Okay, so before you guys start with the whole, "Well if you hate Prince so much, why would you go to the show?", let me just say (as I've said many times before) that I still enjoy some performances of his old stuff. So there.

Since I don't remember every song he played, I'll just discuss what I do remember. I'll break this up into positive and negative aspects of the show. Let's start with the neagtive:

NEGATIVE:

-Plain stage. I don't think the look of the stage is the most important thing, but it's nice to they eyes when it's at least interesting. And I know it was better for everyone to have a stage in the center like that and he made more money, but it kinda sucks to have a performer with his back to you at times.

-Shitty outfits. Now, I'm no queer eye for the straight guy, but his outfits are just kinda weak. He used to have some cool gear, but now it's like he's just in his lounging clothes. I mean, he performed Purple Rain in a beige summer shirt and white pants. And what the fuck was up with the flashing lights in his clear plastic heels? That was some tacky broke-ass-pimp shit. I was looking to see if he had any goldfish in there.

-Song butchering. He mutillated When Doves Cry with a sampled guitar opening, and bizarre breaks that did absolutely no good to a classic song. Then of course there was the lyric changes. Can someone please tell me what's so bad about the the word "hell" in DMSR? How much of a pussy does someone have to be to delete a word like that?

-Musicology songs. Well, even live they suck.

-Never ending jams. Prince and gang would go off into these long ass jams that were way too much. He could have played at least 4 or 5 more good songs instead of that boring jazz/funk jam crap.

-Too much time for band members. The band members were given way too much stage time, especially Maceo. And I didn't care to hear Renato play Sometimes It Snows In April. The only one who deserved his time was John Blackwell cuz drums are interesting, especially when they're played by a great drummer.

-HORNS! FUCKING HORNS!!! They were added nicely betweeen '86 and '88, but they sound terrible now. They just don't belong in every song, especially not in Let's Go Crazy. They just destroy the classic sound the songs once had.

-The accoustic set was too long. I don't mind Prince being alone with an accoustic guitar, but it just went on a bit long.


POSITIVE:

-Good connection with the crowd. He played all sides of the stage equally and interacted well with the crowd.

-Nice lil break. Right before Prince came out for the encore, there was some cool loop playing over and over. Hard to describe, but it sounded real cool and almost industrial.

-Classic songs done okay. Despite all the other problems, a lot of the songs still sounded good like Shhh, DMSR, Controversy, 7, Adore, Take Me With You, Sign O The Times, and even Kiss wasn't so bad this time.

-BAMBIE!!! It's one of the few songs that I've been wanting to see live for a long time, and he did it justice. He sang the full song and kept it heavy. The show was worth seeing just for that.

So overall, the show was okay, but I've seen much better. I felt his RRHOF after show was better. Maybe cuz it was in a smaller venue and I hadn't heard a bunch of the songs live in a while. Anyway, I'm ready for Prince to switch gears again.

Of course, the negatives would HAVE to outweigh the positives for you, wouldn't they.



Every time you see Prince you are witnessing a living legend, just remember that.

mrdespues said:

So, does that mean I can't be honest?

Exactly, why are you hating on EWM for stating what he likes and doesn't like? Over on the "Silver Tongue" thread you're saying that it's the most boring song he's ever made (which is a valid opinion that I personally disagree with), so why can't Evil have an opinion?

EvilWhiteMale said:

no. but i think you take the guy for granted.

theblueangel said:

He has some ongoing personal beef with me, so he feels the need to constantly criticize me and my posts.

mrdespues said:

I don't take him for granted at all. You wanna know how I really feel about Prince? Well, I think he's a prolific genious who has accomplished amazing things in his life. I can't think of any other musician who has made so many great songs in only 26 years. I have tons of respect for the man. But what do you want me to do, write this everytime I make a negative post to balance things out? Fuck that. I'll give him credit where credit's due, but I'm gonna be honest overall.

theblueangel said:

i'm not hating. i just think it's typical and wonder why he bothers.

EvilWhiteMale said:

fair enough. by and large you sound like a broken record and i'll admit i must sound the same commenting on your haterism. it's just frustrating to read a review when it's through the filter of someone who has NOTHING good to say about prince's recent output. but fine, that's your opinion.

EvilWhiteMale said:

beef? constantly criticizing you? hardly. i only differ with your views, which are very repetetive in their negativity. i just don't see the point in constantly complaining about prince's latest output like he's only produced a handful of good albums, which is how you seem to see it. you don't like it? fine....but you seem to want to make your negative views ubiquitous on every thread and that's just boring.

mrdespues said:

Then why frustrate yourself by reading it? You know what I'm all about, so if it frustrates you, you should just pass it by. Just admit you like engaging in crap with me.

mrdespues said:

Then stop reading my negative views.

Actually, I usually ignore most of the crap you post, EWM (although some of your photoshopping lately has been good), but I was interested in a review of the concert. You're right, I should have known better than to expect anything like a decent review though.

mrdespues said:

Well good. Hopefully you learned your FINAL lesson.

Thanks for the review EWM. Nice to hear one from the perspective of a pure Prince classicist.

Not the type of person who usually posts their reviews around here.

i had a lot of fun reading this, thanks.

I was in the house for the first show at madison square and it was a fabulous night!

I find it ironic that you do have more negatives than positives....
I know everyone is entitled to their own opinions...but why is it everytime I see your post online, its always something negative?

I mean, PRINCE is human, he can't always be what you want him to be.
He wants to release albums where he doesn't have to put much into it for the public, then so be it...if his stage isn't as spectacular as the LOVESEXY stages then let him do what he wants!

Why is it always something wrong with PRINCE to you EVIL?

I have been a fan for many years also, and when I witnessed my 4th show on monday 7/12!
I was pretty impressed!
plus the 20,000 other ppl were cheering and crying while exiting the concert...holding hands!
He really connected with us all on monday!

He truly put on a damn good show!
but I don't think you wouldve liked it that night also!
because your so critical of PRINCE!
He and just like yourself, isn't perfect, and he calls all the shots...he's still the same man who wrote and recorded Purple Rain -the album, sign o' times, 1999, gold experience and so...he's no different, but he can't always repeat himself!

PRINCE is still a great guitar player...even better these days I think!
He is a great performer, still capable of writing hits and selling millions of albums...Prince just can't be what everyone wants him to be and so I take him as he is!

So I hope eventually you can start posting good things about him instead of always bringing him down.

take care

while i don't agree with everything that EVW has to say on this forum, i don't think he goes overboard or is in any way out of order by simply sharing his opinion. we're not here to be apologists for prince, nor should people here expect everyone on planet org to view every song or performance the man has done as the greatest song or performance that's ever been done.

i agree 100% with the comment about the horns. they're being inserted where they simply don't fit, in many instances, and i think it does ruin the vibe of songs that were fine just the way they were.

i also agree with the comment about the songs from the new album being played at the concerts. the album itself is atrocious, and most of the individual songs leave MUCH to be desired, especially live.

I hope people here know how to differentiate between true criticism and someone's diatribe. After reading his review, both sides, ther are actually some points where I agree with EWM. For starters, his outfits have always been unique, but the off length suit is well past its expiration date. If he was the only one wearing it, I wouldn't care, but now some of the band members have worn similar suits, and they don't crossover well. From one fat guy to another, Chance should never be seen with such a suit, and the same can be said for Sir Maceo.

Another point where I agree with EWM is his shoe heels. The lights in ones shoes looks cute on toddlers and children up to five. But on a fortysix year old man, fuck no. Come on, he can be better than that. And when he calls out lip sychers, why has no one checked him on his use of pre recorded tracks? I wonder why no one has noticed when he starts his LGCZY intro, he begins with " Dearly beloved...." and the sound jumps right into the guitar riff. This band has been getting oodlles of press about being his finest, aren't they capeable of playing the song all the way through? And can't they do the same with WDC? Where's the outrage about him not playing these songs in their full length?

On the positive side, He is the King of the arena when he does his acoustic set. This was a master stroke of genius to add it into the show. I would pay a phat ransom to see him do this in the style of the ONA shows( which I never attended ). And while the people brought on stage is getting tiresome, those fortunate few that have been up there will beam for days from the experience. Goodie for them. I'm not going to ramble on any longer, but I read EWM review, and I'm not botherd by any of it. It was HIS experience, not ours. Love him or leave him alone, seriously .
[This message was edited Thu Jul 15 9:10:04 2004 by UncleGrandpa]

NPD313 said:

Believe me, there's nothing I can say that could ever bring him down. But you gotta understand that I've been going to Prince shows for over 10 years, and I've been a fan for even longer. I know what I like and I know what I don't like. In this review I gave the good with the bad, and it was all 100% honest. I'm not the only one who's ever given negative reviews of something Prince has done. I have a lot of respect for Prince, but I'm not gonna kiss his ass.

I can hardly wait for your mind blowing Slipknot review

Was anyone really surprised by this review from this particular person? I didn't think so. I figured there would be WAY to much R&B for EvilWhiteMale's liking.
Everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but at the end of the day, I'm glad it's Prince up there on that stage and not EWM.

shygirl said:

That's probably true, but at the same time EWM picked the best show to go to of all three at MSG I think. I'm a rock fan myself and I was very thankful to hear Bambi/Whole Lotta Love on Tuesday. Monday's and Wednesday's shows had no similar guitar-oriented segment.

When I saw the post, I knew it would be mostly negative, but I read it anyway.
Point is, it's EMW's opinion, he's entitled, enjoy.
Here's mine: If you didn't party your ass off and have a great time, swept up in a flood of funk and rock by the master, you missed out.
I could be critical of some stuff too, but then I was too busy having a great time.
The extended jamming on D.M.S.R. and Controversy helped make this show a classic, IMO.
He tore the joint up.
7/13 was the best of the three.

JAMIESTARR said:

Would you really like one?

shygirl said:

Not that you would pay to see me in concert anyway.

sextonseven said:

I had a feeling I caught the best night. I'm still hoping for a real rock show from him.

EvilWhiteMale said:

-----
You have a right to your opinion but , I think your expectations are a little off the chain.

-----NEGATIVE:

-Plain stage. I don't think the look of the stage is the most important thing, but it's nice to they eyes when it's at least interesting. And I know it was better for everyone to have a stage in the center like that and he made more money, but it kinda sucks to have a performer with his back to you at times.

-Shitty outfits. Now, I'm no queer eye for the straight guy, but his outfits are just kinda weak. He used to have some cool gear, but now it's like he's just in his lounging clothes. I mean, he performed Purple Rain in a beige summer shirt and white pants. And what the fuck was up with the flashing lights in his clear plastic heels? That was some tacky broke-ass-pimp shit. I was looking to see if he had any goldfish in there.

-Song butchering. He mutillated When Doves Cry with a sampled guitar opening, and bizarre breaks that did absolutely no good to a classic song. Then of course there was the lyric changes. Can someone please tell me what's so bad about the the word "hell" in DMSR? How much of a pussy does someone have to be to delete a word like that?

-----
Plain stage- Who goes to a concert to see a bunch of crap on the stage? You the only person who has said anything about Prince's back being to the audience. Others have said he runs all around the stage. Not sure if you are being truthful.

Shitty outfits. He stopped dressing like a damm clown and you have issue with this? Everybody's not going to wear masks like Slipnot. Thank God !!!

Song butchering- Dude you did'nt write the songs. Prince did get over it. WDC has always sounded jacked up in concert.

laurarichardson said:

For someone who doesn't like EWM I have noticed that you seem to be following his posts tonight. Hmmmm...

laurarichardson said: