Prince Montreux Jazz Festival ‘88: fan fiction 🧵
This is purely for entertainment purposes and something that came to mind out of boredom a few days ago. In real life, Prince has performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival 3x (2007, 2009 and 2013). Each time was different; different setlist, different look, different band. Each time phenomenal.
The point of this series of tweets is to narrate how it may or may not have gone had Prince played Montreux in 1988. That year was monumental with the cancellation of the Black album, recording and releasing Lovesexy as well as the following tour and legendary aftershows. He was in jazz fusion mode a lot along with his usual mix of pop/rock, funk and some house music was mixed in during this time as well. His guitar playing was very experimental and fusion-Esque during this time as well. Anyway, follow me back to an imaginary timeline for Summer 1988.
Imagine. It’s 1988. Prince so far as cancelled the Black Album release. He was hold up in his new Paisley Park studio complex and recorded a brand new album in its place called Lovesexy.
Spring 1988. Prince and the band with no name are rehearsing their asses off in Paisley. New show coming. First half, “evil” older and more salacious songs and the second half, “rebirth” with new songs mixed in with Revolution era hits.
In the past few years, Prince has added forms of jazz and fusion to his repertoire. Whether on record, unreleased jams, and or in some live interpretations, Prince has become more comfortable with improvisation on stage and off.
It is also during this time his guitar playing changed (for the better) and improved so much (as if that was possible). His playing is more experimental. He’s added a baby blue cloud guitar to his arsenal as well. His gear setup is similar to last years SOTT tour and while he uses a small array of 6 pedals and 1 wah, he’s making a lot of noise with it.
Prince has also by this time struck up a friendship with the Jazz God Miles Davis. Miles was a huge Prince fan. His infatuation starting with the 1999 album. First a chance meeting at an airport in 1985. Prince then created the song “Can I Play With U?” sent it to Miles, he sent it back and…it never came out. It was an ok track but it didn’t fit Miles’ Tutu album and it didn’t showcase the greats at their best. Word is Prince was scared to go in the studio and tell Miles what to do, which is understandable and shows the respect he had for him. Miles starting coming to rehearsals last year in 87 at the warehouse pre paisley park, more recently performed for the first and only time with P during a New Year’s Eve show. Prince would see Miles later this year in Paris at his show and again in 1991 when Miles played at Prince’s Glam Slam club in MPLS months before he died.
Anywho, the Lovesexy Tour that’s supposed to start in Europe in late May, early June is approaching. Now by this time the band he has have been together in one way or another for 2 years now and have played many an aftershows. This band is ferocious. They can play literally anything. This band is arguably more well rounded and can play to the changes unlike previous groups.
A lot of the aftershows or one off shows from 87-88 are very loose and improvisational. Some have set arrangements too though.
The itinerary for the Lovesexy Tour is set with some days off in June and July. Coincidentally, there’s a little known (sarcasm) music festival going on called the Montreux Jazz festival from June 30th-July 16th. Some artists set to play this year are Tracy Chapman, Booker T and the MG’s, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Mcferrin, KENNY G., Santana, Lee Rittenour, David Sanborn and…Miles Davis.
Unbeknownst to everybody except a few in Prince’s camp, they would be taking 2 days off to appear at Montreux. It’s Prince’s first time playing a music festival let alone a world renowned one such as Montreux.
Fast forward to June 1988. The Lovesexy Tour is underway. While the album wasn’t doing as well in the United States for multiple reasons that I won’t go into here, it was doing very well in Europe. His music has been doing that a lot lately starting with 1985’s Around the World in A Day, Parade in 86 and last year’s Sign O The Times. It seems European audiences allow black artists including but not limited to Prince the space to do and be themselves. They allow artists to make the music they want to make without the need for “hits”, charts, etc.
The Lovesexy show was brand new (in the round for the first time which he would revisit a few times many years later) The look was brand new per usual. The band was on fire. Shows were receiving rave reviews. They called it Liberace on acid. Idk if that’s good or bad 😂 but it was amazing.
The jazz festival shows were approaching and it wasn’t announced that he would be playing. Last year Prince dropped a jazz tinged funk project called Madhouse that highlighted his saxophonist Eric Leeds with Prince playing everything else.
Madhouse was well received but Prince’s reason for not wanting his name anywhere near it was different than it had been in the past. Before Prince wanted to get as much music out as he could but also to create alternate bands and personas. Cool.
With Madhouse he wanted to highlight Eric but also he knew the jazz critics were beyond music snobs and would tear him a new one if he went anywhere near that music even though his father was a jazz pianist and he was more than capable of adopting a jazz mindset (improvisational).
This puts into context as to why it wasn’t announced that Prince was playing. Jazz aficionados would have a field day if they heard that a pop star (real ones know he was and is more than that) infiltrated their beloved jazz festival.
Prince and the band had 2 days off. 1 to run through some music that may or may not be played and 1 to play the festival before the tour has to continue in another city.
The band for Montreux would consist of Prince alternating on guitar and keyboards. Sheila E. on drums. Levi Seacer Jr. on bass. Eric Leeds on Saxophone, Atlanta Bliss on trumpet and Dr. Fink on keyboards.
Hold up in a nearby studio near Montreux, the band is jamming. They’re running through cover tunes (Billy Cobham’s Stratus, Just My Imagination by the Temptations, Tutu by Miles Davis, Mother Popcorn by James Brown, selections from both Madhouse albums (8 and 16) and Prince originals (including but not limited to: the Ballad of Dorothy Parker, Jack U Off, Mutiny, Strange Relationship, Housequake (7 minutes mo Quake), etc.)
Next day: show time!
Instruments and rigs are being setup. Sheila’s drums are dead center. The horns are to be set up on Sheila’s left. Dr. Fink’s keyboards are set up to her right. Levi is to Prince’s right. A baby blue grand piano is to Prince’s left. Prince’s microphone and guitar pedalboard are in the center.
When the Lights go down:
The show begins with an instrumental jam similar to what the band would do later that year in Holland during a very legendary aftershow.
Sheila begins with a drum beat, when in all actuality she’s tuning up. Dr. Fink joins in on piano. Levi comes in on bass. You hear a guitar wailing before you see anybody playing one. It’s still dark on stage. The gain and sustain coming from the guitar is very loud and heavily overdriven. Prince then walks out with his new “blue angel” cloud guitar, all black outfit with Minneapolis written on the shoulder. The crowd is losing their mind. At some point during this opening jam, Prince mixed in the main lead guitar line from a recently recorded & unreleased song called Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic. Prince ends the workout with a scream.
Prince begins the next song by playing the bassline of “Stratus” on his cloud guitar with some Boss Flanger whirling on top. The band know what to do and fall in line. It is played in a similar vein of the version from a 2013 Dakota show with each band member getting some soloing time. The band is on fire. They’ve had time to gel and really jam together. The band plays the lead line turn around once again as Prince signals them to end it. The audience lose their mind again. They don’t expect this from a “pop star”. Prince also wasn’t really taken seriously on guitar for YEARS.
Next up is Prince playing the old Temptations hit Just My Imagination. Prince has switched guitars for this. He is playing his brown and cheetah Hohner guitar for this. He’s playing rhythm guitar instead of singing the verses similar to his Fine Line show from last year and it sounds super clean. It’s a beautiful rendition. You can see the audience is mesmerized during this performance. Prince takes a searing guitar solo during this. Later he sings some lyrics from a Sheila E. song he penned a few years earlier called Noon Rendezvous.
Prince walks over to his blue piano, which in fact ain’t a real grand. It’s indeed a piano shell with a keyboard/synth workstation built into it. He then plays 2 instrumentals An Honest Man which goes into Under The Cherry Moon. He begins to lead the band into a long and slow swing version of a song called A Question of U. It was recorded 2 years ago and never released. This was beautiful. It almost drives the audience to tears. Following this song, Prince plays a medley of Venus de Milo, Starfish and Coffee, Raspberry Beret, Condition of the Heart and Strange Relationship before ending the set with an all band version of the Ballad of Dorothy Parker which bleeds into Madhouse’s 4.
Prince walks backstage to change clothes (assumed). The band go into a fire rendition of the 7 minutes mo Quake version of Housequake this leads into the Sheila E. drum solo ection of the show; complete with dog bark sample. Prince comes back out with a change of clothes. The band launch into 2 Madhouse songs back to back 10 and 15. Uncharacteristically Prince takes guitar solos during both, both clean and blues based.
Prince switches guitars to his new white Auerswald guitar shaped like a bow. He plays a guitar only version of Sometimes It Snows in April. That was fantastic. Complete with some ethereal sounding guitar work. Plenty of vibrato and flanger effects on top of everything.
Then a familiar tune is started on piano by Dr. Fink…it’s Purple Rain. Prince gives the band some time to breathe for this. Extended sax and trumpet solos before Prince comes in with a clean bluesy solo. Band is stretching this out before Prince begins to sing the first verse. Typical for this time, after 1 verse and chorus Prince says “thank you” and clicks that Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive pedal for the now iconic guitar solo. Although dragged out and short “song” wise overall it was great. The audience participated during the hoo hoo hoo hoo parts at the end. He received plenty of applause once he was finished.
After 5 minutes of darkness and the crowd cheering, Prince and the band come back out for an encore that included an jamming instrumental version of Chain O Fools (Aretha Franklin) mixed with Cold Sweat (James Brown), and Prince’s own It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night. Prince and the band leave again after this…this time for good.
If they had any doubts about Prince and his abilities as a musician, they had them no longer. While this show was receiving beyond stellar reviews, Prince and the band would then travel to Italy to continue the Lovesexy Tour sprinkled in with many aftershow dates. A year from now, Prince would be over the Lovesexy concept (similar to how he does everything else). The current band would be disbanded similar to the Revolution who was broken up and or fired a few years earlier. Minus Levi, Miko and Dr. Fink; Cat would leave and be replaced by 3 dancers waiting on their chance; 1 of which would become Prince’s best friend and later his best man at his wedding. Boni Boyer would leave and be replaced by another big voice from the Bay Area. Sheila E. would leave the Prince situation altogether but would still be around and replaced by a young heavy drumming prodigy from MPLS. Prince would pause on horns for a few years until he brought in the Hornheads.
Prince has many many what ifs. Prince fans make up many of them up but it’s fun to do so why not? What if Prince never disbanded the Revolution? What if Prince never built Paisley Park? What if Prince toured SOTT in the United States? What if Prince never left WB?
With an artist just as great and legendary as Prince whose career lasted almost 50 years, there’s so many alternate universes if you will when it comes to his career. What are some of your what ifs? I employ you to write some down and post them here
If you made it this far, thank you for reading. Peace and be wild.
