“1999” still seemed a long time away when Prince performed that song during a 1985 concert broadcast to the world via a satellite dish on the loading dock of the concert hall. Prince and The Revolution beamed 20 songs, including every track from his epochal Purple Rain album—to millions of fans who had already embraced him as the ‘80s most creative artist in the music industry.
That memorable concert from Syracuse’s Carrier Dome is given a luxurious, full purple treatment on the new box set with a simple title, Live. The box contains all the music from that March 30, 1985 show on two CDs, three LPs (purple, red and gold vinyl) and a 44-page booklet chockablock with photos and memories.
The star of the package, however, is the Blu-ray disc presenting the sights as well as the sounds of that long-ago night. Prince carefully crafted his look as well as his music, giving his songs visual dimension through his manly yet androgynous image, a marriage of Little Richard and Jimi Hendrix. The front row of The Revolution moved in Motown lockstep as Prince tore across the stage, transforming energy into a whirl of physical motion. He danced, maybe not with the startling agility of Michael Jackson, but then, he operated within a sonic universe far vaster than MJ ever imagined.
Prince absorbed an incredibly large repertoire of music in the age before the easy access of the internet. He could testify like a ‘60s soul man, hit a tender falsetto and launch into a searing blues rock guitar solo within a few minutes time. And he was able to open up his tightly conceived melodies while performing them live. His most popular songs dealt with the familiar subjects of sex and romance, but even in the rousing show starter “Let’s Go Crazy” came questions about the larger meaning. “What’s it all for?” he asked. During the funky “1999,” as the bass line snapped like tight rubber bands and the drums slapped the beat, Prince worried that there might be an end time after the party ended. Little wonder that one of his songs was called “God.”
|
|
Although the cinematography isn’t perfect, the eight-camera set-up give gives the home audience a close-up look at Prince—having the time of his life—that no one in the best seats in Syracuse could have seen on that night.
