My second gig of the tour after going on 4th August, and it was a totally different but equally amazing show. Instead of sitting in the upper tier I was down in block 116 behind the “O” of the Symbol. I had some reservations about being behind the stage but when we got there we just kept walking down the stairs getting closer and closer to the front. Turned out we were only a few rows from the floor seats in row D and had an awesome view. It was like being on the floor close to the stage but also having the advantage of being raised slightly so you could see all the action when Prince was elsewhere on stage. It’s also interesting to be in a seat where the mainstage at the O2 is usually located; looking out on the 20,000 gathered fans one gets a feeling of what it must be like to be in stage and what an awesome sight it was. It was a truly mind blowing view as well to be there on the floor and to look up and see the whole arena swaying, dancing and singing in unison to these classic songs.

I don’t know if anyone else has noticed this but the seats being of the temporary variety at the back end (what our American cousins call the “bleachers” I believe), they had a bit of movement to them. As such when the arena really got rocking I swear there was some considerable floor movement, and boy did that add to the atmosphere. It was like that whole end of the arena was bouncing to the beat!

I had fun up in the upper tier on the 4th but the fans in this lower party of the arena were truly hardcore. Everyone was on their feet the whole show and there were so many people who were lost in the moment of the gig, people of all ages to, it was great to see. A couple of old guys in front of us really cut loose when Prince dropped Controversy, bless them! Everyone was just really relaxed, dancing and getting down however they wanted to. No one laughed or made fun of anyone whose dance moves were off the wall, it was a pure friendly, party, feel-good atmosphere. Like a natural drug the show gives you a high that leaves you floating afterwards. It was also such a liberating experience to be surrounded by people that love this music as much as I do and know all the words which I’ve been singing for all these years at home. I don’t know anyone else amongst my friends or family who are Prince fans, and worse still they look on Prince a bit of a weirdo; so you tend to keep all things Prince to yourself. Having been a huge fan since 1991 when I was just a kid, after all these years you almost get into the mindset that you’re the only one who feels the way you do about this music and Prince. So what an invigorating experience to suddenly be in a room with 20,000 other people who feel the way you do. Where we were sitting there was a couple who were older than us and we got chatting before the show; this was the first time I had talked to someone whose Prince knowledge not only matched mine but was even more extensive. What a pleasure it was to chat to a like minded fan after all these years. The couple told us all about the other Prince gigs they had been to, including the Café de Paris gig, and it was so much fun hearing about them. We chatted about his albums, how we got into Prince, everything!

The show itself was awesome again, and I was so pleased that the set was different to the 4th. Prince was in a wonderfully playful mood; I wondered during Girls & Boys that if Capt Jack Sparrow ever did a rock show it would be very close to Prince on stage such was his cheeky, mischievous performance. And the audacity of the man to drop 1999 as the third track of the night, pure genius. And was anyone else blown away by the ovation after 1999?; it seemed to just go on and on, it was like the end of the gig not the third track in. Prince was generous with visiting the back end of the stage to which was a relief. Not sure what the guy in the banana suit was thinking though!!...he should have sprayed the thing purple