Prince/Tokyo, Japan 01.09.1996

Despite being postponed, the Gold Experience tour went ahead in Japan. Overcoming various hardships, including the name change controversy that had been going on since 1994 and their break with Warner, this visit to Japan delivered a string of stunning live performances that could be called the culmination of their efforts. Since the release of the album The Gold Experience, Japan and the subsequent Hawaii tour are the only two shows that have been performed purely as the Gold Experience tour. This high-quality audience recording captures the second day of the Gold Experience tour in Japan, January 9, 1996, at the Budokan in Tokyo. The realism is unmatched! After a Purple medley, the band doesn’t play at all, as if to tease the audience, but the intro to 1999 and that Prince guitar intro to Endorophine Machine are played even harder than usual! However, strangely, they cut it short early, and with the call of “Tokyo!”, they play a rock-esque intro to “Shhh!”, one after the other, almost like a medley. “Now” featured a rare twist, with Sex Machine popping up, and “Do Me Baby,” a song not performed on the first day, was played, changing the setlist to suit the Japanese audience. And what’s more, the “We March,” a song exclusive to the first and second days, featured a poppy live arrangement that was a fantastic performance. The band switched to “One Of Us” midway through, and then the final “Love Thy Will Be Done” (Prince playing guitar heavily) and the Purple Medley hadn’t even been performed live yet. The second day of the Tokyo performance was a transitional period of trial and error. Perhaps due to a band misstep, “I Hate U” was an instrumental version, and “319” wasn’t even played. This was the only day we got to hear such unusual performances. Prince shouted, “What should I say to those Japanese people who don’t understand the lyrics?” and then immediately played “Billy Jack Bitch,” which was funky. It felt like Prince was confused and unsure of his relationship with the Japanese. Anyway, they continued with their best performance of Gold, resulting in a very unique but wonderful live performance. Live at Budokan Tokyo Japan Jan 9, 1996 Disc 1 1. Purple Rain – 2. Endorphine Machine – 3. Shhh! – 4. Days Of Wild – 5. Now – 6. Sexmachine – 7. The Most Beautiful Girl IN The World – 8. P Control – 9. Letitgo – 10. Starfish And Coffee Disc 2 1. The Cross – 2. We March – 3. Love…Thy Will Be Done – 4. Do Me Baby – 5. Sexy MF – 6. If I Was Your Girlfriend – 7. Vicky Waiting – 8. I Hate U – 9. 7 – 10. Billy Jack Bitch – 11. Gold