Yeah, yeah - I know it's 2 years late! But I just stumbled across this cool-assed, in-depth review of the ONA show I attended, and it brought back some cool memories (Empty Room + Purple Rain = ) I liked the review so much, I thought I'd share it with ya.
'nana.



"Yall gonna make me moan tonight Manchester!"

Prince Manchester Apollo 7/10/02

Don't you hate whingers? There we were outside the Apsley Cottage pub enjoying a pint and wondering whether he'd be in sequins or a suit whilst laughing at the reptilian queue for tonights gig that actually went past the door of the pub and was largely filled with thirtysomethings with a variety of hairstyles/suede boots and that's when I met the whingers, a couple sporting dubious attire and very questionable hair-styles (probably hairdressers from Runcorn) after having asked them for a light they struck up a conversation with a very worried look on their faces...

"Have you heard he only plays a few of his old songs as he's become a Jehovahs Witness?"

"Erm....no" (Feeling very un-informed not having read about or listened to 'Prince' for a number of years)

"Well it was in a review or something"

"Oh well then we might as well all go home now then might'nt we? next you'll be telling me he's had some ribs removed so he can...."

"Well actually..."

I was livid, I didn't come to a a Prince gig to hear his greatest hits, I came to see the man, the legend, the person who made me realise you can wear high heels frilly shirts, sing falsetto and still pull beautiful women (though not in the White Lion in Stockport perhaps), in fact Prince is one of the very few artists I can think of that in my own purple-tinged opinion (despite going a bit weird in the late nineties) has never made a bad record, I could list all the songs Prince has written that make me want to sing, jump up and down or cry my eyes out but we'd be here all week wouldn't we? My point was, you go to a Prince gig with an open mind don't you? You have to trust him, remember Sign O'The Times? So anyway we finished off our Stellas and ambled into the Manchester Apollo, a fantastic old school theatre with an upper circle and a high ceiling in case you've never been, we were positioned slap bang in the middle of the Stalls with a cracking view of the stage, it would appear we were just in time too as just after 8 O'clock the band started up, "wow how prompt we'll be out of here for half nine" I foolishly pondered.

There was a good ten minutes of build-up jamming from the dazzling array of backing musicians featuring Maceo Parker and Candy Dulfer (remember 'Lily was Here') in the Horn section and the most talented drummer I have ever seen in my life who could spin his sticks and check his hair in the mirror (he actually did this) in the time it takes me just to say 'Drumstick', the keyboard player and bassist were equally accomplished. Then his majesty appeared, no airs and graces, he just joined in the jam for another ten minutes dropping in the occasional very, very, very deep voiced line into the tune (think 'Bob George' on the Black Album). It sounded like the song could go in a number of directions at any minute and I hoped it would maybe be 'Sexy Mother-Fucker' despite having resigned myself that this was a forward looking Prince and I shouldn't be so sentimental and no it didn't.

We were having fun anyway and the audience (the first ten rows of which were from the NPG fan club) were going bonkers, it may have been the Manchester Apollo 2002 but the atmosphere and music could have been the Harlem Apollo 1962 getting down to James Brown, it was that energetic. Then came a few "How yall doin Manchester?" and "You gonna need the Police to get me outta here, I aint leavin" which naturally sent everyone a bit daft. Then the bombshell was dropped as he sang.....

"If you came here tonight for 'Little Red Corvette.....yall better 'get'.....an if you came here looking for Purple Rain.....you better go NOW!..... THIS IS NOT POP MUSIC BUT THERE WILL BE A POP QUIZ!"

The crowd loved it as he went on to explain he was taking us all to 'school', presumably the same school where Bo Diddley, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Curtis Mayfield, George Clinton, Sly Stone and all those other funky bastards were music teachers, this was beyond ace this was real American Soul music that mere mortal 'stars' would sell their own mothers for a slice of. It was then time for some audience participation as he questioned us with...

"Is it better to Give or to Recieve?"

A variety of answers flew back, so Prince pointed at a guy in the front row and asked him..

"You, is it better to Give or to Receive?"

"To Give! To Give!"

"Well if you're in such a givin mood why don't you give up your front row seat for somebody over there?" The audience were in stitches especially after realising that Prince wasn't joking and made the geezer swap seats! Whilst on his way to his new inferior seat he was summoned onto stage by his purpleness, who came out with..

"You see you gave something there, so I'm gonna give you something.....a guitar solo!" To which he out-Hendrixed Jimi for a good ten minutes whilst his fan sat back on the stage in awe at the performance with the rest of us. It was shortly after this that he played 'Strange Relationship' which got everyone thinking (well at least I did) 'Hmmm maybe this is a one off or maybe he'll do more?' either way the crowd loved it.

The showmanship just continued, he had another three fans on stage dancing (all very well), did a version of 'Whole Lotta Love', got us to sit down so we could have a rest whilst he played a slowy or two before introducing us to some of his new dances, the first and funniest being the 'Ozzy Osbourne' a fantastic shaky armed shuffle that was just missing the obligatory 'Sharonnnnn!' to make it a dead ringer for the Metal nutter.

Seeing Prince in such an intimate setting is a unique experience, he has no ego but total star quality, he cares for his audience whilst at the same time makes them earn his respect, it's a real joint effort though admittedly Prince does most of the hard work along with his super-band whom all get their five minute solo somewhere in the show (you know like proper soul bands used to do?).

After the first hour and a half and a suit change it seemed we had proved ourselves worthy by enjoying Prince’s new stuff and we were treated to a cavalcade of classic album tracks that sent the place crackers (I saw people waving lighters) such as 'Take me with you', 'Starfish and Coffee', 'Girls and Boys' the list goes on, you get the distinct feeling that none of it is planned as he sometimes stopped halfway through or sometimes even before the first line of some songs deciding he didn't want to play that particular song, this was done in a very humourous way and was taken that way by the adoring audience who seemed overjoyed just to hear the first keys of a classic anyway.

He also did two encores the first of which I swear we were waiting ten minutes for but it was probably nearer five and Prince made us sit down again (so thoughtful as my feet were aching) and played 'Sometimes it Snows in April' all on his own on the piano with a snowy background and an 'ahem' each time he flicked his music sheets over just to get a laugh and then from out of nowhere he played 'Nothing Compares to U' which most of the audience sang for him, a truly beautiful moment (I think I had something in my eye at that point).

At the end of the second finale he launched into the intro of 'Purple Rain' before stopping and saying "I said I wasn't gonna do this song tonight!" before talking about the state of the world at the moment and how we all need to concentrate on the things that unite us rather than divide and how there is only one God, he then played Purple Rain like he'd written it yesterday in fact most of the old songs he played were instantly recognisible but with a slightly new slant to keep things interesting.

What more can I say I have always loved Prince dearly but I did have my reservations, having not kept up with him over the past five or six years, I'm glad to say he is even more unbelievable in the flesh as he is on a CD or celluloid, ab-so-lutely un-believeable a true 'Living Legend' one of the best gigs I have ever seen in my life and without a doubt the longest too, if you get the chance to see Prince live, grab it with both hands, it's a whole lotta fun(k).

Neil Summers
© ProperTop.com
[Edited 10/26/04 12:30pm]

Thanks that was good. I was there too that night - seems like yesterday but way too long ago at the same time...

Damn, makes me wish I was there.

Thanks 'nana! Probably goes down as the best Prince gig I ever saw

I agree - that tour suprised me - it's definately up there with the best in my book. My only regret was this was the only show I bought tickets 4!

I'd forgotten about the flicking the pages and clearing his throat thing too - that was kinda cute!

I didn't go. I couldn't afford tickets. I've never been rich.

I was there too, it was the best Prince show I've seen - that tour was a real treat.

I was there too, i went alone (hubby wont come and watch him with me, he doesnt want to see me adore another man like i do him ) i was SOOO desperate to be picked to go on stage but i was too far back * must get closer seats next time*

It was a fantastic night and i wouldnt have missed it for anything. Ive been a fan since i was 3 and had only seen him two times before, once when i was 10 again when i was 12 and then the long wait of 7 years untill he returned with ONA. Brilliant night spent with a brilliant man.