Prince tore the ROOF off the mutha last night...but, contrary to this report, he did NOT play "Wedding Feast," She Loves Me 4 Me," or "The Everlasting Now."
I was so caught up in the moment (seats in the orchestra pit, 2nd row, about 6 feet away from the man for the bulk of the concert!) that I can't quite remember a full setlist, and I didn't want to miss ANYthing by writing stuff down. But I'll do my best....

First of all, the soundcheck was off the hook!!! We didn't get let in until almost 6 o'clock...which sucked, but while waiting I met some awesome people...shout-outs to Lilaq, BatBoy (sorry, can't remember your name! you THE MAN) and the blonde guy who was behind me in line who brought his friend who ate our turkey sandwich -- how'd you like the show??? And that guy who talked to us on our way out of the concert who was from the East Coast...mad love, man!

During the soundcheck, he played an instrumental version of "Joy in Repetition" - WOW, played a full version of "Peach" - ohmygod! it was incredible, played "Paisley Park" in full - YES!!! and a slamming version of "The Ride." I can't even describe what it was like to see Prince in such a jovial mood, talking to the fans, wearing sandals, jamming on his guitar. His attitude was much more shy during the soundcheck than when he came back for the concert....but he was smiling and chewing gum throughout....the funniest part was that his pants kept slipping down his hips and he had to keep pulling them up...it was extremely cute and endearing Oh! and for all the club members...he mentioned something about "We got a new CD coming out in a couple of weeks" and I tried to ask "Is it One Nite Alone?" but I got drowned out by others asking questions. So it looks like the first CD is going out soon - maybe in the next 4-6 weeks anyway

As for the concert...all I can say is that I didn't think anything could top the soundcheck, but BOY was I wrong....after some confusion with a curtain rod falling down (they made the whole pit leave and wait in the main part of the auditorium....my boyfriend was still in the pit talking to one of the security people and apparently the management was VERY nervous that Prince would not play b/c of this....but after about an hour they finally got it sorted out), the show finally started at about 8:25 or so. He of course opened up with "Rainbow Children" and "Muse 2 the Pharoah," during which he said "The opposite of NATO is Me!"...then, wow, this is where my memory gets extremely shady. I was overjoyed to hear him play an incredible version of "A Case of U" complete with an ultra-funky breakdown at the end. His guitar-work throughout the entire show was just pheNOMenal. It was very exciting to be right next to Takumi (sp?) and to see him get Prince's guitar ready before the next song...he seems like a really cool guy and looked dapper as hell in his suit!

Prince did an incredible "Mellow Mellow" which left every lady (and quite a few of the men, myself included) feeling a bit weak in the knees. "1+1+1 is 3" was incredible and really got the balcony crowd up on their feet, and the crowd LOVED "Love Rollercoaster" which I must admit was funky as HELL....Prince was really feeding off of the crowd's response to the "old-school" flavor and at different points in the night made comments like "I'm gonna need to rent myself a little apartment down in Florida!" I've heard that the version of "Other Side of the Pillow" is so different to the recorded one as to be barely recognizable at first...and that's the truth. It was a completely smooth, BEAUTIFUL version though. Prince's voice sounds even more gorgeous live than it does on record...and I didn't think that was possible...but wow, does it ever. At some point early on in the show, he did his thing where he asked someone in the front row if it was better to give or to receive....the porr guy said "Receive," so he asked another person...this time the guy that was in line behind me (youknowwhoyouare) - and this was SO perfect, because Prince couldn't have asked a nicer or more deserving guy to come up on stage and chill on his pillow for a song. It was truly thrilling for us fans to be such a part of the concert!

OK, folks, sorry about the disjointed nature of this post, but I'm still just so dang excited and "my brain is jacking all over the place."

Prince gave the radio speech in which he decried radio stations owned by multinational corporations and asked "Do your radio stations suck as bad as ours do?" Of course, he's absolutely right about this, radio stations DO suck, and he got a huge response from the crowd. Then he jammed a full-length "Srange Relationship" with himself on the Rhodes...and wow was that a treat!!!!! There were so many moments in this concert where I really felt like I had to have been dreaming, b/c it was simply too fantastic, but no, it was all real. He played "Sing a Simple Song" (which reminds me, Rhonda is TIGHT...I never had too much love for her, but WOW that woman can play, and has quite a voice too...not to mention the fact that she is fiercely beautiful!), and "LaLaLa," and then "Didn't Cha Know," which Rhonda sang with Prince coming back on for the chorus....this song was tight too!!! "When You Were Mine," though was just intense as hell!!! The whole auditorium was on its feet and int a state of absolute bliss....Prince was tearing the joint up on his guitar and like I said earlier, I really never thought I would be able to see this song live (certainly not so close!) and have it be the full-length version, and feel like I was the luckiest man in the world. I know it sounds a tad extreme, but it's the truth! "Avalanche" is a BEAUTIFUL song, and I can NOT wait to hear this one on record....wow. Stunning..(oh dang, the 2nd or 3rd song in he played "Xenophobia" which was TIGHT as hell and funky!!!!) - then Prince went into the "Family Name" speech and basically just renamed a white person "Blackburn" - and I actually missed what he called that beautiful African-American woman in the front row - (Pri, is that your name? Sorry...lemme know what he called you! I'm the guy with the glasses and the red shirt who was watching Gamillah fawn over you when we were waiting to get back into the pit!) - "Family Name" the song was incredible...I mean, by this time, Prince really had the whole place just in the palm of his hand...and he was totally in the zone, and -- wow, words can't even express how spiritual and powerful the evening really was. Full-length versions of "Take Me With U" and "Raspberry Beret" were obviously total crowd-pleasers, and while I thought that I would not like this part of the concert, just because I wanted to see him play stuff I hadn't heard him play live before, I realized that I've never seen him play either of these songs in their entirety...and boy does that make a difference! It was like being 11 years old again and staring at the ATWIAD l.p. cover and it just transporting me to Paisley Park....I know that sounds ridiculous but screw it!!

Prince then left the stage, and the guy next to me had the idea of starting up the "Oh-wee-oh" chant from SOT, which we did...and a few people joined in! It was really cool...(dude, if you're reading this, it was a TRUE pleasure sitting next to someone who was obviously such a fan of the music as well. And your girlfriend is beautiful!!!!) ... then the rest of the crowd started chanting "We Want Prince!" and finally Prince came back out and they moved the Rhodes more towards the center of the stage (right in front of me, yes!!) and he played the piano medley, which was STUNNING. He played "Adore," part of "Do U lie?", "I wanna Be Your Lover," "Diamonds and Pearls," "Girls and Boys," (during which the front section was singing along loudly and he said something to the effect of, "Dang! You guys know everything!"), "Condition of the Heart," "Free," "The Beautiful Ones," "Starfish and Coffee," "Sometimes it Snows in April," "The Most Beauiful Girl in the World," and others that I can't think of for the life of me! It has long been a dream of mine to just see Prince playing and singing on the piano...and while this was indeed a medley (meaning he didn't play the full version of anything except "Adore," which he started off with and then finished after touching on the other songs - it was cool at the end b/c after the "well maybe not the ride," he said something like, "it's OK baby, I'll buy you a new car..what kind do you want?" and then "that's expensive! are you sure you can't pick another car? ok, ok, i'll just have to play another couple of concerts in Lakeland!")...this was a GREAT medley...he is an amazing pianist and to see him touch on his songs and pound on the keys and give such emotion to his music....WOW is all I can say.

He then played "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" and started off on his own, but then the band came on and joined him and it was ROCKING. This song is such a gem, and again, I never thought I would be able to see him play it...but it gets even better! During the breakdown at the end he sang, "Make a black man wanna sing!" and handed the mic to John Blackwell, who sang in a loud falsetto "Call Me!" and then Prince sang, "Make a white man wanna sing!" and handed me the mic!!! So I belted out in my best falsetto "Call Me!" and Prince made a hilarious look and took a step back, and said "I'm SCARED of you!!" The crowd cheered....and y'all will please forgive me for being ecstatic....it was the most incredible experience! Wow.

Then Prince played a full-length version of "Purple Rain" with him on the Rhodes....correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this the first time he's done that on this tour? I really think he just felt the love in the room and wanted to give something back to the crowd...it was great because the last time I saw him sing this song was during JOTY and he jammed on the guitar...seeing him play it so close on the piano...well, it was indeed spiritual.

Prince then played a full-length "Nothing Compares 2 U" which was equally crowd-pleasing and beautiful....I THINK that this was the last song he played before the encore...but after singing into his mic and all, I was feeling a tad delirious, so I could be wrong!!

He came back and played Habibi during "Anna Stesia" - and dang!! was that a treat....the whole place was of course singing along with the "God is Love" chorus, and at one part Prince was holding a high note on Habibi and playing intense vibrato, and you could see every muscle in his body tensing up and twitching...when he finally let go, he took a deep breath and it was the only time in the show I saw him look like he was actually tired...it was so amazing to see how much energy he puts into his performance...really inspiring. We then sang a chant "Rise Up!" to a loop and Prince thanked us all and finally left the stage and off-stage announced the band members with his Rainbow Children voice...Rhonda as I said was fine, John Blackwell was TOTALLY off the hook, that boy can PLAY!!!!! and Greg was incredible, Renato was a REAL treat!!! and Najee..I gotta say, I thought he was fantastic!!!! I've heard a lot of complaints and maybe things were different on the Hit N' Run tour, but he hada few solos that were really quite masterful and funky, and other than that just played along, funky as hell.

Whew!! This show was better than I could ever have hoped for. The first 10 minutes of the soundcheck was worth the prince of the club membership and the ticket!!! THANK YOU PRINCE for teaching us what REAL music sounds like when performed live....and for reminding us that God is Love....I can't say much else....if any of you are reading this and are undecided about whether you should join the club or whether you should go to the show, DO BOTH!!! Do whatever you have to....but if you love Prince's music, you owe it to yourself to be there!!!!

Peace...and be wild y'all!!!!!

Thanks for the GREAT review blueangel.
Felt like I was there all over again.
Peace

A FULL report. Thanks for taking the time ...
Glad u had an enjoyable experience.

thanks...only one more week til i get to see it myself...i can't wait...

Dear theblueangel,

\\and the guy next to me had the idea of starting up the "Oh-wee-oh" chant from SOT, which we did...and a few people joined in! It was really cool...(dude, if you're reading this, it was a TRUE pleasure sitting next to someone who was obviously such a fan of the music as well. And your girlfriend is beautiful//

that was me. My wife, Lili and I (yes, that beautiful woman is my wife), commented several times about how much fun we had watching and experiencing the concert with you two also.

We had a nice conversation with your boyfriend just before the show started. Forgive us for not remembering his name, but the concert had everything to do with that. He really opened up to us, which was so great. Let us say that he really touched us and that we are WISHING YOU TWO THE BEST!He was telling us how he did not like Prince, but gave it a chance because of you and ended up loving his music as much we do. That story fits my wife and I to a tee as well.

You nailed the vibe of the whole night right on point. I believe that Prince got excited for this concert at the soundcheck because the NPCMCer's were ready and roudy! His energy through out the concert was great.

Believe us, we will never forget you blowing Prince's mind (you know you did) when he passed you the mike. You were right on! He was not expecting a white boy to do that!

Also, we should give props to the two guys that got to jam at the soundcheck. They did a hell of a job. I was impressed with that thumping on the bass!

All in all, what a great experience it was!

Feel free to keep in touch.

Mike & Lili
[This message was edited Sun Apr 7 14:45:44 PDT 2002 by liltalkm]
[This message was edited Sun Apr 7 14:46:28 PDT 2002 by liltalkm]

some other standouts from the show was when all npgmc members were in their seats and they finally let the ticketed people in and all of MPGMC members turn around and showed them the great seats we had. I also do belive he performed beautiful strange during the soundcheck but i was so high beig in the pit that i was probably imagining it myself.

All i have to say if you are not an NPGMC member, JOIN NOW. I had always sat way on the opposite side of the arena to see Prince and had squint just to see him. But being a member, i was up front dead center. I was in Heaven.

Peace to all the peeps out there and to Susan in the front row who shook the mans hand and the two guys that played guitar and bass for prince. And also to I believe his name is jeff who i sat next to with his girlfriend.

Wow, what a report! And believe me, I'm soooo happy for you that you had such a great time!
Seems like Anna Stesia was indeed intense...
and I think when Prince hands me his mic, I won't be able to say anything but "uh!"!

One question: does he play a FULL LENGHT version of Nothing Compares 2 U ALONE at the piano???
Because then I have to see this tour even more than before...because this would be a dream come true.
You know, I think this song is so beautiful... but I don't think that any of the studio versions really do it justice, the only way this song should be experienced is live, by Prince.

no afterparty?

Extraordinary - BUT NOT - surprisingly so! Lucky U!

Thanks 4 the great report!!!

I was the guy that got to play guitar at the soundcheck.
I'm still thinking it was all just a dream! Thanks to everyone who was there. It was the night of my life...

.
[This message was edited Fri Apr 19 5:46:06 PDT 2002 by luvy]

Reading such a great review is like being there! Thank you!

oh yeah, one more thing. a funny classic prince moment. while we were in the soundcheck, someone had yelled out to Prince to play "I'M Yours" from his first album and he was caught off guard with that one. He gave a look like he did not expect to here someone shout out a song from his first album. Prince started playing it but said that he does not remember what key it was, hell for what he was playing sounded good to me. but then thats when i yelled for joy in repeitiion and he nodded towards me and started to play the instrumnetal version of it. but that part with him fiddling wiht I'm yours was classic.

HEY YOU!!
Um...he called me Lynch...btw...he prob got his vengence because during the soundcheck he kept pulling up his pants while he was playing...and when he sat down in front of me on the pillows..i said..PLAY YOUR PANTS OFF THEN!...and he said WHAT? i said PLAY YOUR PANTS OFF..and he gave me this choking look...and right then i knew he thought i said PULL YOUR PANTS OFF... ...i sent word to him what i actually said..i hope he got it.

All eye can say is "Damn BABY!, hurry up and come 2 LA>

Wow thats one helluva review man. Can't wait 4 the NYC show on Tues.!

Thanks 4 the LakeLand Report... i wish i could've made this show


what is a Prince show in Florida with out the FloridaNPG Collective 2gether:

The1Auroa
MzPrnce
LoeSxy1958
WildRich17
RonnieChristian1999
Scandelous
PurpleLove7
Slimkidj1999
Princelover4evr
Npgandlove
Ajgadek
Gamillah
Lisalisa43017
PurpleRainChild
Wynter192002

these r just SOME of the FloridaNPG Famz that ca b found @

http://groups.yahoo.com/g...loridaNPG/


thanks again 4 the Post... & come & visit us NPGMC & Prince Famz all ova

Oh, I can't wait~

Again it sound like Prince making some1s dream come true one day at a time. Thanks for the great report

he played a full "purple rain" and "nothing compares 2 u" in cleveland.

Good review,hope 2 see this in Europe!

"Wearing sandals"?????
You mean, he wasn't wearing high heels during the soundcheck?

theblueangel said:

YES,INDEED! and great review!!! prince keeps getting better! he's the BOMB. Love to u prince...Thanks!!!

What a great review! Where's the European tour, huh? A few more of these reviews and I'm going to have to spend all my savings on a last minute flight to the States.....

I think those little moments are what makes a concert unforgettable, right?

My... that's a long one!

theblueangel said:

Are you gay?

I was at the Lakeland show this week as well. Fanatastic show! I was one of the unlucky souls who had to wait while "techically difficulties" were being worked out. I thought "damn, Prince will have resigned with Warner Bros by the time we get in here!"

But once the concert started, it was just on! This concert kicked about 37 different kinds of asses with more asses lined up around the corner waitin to be kicked at his leisure!

He was really working the Haibibi and Hohrner. He only played his Symbol on 2 songs, and he didn't play his Cloud at all. Maceo and Candy were also absent.Other than the show not starting on time, I have no complaints about the show! It was incredible!

Speaking of complaints:
Sometimes when I look the topics and post in the Forums here, I see alot of whining and bitching about how "Prince doesn't play this anymore,Prince is a religous nut now, Prince is a hypocrit, Prince is a an egomaniac, Prince is an idiot for not releasing this song, Prince is a sell-out for making this album, Prince made me cry because he wouldn't listen to my cd where I rewrote one of his songs, blah blah blah blah blah!

Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, and all those things may very well be true. All I have to say is, if you call yourself a Prince fam, quit your bithin, get a ticket to this show, and get a damn clue!

Prince my very be a crazy-ass, bible-thumpin, self-absorbed, egomaniacal, nut-fuck wacko who's as crazy as a pet cockroach, but HE'S STILL THE BADDEST MOTHERFUCKER YOU WILL EVER SEE ON A STAGE IN THIS LIFTIME SO GET OVER IT AND ENJOY HIM WHILE HE'S STILL HERE! Trust me, after he's gone, there will be no other like him!

theblueangel said:[quote]
He then played "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" and started off on his own, but then the band came on and joined him and it was ROCKING. This song is such a gem, and again, I never thought I would be able to see him play it...but it gets even better! During the breakdown at the end he sang, "Make a black man wanna sing!" and handed the mic to John Blackwell, who sang in a loud falsetto "Call Me!" and then Prince sang, "Make a white man wanna sing!" and handed me the mic!!! So I belted out in my best falsetto "Call Me!" and Prince made a hilarious look and took a step back, and said "I'm SCARED of you!!" The crowd cheered....and y'all will please forgive me for being ecstatic....it was the most incredible experience!
[quote]

Dude, that was you! My wife and I were in the Mezzenine, cracking up! Great job!
[This message was edited Mon Apr 8 6:40:11 PDT 2002 by ace316]

GREAT REVIEW!!!!! thank you so much! I got goose bumps!
sandles..huh? interesting..very interesting