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Avery Fisher Hall soundcheck & show I hadn't seen a Prince show since last April in Atlanta and was beginning to foam at the mouth once this show was officially announced last week. I headed over to AFH at 4:00 to see what looked like 200-300 people already lined up outside of the venue. Of course, once I got there, the rain began to trickle down and I was without an umbrella. The line began to move around 6:00 and everything seemed to be orderly.
By the time I entered the venue, Prince and the band were tearing through "Alphabet St." and I was amazed at how comfortable he seemed to be with so many people watching him go through soundcheck. Security ushered us to the third row, stage right! I was certain that I would be in the last row. I was quite lucky. One of the highlights of the soundcheck was to hear Prince tell us that he used to live in Rahway, NJ, with his sister, when he was shopping his demo. The guy that jammed with Prince was a decent player, though he tried to give Prince a CD of his music. Prince politely asked him to keep it, saying "I have enough tapes at home." Hearing "Power Fantastic" and "Calhoun Square" was exceptional. This band is talented. Not one compenent is lacking. Renato plays beautifully and you can hear the jazz-tinged influences he brings to the show. The atmosphere was almost familial as he asked the crowd if there were any people from outside of NY at the show. At one point, a person a few rows behind me yelled out "Play Philly!" He responded by asking where Musiq Soulchild was from and proceeded to tell us that he would be joining him at The World for the aftershow. As soundcheck ended, he had Blackwell check the drums. Fooling around, he starts playing the pattern from "777-9311" and the crowd went crazy. Shortly after, people starting singing "Housequake" with Blackwell playing the kick drum pattern. Prince said, "We can't play that! That's an aftershow song!" Soundcheck ended shortly after 7:00. The show itself, lasting a little more than 2 hours, takes you through jazz, rock, funk, soul and blues. The staging is stripped down. There are minimal lighting rigs and no special effects. There is a video screen that flash images depending on the song being played. This show is all about the music and its creators. I have seen every Prince show in this city since 1981 and this one last night is easily in my Top 10. He flowed effortlessly from song to song. If you like TRC, you will love hearing songs like "Mellow", "Muse 2 The Pharoah" and "Family Name" live. By the time he played "1+1+1=3", he had the crowd wrapped around his finger. A reworked version of "Strange Relationship" was refreshing to hear. The highlight for me was the piano medley. Prince, alone, center stage with a piano and a spotlight. The crowd participation was at an all time high during these moments. "Adore", "Condition of the Heart", "Free", "Sometimes It Snows In April" and "Purple Rain" were performed, just to name a few. I definitely did not want that moment to end. If you have an opportunity to see this show, please do. I have been somewhat disappointed these last few years with the setlist because it became stale and rigid. This show reminds you that Prince is a master at his craft and shows no signs of slowing down! | |
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ELF1968 said: I hadn't seen a Prince show since last April in Atlanta and was beginning to foam at the mouth once this show was officially announced last week. I headed over to AFH at 4:00 to see what looked like 200-300 people already lined up outside of the venue. Of course, once I got there, the rain began to trickle down and I was without an umbrella. The line began to move around 6:00 and everything seemed to be orderly.
By the time I entered the venue, Prince and the band were tearing through "Alphabet St." and I was amazed at how comfortable he seemed to be with so many people watching him go through soundcheck. Security ushered us to the third row, stage right! I was certain that I would be in the last row. I was quite lucky. One of the highlights of the soundcheck was to hear Prince tell us that he used to live in Rahway, NJ, with his sister, when he was shopping his demo. The guy that jammed with Prince was a decent player, though he tried to give Prince a CD of his music. Prince politely asked him to keep it, saying "I have enough tapes at home." Hearing "Power Fantastic" and "Calhoun Square" was exceptional. This band is talented. Not one compenent is lacking. Renato plays beautifully and you can hear the jazz-tinged influences he brings to the show. The atmosphere was almost familial as he asked the crowd if there were any people from outside of NY at the show. At one point, a person a few rows behind me yelled out "Play Philly!" He responded by asking where Musiq Soulchild was from and proceeded to tell us that he would be joining him at The World for the aftershow. As soundcheck ended, he had Blackwell check the drums. Fooling around, he starts playing the pattern from "777-9311" and the crowd went crazy. Shortly after, people starting singing "Housequake" with Blackwell playing the kick drum pattern. Prince said, "We can't play that! That's an aftershow song!" Soundcheck ended shortly after 7:00. The show itself, lasting a little more than 2 hours, takes you through jazz, rock, funk, soul and blues. The staging is stripped down. There are minimal lighting rigs and no special effects. There is a video screen that flash images depending on the song being played. This show is all about the music and its creators. I have seen every Prince show in this city since 1981 and this one last night is easily in my Top 10. He flowed effortlessly from song to song. If you like TRC, you will love hearing songs like "Mellow", "Muse 2 The Pharoah" and "Family Name" live. By the time he played "1+1+1=3", he had the crowd wrapped around his finger. A reworked version of "Strange Relationship" was refreshing to hear. The highlight for me was the piano medley. Prince, alone, center stage with a piano and a spotlight. The crowd participation was at an all time high during these moments. "Adore", "Condition of the Heart", "Free", "Sometimes It Snows In April" and "Purple Rain" were performed, just to name a few. I definitely did not want that moment to end. If you have an opportunity to see this show, please do. I have been somewhat disappointed these last few years with the setlist because it became stale and rigid. This show reminds you that Prince is a master at his craft and shows no signs of slowing down! You have ME to thank for hearing Power Fantastic, because here in DC I yelled out for him to play it, and he responded with, "Hmmm, we might have to play that." He didn't do it then, probably because the band didn't know it yet. He's obviously got the band to rehearse it and will soon add it to the set! You're welcome to EVERY city he'll play from now on!!  | |
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alexnvrmnd said: You have ME to thank for hearing Power Fantastic, because here in DC I yelled out for him to play it, and he responded with, "Hmmm, we might have to play that." He didn't do it then, probably because the band didn't know it yet. He's obviously got the band to rehearse it and will soon add it to the set! You're welcome to EVERY city he'll play from now on!!
Well, thank you very much.  | |
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alexnvrmnd said: You have ME to thank for hearing Power Fantastic, because here in DC I yelled out for him to play it, and he responded with, "Hmmm, we might have to play that." He didn't do it then, probably because the band didn't know it yet. He's obviously got the band to rehearse it and will soon add it to the set! You're welcome to EVERY city he'll play from now on!!
ACtually, alex at Sunday's soundcheck in DC, the band was playing the music to Power Fantastic as people came in. Prince didn't sing, but the band sure did play it...they stopped midway through though and I wanted them to keep playing it. | |
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LadyCabDriver said: alexnvrmnd said: You have ME to thank for hearing Power Fantastic, because here in DC I yelled out for him to play it, and he responded with, "Hmmm, we might have to play that." He didn't do it then, probably because the band didn't know it yet. He's obviously got the band to rehearse it and will soon add it to the set! You're welcome to EVERY city he'll play from now on!!
ACtually, alex at Sunday's soundcheck in DC, the band was playing the music to Power Fantastic as people came in. Prince didn't sing, but the band sure did play it...they stopped midway through though and I wanted them to keep playing it. Ya sure? Cuz when I came in there was no music playing or am I thinking of another night? Well, maybe it was at Saturday's soundcheck that I screamed that out. It's all a blur! | |
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The NYC concert in a word was rocking. Every Prince show I've seen has had a different style. This one, just like the title ONE NIGHT ALONE, just a man and his band doin what he loves to do. The soundcheck was just as good as the show. You got to see the everyday guy side(soundcheck). I appreciated the great time and never ask/expect something from Prince. Neither should his fans. Thank you for opening my eyes. | |
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z [This message was edited Wed May 15 21:04:19 PDT 2002 by ChickenLittle]  | |
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