Greetings!
Well, let me begin by saying that the Atlanta 4/3 show at the Atlanta Symphony hall was EXCELLENT and you MUST SEE THIS TOUR!!!!! After arriving there right about 5p.m. for the soundcheck, there was about 250 already in line and the line just got longer until 5:30. Twas about that time they began letting the NPGMC members in one at a time and those of us towards the end of the line could hear the unmistakable rumble of Drums and Bass coming from the Auditorium. They checked our ID's, crossed our names on a list, wrapped a slightly uncomfortable paper wristband around our arm and gave us a Laminate. We began to head towards the nearest door when a very friendly usher told us "There's better seats if you enter from the left, the right side is almost filled up" so after a quick 180, there were second row seats right there. Prince was already walking around on stage (wearing a black/white horizontal striped sweater that reminded me of Prisoner's Garb turned sideways - for those of you who want to know the details). It was very relaxed and slightly chilly in the place, Prince mentioned this at least twice that it was chilly and he kept running his hands together. Prince asked something like "what do you like about the club" and *someone* yelled "Great Seats!". Prince just stepped back and said something to the effect: "Your seats ain't as good as mine.". He joked and chatted a bit with the audience and ran through the usual Soundcheck routines, turning up Bass, trying out some Solos, etc. Prince mentioned that the band had two days off and talked about the show in DC on Sunday with Santana. there were quite a few songs done however "Joy in Repetition", "Extraordinary", snippets and a longer "Everlasting Now", and even PAISLEY PARK were played most of the way through. During Paisley park, he asked if anyone knew the lyrics to the Chorus and about half the group raised their hands. Prince picked four from the audience (and one guy who took the init to join in) and they sang on two mics during the chorus. Couldn't quite hear them but it was a good loose part of the Soundcheck.

Prince excused himself and went to change for the show. We all were settled in our seats when we were told we all had to exit COMPLETELY out of the hall to be searched. Yes, confusion reigned but all was good. There was already a crowd outside the doors waiting to get in and with us trying to get out, them trying to get in, Ushers and Tickettakers completely confused. Some workers at the door didn't know about the General admission seating and asked "Everyone with AA through CC tickets follow me, who has those tickets?" EVERYONE raised their hands and the guy had a shocked look on his face because he didn't know about the General Admission seating. He took our group down a side hallway however stopped us at the last door. We were (as my Granddad would say) Butts to Butts and Elbows to Elbows. In the crowd, a very cute lady shouted "Hey, Take it easy! I'm Pregnant!". Someone standing close to me commented "As packed as we are in here, that coulda happened just now - it wasn't me!". NOTE: We weren't searched. Yes, the seating situation was messed up however it was the Hall's fault. A few people who had gotten there before Noon to get good seats had to beg, plead, and shove to get their seats back. Some shouting matches, the Police were there however I didn't notice anyone being ejected. After 20 minutes of Bickering, everyone settled down to enjoy the show.

There was one good thing about the seating situation. It got everyone in the NPGMC group to interact with each other. I give props to the guy in the front row who offered me his girl's seat if she didn't come back. This was the EXACT spot that Prince chose to (attempt) to crowd surf at the beginning of the concert. What comes around, goes around. You did a good thing, a good thing occurred to you.

ONTO THE CONCERT! It began fairly close to on time. Prince used the "VoxBox" to perform the voice from "Rainbow Children" and opened with that track. I'm sure others will post the complete Tracklist however he did play some mighty funky tunes! the new tracks, "Muse", "Mellow", "1+1+1=3" are GREAT LIVE and YOU MUST HEAR THEM! Somewhere around "Muse", Prince went to the edge of the stage, turned around and fell into the crowd twice and was pushed back up by the Front Row People. Damm, That was trusting!

Others in Quasi-order
Rainbow Children
Muse 2 The Pharaoh
Strange Relationship
Love Rollercoaster
When U Were Mine (FINALLY FULL and LIVE!)
Mellow
1+1=3
A Case of U
(began renaming people in the audience) Family Name
(attention diverted from stage by bodyguard at side of stage shining a flashlight at someone snapping a picture from here on things get fuzzy)
Starfish and Coffee
Raspberry Beret
Do me Baby
Take me With U
Adore???? Possibly, my memory suffers from Swiss Cheese Syndrome
Avalanche (with a great slide show about Abraham Lincoln) I'm guessing at the title of the song.
One Nite Alone
Sometimes it Snows in April
I Love You, But I Don't Trust U Anymore
did he play 777?? he mentioned it.
La La La La La Means I Luv U
Anna Stesia
Sing a Simple song
Small bit of Purple Rain

The songlist isn't complete or completely correct.. Some points of Interest: Prince broke the high string on his guitar during "Take me With U", Blackwell broke at least two sticks while drumming and was able to pitch the broken one over his head, grab a new stick, all without skipping a beat. Damm, he was good! Prince pulled some MusicClubers onto stage to dance and one surprised him by doing the splits? Oh, Prince also dropped the Microphone when doing his "Push the Mic away and tip it back to him" stage. Klunk, right in front of the first row. During the Encore which was fairly long, he asked the audience to sit down and "Let him just play for you" but the front few rows didn't sit. He had to ask them to PLEASE sit down and then played quite a few songs, just him and the Piano, not just Melodies but full songs. Prince Pulled a lady on Stage to sit on Pillows for "A Case of U" with the "Can I get you anything?" flirting.

It was a GREAT night altogether. Flyers were handed out which read "R U Ready 4 One Nite Alone? - a Solo Piano and Voice CD by Prince - get this new CD when you join the NPGMC" and it shows the cover art of the CD (ebay?). Merchandise: Xenophobia Shirt $35, Tour Book $30, Rainbow Children CD $15, Rhonda Autographed CD $20, a few Baby Tees $25, Rave VHS, NPG "Teeth" shirt, $25, "One Nite alone" Shirt $25, "Rainbow Children" Shirt, $25.

I'll fill in more details once my hearing comes back

Thanks for the report! I think the NPGMC staff are going to have to make it a point to let the ushers know the deal with the general admission in every city.

That's as shame that someone brought a camera in and snapped a picture. I hope that wasn't a club member who did that.

What was Prince's reaction when he dropped the mic?

OrionRising said:

Great report!

Prince dropped the mike stand(and mike) because he messed up his trademark of pushing the stand forward and making it come back up with his foot on its base. He looked surprised when it fell, but he didn't miss a beat. He laid down on top of the stand like it was his woman and then picked it back up when he stood up. I have now seen him at 4 concerts and 2 aftershows from the front row, and can't imagine ever going back to the nosebleed section.