There are so many songs Prince seem to have given up on or songs he just won't sing and I'm trying to figure out why. For example, during the Prince/Tamar gig in Miami, he did a wicked performance of Beautiful Strange that sent chills down my spine, but he never sang it again. I don't get it.

I agree he should ease up on the covers.

I do have to disagree with the hornz section though. Mike Phillips sax during Pink Cashmere made me melt and I liked how the hornz broke it down during Musicology, that was too funky. Oh and I love Black Sweat live, that's just my personal preference.

Oh and number 4 is too funny.
[Edited 3/26/07 19:51pm]

First of all, we had a great time at the show this past weekend: we were so close to Prince, we met some great people and seeing P do a full version of "Love Bizarre" was a dream come true.

But, I really think that if P takes this current show outside of the club setting, where the energy level is way up and people are excited to be so close to Prince, that more casual fans will be bored.

Here are my pro's and con's with the show:
Pro's:
1: Older Original Material Sounds Great: Girls & Boys, Kiss, If I Was Your Girlfriend, A Love Bizarre, Purple Rain were awesome, people were having a blast. Purple Rain gave us chills (and I thought I was Purple Rain'd out).
2: The Stage Set is Cool: the staircase, computers behind the drums and the Red Heart (like from 1999) were very cool.
3: The Band Sounds Great: i thought the band sounded awesome, there are WAY too many horns for me, but all else sounded tight and funky. The drums and synthesizers sounded cool and I think Shelby and the twins sound good too.
4: P's Guitar: it is still awesome to listen and watch him play guitar.


Con's:
1: What is up with all the cover songs still? He is doing the same cover songs from the Musicology tour! I dont want to hear Love Rollercoaster or Pass the Peas anymore. I want to hear my favorite songs by my favorite artist. Why in the world will it take to hear a full version of When Doves Cry? There was something cool about the musicology tour where P was trying to demonstrate what true musicians can do and show us that the band can rock any song, but I think he needs to move on. Hit us with a barrage of your own songs that we are all dying to hear! Your fans will never be happier.

2: The 3121 Material fell flat: I really think he should just move on from 3121, it was a moment, but its over. Lolita sounded cool, but 3121 and Black Sweat were tough. It is really hard to hear the lyrics when P sings falsetto over anything but a ballad. Not even P on bass could have saved Black Sweat; and barely anyone chanted the chorus when P held the mike out. Leave Lolita and Satisfied (maybe) and move on from this phase.

3: The horns just need to go away for a while. At least the horns arent prominent in every song this time around. It may be a personal thing, I really prefer the synthesizer sounds over the real horns. But those horns can really mangle a song. The worst, though, are the extended horn solos: it is just too long and we just arent that interested. By the way, Ive already heard What a Wonderful World and 'When the Saints go Marching' or 'Down by the Riverside' In during Musicology, they need to find some new stuff.

4: Can Larry Graham please just go away? He is so stiff and no one knows his songs! Poor Shelby was desperate for people to sing along, she finally just had to give up. He needs to move on from LG, he is the worst. It is bad enough when he plays bass but that man should NEVER be allowed to sing onstage again.

What do others think? Should he take this current set on the road to bigger venues? or do you think he needs to change it up?
[Edited 3/26/07 19:44pm]

There are so many songs Prince seem to have given up on or songs he just won't sing and I'm trying to figure out why. For example, during the Prince/Tamar gig in Miami, he did a wicked performance of Beautiful Strange that sent chills down my spine, but he never sang it again. I don't get it.

I agree he should ease up on the covers.

I do have to disagree with the hornz section though. Mike Phillips sax during Pink Cashmere made me melt and I liked how the hornz broke it down during Musicology, that was too funky. Oh and I love Black Sweat live, that's just my personal preference.

Oh and number 4 is too funny.
[Edited 3/26/07 19:51pm]

wonder505 said:

That Beautiful Strange performance is the highlight of my Prince performance experiences. He was right in front of me and blew me away! Lawd, why did ya have to make me think about it? AAARRRRGHHHH!!!