Prince / The O2 September 9, 2007 Eye Version (1BDR)

This stunning audience recording from Prince's 21 Nights of London show on September 9th at the O2 Arena, filmed from above, captures Prince's dizzying movements with a high degree of accuracy. This Blu-ray edition, originally released on DVD by Eye Records, replaces the audio with ultra-high-quality audience recordings, remasters the footage, and includes most of "We Will Rock You" and "Let's Go Crazy," which were not included on the original. It's also beautifully edited, adding a slideshow and audio to fill in the missing footage. This truly spectacular day, featuring a Super Bowl medley, is even more enjoyable. During "Musicology," Prince points and says, "Freaks on this side." Prince and the Band warms up the crowd 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 only other tracks were performed on September 16, 2007, suggesting they were originally written for the 21 Nights of London show. "What A Wonderful World" was also performed by Mike Phillips, but both were instrumentals. In fact, both songs have 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 for a longer time, saying, "It's unstoppable." Prince asks, "Is it a new song next, or an old one?" 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 video is a sampler set, but the shot 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 track 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 video. The lights are dimmed, and the band launches into a perfect rendition of "I Feel For You." The final track is "Controversy," and the crowd builds excitement with the jumps and up-and-down chants of "Housequake," before wrapping up the show with "Funky London, yay!" The live show truly closes.

Also included is footage originally streamed on 3121.com. The resolution is low and there is some block noise due to the master, but it was recorded as is without remastering. Peach is the best, continuing to play even after saying thank you and saying no after all.

Earth Tour
O2 Arena, London
9th September 2007

We Will Rock You / 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 / 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.

Earth Tour
O2 Arena, London
3rd August 2007

Joy In Repetition / Anotherloverholenyohead / Rock Lobster (instrumental) / Peach

Pro-shot
13min.