I don't normally write reports and this will be brief.

Overall great show.

Song list is probably the same for songs lead by Tamar.

Prince did the following when she was off stage changing outfits:

Anotherloverholeinyohead
Beatutiful Strange .... again


I didn't see anyone mention from other reviews that Prince and Tamar did a combination of Barry White's "Ecstasy" and MJ Bliges "Happy". Liked this a lot, especially Prince singing "Ecstasy".


Cons:

The sound.
While you could hear the instruments great, they drowned out Tamar some of the time. I think this will sound better in a bigger venue. Nation is not that big.

Will call.
While it worked out. They could have have a better way of doing it for fan club tickets vs. ticketmaster tickets.


Pros:


Overall I really enjoyed this show a lot. I didn't think there would come a day when Prince would be on the stage ripping up guitar and I'd be torn between watching him and watching someone else singing.


Watching the twins sweat out their hair. If they had really short hair cuts they would've had fros by the end of the night

Prince close enough to count chest hairs.


Prince acting silly as all get out. "Sexual Chocolate!"

I should get a ticket for tonight's show.


Almost forgot...
Props to the girl, (I think her name may have been Jean?) who got up on stage and sang "Play that Funky Music" correctly. You rocked it.


.
[Edited 3/13/06 5:39am]

Yeah, I truly enjoyed myself. Anything involving Prince I know I will have a FABULOUS time!!! Although at times I thought I was the only Prince fan where I was standing (at the top in the middle). Seemed like no one was feeling it like I was....and I was feeling it (smile).

Tamar was good, she song alot of other folks songs, but the fact that Prince stayed up there with her the whole time was great!!! If I could I would probably go tonight (going out of town).

All in all, true Prince heads will enjoy it. Those who are new to Prince probably will not. Enjoy!!!!!

So how bad were the lines last night? What time did you get there? I already have my tickets, so I don't have to stand in line for will-call.

my two cents:

1. Prince was late. (1/2 hour)
2. Tamar's mike was too low. (i hope they fix that for tonight cuz she can really sing)
3. TWO WORDS... BEAUTIFUL STRANGE!! That was awesome!!! I love that song!
4. It was too damn hot in the club.
5. Mike Scott stopped by to play acoustic guitar.
6. Prince is already featuring Tamar he doesn't need to give the twins their own song. Having heard them sing "what have you done for me lately" twice now it didn't get any better.
7. WHYYYYY do i jump up and down every time i hear the beginning to "Red Headed step child"??? I keep thinking it's "American Woman". (and i don't think i was the only one)

(ok that was more like 7 cents).

getanothername said:

Well I actually got there kind of late (around 9:15) and was about 6 rows away from Prince on the inside with a pretty good view.

i was planning to go about 6 pm and sit there with a chair and my portable dvd player (it's supposed to be damn near 80 degrees today).
question: is there one line for everybody, or a will-call line and then a line for peeps who already have their tickets? i have to get mine from will call, but don't see the point of going all early if i'm still gonna be in the back. what time did will call open?
thnx

meltwithu said:

from what we saw it was all one line.

dearlybeloved said:

thnx

Ifsixwuz9 said:

"HE can stay.. "--Ha!

eeky said:

Who said that?

Thanks everyone for the reviews.

There was just one big line for everyone - about 9:30 the Nation staff came out to check IDs and give wrist bands out. Then they came thru with a box of tickets for the Ticketmaster customers - but "club members" could not get their tix - until we all entered, went thru security (gents to left, ladies to right) and then went to Will Call window pick-up.

People HAVE YOUR IDs out and ready for the line ID check AND for will call window - damn peeps! It went pretty fast and smooth aside from folks who fished thru their pockets & purses forever.

This system is really unfair though to the club members who waited in line for 6 hours then saw other folks streak past them into the hall while awaiting the will call window.

I got there about 9:00 last night - just missed hearing the sound check (Hollaback Girl - which they also did during the show). I plan on being there about the same time tonight.

Morris Hayes said tonight may switch up the set a bit - some things "rehearsed but not played yet.

I LOVED it - MUCH better show then Philly - my only grievance (besides the ticket pick-up unfairness) was no encore and no "Beautiful Loved & Blessed" live - hope he is saving that for tonight.

KathyMJ said:

Agreed. Espcially since they could have had two sets of people go outside and walk the line to give out will call tickets and check IDs -- two for reg. ticketmaster purchases and two for fan club ticket purchases. As long as we were standing outside they could have started doing this at 9:45 or so and they would have been finished by the time they were ready to let us in. Then any straglers that weren't on line could have gone to the ticket window once the doors had officially opened.

hey, at least you only had to pay 31.21 to get in. I had to come up off 70+ bucks (x2 for a friend who still owes me ), plus another $4 for some crummy paper Paintbrush ticket in an email, and all I got was a lousy guitar pick.


But yeah, it was totally unfair. Y'all were out there for hours; no reason they couldn't have distributed them earlier. I bet everyone who had to go to the window was already there by 9, anyway.

Ifsixwuz9 said:

So Partyman has been replaced with Anotherlover.... & Beautiful Strange?

jone70 said:

No he played "Partyman" last night also.

Ifsixwuz9 said:

Damn! So jealous--I had every intention of going to a DC show but I completely missed the announcement and tix sale b/c I'm too busy at work. My job is *really* starting to interfere with my Prince addiction.

i thought the show was great, and everyone was relaxed and friendly. stupid ? though, beautiful strange. was this song ever released on cd, if so which 1.

starfshncoffee said:

It was on RaveIntotheJoyfantastic cd, the remix cd. If I recall this was only available through the NPGMC.

thanxs, it was truly awesome last nite.

Damn...second show was amazing too!!! So much energy and Prince was so freakin close to where I was(both nights), I mean at times he was damn near playing on top of us. Wow...that's all I can say for now two nights of Prince and Tamar...I'm tired and speechless right now!

MONDAY'S SHOW WAS DA BOMB!!!!! THE BEST SHOW I"VE EVER SEEN,(replacing the legendary club concert in this very same building in 1998!)

Got there at 4:15...there were 5 people already there, so i was cool! watched a Madea play for awhile...the club people came out a little after 9 and split the crowd into NPGMC and Ticketmaster--and gave us our tickets while we were in line--and we got to go in first!..of course there's always some heiffers who think they're too cute to stand in line trying to get to the front
then the mad dash to the stage after they opened the second door--and...

11:55 pm

Prince comes out and stands 6 INCHES FROM ME!

Calhoun Square
Anotherloverholenyohead
that blues jam where he sings to his woman ( i remember it from ONA)
riffs from the cross and other classic jams
LOTS of blistering solos!

I was right at the front where the right twin was, by the dj (she was sooo nice, but she wouldn't give me her water )

the twin's mike cord kept getting snagged on the front of the stage, so i had to keep her from getting tangled--so she come over and GIVES ME A HIGH FIVE

and then rashonda (is that her name--the dj)--picked me to go up on stage and dance--WOO HOO (i had the black NPG jersey on)..by best friend has such a crush on Tamar and then she called him up to the stage--we were grooving to Hollaback Girl
we got high fives from Tamar, and then Prince exits less than a foot from us--UNREAL!

Show over at 1:30
we were talking about how we were 19 years old when Sign O The Times came out... we had a BALL

THANKS PRINCE AND TAMAR AND THE TWINS!!!
[Edited 3/14/06 0:44am]
[Edited 3/14/06 0:49am]

Hey all,

I compiled the setlists/highlights from both DC shows:

Sunday Night show:


Every Little Step

Dancing Room Only

Not Gon' Cry (Mary J. Blige)

All Night Long (Mary Jane Girls)

Milk & Honey

I Never Loved A Man (Aretha Franklin)

Love Changes (Morthers' Finest first, and then Melissa Morgan w/ Kashif)

When A Man Loves A Woman (Percy Sledge)

Anotherloverholenyohead

Beautiful Strange

Redheaded Stepchild

Rock Steady (Aretha Franklin)

Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry)

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough (Michael Jackson)

What Have You Done For Me Lately? (Janet Jackson)

Partyman

Be Happy (Mary J. Blige)

It's Ecstacy When You Lay Down Next to Me (Barry White)


The show was exactly 90 minutes, from 12:30 to 2:00am, with no encore. However, the other shows seemed to have been 90 minutes long WITH encore, so I believe he was actually onstage longer last night...

The Anotherloverholenyohead and Beautiful Strange portion had to have been like 15 minutes long.

~~~~~

Monday night show:


The show again was EXACTLY 90 minutes, coming on at 11:58am tonight

Calhoun Square people!!!! The solo set is now 3 Prince songs! And tonight, there was no Red-headed Stepchild.

Also, DJ Rashida was much more interactive with the crowd, and many times got people onstage to dance, at one time playing some Go-Go and asking some girls to show her how to dance to it. This made the waiting for 2 hours go by much faster.




Every Little Step

Dancing Room Only

Not Gon' Cry (Mary J. Blige)

All Night Long (Mary Jane Girls)

Milk & Honey

I Never Loved A Man (The Way That I Loved You) (Aretha Franklin)

Love Changes (Melissa Morgan)

When A Man Loves A Woman (Percy Sledge)

Calhoun Square!!!

Anotherloverholenyohead

{a brand new blues song - similar to Purple House and the Ride, but ccompletely diff. lyrics. Hopefully someone here can identify or give more insight!)

Rock Steady

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough (Michael Jackson)

What Have You Done For Me Lately? (Janet Jackson)

Partyman

It's Alright



encore

Stay With Me (Lorraine Ellison)

Be Happy (Mary J. Blige)

It's Ecstacy When You Lay Down Next to Me (Barry White) / Hollaback Girl
[Edited 3/14/06 0:55am]

meltwithu said:

Rashida

karlo670 said:

Thanx karlo for the setlists!

I went to sunday's show and got there early stood in line and would've got up close to the stage but i was hanging' Josh Dunham Prince's new bass player So needless to say i missed being arm lenght close but I still manged to get close. Afterwards a who'who was around. I got to conversate w/Terrance Blanchard(jazz trumpet player and Spike Lee's filmscorer) who later went to conversate w/ P ....hmmmm. Rick Kinchen bass player of Mint Condition was hanging w/ Morris Hayes....there was more but I was kicking w/ J.D. again


Great show....reviews were all correct...

am I the only idiot in the DC area who couldn't make it? I didnt think he'd stay on stage the whole time and I can see I was dead wrong! Will have to wait for the tour!!!

I went to the show Sunday night. Was it just me or was the sound/acoustics off? I swear, at times I could not understand a word Tamar was singing. The sound seemed very distorted to me. And when Prince started doing those tricks with the guitar, I thought my eardrums were gonna pop! I had to plug my ears during that part! All in all, I enjoyed the show. However, I have learned a lesson. General admission is not for me! If I can't sit down at some point, then I can't hang.

meltwithu said:

HEY Man

Yo Melt with you,

I was RIGHT BEHIND YOU I think on stage left.

I was the white guy with the Jam of the Year Shirt on

who also got 2 dance (badly) on stage at the last number.

Man hearing Calhoun Square WAS THE S**T!!!!!

Y'all don't know how AWESOME the man was on his GUITAR...

What a great show one of the best I have ever seen.

the DJ played some cuts of the new album too.

NISSA and Lady fingers were there too..GOd Bless

The NPG and Prince.org members I felt the Purple love

all throughout the room.


Kurt