Sounds like a personal problem.

bkw said:

If you saw the show you would agree. There was way too much preaching, he's no Miles, and his attitude toward his fans was demeaning and sarcastic. No respect for us considering all the waitng around we had to do.

Oh by the way, complaining about lining up is just bullshit.

You dont have to line up. If you're a member of the club you could just rock up later and grab your seat in the first 15 rows. Same for the afterparty, you could just rock up later and get in with your pass. You made the choice to go there early and line up so I wouldn't go blaming someone else. Go take a walk in the room of mirrors.

NatTurner said:

Yea, but I've kicked the habit finally, now it's just a credit card problem! I feel like I went to Vegas and lost $500 bucks!

getwild007 said:

Correction: What Prince WAS.

My Prince habit goes back to 1983. I know some of you go back further...some not quite as far. I've always been addicted.

This post reflects my opinion very accurately. It hurts me to say it, but in order to protect my joy of his music and spirit I have to stop paying attention to Prince. I didn't resubscribe to the NPG Music club this year. I'm not going to any concert. I think Prince said it pretty well around the time of Chaos and Disorder: "Prince is dead". That's about the time the spirit of his music died as well as his name.

I also realize it does no good to spam this forum with negative thoughts about Prince. He isn't going to read this one day and say to himself, "Damn...I've become an ass" and then magically become creative again.

I think I'll do what so many other diehard fans have done over the last few years...just quietly fade away and move on to someone who creates.

Strange but true...

bkw said:

Listen man you would think you would get a good seat if you're in the first 15 rows right?? Well not really. As I said- the middle section was all gone when I walked into soundcheck. The obstructed view side seats were considered the first 15 rows, which they were but I would have rather had row 21 dead center. The sound sucked on the sides as well. Also many club members that showed up at the start of soundcheck I saw standing on the sides or complaining to the security that they needed a seat. I knew something like this would happen, so I got in line at 3:00. Which would have been fine if they let us in at 5pm like they said, but we didn't get in until 6:30pm.

As far as the aftershow, the club didn't even know about the passes at first and finally they figured it out, but after the intitial wave of club members were let in, they let the public in and I'm sure it sold out after that. If you think some laminate from Prince will get me past a NYC bouncer at 2am to a sold out show you're nuts! That's why we all waited in line at 11pm after the show and got in around 1am. He went on like 2am I think.

THECROSS2002 said:

Your opinion of TRC is just that - YOUR OPINION. I absolutely love TRC, I think it is a brilliant work of art - but everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Yes, I have been to the ONA show, and as I said before, I thought the show was great. The Hit n Run tour was totally different show focusing on totally different material. So it's almost impossible to compare the two shows. It's almost like trying to compare the 1999 album to Lovesexy.

Of course more people in the audience are going to recognize all of the hits on the Hit n Run tour, and of course that is going to lead to a greater crowd response. But, it seems to me that Prince intentionally designed the setlist on ONA to create the kind of show and atmosphere he wanted to create. Was it you or someone else that said they sat down on 5 songs at the concert? Well, truth be told, at the show I went to, people were still standing, and it was Prince who said "everybody take a seat, I just want to play something nice for you for a while". So I'm convinced that the way the show comes across is exactly the way Prince wants it to come accross. The ONA show, just like his various albums will appeal to some fans, while other fans may leave feeling a bit dissappointed. But as a peformer, musican and artist, it is clear to me that after seeing ONA, Prince is still the greatest.

bkw said:

And lets not forget bkw, you and I would DIE to be lining up for hours wouldn't we?!

Damn, I would give anything if he came to Australia.. I would line up for 15 hours, I wouldn't care...

Be happy you have the opportunity to line up..

Unfortunately the few of us down under who adore him haven't seen the likes of Prince in these parts for about 10 years..

bkw said:

Anyone who says "I miss the Revolution" will never get into where Prince is heading now...that's a sure sign of someone who's living in the past way too much when it comes to Prince and his art...as much as I loved his 80's output, and as ambivalent as I was to way too much of his 90's stuff, I don't miss the 80's output one iota...

I haven't heard the concert--yet(next weekend!)--but I have heard "Xenophobia"..and let me tell ya, that shit is fucking GREAT!!...When I heard it I instantly wanted to have the CD so I could hear what else is on it...in other words, I was excited about what Prince is gonna throw down next, I wasn't thinking "It's no SOTT"...I rarely listen to his 80's stuff anymore...haven't listened to Purple Rain, ATWIAD, Parade, 1999, etc, etc, in years, with no real desire to...but I have listened to The Gold Experience, The Truth, and The Rainbow Children like crazy...along with some great individual songs("I Love U, But..", "When I Lay My Hands On U", etc)...why focus on his 80's output when there are some great gems on his resume over the past 7 years or so??...

Jellyfish, your post is heart-breakingly accurate. But at least to the extent of the live shows, I think that the problem could be mitigated by a reliance on the grand old catalog from the good old days. People will always turn out to celebrate those ground-breaking, visionary songs. The really sad thing is, wait until the next tour, when the casual fan realizes that buying a $100 ticket won't even get you Little Red Corvette. Prince will have trouble selling out high school gyms next tour.

Jellyfish said:

I don't mean to be negative, but I just spent a ton of money and feel let down and just need to let others know what I think. I'll be OK tomorrow and hopefully not so negative..

.
[This message was edited Wed Apr 10 23:43:54 PDT 2002 by Diva]

well...2 each his/her own....personally i love the man he's become and i am still flashing back 2 the DC shows...i could go on but i know that would just bore u....

when u said "i've finally kicked the habit" what does that mean? r u leaving the org? will u have anything positive 2 say about Prince ever again? r u cancelling your purple membership?

inquiring minds wanna know

DMSR, I don't think you are being negative at all, just telling it like it is. You've done a service by letting us get our frustration with Prince out in the open. I'm going to this show because, let's face it, there aren't many live acts who could match Prince's worst day, so what the hell. I just gotta cut back my expectations, because when I went to see Hit-N-Run a couple years ago, it was the opposite: my expectations weren't that high and then he comes out and throttles my brain with all the great stuff from back in my youth.

[/quote]
Anyone who says "I miss the Revolution" will never get into where Prince is heading now...that's a sure sign of someone who's living in the past way too much when it comes to Prince and his art...as much as I loved his 80's output, and as ambivalent as I was to way too much of his 90's stuff, I don't miss the 80's output one iota...
[/quote]

Wellbeyond, I respect your opinion, and I know you know your shit, but let me add two things. I said I miss the Revolution on "Power Fantastic" not the whole show. They played on the original and it really sounds like Lisa's piano sound that I loved. I liked his other bands with personality as well, but to me this ended a couple of tours ago. Also please respond to my other comments in my original post. I'm not just living in the 80's it was the whole experience that made me realize Prince is still very talented, but he ain't THE MAN!. I don't know if anybody will ever replace him, but he ain't on the throne right now.

butterscotchcurlyhair said:

Nah, I'm not going that drastic, but I'm not doing any crazy shit like going to NYC and waiting in line and spending $300 for tickets when I know the show might be shaky. Ya know I live in Boston, so I missed two days of work, paid for a hotel and drove down to NYC. This 2 day trip may have cost me closer to $1000, but I'm afraid to even look at the statement next month! And again read the whole experience of what Prince said and the way he treated certain people. I'm trying not to be too negative and live in the past! Just being honest.

DMSR, it wasn't just the "I miss the Revolution" comment, I only used that as a jumping-off point...it was the common theme of "when Prince gets back to where he was in the 80's, then he'll be worthwhile again" type of posts...it was the "Prince should stick to his 80's catalogue until he writes something worthwhile" nonsense...it was the digging up the "Dirty Mind" tour as an example...lol...it was all those types of comments, and it wasn't just you, of course...To me, when I hear(or read) comments of this nature, I keep thinking "My GOD...Prince's 80's shit was fierce, no doubt...but damn, it wasn't that fuckin' good..."...lol...I keep hearing some people say things like "There's a world outside of Prince...he's not the be-all and end-all, yanno.."...well, I take that same attitude towards his 80's output...there's an entire world even of Prince music outside his 80's output, and his 80's stuff isn't the be-all and end-all...

THECROSS2002 said:

Believe me I will probably pay next time he's in town cause I'll need my fix. He is still better than most, but not what he was, and the lack of respect for us die hard fans is getting on my nerves. Am I just another sucker?

DMSR said:

How, exactly, did Prince "disrespect" his fans again??...I mean, I read your post and all, but I'm not seeing the obvious disrespect you saw...

wellbeyond said:

Comparing Prince's post-80s output to his core catalog is like comparing Sophia Loren to some gutter-slug street-walking whore. I mean, there is no comparison--every Prince release for the past 10 years has heaped disgrace on his earlier work. The man can't even get a record contract now--sheesh! And before you call me out for being negative, my strong feelings about his current work only spring from the fact that my love of his earlier work is so strong. The man is the most freakishly talented pop music artist ever, no doubt.

getwild007 said:

Listen I'm not "Mr. PC Police", but when you are someone of Prince's celebrity who has brought his $100 paying, tired and soaked fans together, lets not give those same people shit and pick on a handicap that for all he knows someone actually may suffer from who's there. And then say "You're late" I felt like saying "And You're short!" I think he can dish it out, but probably can't take any criticism or jokes about him too well.

What is he my third grade teacher "Don't Cuss!, Your'e late!" This is supposed to be MUTHA FUCKING PRINCE, NOT MY HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL! Again, I'll get over the rest of it, Don't worry, don't want to bring people down, just venting!

DMSR said:

This is what I hear OVER AND OVER again by some folks and I can never understand. WHY even bother to buy future new material if you're giving up your fandom and expecting the worst? What's this co-dependence masochism that some hardcore Prince fans have that they can't let go if the experience of Prince, his latest music (whatever it may be), and his tour has left them with a bad taste in their mouths?

Is it just fashionable to say you're giving up all things Prince while continuing to spend money on his latest music and wasting energy keeping up with his career? Is it the fact that a guy who is almost 45 years old has outgrown you by moving on from his former overtly sexually raw and raunchy persona? I don't understand that part of it either.

When you get to almost your mid 40s you won't be saying and doing some of the same things you did as a 26 year old either - at least most won't.

I can understand you giving up on spending money for his club and concerts, even for his latest music (if that's what you were going to do), but to expect him to carry on like an oversexed male in his physical prime, and then to say even though you don't dig the music you'll still buy it -- it's every bit as contradictory as Prince has ever been.

So what should Prince do??? Should he peronally send out a demo of the current stuff he's working on to the "dissapointed fans" to see if they approve before he decides to release anything new?

I knew one thing about this tour, and that is that it would put some seperation between his "purple rain" fans and the fans that are diggin' where he's at, not where he's been.

THECROSS2002 said:

Just because you can't see the amazing beauty in an album like The Truth, and can't see it as true growth as both a songwriter and a singer, doesn't mean it doesn't exist...and sorry, but you can't name a single album from the 80's which matches the musicianship found on TRC...you can't...there isn't a single album from the 80's which has better drumming or guitar on it...not one.


Um, he's not TRYING to get a record contract now...sheesh...lol


Exactly my point...you're love of his earlier work is so strong--maybe TOO strong--that you're unable to see the beauty that is contained in some of his more recent work...as well as you see Prince as a talented pop music artist, as where I see him as a talented songwriter/musician....I couldn't care less if it was pop or r&b or funk...that's why I loved The Truth CD, which was close to folk...but it still showcased Prince's amazing ability at songwriting and finding a melody that sticks in your head....

Not all his recent work, obviously, but then again, not all of his earlier work was great, either...to me, ATWIAD was average at best...TRC blows that shit straight out of the water, not EVEN a contest...the guitar work on much of The Truth is better than all the stereotypical guitarist acrobatics that Prince employed on way too much of his 80's output...we could go back and forth giving reasons why one song/album is better than another, but that would miss the point I'm getting at, which is--in my opinion anyway--some people just won't grow or change with the artists they're fans of...I think that's happening with Prince now...Believe it or not, there are actually some people who didn't think Prince should have been seen as a "musical genius" until they heard TRC...lol...they didn't think 1999 or Parade showcased a genius...they just didn't see it...but now they do...so it goes both ways...

Many cudos to Prince for focusing on the power of music, instead of the power of the pop song..

NatTurner said:

LOL! Nat Turner is always showing up when you least expect him.

wellbeyond said:

Here's how Prince kids around with us- "You're late." "Who cusses?" "You all have turrets!" "Any requests? Just kidding." "Is it better to give than receive?" "Give" "Then give up your seat to the man in the back!" Then he puts a guy onstage who said "I'm a follower, not a leader." Great. Then he says to the girl who said it's better to give- "Yes it is better to give, now I'm going to give HIM a solo." In other words, fuck you girl, you still get nothing!

He also said- "If you came to get you're Purple Rain on this aint 1984 you better hit the door." Great thanks, telling the fans to basically fuck off if they came for any of the hits. Then he fucking played it! What a hypocrit!

All the other preachy shit has been discussed. I'm not an idiot and I don't need Prince to tell me how to live or what to believe in. I paid for fun and entertainment, not to join his cult.

wellbeyond said:

Supernova said:

Well I'll spend 10 bucks but not plan on any other big expenses, I still hold out for something I'll really like, there is always a chance. He's definitley grown up and now he's hanging with Larry and Maceo and he to me just ain't that cool anymore. He's lost the fire and the funk.

DMSR said:

THIS is "disrespect" in your eyes??...It doesn't take much, huh??...Do you know that my own mother probably would have joked and said "You're late" to me, even if it was raining outside...lol..had Prince said that to me, and me alone, I would have laughed, smiled, and then shot back with a killer comeback...lol..and you know what?...Prince probably would have laughed at MY comeback...lol..

And I definitely did NOT see his saying "Now I'm going to give HIM a solo" as a big "fuck you" to the woman...and not at all sure how you did...something must be missing from your story...


Oh, please...lol..I heard that SAME thing said on the copy of "Xenophobia" that I heard...and to me, it wasn't disrespect...it was nothing more than saying "This ain't about where I've been, it's about where I'm at now..and here's a song to show where I'm at now"...how you turned that into "Fuck you!" in your mind baffles me...



Ah, so now Prince speaking his mind about his views on life and society and religion is the equivalent of starting a cult...Hmmmm...I wonder how many people come away from a U2 concert where Bono goes on about how we need to care about this cause or that cause, how this government is wrong or that official is evil, and think U2 is starting a cult??...probably zero...