since you've already probably read the other reviews that give a more "blow by blow" style, i'll just give a few thoughts. at this point, both nights sort of blended together as one long day, particularly since from 5am wednesday through 5pm friday, i got 3 hours of sleep. the soundchecks were really cool, definitely perhaps the coolest thing about joining the npgmc is getting the access to the soundchecks. prince was very friendly and interactive with the club members and very relaxed. he went out his way to be gracious to folks in the crowd, and cracked jokes with several folks during both evenings. during the second night, we had a discussion in which one young woman was able to tell prince that she was offended by some of the things prince said. prince didn't react in any way personally offended by her, allowed her her space to say her piece, and continued on. the music played during the soundchecks were worth the price of admission all by themselves. complete versions of joy and repetition, paisley park, peach, dolphin, calhoun square were spectacular. and getting the opportunity to watch prince try to teach the band a new song and work on sections of the song in rehearsal was really a treat.
the one night alone show is really a tour de force for prince. it blends and switches styles of music with amazing grace. the shows will feature a section that is straight ahead jazz, then will about face into hard rock, then turn on a dime into straight ahead soul/r&b, then way hard funk. prince plays a lot of guitar in these shows, a lot more than the hit and run shows or jam of the year shows. one of the things that most attacts me to prince is the fact that he is a consumate musician. his guitar playing has never been sharper both atlanta shows got soul sacrifice (commonly called the santana medley), which in the past was reserved for aftershows. prince's voice has never sounded better. it is particularly featured during the piano medleys. the version of "i love u, but i don't trust u anymore" is absolutely breath taking, not be missed. also, during the piano medleys, his keyboard playing is impecable.
as for the band: renato has genuine old school jazz chops very different from any previous keyboard player. but, he is very able to funk, rock, and play soulfully. i aways really liked mr. hayes and was prepared to be let down by the change. i'm not going to compare the two, because are so different, but i will say that the change brings a different vibe that i really enjoy. j. blackwell is such a ferocious drummer as many have noted in the past, but he also plays adds a lot of subtle touches that get overlooked because of the more spectacular things he does. he is also a really nice guy. he comes out aftershows and talks with folks a lot. rhonda is as always provides a rock hard foundation on bass. while most reviews focus on the fact that she is hot as hell (which she is), i think a lot of folks don't realize how good she is on bass. i think she gets overlooked musically, because she doesn't play a lot of pyrotechnics. some of the jazzy sections of the shows do show off her playing for those willing and able to listen. on horns we got najee on sax and greg boyer on trombone. i think they are both are underutilized, because i always liked the arrangements from 1987 tour with the big horn arrangements. these shows are great musically, but they do feature a somewhat different prince. he is, i think, trying to be more musical and less a "rock star". there isn't as much performance "schtick" during the show. don't get me wrong, he still has amazing stage presence and stage personality.
the aftershow, as other reviews have noted, was brilliant.
highlights for me personally were that during the 4/3/02 soundcheck, he took me and five other folks (you know who you are) up to sing the chorus of paisley park. during the 4/3/02 show, i was the first person singled out during "family name" to say my last name into the mic. during the aftershow on 4/4/02, during the ride, he broke off the solo for a second reached down a handed me the guitar pick, took another and continued without missing a beat.definitely way cool.
if he's comming to your town (or even if he's not, i travelled to louisville, ky in march), go see this tour. also, join the npgmc, it is way worth it.
jamesg