You know what would be cool? If we could get an official release of ANY show from the Piano & A Microphone 2016 Tour, to accompany Prince's Memoir, The Beautiful Ones, when it is released next month. This is not material that has to be fished out of The Vault, or mixed, or... etcetera, etcetera so ;)* It's ready to go. In fact, it's going.
I've seen clips from the January 2016 show during Celebration 2017 and 2018. Interestingly, the person I happened to be seated next to in 2017 was stunned into silence by the clip chosen that year. Paisley doesn't give you much warning about what's going to be screened, and it was the last time this gentleman had seen Prince live. That was rough. Most of us who have seen him live have had that surreal experience of seeing the show(s) we attended on a screen somewhere within Paisley Park. Amazing memories, and yet ... sigh. :(
The show was, of course, amazing, beautiful footage of Prince sharing the story of his life through song. So much there. The P&M clips they showed at Celebration 2018, I really need to see again. How many times have you seen him perform A Million Days, Black Sweat, or Call My Name on piano, solo?* The camera operator for that show used some different angles that, well let's just say, there's this one Holy Sh!t moment where he pauses singing, and looks up, with those eyes, directly into a camera that must have been somewhere overhead and ... Lord help me. Gotta see that again.
There's also the version of Free Urself that plays in the loop of live performances in the soundstage area at Paisley for the museum tours. He seems so emotional and in a mode share something. As exquisitely painful as it is to consider it all, being able to hear the final messages he wanted to convey to us in his music via his last live performances, combined with his memoirs could be life-changing for those of us who remain Here on Earth.* Sigh.
Musing & Still Waiting*, 4EVER
Violet
IG: @violetesq
www.VioletBInterACTive.com
PRINCE/365 A CELEBRATION
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*Release It, The Time, Graffiti Bridge., Paisley Park Records,1990.
*Lyrics from Ripopgodazippa, o(+>, Crystal Ball, NPG Records, 1998.
*Solo, Prince, Come, Warner Bros., 1994.
*Here on Earth, Prince, One Night Alone ... (Solo Piano & Voice by Prince), NPG Records, 2002.
*Still Waiting, Prince, Prince., Warner Bros.,1979.