Let me start by saying that Prince put on a marvelous concert but it was much too short. It was only like 83 or 84 minutes and he was offstage for nearly 10 minutes during Pass the Peas. I was really disappointed by the fact that it seemed like he was saving himself for the after show. I don’t think it’s wise to shortchange eight or nine hundred people just to impress 50 people at an after show.

Anyway...

We started the day by driving to the Rio in the early afternoon for a photo with the symbol on the building. (Not a single person was on the ramp we shot these from so I could only shots of us together with me holding the camera which was far from ideal). Here is a little collage of a few of the shots.



As you can see it was quite cold in Las Vegas.

We proceeded into the Casino to just make sure we had our bearings for that night as we planned on showing up late and wanted to make sure we knew where we were going. As we walked around the casino we finally found the 3121 sign and much to my surprise and amusement was a group of people waiting to get into the show. It was like 2:00 in the afternoon which meant that these people were going to be waiting at least 10 hours until the show. Some would call them dedicated but I would call them crazy. To spend a day in a town as fabulous as Vegas waiting in line seems pretty silly especially considering the view from the back was perfect and it was empty enough that there was like a ten foot separation between us and the people in front of us giving us absolutely perfect sightlines.

Truthfully I have been front and center at PP probably 20 or 30 times and I know it’s magical but it’s certainly not magical enough to wait in line for 10 hours. I thought it was so funny that I took this picture. I was a little far away for the flash to work so it’s hard to make it out but here is a picture of some dedicated fans (crazies )



We then proceeded to spend a very nice day shopping, gambling, making sexytime, eating a nice meal, and taking a nap and at least a few times I thought of the poor suckers in line

We made it back to the RIO around 11:00 and made our way inside within a few minutes. We were there a lot earlier then I had intended but our dinner took a lot less time then I had anticipated. Anyway the DJ played a bunch of tunes but once again I quickly came to the realization that she was only hired because of her looks. This is the third time I have heard her spin and honestly she is worse then Dudley. I have read a lot of reviews stating that people don’t seem to dance and actually are sitting down and I believe that one of the reasons may be because the dj is so horrendous. She definitely needs some work on transitions amongst other problems.


Prince took the stage at 12:21 a.m. and played behind the curtain for a minute or two reciting lyrics from Erotic City over the 3121 loop. The band consisted of:

Prince
Renato (which was really a nice surprise and filled out the sound real well)
Morris
Cora
Joshua
Maceo
Greg
And who I can only assume was Mike Phillips but he never really took center stage and I never really got a good look at him

The set list was:

3121
Girls and Boys
Satisfied
Instrumental (Big Band jazz style number)
Spirituality
Johnny B. Goode
7
The Word
Lolita
Black Sweat
Kiss
Shhhh
Musicology
Prince and the Band
Pass the Peas
Purple Rain
Let’s Go Crazy

No encore

Highlights for me included the gospel version of Satisfied, Musicology, and especially the instrumental which was the most fun I have had at a concert in a long time. The band was incredibly tight and everything sounded real good and the sound in the club was excellent. Prince’s guitar playing was on all night but I felt his singing voice was a little beat up (maybe from performing earlier in the day). During Spirituality he started out in his falsetto but after his voice cracked a few times he switched to his normal voice which took something from the song. I am always commenting on how I think Prince is the best singer alive and almost never misses a note but he missed a noticeable amount of notes and his voice sounded scratchy and he seemed to miss a lot of cues. He certainly made up for it with his work on the guitar and bass.

The club wasn’t overly crowded which was nice. I have read other reviews stating that it was sold out but I just don’t know how that would be possible as there was literally 10 feet in front of us empty which made for excellent views and we were never within a couple of feet of anyone even when we were standing in the middle of the crowd. The crowd really thinned about halfway through as people were leaving either for the after show or out of boredom/tiredness.

The crowd seemed to definitely be a greatest hits crowd as the only large ovations came during Purple Rain, Let’s Go Crazy, and Kiss.

At the end of Let’s Go Crazy which Prince played with a broken string the band left the stage and everyone started clapping for the encore which never came. After a few minutes the dj came on and told everyone if they wanted more music they better go next door to the restaurant. I looked at my watch and she made this announcement at 1:45 which put the show at less then 85 minutes and he had actually left the stage a couple of minutes earlier. I thought it was very tacky to end a show early so he could sell tickets to another show. I understand he was tired having performed earlier in the day but if this was the case maybe he should have skipped the after show. I heard a bunch of people grumbling on the way out.

Me and Amy had no desire to go to the after show as we have seen countless Paisley shows and didn’t want to ruin Sunday in Vegas by staying up all night so we went back to our hotel.

In conclusion the show was great and Prince and the band certainly played with a lot of energy but the way they ended it kind of left a bad tasted in my mouth.

I will probably add to this as I think of other details but I just wanted to add my two cents.

.
[Edited 1/18/07 8:03am]

Sounds like a good performance. I hope you enjoyed yourself. I TOTALLY agree about DJ Rashida. She CANNOT mix, cut, OR fade. It's like she picks the needle up and puts on another song. It's very distracting when you're grooving to a song and without any warning there's another song on without any kind of transition. WTF????? I'm sorry but her skillz are definitely lacking. I've been complaining about her since I first heard her in Houston last February at the Tamar show at the Rio. Sadly, her dj'ing has NOT improved since. Sorry, it just bugs me. . . Anyway, hope you had fun.

Lovemachine....One of the reasons a lot of fans start waiting on line early is because they want to get a good view near the front of the stage, as most of them paid for "General Admission" without seating, so basically they have a right to line up early if they wish. With general admission you have to deal with people taller than you, blocking your view and so lining up early to claim your spot is not a bad thing.

Yes there is the VIP service with tables, but not everybody wishes to sit at a table at a Prince concert or can afford the table w/bottle service. I don't see them as "crazies" just because they line up early to get into the show. First of all if you read some of the fan's concert reviews, they have stated that they usually take shifts relieving each other-like 1 or 2 going back to their hotel rooms to rest or nap, change, get a meal, shop or basically enjoy some leisure time around Vegas,not much different than what you did before you showed up at the concert that night. So sometimes a snapshot of people sitting or standing in front of the club doesn't tell the whole story about the fans waiting in line, yours is just "one" person's view. Those same fans you call "crazies" are dedicated fans who are part of Prince's major fan base responsible for how this man's career made it to the level it is today, because they buy his music and attend his shows. So for you to take a picture of them and call them "crazies", then post it on the forums, is a little bit rude don't you think? After all, according to your review, weren't you partying alongside those same fans you called "crazies" once you got inside the club? It's not as though you paid for their ticket and they had to answer to you as to why they lined up early.

Most fans that made arrangements to attend Prince's show didn't go to Vegas to necessarily shop, gamble and do sightseeing. Vegas has always had shopping, gambling and sightseeing, no big deal, but Prince is only there for a limited time, so fans who have never seen him perform the "20 to 30 times" up close like you, have the chance to do that now and enjoy the experience in a smaller venue; so give them a break. If they want to line up early, so be it, they paid for their ticket and have the right to experience it the way they choose, whether they line up early or not.


Anyway...glad you had a good time...
[Edited 1/19/07 21:07pm]

In November when I went I got there around 8 pm and was able to still get pretty close to the stage, I also don't consider those people crazy because that secures a spot right up front and thats where I always want to be when it comes to a Prince performance. But looks like it is becoming harder and harder to get a place up front people are getting there earlier.

Very nice pictures and thanks for the report.
[Edited 1/18/07 7:55am]

veronikka said:

That's why they line up early. You wait until after the Superbowl....
[Edited 1/18/07 7:59am]

2elijah said:

As I said....some would call them dedicated and some would call them crazy.

Lets call them dedicated

lovemachine said:

Dedicated sounds good to me....and thanks for taking my comments gracefully.
[Edited 1/19/07 21:14pm]

I thought of something to add. I thought that the people in the lower VIP seats got a little ripped off as the platform with the table was so low to the ground/mainflower the peoples heads standing against the wall (general admission folks) were sitting higher then they were. They either had to stand or as most of the people I saw push their chairs all the way back against the other brick wall away from the table. I felt that those sections maybe needed to be raised higher.

At first I felt bad for these people and stayed away from the backwall but after it became obvious that they had all moved away from their tables I leaned up against the wall. Perfect sightlines with 10 to 15 feet of free space in front of me.

At least on this night I'm not sure it would have been worth all the extra money for VIP since we were basically in the exact same spot as them only without a chair or bottle. But being as we didn't have to get there early we didn't really have to do that much more standing.

Perhaps on more crowded nights it might have it's benefits.

Nice report, and your relaxed attitude about the whole affair is kinda refreshing but I seriously don´t get why people rave about these concerts and call them their "best concert experience ever"...

I mean, not to sound like a hater but Johnny B. Goode, Sprirituality instead of Sexuality ( why sing it at all , just sing one of your more spiritual songs instead of rewriting the lyrics), and Satisfied and Musicology are not really my idea of a great songlist, especially if the concert is that short.
Anyway, glad you and your wife enjoyed yourselves there.

Which lyrics from Erotic City did he sing ?

lovemachine said:

-----
Your the only one calling them crazy and I am not surprised at the negativity.
You have a right to your opinion but, do you ever just keep an open mind when it comes to Prince?

KoolEaze said:

-----

"rave about these concerts and call them their "best concert experience ever"... "

Maybe these are the best concerts experiences they have had. Some of you guys act like Prince has put a spell on people and they can't possibly know what they are talking about.

lovemachine said:

crazies!

on the 30th & NYE I showed up around 10 PM, no big deal getting front!

And you're right, Rashida does pick some cool tunes but she can't mix for shit!

KoolEaze said:

The aftershows I attended on the 30th & NYE made it for me the best concert-experiences ever. The regular shows weren't (although they were good!). Being a dutchie, travelling half-way around the world to Vegas to see the one musical hero I've had for the last 24 years, and getting to experience him & his band as close as in the jazz room, made it a great experience!
I don't think it would have been the same if I had not attended those aftershows! I've heard his hits too many times live for that!

2elijah said:

Oh don't say that I am plannig on going right after Superbowl

veronikka said:

Me too...3121 is worth the trip and then some...plus I love the video clips they have been showing on the 12 screens inside the club from the 1930s to present day that includes, Josephine Baker to Jimi Hendrix to Soul Train dancers to the music of the Caribbean Carnivals to Beyonce, etc...sort of like a music history lesson from different eras..don't know exactly when I'm going
back, but definitely will.Hopefully I will get to see the aftershow as well next time....I heard it is "Awesome!".
[Edited 1/19/07 11:56am]

I'm glad that I'm not the only one who thinks the dj is poor. We need to start a petition for Prince to bring in Lenka Paris.

lovemachine said:

I'm far from an expert on DJs and their techniques, but some of her transitions made me cringe.

Thanks for the report. It confirms some of the things I've been thinking from reading other reviews.

---

Add my name to the list of people who aren't so impressed by DJ Rashida's skills. (Heard her at Nokia last year.) SCNDLS hit the nail right on the head





.
[Edited 1/19/07 7:25am]

Thanks for the review...
It put smiles on me face..

I hope I get to experience this.

2elijah said:

they ARE crazies.

Isn't it nice how this lovely review has devolved into a discussion of whether people who wait in line are crazy or dedicated? Sheesh...

Thanks, lovemachine.

lovemachine said:

Most definitely.





In any case, nice review. And I'm glad I got to hear it from you. It confirms that I'm glad I haven't broken my bank account to get there yet. If I had the extra cash lying around, I know I'd make a point to go, but all things considered, I don't think I'm missing too much.

Stax said:

Hey, whatever turns you on...




-----
"Ignore your enemies because it pisses them off when you do"
[Edited 1/20/07 12:52pm]

veronikka said:

That's what I was thinking. I don't know what to do since I will be solo meeting up with some folks. I don't know when they will show up. This whole event is getting to be a bit much.

lizlampkin said:

No worries...best thing to do before you leave for Vegas is to get in touch with the people you are going to meet up with, trade emails with them, cell phone numbers or text msg each other when you all arrive. Then you can arrange what time to meet up on line. Possibly whomever arrives first in Vegas and check in their hotel room get situated and then later get on line, and can hold a spot on line for some of you. This way you can take shifts taking breaks, like getting something to eat, go to your hotel room to shower/change, get a couple of hours of rest,take a walk around the casino/strip, shop, take bathroom breaks, and return to the line to relieve some of your friends. (Some fans and I that went to the May Vegas shows at the Empire club, did this and we had no problems helping each other out).

That's usually how it works for General Admission anyway if you don't plan on having a table. Also, the VIP line is a separate line from the reports I read on here and the tables are first come first served. So I doubt if you have any problems once you make arrangements with the people you meet up with, so no worry.

I went to Club 3121 during opening weekend when they had the pre-sale available for former npgmc members and we were on a separate line and let into the club first. I did General Admission for both nights and had a great view both nights, near the front of the stage. The fans I met while in the club where I stood, were very nice and we all looked out for one another. It's all a matter of how you communicate with other fans around you, it pays to be nice, and you would have no problem leaving the club to go to the restroom or on food/drink breaks and return to your original place while someone holds it until you return. You just have to know how to work it to your advantage. I hope you have a great time when you go!
[Edited 1/20/07 22:34pm]

2elijah said:

true.