In addition to what's already been posted on the site, here are some of my experiences...do let me know what you thought/reply if you feel the need.

I saw the opening night arena show - which was such an exciting night to be a part of, and the subsequent aftershow, which I thought was amazing musically (I was surprised to hear criticism of it on this website to be honest, but music is a very personal thing after all)...but Friday night just gone will take some beating (on this tour in fact). Btw before I bore you with my own observations on Friday Aug 10th - for the record I think the opening night had the most packed and varied set list IMHO. You had all of the material played so far i.e. Purple Rain, Cream, Let's Go Crazy, Raspberry Beret, Little Red Corvette etc but also Guitar, Planet Earth and Come Together by the Beatles, plus no-one knew what to expect, so for that reason I consider the Aug 1st show to be pretty special...at the aftershow it started out as a horn-fest (which was justified considering the personnel onstage incl Candy Dulfer), some of the harmonies and the jamming were amazing though, plus the hard rock version of AnotherLover/Rock Lobster (by the B52s), 3121 and of course Down By The Riverside (which I loved)...it's all so hazy, and my Dad - whom I drove mad in my youth playing Purple Rain over and over again - was there, he thought it was amazing and had never seen anything quite like it, but that said, here goes:

Friday 10th main show - what a blast...Prince was in the mood and really brought it, I was gutted to miss Beverley Knight's support slot but where was the announcement to take your seats from the o2? The venue really should sort that out really. Friday was just a party in the VIP area, and it was as close as I've ever been to Prince...and to see him enjoying from that vantage point is a real buzz undoubtedly. I didn't take any pictures or video as I feel you kind of lose the moment fiddling about with recording devices, and I think you should just be in the moment (I find the whole YouTube obsession a bit of a drag after a while)...again just my opinion.
The aftershow, well firstly I am a fan of Beverley Knight and having met her on a couple of occasions can report here that she's one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet, she loves her music and she loves to sing. I feared the worst when the curtain went back at 1.30am and the hard core Prince fans began to growl!! The good news is that Bev being Bev brought a high energy show and really worked hard to make sure everyone was having a good time, a lot of credit to her for that...
I still believe having watched her reaction throughout at the Indigo2 that she was never truly sure what the set up was, or whether Prince would actually play. She was asked to perform for sure, but the rest seemed to catch her off guard even when she could see the band in the wings...maybe Prince likes her and knowing he's her musical hero did it as a genuine surprise - we'll never know I guess (unless Beverley spills it). When Prince's band began to emerge it was like a changing of the guard, British forces, humble and proud as they were being replaced by a confident marching US Cavalry band...! Which was something to see, led by the horns. Beverley just couldn't hide how star struck she was, am sure she covered her eyes on a few occasions, and kept saying 'oh my God!'. Prince was being the general onstage as always with various hand signals...when he first appeared Beverley Knight was speechless as they jammed on her tune, I forget which one...but it ended up in a long jam and finished with everyone playing Miss You by The Rolling Stones!!
I forget the exact order of things here people and it is a little hazy so forgive me if it goes astray...but will tell you in the order I think it happened....or at which point I do remember it!
Prince then came back on having requested she sing: Another Piece of my Heart by Erma Franklin (for the 3rd time that night!!) The only problem was that during it he was playing a blistering solo that no-one could hear, and the guitar tech no doubt feared for his job at that point because Prince was fuming...so I thought that this would be the last we'd see him. But it felt like Prince was inspired by the whole Tina Turner / Aretha Franlkin style old soul sound of Beverley and wanted a piece of the action for himself. I did feel a little sorry for Beverley's band though being slowly but surely shoved off the stage...but sometime you have to bow to greatness and eventually they began to stand down one by one (but during the music, there were no pauses and at one point we had two full bands all attempting to play at once on the Indigo2 stage!). And greatness it was, with Beverley now acting as backing singer/dancer (I think personally Prince was hoping she'd grab the mic more and give it some, but she didn't want to tread on his toes...or was maybe more star struck than the audience realised), with Shelby, Marva and the Twinz now onstage for a party! We had Chaka Khan's Sweet Thing feat. Bev, Shelby and Marva for a verse each, One Nation Under a Groove, Suga Mama - a cover from Beyonce's new CD sung by Shelby (this was my favourite part by the way...) Prince just started playing an amazing guitar lick which he must have picked up from the track, which is all samples!! And the band somehow joined in...there were bits of Tupac/Dre, No Diggity, I heard the horns play excerpts from Miles Davis' legendary Tutu album at one point...I could go on but what's the point.
Much as the aftershow on Aug 1st was, this was just pure music at time, jams, solos, great vocals, a spontaneous party vibe...both me and my friend were really really tired due to a day at work on my part and a day travelling on his, but I just leaned against a pillar and enjoyed the ride. Sometimes you just grab the moment, tell yourself what a privilege (and it really is a privilege) to see this great artist one more time, and who knows maybe for the last time, and to feel truly glad that you took a chance on being there....

That's how I feel...

Ps for the record I was at the main show on Saturday too Funkster...I thought the noise level from the crowd at the start was amazing, Purple Rain took on a new energy because of it...the hairs on the back of my neck stood up (and I've heard many versions of that track!). Somehow though - and I'd prefer to be honest about it - amazing as Saturday was (The Play That Funky Music White boy jam was a highlight), I felt Prince lost the momentum, and in part, the crowd when he came back on midway through to sing Lolita and Black Sweat (dressed in a red suit). Again it's just an opinion but perhaps the Friday took more out of him that people realise, his voice seemed to tire ever so slightly and the odd sound problem on tracks like Let's Go Crazy didn't help either. Still it was an amazing show and when the keyboard came out onto the stage I was in 7th heaven...how could it get better? It was a false dawn in some ways though as two songs, The Beautiful Ones and Do Me Baby were played for about a minute and a half each with Prince spending the rest of the time mucking about - albeit playing snippets - with a sampler which had a lot of his most famous tracks programmed into it. It just made me realise how powerful it would have been to have played tracks like Sign O The Times or Erotic City, When Doves Cry etc. It felt like he didn't know how to end it, or was merely trying to prove how wonderful his back catalogue was (there are better ways of doing that than playing with your toys!). I still loved that show but he had people booing because of that (I know it was in a jokey way but nonetheless next time he might want the play the keyboard a bit more, rather than fiddle with the buttons...that would prove so much more).
At the aftershow as soon as I walked in I knew he wouldn't play because there was a DJ on the stage! People were upset, some asked for refunds and some wanted to exchange their tickets. My friend and I did neither, we just walked back to the car and laughed a lot at how lucky we were...
In the end it's only Prince's talent and the myth of his performances (most of it justified) that creates the expectations. There's no point in getting mad with him because musicians and the music industry have always been unpredictable, and you're basically seeing someone play in a major arena who's as good as anybody from the annals of popular music. Hendrix, Sly Stone, Little Richard, James Brown, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder...the list is endless but Prince is as good as anyone and frequently better because of his versatility and sense of entertainment and showmanship.
And as my friend said at the end of Saturday night / Sunday morning...'you know there were a lot of aftershow elements in the main show tonight.' He was right of course but maybe a lot of people missed it...
With Prince in general and in the days that are left, leave your expectations at the door, take your chances, pay the money if you have to and just appreciate the moment when it's there. He's one of the last greats of popular music, let's not spoil it when it's such a privilege to be at the party.
T

Ooooooh funky London!! LOL

Very nicely said Going to bed now. Got back from my weekend in London and pretty pissed. Love you all Prince is a God

Gutted I can't go tonight - does anyone have any spares for the Prince / Bev reunion?!!!

T