This is just for fun (okay I'm a geek) but how about listing all the tours you have attended and rate them in order of YOUR favourite (just for context I am British and got into Prince in 84)...

1986 - Parade at Wembley Arena (10/10 my first Prince gig, sent shivers down my spine when I heard the opening notes to ATWIAD but the lights were still dark)
1987 - SOTT at Wembley Stadium (cancelled - damn that would have been good!)
1988 - Lovesexy at Wembley Arena (10/10 can any concert ever get more inventive and amazing than this. Arriving on stage in a car then opening with a B-Side!)
1990 - Nude at Wembley Arena (8/10 the gigs I saw were great but a little on the short side. Perhaps they just didn't live up to Lovesexy for me)
1992 - D&P at Earls Court (6/10 I had awful seats right at the back, the acoustics were horrible and the sound out of sync with the video screens, just didn't feel involved)
1998 - New Power Soul at Wembley Arena (8/10, man it was so good to see Prince again after six years. Very funky, lots of jamming. Enjoyed it)
2002 - One Nite Alone at Hammersmith Apollo (11/10 simply awesome and without doubt the best I have seen. Thanks to NPGMC I attended all three nights along with soundchecks and then on the last night the aftershow at the Marquee. Front five rows every night. Acoustic set. Simply unbelieveable experiences having been a fan for 18 years)

I completely missed both the Act 2 tour in 93 (because I was going through a divorce!) and the Ultimate Live Experience (because I was on holiday - damn!)

Anyone care to list theirs?
[Edited 3/31/06 1:49am]
[Edited 3/31/06 1:49am]

Yep

1988 - LoveSexy Idrætsparken 21. aug. Copenhagen
1992 - Diamonds & Pearls, juli Germany
2002 - ONA Falkonersalen, nov. Copenhagen
1995 - Gold exp. 3. marts Wembley Arena
1998 - NewPowerSoul Valbyhallen 18.aug. Copenhagen
1990 - Nude, Gentofte Stadion 5.juni

1985 - Purple Rain tour, Indianapolis (the first time IS the greatest)
2004 - Musicology tour, Chicago and Indianapolis (i'm counting all the times i went, because i have lots of great memories from all the shows i attended)
2002 - One Nite Alone tour, Chicago (i really dug the mood of this tour, but i'm glad he moved on)
1997 - Jam Of The Year tour, Jones Beach (wasn't thrilled with this one, but even a crap Prince show is better than most current artists at their best)


if i can count the Tamar tour, i'd put it in between ONA and Musicology. dude was pretty amazing on the guitar throughout, and his guitar playing is a main reason i like seeing prince in concert.

1. Lovesexy '88--Charlotte, NC and Raleigh, NC...for the theme and the overall experience.
2. One Nite Alone '02--Washington, DC...for the musicianship
3. Musicology '04--Raleigh, NC...for the return to prominence and the fun that you could see Prince having
4. Jam of the Year--'97, '98--Charlotte, NC, Raleigh, NC, and Atlanta, Ga
5. Hit-n-Run--'00, '01--Charlotte, NC, and Atlanta, GA
6. New Power Soul--'98--Washington, DC

Not including afershows or Paisley shows, here's my rankings:

1. ONA in Seattle-The soundcheck made this the coolest night of my life. And I LOVED the band set up, being such a big jazz fan.

2. Lovesexy in Chicago-WOW

3. Jam of the Year (too many shows seen to list)-Not enough guitar playing by my man on this tour, but the setlists were rad.

4. Act II Chicago-At the time I LOVED the Symbol album, so I was psyched. Plus I met a drunken Mavis Staples at this show (She ran into me and almost knocked me over).

5. New Power Soul w/ Chaka and Larry Chicago-The first half was rippin', with Prince WAILING on Bambi, Face Down, the Ride, etc...But the second half was LAME. I did, however, LOVE the song 'FREE' that the three of them did together.

Hey, good thread. Here's how I feel right now:

1. Prince with Tamar. No, I'm not kidding. I have never ever seen guitar-playing like that. I stood on my 47-year-old feet five hours before he started playing and it was worth every second. Even if I hadn't got to sing "Play that Funky Music" this would still be my favorite concert.

2. Musicology. Many reasons, but the showmanship and guitar-playing stand out. He didn't shred it the same way every night (I saw three live and the movie), but there were magical moments. Plus, my daughter got to sing with him twice.

3. One Night Alone. Again, brilliant musicianship. I was so happy I got to take my son to this show so he could see what a real musician looks and sounds like. My boy doesn't really dig much Prince music, but he is into classic rock and I am certainly happy about that. The extended piano encore was great, too.

4. Lovesexy. This was my wife's first Prince concert. You know, I'm surprised so far at how I've framed all these shows around what they meant to my family. Anyway, she thought I was some kook because of how much I liked Prince, so it was a treat to see her waving arms with the best of them during "Purple Rain". She was won over. "Lovesexy" was a great album and this is the only tour I've ever been to where anything from that album was played (except once I think I heard "Alphabet Street" - maybe on the Hit and Run tour).

5. Purple Rain. What can you say? It put him on the map. I saw three of the six Houston shows. For some reason (age, maybe?) they don't stand out in my mind other than they were THE place to be. Oh, and I went crazy when he played "Take Me With U" since it's my all-time favorite song.

6. Hit and Run. As I think about it, this one doesn't hold up all that well. I just remember almost nothing but medlies. But it's still better than..

7. Jam of the Year. I'd rank this higher if he'd played "The Holy River" but I guess I can understand why he didn't. If I recall, there wasn't that much played off the "Emancipation" set, which was surprising.

BONUS - 2002 Celebration. I didn't go. I am stupid. That week would have been #1 but I was too smart to spend a week in Minneapolis.

RodeoSchro said:

I think that train of thought could equally be applied yours or mines favourite album etc. A lot of how we feel about something relates to what was going on in our lives at the time.

It's cool reading other people's experiences.

Any more?

my experience & seating.....


Purple Rain Tour- 11 years old and getting a ticket in the place was nearly impossible. I bought a bunch of stuff and someone actually ripped my doves Tshirt off. It was unbelievable and I was hooked! My stupid brother in law left during the PR encore and I had no choice but to go with him. Last time that would EVER happen!!!!

Lovesexy Tour- I went 2 nights in a row and absolutely unbelievable show! Songs from every era. My seats were in the balcony so that kinda sucked but it didnt take away the magic from the show

Act 1: Finally got great seats! Went 2 nights in a row, something like 11th row and 15th row. It was so cool being that close and I loved the semi small atmosphere. Had a few celebs seating by me too. Prince was great as usual.

JOTY: We to about 5 shows.....the l4oa was general admission and i was slammed up to the front of the stage. Amazing being that close but it was tought to breathe. Good seats for the other JOTY shows 8th row, 14th row, 4th row and then 17th row at NPS show.....JOTY were very cool shows but I wasnt diggin the NPS show, NOT ENOUGH Prince!

Hit n Run: Such a great vibe and everyone was so excited!!! was very close and got to bring my Mom with me again!

ONA: WOW....I loved the soundcheck what an awesome experience. I was in the 8th row or so.....I loved the focus on new material but I did miss some dancing.....

Musicology: GA (wife was pregnant so we actually got seats on the side instead of standing room only, very close tho), 6th row, 1st row, 4th row, lower level.....Wow! This was such a party tour and it was so much damn fun!!! Nothing could top my 1st row ever at a Prince concert.....This tour and Lovesexy were my faves!
[Edited 4/4/06 6:45am]
[Edited 4/4/06 6:45am]

Oh...I forgot one gem in my list:

Although it wasn't really part of a tour, the Emancipation Release Party in Chicago was a DREAM. Not only was it at the Park West (easily the smallest theatre that I'll EVER see Prince in), but I was jammed up against the stage RIGHT under the symbol guitar.

What a night!

1st up: Parade Rotterdam
Stunning, unbelievable and brilliant. My introduction to Prince live.

2nd: Lovesexy Dortmund
The telecast. Great show!

3rd: One Nite Alone Antwerpen
Brilliant once again and the 2 hour soundcheck!

4th: Gold tour aftershows Amsterdam
Tour was nice but the aftershows rocked!

5th: New Power Soul Gent
Great funky show!

6th: Nude tour Dortmund
Another great show

7th: Sign 'o' the times Utrecht
Bad seats, but absolutely brilliant. Cut short by heavy rain.

8th: Act II Den Bosch
Great first half. After that it got less and less.

9th: Diamonds & Pearls Rotterdam
Some great moments, but overall his worst.

Purple Rain Tour, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit - I was in 7th grade and it was my first mega-concert and it was the most awesome of the awesome experiences. He ended up doing something like 9 consecutive shows at Joe Louis.

Lovesexy Tour, Madison Sq Garden, NYC - Just a great live show with P in top form.

The symbol album tour, the Fox Theatre, Detroit - an incredible show in a smaller venue.

Musicology Tour - I saw a bunch of them, so I'll rate them in this order: Atlanta (show with The Time opening), Detroit (3 times), Washington D.C.

1) DETROIT - PURPLE RAIN OPENING NIGHT

2) ONA - 3RD ROW IN A SMALL PLACE

3) LOVESEXY - WENT BACK2BACK NIGHTS....

4) MUSICOLOGY - TOOK A BUNCH OF FAMILY MEMBERS...THEY "GET IT" NOW

5) HIT AND RUN- LOTS OF FUN

I need 2 put down the bong, 'cause I forgot 2 list the Musicology shows I saw...They were GREAT (all 3 Pacific Northwest shows). I was bummed with all of the Purple Rain material, though....I'd rather hear half of 'Sign' or 'Emancipation', but that's just me.

barates said:

If I remember it was because of the SOTT Utrecht show being rained off that the London show I had tix for got cancelled. Prince's people tried to get the Wembley Stadium show moved to four nights at Earls Court (only indoor venue big enough to hold the stage) but the local council refused to grant a licence at just one weeks notice (they require at least four weeks ). I remember standing in the queue at the box office in the day the gig should have happened waiting to get the ticket refund and guess what - beautiful bright sunshine not a cloud in the sky!!!!!

D&P - so you rated this lowest as well. I actually love the D&P album and era (except Jughead and Push) but the gig just didn't work for me (I thought it was having crap seats but maybe not?)

1. OneNiteAlone in Oslo - second row seats, soundcheck, the man at his best form. Just brilliant! 11/10
2. Lovesexy in Stockholm - two nites, overwhelming, excellent seats (I ordered tix rather late, and they had just found that the circular stage was a bit smaller than first expected, and added new seats - in front. Sometimes one is just lucky) 10/10
3. Sign o' the Times in Gothenburg 9/10
4. Diamonds&Pearls in Oslo 6/10

Also I must admit, being an European, the classic Live video from the Purple Rain tour in the US is a gem.

I'm just ranking the ones I've attended, but I feel that Sign "O" The Times and "Lovesexy" are better than these. Even with the dreaded Medleys in Lovesexy, that band was on a level that even U2 can only dream of.


1. Purple Rain(1985)-not his best band, not the best sound, but the best moment, and some incredible performances by Prince himself made this the best I've seen in person. He played every song on Purple Rain flawlessly, save for "Baby I'm A Star," which always sounded weak live to me until the 2004 tour. This was a man on the rise, and in complete control and command of his career.

2. One Nite Alone(2002)-The tour itself was fantastic, as he took the songs from the Rainbow Children, and made them even more powerful on stage. The inclusion of "Anna Stesia," and Prince being so passionate when he played it, made it perhaps my favorite ever single song performance. I saw 3 actual shows from the tour, and all 7 shows from the final Celebration. The year was simply incredible.

3. Musicology(2004)-Save for a few stale moments, like having 4 saxaphone players on Let's Go Crazy,and simply playing "Life O The Party," this tour also had some of his greatest moments on stage. "Shh.." "The Question of U," and "Sign O The Times" were just wonderful. The guitar playing on those songs is about as good as it gets. I saw 7 shows on this tour, and was never dissapointed.

4. Act 1 (1993)- I was at the tour opener for this one, and he nearly played the whole symbol album. Europe got lucky with Act II, getting better songs from the catalog. Fact is, this was a great show, but perhaps a bit over the top, and as over-rehersed as any Prince tour. Tony M was a major minus, but this was still a Prince party, and hearing "She's Always In My Hair" live for the first time was a true moment in time..

5. Hit And Run (2001)- Although nowhere as week as the 1997-2000 version of the band, still not the force the band was in 2002. The show was a bit too medley like, and in Housequake, sometimes it was just Prince shouting "Housequake" with no real singing/rapping. "Darling Nikki" was transformed from the ridiculous Piano medley version to almost it's full blown level from the 80's. Still, most of the "full length" versions of the songs on this show were still edited either a lot or enough to make a poor impression. All in all a good show, but Prince was capable of so much more. This would've been a fantastic show if it were someone like Blink 182.

6. Love 4 One Another-Jam of the Year-New Power Soul(1997-98). Sure these were three seperate tours, but instead of coming years apart, they sort of morphed into one another. This was by far the most awful tour for any superstar I have ever seen. Because it was Prince, there was at least one moment of joy each night, but the fact that this was supposed to be the tour for Emancipation, a very strong 3 disc record...it stunk. He hardly played anything from Emancipation. Because of the money I had saved up, I was able to see 15 shows in these years. I don't regret it, because with Prince, you never know what might happen, but I didn't get anywhere near what he was capable of Sort of like you go to work, and the guy with 8 different degrees is spending 4 hours trying to figure out which one is decaf coffee. How he could play all those remakes, and "Get Yo Groove On," when "Soul Sanctuary," "The Love We Make," and "My Computer," "The Holy River" are just left for dead....The medley factor was at its worst here, with Prince sometimes being on stage 90 minutes or less, but getting through 30 songs or more. In comparison, I saw Bruce Springsteen play his weak material for 4 1/2 hours getting through about 27 songs.

2004 Musicology Chicago, Illinois Section 203 Grew up on Prince, but never had seen him live before. I brought my husband who is a heavier styled musician with me, and only went because my mom suggested that I should go and check it out. I was impressed with the amount of actual instrument playing that went on throughout the show. We loved the show, and for once my husband agreed on a musician that I liked!


2004 Musicology Grand Rapids, Michigan Section 121 We had to see him again, and see a closer view of all the instrument playing / energy. It was a good show but seemed to be shorter for some reason. Everyone that we were sitting by was very into it, and it felt like a dance party. We got online and looked for the next set of tickets as soon as we got home.


2004 Musicology Chicago, Illinois Section 10 Row 5 North Aisle 10
This show was the deal. This time our hotel room was right beside the Allstate Arena, and we could see the purple lit parking lot from our room. I was dressed to the 9’s in a raspberry evening dress, black open toed heels, and purple toes. Morris Day and the Time was the surprise opening band, and I had the opportunity to dance on stage with them. Dancing on stage was exhilarating, but while I was up there I had to check out some of the instruments / equipment they use to put on a show like that. When Prince performed it seemed like he spent a lot of time facing us, which was so nice. He did a set of acoustic guitar songs that made me feel like I was sitting in his living room watching him do what he loved. It seemed like the show lasted much longer than the first two we saw. He closed the show with Purple Rain, and we walked out of the building to a thunder storm. It is pretty surreal to be walking through a purple lit parking lot in the pouring rain / lightning after you just heard Prince himself sing Purple Rain just a few feet away from you. I couldn’t sleep that night, and kept looking out of my hotel room window watching the road crew pack up to leave. That night changed my life. The next week I quit my job, and partnered in a small business venture.


Listen to your mama!

1. Controversy - 1982 Nashville Municipal Auditorium
2. 1999 - 1983 Nashville Municipal Auditorium (Best)
3. Purple Rain 1984 Memphis Colisueum
4. Lovesexy 1988 Oakland Coliseum
5. The Symbol Tour 1993 Atlanta Fox Theatre
6. Musicology 2004 Nashville Gaylord Entertainment Center

Love symbol tour Toronto
Jam of the Year Buffalo
One Night Alone Buffalo + Aftershow
One Night Alone Hamilton
Musicoligy Toronto
seen him in concert at Paisley Park

SOTT - West Berlin 1987 - second equal best Prince gig I've ever been too

Lovesexy - Wembley Arena 1988

Nude - Wembley Arena (three rows away from the stage)

D & P

Symbol - started wonderfully, then went into slick, well drilled band mode

Gold Experience - Wembley Arena; my other second favourite, because most of the material was unfamiliar outside bootleg circles, and Prince was getting a lot of flak from fans and press alike; thought he had a lot of balls playing that kind of set- and he pulled it off too. Aftershow at the Astoria kicked major ass too. Pussy Control was hilarious. "Free! The slave!"

New Power Soul - Wembley Arena/Brixton Academy; ok, but those old hits were starting to sound shopworn, and the new material didn't stand up alongside the old

One Nite Alone - Hammersmith/Marquee aftershow - simply the best Prince gig I've ever attended. Reminiscent of Gold experience for the almost evangelical nature of the performances. Who would have thought a Jehova's Witness themed concept album could be so damn exciting live?
[Edited 4/11/06 2:19am]

I have had the opportunity to attend three...

1st place-Musicology

2nd place-Hit And Run

3rd place-One Nite Alone

and I loved them all!

1st place--Musicology (Raleigh, NC & DC twice)

Great tickets from the fan club. The DC shows were especially great and I went with some fun people, which always helps.

2nd place--Hit n Run (Fairfax, VA)

Don't remember much, but that I liked it better than...

3rd place--Jam of the Year/Emancipation (Landover, MD)

Poor sound quality and Prince didn't play much guitar. I enjoyed it, but since then, every show has been better. I remember Prince's bass playing on "Face Down" had a big effect on a friend who went with me.

1. One Night Alone, London October 3, 2002 - 100 out of 100 words are simply nothing in how to describe that night. it's impossible.

2. Musicology, Las Vegas May 29, 2004 - talk about a party. NPGMC seats as well. best knees up ever.

3. One Night Alone, Manchester October 5, 2002 - lots of jamming. he created this nasty groove on the guitar, kinda industrial and grungy.....lo and behold it was Sign o The Times...it was trancendental.

4. Musicology, Las Vegas May 30, 2004 - this show was a little more subdued and i think i may have had burn out. but i still had a blast!

5. Jam Of The Year, Boston 1997 - my first Prince gig ever. I loved the gig but becuz i had so many boots from that era, i kinda knew which song was coming uo next. it took away from the excitement. the aftershow at The Roxy was also cool but he only played covers but my idol was really up close.
[Edited 4/13/06 17:25pm]

1 Musicology Chicago 2004 (Prince in great mood, excellent set list)
2 Musicology Chicago 2004 (changed set list a little another brilliant show)
3 Jam of the Year Chicago 1998 (awesome after 5 year hiatis from chiacgo)
4 Jam of the Year Milwaukee 1998 (great concert, set list different from chicago, but crowd not as enthusiastic)
5 Lovesexy Chicago 1988 (My first one, set list spanned entire career, lots of theatrics, vintage Prince!)
6 Act I Chicago 1993 (great show, but too scripted otherwise would rank higher)
7 Hit 'n Run Grand Rapids, MI 2000 (might have ranked #1 on my list if we got in on time! Stood outside for first 35 minutes due too the rediculous ticket process we've all become acustomed to...Darling Nikki a nice surprise)
8 Celebration Minneapolis 2000 (a nice culmination to the 1st celebration)
9 Love4oneanother Minneapolis 1994 (a nice surprise, I happened to be in minneapolis for the weekend and heard about the concert on the radio, nice intimate show, mostly new material
10 Ta'Mar Chicago 2006 (Prince was phenominal on guitar I enjoyed that part of it, however, since most of us bought the ticket because HE was there (don't kid yourself, we were), he should have thrown us a bone and done 3-4 of his songs.
11 One Nite Alone Chicago 2002 (disappointing, I brought my brother to his 1st Prince concert and it was very subdued, dark, Prince in one of those moods, could have smiled or turned a light or 2 on.

jaypotton said:

In my opinion it had nothing to do with crap seats. The show just wasn't any good, especially the 'raps' by the horrible Tony M. I actually hated the D&P album, so that's got somehing to do with it, I guess.

All right here we go....

Purple Rain - Toronto - I was 13, I was completely hooked on the music befoe the show and the show finished me. he stood on the speaker in front of me and ripped open his pants (u no the black ones white buttons on teh diagonal) he had a gold chain around his waist he ripped it off and tossed it ino the crowd I saw it glimmering as it flew over my head...so so sexy before I knew what sexy was..might have been the first time I came. I had great seats for a 13 year old..I think I fell for Sheila then too, she was so hot with those drumstix!! a 10 obviously

Lovesexy - Toronto - This was the bomb!! I laffed I cried It became a part of me. To have the recorded show is great except that I think I can hear myself screaming like a freak and it irritates the shit out of me, thank the lord for Germany!! a total 10

0(+> Act I - Toronto seats sucked major ass. sound sucked I longed to be in the front row so I could peep that fine tight ass. a 5 =^(

Jam of the year -Toronto/Buffalo and Detroit Detroit was the best of these, he really turns it out for the motorcity, he gets much love from the fanbase there!! but overall the tour was so so..maybe a 5.

Love 4 1 another - Toronto - small venue right in the front, super wicked, got my first pick..played a dope Face Down and blew my mind!! a 10!

the celebrations all of them absolutely amazing, obviously performance wise 2002 was a 20 out of 10!!

The small shows I have seen at Paisley...July 27 or 28 2000 day before my
birthday, he was just jamming totally making stuff up as he went, first time I got onstage with him, watching him play up close...I think I forgot to breathe as i watched. a 10!

Hit N run - Toronto / Cleveland / La / Vegas I enjoyed the shows and the aftershows. Vegas was the best of them for me though. The aftershows were so dope!!

Jazzfest in Montreal I was hoping for more, maybe it was the seats. He did A case of you here and that alone was worth the price of admission!

ONA - this show I think I saw about 20 times in 10 cities. Loved loved loved it. I could never bore of this show, the band is tight and he changed it up enough to keep me happy. but LA was the best and the aftershows at Highland and HOB!!! whoooo I want that t-shirt that says Prince kicked my ass at the House of Blues!!!

HOB - Grammy aftershow - YEEEAAAAHHHHH!!!!!

Musicology - kick off in La was fantatic!!! But the Toronto shows were great too!!

So the small venues are great, aftershows and such but its hard not to get wapped up in the crowds excitement at the stadiums.

I am all caught up in the great memories now and forgotten the reason for the post..I dropped the ball..

I think the 2002 Celebration is the best for me for the music that was played.
The ONA was a great tour with a tight band.

I wish I could have seen the dirty mind tour though.

Oh I think one of the other best aftershows was the Fillmore after the Hit N run..Sheila and John and Prince in a little Drum off. and I have a drumstick!