Prince & The NPG / Club Black (2CDR)

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony Aftershow
Club Black, New York

16th March 2004 (am)

Disc 1

1.Footprints
2. Musicology
3. Tighten Up
4.Shhh
5. D.M.S.R.
6. The Way You Move
7.Tricky
8. Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa
9. House Party
10. A Love Bizarre (intro)
11. The Glamorous Life (intro)
12. I Feel For You
13.Controversy
14. Renato Interlude
15. The Beautiful Ones
16. Nothing Compares 2 U

Disc 2

1.Insatiable
2. Call My Name
3. Sign O' The Times
4.The Question Of U
5. 12:01
6.The One
7. Fallin'
8. Let's Work
9. U Got The Look
10. Life 'O' The Party
11. Gimme The Light
12. Uptown Up
13. Soul Man
14. Kiss

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame: 15th March 2004 (Soundboard Recording / Broadcast)

15. A Love Bizarre (intro)
16. The Glamorous Life (intro)
17. I Feel For You
18. Let's Go Crazy
19. Sign O' The Times
20. Soul Man
21. Kiss
22. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

If asked to name one of Prince's legendary performances, many would likely choose "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In fact, Prince and his bandmates held an after-show afterward. This is a superb audience recording of a live performance at Club Black in New York on the morning of March 16, 2004. Wayne Shorter's performance of Footprints feels like an after-show, but it actually gives a glimpse into what the Musicology Tour would become. However, Musicology, which is deliberately delayed in starting, has a significantly different arrangement from the later tour versions. Mike Scott's guitar playing, in particular, is different. Maceo Parker is also there, and the scene where he urges the audience not to stop Maceo, and the audience complies, is incredibly exciting. Mike Phillips is also there, and his solo is fantastic. D.M.S.R. has a more jam-like feel than the later tour versions. They also include a cover of Outkast's I Like The Way You Move, which is being performed for the first time here. And Prince, with a Morris Day-esque voice, plays Tricky! It's blended into the jam, but it's incredibly funky, and this is the only performance of it. From there, the set transitions to the slow groove of "Thank U 4 Talkin' 2 Me Africa," and then to "House Party," where Prince sings with Chance Howard. This kind of development is naturally not seen on tour and feels like an after-show. "Controversy" features thrilling guitar cutting in the latter half, and Prince's funky interplay with Maceo and others is fantastic. The transition from Renato's beautiful piano to "The Beautiful Ones" is incredibly exciting. The audience spontaneously starts singing along, but then Mike's saxophone solo comes in. Then Renato's piano returns, and after a long five-minute intro, Prince finally begins to sing. His vocals are very gentle, but as expected, Prince lets out a magnificent scream towards the end. Then comes "Nothing Compares 2 U." Candy Dulfer's saxophone solo is brilliant. And then "Insatiable," with a slightly unconventional piano fingering in the intro. But Prince sings it well, and with "Insatiable" as the backing, he gives the first performance of "Call My Name." Then, in "The Question of U," the unreleased track "12:01" is sung in a rare jazzy style by Prince, leading into "The One" and "Fallin'." Candy Dulfer sings on "Fallin'." The rest of the performance follows the 2003 tour of Hong Kong, Australia, and Hawaii, with Prince singing a bit of Sean Paul's "Gimme the Light," but this is his only performance of it. Also, "Take Me With U" and "The Everlasting Now" are cut. Therefore, the last time "The Everlasting Now" is played is at the Fillmore concert on February 16th. Prince's performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is also recorded from the soundboard. The video of Alicia Keys' talk at this time would later be shown at the beginning of the Musicology Tour.

In this way, this live performance was the final preparation for the Musicology Tour, and it contains developments that can only be heard here, making it a very important and supremely enjoyable title.