Live in San José

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Live in San José
April 19th & 20th, 1997

The Artist gave two concerts in San José, CA on April 19th and 20th at the San José State University Event Center. The concert was a Love 4 One Another benefit, and a portion of the proceeds were given to Reverend Cecil Williams' Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco. The Artist made good on his promise to Bay Area "friends" after canceling a scheduled April 12th concert due to excessive scalping to the charity event. He instituted a ticket voucher system which required a picture ID and limited tickets to four per person. A voucher was given for the tickets. The night of the concert, the voucher was redeemed for tickets just prior to entering the venue. The name and ID had to match or no tickets! Surprisingly, the wait was only 30 minutes once in line.

This was the first time I had seen The Artist perform live even though I had been a "fan" since 1979. Despite the cancellation and waiting line twice to get tickets, it was well worth the wait. The concert was scheduled to start at 8:30 PM, but did not start until 9:15 PM. I was able to get about 15 feet away from the stage before the band came out. I was about to become Emancipated!

The crowd came to life as the New Power Generation came on stage. The band consisted of Kirk Johnson on drums, Morris Hayes on keyboards and samples, Rhonda Smith on bass, Kathleen Dyson and Mike Scott on guitar, and Sugar Blue on harmonica. After they began the intro to Jam of the Year, took the stage and the crowd roared. Wearing his BRR parka, he pranced around the stage bringing the crowd to a party mood. Next they played Talkin' Loud (But Sayin' Nothin') which was one of the highlights of the night for me (being a big James Brown fan). They must have jammed for at least 15 minutes. Purple Rain followed which was a crowd favorite. It was reminiscent of the scene from the movie with the crowd swaying from side to side with their arms in the air.

Next was Get Yo Groove On which was exactly what the crowd did. played the clavinet while the band jammed. Each member had a solo, and the harmonica of Sugar Blue gave the song a funky blues feel to it. Next was Face Down which was another highlight for me. I felt that the version on Emancipation was okay, but the live version was much better. played the one-eyed bass and got the audience to chant Face Down on cue. The song was much funkier than the album version.

The mood of the crowd changed when he played The Cross. They became quiet and some held up lighters during the song. At the end the audience applauded and then said the next song is dedicated to God. He then began to play One of Us which received applause. Some of the audience sang the song along with him. His guitar solo received applause from the crowd.

Next, went to the piano and played How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore. But he brought the crowd back to life with a medley of Take Me With You and Raspberry Beret. He walked up ramps on both sides of the stage while playing guitar. When he got close to the crowd, security tried to hold back the crowd as people rushed to get close to him. It was close to a frenzy. He ended the set with Mr. Happy which brought the crowd to its feet.

and the band changed clothes for the encore. came out on a cellular phone and announced that he was on the phone with Mayte. He told her that the next song was for her and put the phone on the piano. He and the band then started to play The Holy River which was well received by the audience. After the song, he said goodbye to Mayte. He then began singing a part of Girls & Boys, but suddenly started playing Sleep Around. He pranced around the stage encouraging the crowd to stand and clap their hands. The band then played Get It Together and ended the show with Johnny. He got the crowd to chant "NPG in the MF'ing house!", and they continued until the end of the song. was given a standing ovation as he left the stage. It was over for the night, and most had forgotten the tribulations they endured for the prior two weeks, had made it worth it!

April 19th Set List

Jam of the Year
Talkin' Loud (But Sayin' Nothin’)
Purple Rain
17 Days (intro)
Get Yo Groove On
Face Down
The Cross
One of Us
Do Me Baby
Sexy MF (part)
If I Was Your Girlfriend
Condition of the Heart (part)
How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore
Diamonds and Pearls (part)
Take Me with U/Raspberry Beret
Mr.Happy

Encore

Holy River
Girls & Boys (part)
Sleep Around
Get It Together
Johnny

The show on Sunday the 20th was basically the same with a few differences. The Holy River and Johnny were omitted from the set list while Girls & Boys and The Most Beautiful Girl In The World were added. The crowd seemed slightly more excited than Saturday's, but maybe it was me. A highlight of the evening was the young lady who was brought up on stage for How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore. She seemed genuinely in disbelief that she was on stage with . When he pretended to faint, she was afraid to touch him. She cautiously helped him to his feet and gave him a hug. I'm sure it was a moment she'll remember that moment for the rest of her life. The weirdest moment of the night was when brought four people from the audience to dance on stage. The last person chosen was a "fan" in an custom airbrushed Prince / denim suit. He was wearing a purple sequined mask with matching gloves and symbol. had him turn around so the crowd could get a good look and said, "Now you tell me!" But the surprise of the evening was a guest appearance of Carlos Santana. He was introduced at the beginning of the encore by as his friend and idol. Carlos Santana began a 10 minute medley which included Soul Sacrifice and ended with a standing ovation and applause from the audience. I hope this performance will show up on an official recording or video.

April 20th Set List

Jam Of The Year
Talkin' Loud (But Sayin' Nothin')
Purple Rain
17 Days (intro) / Get Yo Groove On / 6 (part)
The Most Beautiful Girl In The World
Face Down
The Cross
One Of Us
Do Me Baby
Sexy MF
If I Was Your Girlfriend
Condition Of The Heart (part) / How Come U Don't Call Me
Take Me With U / Raspberry Beret

Encore

Santana Medley (With Carlos Santana)
Girls & Boys / Free The Slave Intro
Sleep Around
Purple Axe Solo / Get It Together
Mr. Happy

, if you're out there, T*H*A*N*K*S*! It was a weekend that I'll never forget!