, are superb, and the keyboards provide a brilliant, faithful sound. Rhonda's expressive bass phrasing adds a touch of elegance. Prince even shifts his position in his small chair to encourage Renato's piano solo, a gesture that's incredibly cool. Renato and Rhonda then trade phrasings on their respective instruments. John's drumming is also on camera, followed by Prince's graceful guitar solo. Prince then asks the audience if they'll stay with him a little longer, but there's no way he'll sleep after such a performance. When someone tries to film him playing, Prince says, "Sure, take a photo," showing his usual eagerness to entertain. This performance is even more rare than it's ever been, and it's here for the first time ever. Just when you think the excitement is building with a slightly funky, booming phrase, the keyboard part turns into a surprising "The Sun, The Moon And Stars." Included on Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic, the original song features strings from the late Claire Fisher, but Renato skillfully covers that ambiance with his keyboards, creating a truly stunning performance. This song feels like a secret trick to warm your heart. Prince walks around the stage, grinning and smug, saying, "How about this? We're going to play this song." Not only does he sing faithfully, he also invites the audience to sing along at the top of the chorus, and they do, even though the video clip cuts off the audience's voice, making them seem pleased with his response. Prince's claps are so clearly audible—a testament to the soundboard's quality, and the video is linked to them. While Prince revels in his singing, John is busy and agilely drumming away, stirring up the crowd with his swift and agile drumming. Even with such a beautiful melody, his professionalism makes the audience feel relaxed and ready to straighten their collars. Prince acts like a conductor, pointing the microphone stand at the audience and encouraging them to sing along. Then, Prince points his finger at the audience as if to praise Renato again as he exits the stage, leaving Renato to his own devices for an instrumental rendition of "Sometimes It Snows In April." He even plays the melody he's singing, evoking the film's atmosphere. John's drums begin with a jazzy, rustling tune, followed by another rare cut: "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 focal point here. However, a scratchy guitar phrase is heard, and Prince is there, approaching Rhonda while playing. Prince uses his guitar to diagnose the band's condition. As a result, Rhonda also becomes more subdued, playing faithfully without any idle gambles. Then, as she takes to the microphone to sing, all the attention is focused on Prince, even though it's a quiet song. Just when you think things are settling down, Renato is an exception, adding a siren-like "booey, booey" sound. Prince, for some reason inspired by Rhonda's style, also uses his own alter-ego, the Mad Cat, standing vertically and playing thin cutting notes. The result is a soft, bouncy ensemble, and as Prince delivers his narrative vocals, the band tightens up considerably. Then, in "Eye Love U, But Eye Don't Trust U Anymore," the careful yet inflected singing style and Prince's changing expressions are clearly visible on the video. And after Prince calls Renato in, his piano playing is superb. Until then, he's been faithfully playing as a backing instrument, but once Prince commands him to, he plays phrases with blinding speed and develops a smooth, cool tone, leaving you glued to the screen. The professional soundscape only this lineup could create. Prince then delivered an MC speech, saying, "I came here tonight to play a $3 million concert." Then came a jaw-dropping debut performance: "She Spoke 2 Me," a jazzy groove number from the soundtrack to the film Girl 6. Prince doesn't sing in falsetto, but in a natural, sloppy voice. The bass sounds great, which is a nice touch. The flute-like keyboard sounds are also jazzy. Prince shifts to falsetto in the second half, staying true to the studio track. After finishing, he laughs and encourages the audience to keep clapping. For the second verse, he breaks down again, and his dancing becomes a little more enthusiastic. 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 the flute-like solo, Prince praises Renato for being a real musician, and he begins to play the flute melody and groovy keyboard sounds together, becoming in high spirits. Renato's incredibly skillful. Then the drums and bass came into play, creating an even more jazzy instrumental. Prince returned to the stage after a while, grabbed his maracas, and, holding them close to the microphone, began shaking them. Even though I thought I wouldn't be surprised by any song, who would have imagined he'd play this one? Suddenly, the drums came on, and it was Prince's greatest unreleased song? 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 was the first time it had been recorded in nearly 23 years. In this live debut, Prince, maracas in hand, sang the lyrics fluently and flawlessly, despite the fast tempo. As the audience began to realize what the song was, buzzing, ecstatic, and dancing, Prince smiled with satisfaction. The flute sounds so real, it sounds like it was being played live. Even after Prince finished singing, Renato and the others continued their jazzy instrumental, and Prince went backstage to pull out his red Strat, returning to the stage and beginning to play with perfect timing as soon as he arrived. Prince's guitar eventually cut into a cutting groove, and the keyboards added various tones, creating a funky jam. But the rare moments continued. A grinning Prince appeared on screen as he played the guitar riff from "Sweet Thing." He then glanced at someone. "It's Shaka Khan!" He took the microphone and began singing, backed only by Prince's guitar. The audience sang along as the two played in a relaxed atmosphere, and when the song finished, the two laughed, and Prince shouted, "I told you, this is the right place to come." But he also said he wanted to go home, that this was the end. Sleepily rubbing his eyes, he said, "I've already sang, wait, you want me to play more?" Prince laughed, and then asked, in all seriousness, "So what do you want me to play?" "Okay, let's play. I want to stay here all night," Prince said, and Insatiable began. Prince sang jazzily in falsetto, his voice silky and his voice blowing out candles, while Renato's piano flowed beautifully. Then came the hi-hat, played with a lively tinkle. John Blackwell was wearing a suit. Then came Scandalous. Bells rang, and Prince sang again in silky falsetto. "Sing it!" Prince shouted, "Sing it!" in his natural voice. The crowd responded with a loud "Scandalous!" Prince then shouted "Come on!", to which the crowd responded with "Marvelous!" Prince then, while the performance continued, said "Good night!" and left the stage. Rhonda still turned the pages of her music, and the camera panned to John, who then began "The Beautiful Ones" with a bang. Prince returned to the center of the stage and threw towels into the crowd. Perhaps he was tired, though, as the lines "do you want me? do you want him?" that he usually shouts sounded like a conversationalist. After all, this was his third consecutive performance, and he'd also appeared on Jay Leno's TV show three nights before that, so perhaps his fatigue was showing here. However, when he shouted "that's what I want you, baby," he seemed to muster up his last bit of strength, which was amazing. His bravery in singing made you wonder if he still had that much energy left in his slender frame. Even though he was tired, he continued singing "Nothing Compares 2 U." Prince sang as if he was squeezing every last bit out of the song from the beginning, and for the second verse, he raised his hands up and down as if asking for help from the audience, encouraging them to sing along. Even so, when it came to the chorus, he continued singing as if it was important. Then, as if truly mustering his last bit of strength, Prince threw down his jacket, sang the bridge, and let the audience sing the final chorus, before turning the microphone toward the audience. Even so, he beautifully sang "you" at the very end in falsetto.

Prince then sings "to you" once more before returning to the wings. He truly finished the song, thank you. These images and sounds have been imprinted on us.

The Maniac Edition includes the complete edition's 1 DVDR and 2 CDRs, as well as 2 CDRs of a uniquely edited version of two audience tapes currently circulating in the trade for analysis such as sound quality comparison, and, for maniacal purposes, a DVDR of audience footage secretly filmed by a small number of people who infiltrated the show at the time. This is a maniac release that compiles a total of 4 CDRs and 1 DVDR to thoroughly explore the Club Nokia live performance.