25 Oct Review: PRINCE & Andy Allo Make The “Housequake” At The Sayers Club

Prince performed along with Andy Allo at the Sayers Club on Tuesday night for a crowd just over 200 in Hollywood.

After seeing Prince perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live, I headed over to The Sayers Club where I met Damaris Lewis, the model and guest dancer for Prince on his latest tour and we did a quick interview.

You had to check your cellphones at the door, so I knew that meant no tweeting of songs performed while they were happening like I have done in the past before writing a full review.

I strike up a conversation with Hannah Ford, Prince’s guest drummer, and her husband Josh and talk about the experience she has had since joining the NPG. Through the night I talk with Elissa Fiorilo-Deese, Ida, and John Blackwell, the coolest people for sure.

It is around 12:20 when Andy Allo and her band enter with the horns playing as the entered stage left.

To read the entire review, including set lists, click on the continue reading button below….

Andy’s set:
Instrumental groove
When Stars Collide
If I Was King
The Story Of You & I
Yellow Gold (W/Old School Medley)
People Pleaser

Andy’s 45 minute set was met with applause with the party atmosphere crowd. After the instrumental groove where she danced while getting her guitar on, she went into “When Stars Collide” which I was digging hearing live for the first time after being lucky enough to hear the studio version off her album “Superconductor” which is due for release 11/20/12. The full version of the song was played along with cool bass playing by Gouche.

“If I Was King” was up next which she recorded for Jimmy Kimmel Live earlier in the day. The R&b-reggae infused track works well live and is staple from how she can go from a ballad like “When Stars Collide” to this groove.

She then slows it down again with “You & I” which was a favorite of most at her listening party in Los Angeles last month.

Andy takes into the funk groove “Yellow Gold” and incorporates about 3-4 old school songs in the middle of song including “Heartbeat” by Taana Garder. “Yellow Gold” is quite catchy and had people in the booths bobbing their head and the ones in the center just getting their groove on.

“People Pleaser” closed out the set and stage right, Prince appeared to watch Andy and the band. They took their time stretching the groove as crowd was into it. The video for “People Pleaser” was shown before her performance and you can read more about that here.

After the set, the Andy and her band excited stage right, with some taking their place in their private area there where I set up shop during the set.

Prince entered the area talking with Sanna Hamri and greeting others that he saw for the first time.  He came over to me and shook my hand and all I could say was “Good seeing you again.”  He came over again about 5 minutes later when Hannah Ford was next to me and asked what I thought of Hannah in the “Rock & Roll Love Affair” video and I said she looked cool.  Prince said “Having her in my video is going to make me a star” which made Hannah laugh.

A little later Prince was talking with Andy Allo and Ledisi and she said something that made Prince take a seat by me with cane in hand and basically say that Andy was trying to clown the hooded sweater that Prince was wearing.  He playfully raised his fist to her as she did the same thing back to him.  Too funny.  We talked for a little bit longer about things for Andy in the future and he then made snuck up on the house DJ to make a request.  The DJ turned around to see who it was and let Prince speak.  Afterwards though, the DJ couldn’t believe it was Prince n was shaking his hand and telling him what an honor it was and we are sure he followed Prince’s request after going a lil Jamie Foxxx on the man.

Prince then signaled for Hannah to play drums and then said “Stratus” and she headed to the drums to kick off Prince’s set.

Prince’s set list:

Stratus
We’re A Winner (Featuring Ledisi)
Never Loved A Man (Featuring Ledisi & Liv Warfield)
Satisfied
I Don’t Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing
Housequake
The Jam
The Bird
Jungle Love
Glamorous Life
Shop Talk
Dark

Prince put on his black shades and his guitar and the jamming begun.
Playing with his back mostly to the crowd, Prince would call for Maceo and directed the horn players along with Hannah.  This version was about 10 minutes or so, give or take.  Prince then went into “We’re A Winner” telling the crowd “You can all get up and dance, it’s cool” and the crowd of 200 proceeded to do just that. Prince called for Ledisi who was next to Andy. She went on stage and took over the mic next to Liv and Elissa qith quickness, belting out the song in the process. That quickly went into “Never Loved A Man” with Ledisi and Liv being prominent on vocals.

Prince then went into “Satisfied” making it slow, bluesy, and sexy before going into “I Don’t Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing” by James Brown, and having Maceo solo a lot during the song.

Prince then asked the crowd “Tell me who in the house know about the quake” and the crowd shouted “We do” with Damaris in the VIP booth proclaiming “We are about to make the housequake for real!” as she started dancing. Prince did the longest version of Housequake I have heard sometime with 1st and 2nd versus and the horn section was having a ball with the song, extending it out for quite some time before Prince brought the groove back to the end. Quite a funky version of “Housequake” that even just writing about, I am transported back to Tuesday night.

After “Housequake”, he performed “The Jam” kicking it off with John Blackwell and then a rousing bass solo by Gouche.

Prince then went into “The Bird” and Damaris became my dancing partner as we showed we could fly. Prince, who was front and center to the crowd most of the night after “Stratus” went to stage right to do the opening jungle sound to “Jungle Love” where he did 1st and 2nd verse lyrics before going into “Glamorous Life” having Ledisi sing the first verse with Prince backing her up. Second verse, Ledisi, and Prince combined for the lyrics which led into a John Blackwell drum solo. John was wearing a black outfit that had neon lights and with a flip of a switch he had control of, could make the lights going on and off.

The band then went into “Shop Talk” with Prince dancing around and guiding the horn section with the band saying “Shop Talk” at different times during the song. Gouche did a killer bass solo that was just straight hotness.

Prince then slowed it down for “Dark” where he called for Maceo to solo as Prince walked off stage to the booth area and sat between me and Damaris to admire Maceo’s playing.

Prince then walked back to the stage to perform “Dark” and when it got to the part of “You took my sex and my money…I never a witch so mean..” he spoke it for effect, instead of singing it. He went back to using his higher falsetto and then had Maceo do another solo.

An hour had passed and he said “Thank you so much Hollywood. You’ve been a wonderful audience. We do not want to wear out our welcome. Goodnight” and he then exited back to the VIP booth area with the crowd applauding heavily. There would be no chants of “We want Prince” as there was at Kimmel as the DJ immediately went back to spinning music. Prince chilled for a few minutes and walked over to day goodbye and I said “Thank you for everything Prince. Great show. Have a good night.”

I stayed for a while watching Damaris and Hannah dance to “Poison” by Bell Biv Devoe as Hannah’s husband Josh said to me “They just gave us a free show” and I must say, Damaris and Hannah were working it. I spoke with Ida and John before I left and said bye to some of the new friends I made earlier.

We have been hearing rumors about another Sayers Club show and while writing this,  I just found out there will be another private show tonight.

To me, the sound at The Sayers Club was on point, and there were no issues, which was nice.

It is always nice to see Prince perform, even if it is for 20,000 or 200. I cherish these moments and feel privileged to be there and am forever grateful and thankful that I get to see the greatest living performer in these type of venues, no matter how large or small.

Writing this review transports me back to that night with Andy’s set along with”Housequake” and “Dark” fresh in my mind. I still have yet to hear him perform “Extraloveable” at a show I was at, so here is hoping at the next gig, I get to hear it. I hope to be there and I hope you can be there too.-DocFB

Diagnosis: Miss You Shelby. Get better, doll…..

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