Sign O’ The Times: A Father, A Daughter, A Moment

Firstly, I got to take my 18-year-old daughter to see Prince. At least as close as could possibly be. This was peak Prince (IMO) too so who would have thought right? Having her there added a lot of extra emotion for me. As she has grown older, she has adopted so much music into here life sourced from the 80’s, 90’s and early noughties that we have even more of a closeness and way of communicating which as a dad and musician is just the best…… and she independently of me Prince is up there for her. She’s been around his music all her life, but I’ve never pushed it!

Went to see it at the Trafford Centre IMAX – no-one told me of the nightmare of parking there. It felt like a close call as even though ide given it time, we only just got there halfway through the trailers…... bit stressed. The second the electricity ball sizzle hit though it simply didn’t matter anymore.

Not track by track this time, I mean we are familiar in that sense, right? That familiarity however did take a bit of a hit as for me in a substantive level this didn’t quite feel like the same concert. On the face of it that seemed a bit odd as I’ve watched this as a fan and studied it as a musician for the band so many times, but the extent to which the buffed-up version and the magnitude of its delivery changed something was striking. Let’s hope this translates into more releases of this kind.

Seeing Prince was always going to be emotional for me. This might seem like a silly thing to say in front of this audience of course, I am sure on various levels you all felt it. There are people who have different fandom stances. Never a word against him will be tolerated, he is otherworldly, they live him. I am comfortable with all that and fair play, but my focus has always been his music first and him second (although it’s a relatively compelling and absorbing second even so). Having said this as soon as he came on screen overhearing Cat and Brooks snare laden oratory, before a note was played, I felt it. More than I thought would.

SOTT has always been my favorite of Prince’s concert intro’s. Some guitar bias for sure, and I like my electronic music too so as soon as his intro solo had ascended and resolved back up to that C chord and the Linns kick drum started with the sumptuous IMAX audio it felt HUGE. The other thing was that this presentation straddled a strange reality. Prince was so “present”. He’s not with us anymore in the way we want him to be, but still this was slightly beyond watching an archive of a gig from 87 on VHS. I think this slightly amorphous element is what made it so amazing for me.

Getting to it, I lost my shit and started blubbing when the band walked on behind him playing the marching band drums part on SOTT. Not sure why that moment specifically. My daughter leaned over and said “Love U dad” when she noticed and as moments in time go for this old guitar player that was one. His physical movement dancing on Housequake seemed more vivid than ever, the Q&A interplay with the audience “We do!” added even more to just how present he was. The brilliance of Cat most recently poignant was a joy to see – especially their interplay on Hot Thing with the “each side of the fence pump” scene – god she was so beautiful and full of energy. Odd one out Little Red Corvette was an interesting part of the whole with this film speaking to something that wasn’t just Peach & Black, again with the tears. My daughters joint favorite Prince song (along with I Would Die 4 U) is I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man. I was telling her the live version was really where this was at and oh hell it felt like we were there with that footage. I never understood why he played it live so rarely – but this makes up for that! U Got The Look we kinds know wouldn’t have the uplift as it was a video insert not shot on the same quality source but for me anyway, again, the heft of the electronic kick and clarity of the audio just lifted it off the screen. One of his best singles ever and somewhat of an odd one out as it wasn’t played on a tour until Lovesexy, but here in this context fits perfectly.

The last three songs. I mean...... oof right? White dwarf star levels of gravity here.

Forever In My Life is another song I always felt was really a live tune. Seeing this right now in this context feels like it can only mean what the literal song name says, and yes dude you certainly will be. Boni Boyer. A voice when unleashed that suites this gigantic presentation more than most and here visceral power is appropriately serviced. Gone too soon. Hypnotic campfire joy is Forever In My Life as the band flank Prince and close it out. Communal, “The Lovesexy” band – stark irony there!

Its Gonna B A Beautiful Night has always represented the Rolls Royce band piece for me and my 80s proclivities. Sped up here a bit (my band hates me for wanting this pace!!!!) the power of this James Brownesque tour-de-force is lightening. To be lifted, again, after all the songs that have come before is something. Complex, precise, nice vamp, explosive breaks into unison parts on command. There was no better live performer band combo. Had this been 20 mins long it would have still been too brief. Additionally, the more concentrated white light in the palette lifted it out of the vague film/show narrative somewhat and far from being jarring is just like another offshoot level. Different but always additionally complimentary.

The Cross. It lives its best life in isolation on this film, at the end of this tour, with this visual, this position and thematics. Purple Rain, Gold, Planet Earth – The Cross lives in that space but has the crescendo motif ever been as strong as here? Has the stage visual ever convened with such perfection? Just so powerful, jaw dropping and immense.

That look of concentration on his face when you get the dowsed in white light shot of him hitting up the solo runs...... tears again, this time for the guitar player side of this multi-faceted genius.

As afternoons go, this was one of the best in my life. That’s just how much this landed with me along with the very important element of sharing this with my daughter before she heads into her own life and I don’t see her as much. Prince changed my life, set me on a course that pretty much everything in my life now is anchored to.

As I said earlier this was, for me anyhow, the apex of his peak live years. A predominantly album themed tour that artists can do when they are bathing in the light of critical acclimation. The stage set by modern standards looks a little boutique but is all the better for it. Sign O The Times speaks of the times as a live experience and calls back to, frankly, better days for the world. And that’s despite its meaning at the time. “Black day, stormy night. No love, no hope in sight” – could that be any more current? Even so ill be going again and immersing myself two days from now.

God I miss this dude.

Paddy xxx