It did'nt take long to realise that Prince were at diffrent level then the other bands performing at Way Out West. You just feel it when you see and hear it. This little man from Minneapolis is one with his music and it's beautiful to watch. He also seemed to be in a very good mood and was very generous playing his most popular songs.
After little short of an hour he played a strong version of Purple Rain and left the stage with his band. It was a bit short, but I was content (festival shows are often not longer then an hour) and predicited he would return and play two or three more songs and call it a night.
He returned alright, and played for almost another hour before leaving the stage again. This time amongst the mix giving us electrified versions of Sign of times (much to short) and When doves cry.
This time I thought for sure it was over, but Prince would return for a third round, delivering goosbumps with a soulful version of Nothing comares to u and then alot of funk, dance and party. Truly an amazing way to end day one of Way Out West.
Just before Prince we watched Thåström. Since a couple of years he seems to be inspired by Tom Waits or Nick Cave. The music is dark, slow, bluesy and very introspective. You can hear the music build up energy but the band never allow it to explode in release. It is like tantrism, where you can control your breathing and can be able to maintain intercourse as long as you like without reaching orgasm. Well, I like orgasms and feel a bit cheated when they are lacking. Almost all is forgiven at the end though, when he delivers a haunting version of Die Mauer. But I still would like the old punk rocker in Thåström to return.
I also saw The Hives and Santigold on the first day of the festival. Santigold is very cool and delivers a good show with help from her dancers. But her voice is giving her trouble this day and seems to steal away much of her focus.
The Hives does what they always do, but it seems as if I have seen this show many times before. They really need to take a step outside their safety zone to make it interesting again.