Prince delivered another top night in the Arena. But the crowd in the O2 mostly seemed to be half asleep... A big thanks to the obvious Fams in 102/103/104/105 area... we could hear you from the floor seats!! Was down in C2, and apart from a guy and his brother next to us

Artefact said:

It must if been me and my brother, we were in row A, up all night!

could not have put it better... well done artefact best night if my life

Artefact I think it's all where you are sitting, I found when I was down near the bottom, people just seem to be there for the hits, shame.

The yawn was aimed at Kristin Scott Thomas
He said "I see u... u better sing..." she had just sat down from dancing so he gave her a yawn along the lines of 'boring'!!

Encore:
Took a while for them to come back.....
9 Million Bicycles/Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Prince made a great version of the Katie Melua song (not sure about the choice of song in the first place, but all he touches turns to gold). Anyway, I was ready to cry if he even sung a line form Over the Rainbow. Luckily for my dignity, it didn't go further than Renato's great piano playing...

Great write up, thanks

Yeah, it reminded me of those (rare) but funny moments in Under the Cherry Moon when he's fooling around, just seeming like he has a wicked sense of humour. When I saw him on 1st Sept it was Prince the rock god, really working the guitar. This was totally different, it was so nice to seem him be open like that.. Both nights were amazing in their own way: That was jaw droppingly impressive, this was jaw droppingly fun, (and therefore impressive...!)

Artefact said:

That would have been both of us crying then! Somewhere Over the Rainbow brings back very sad memeries for me of my Mum and if Prince had of sung it then that would have been me in tears. A part of me wanted him to sing it because its a beautiful song but a part of me was glad he never for the memories it would have brought back to me.

Prince delivered another top night in the Arena. But the crowd in the O2 mostly seemed to be half asleep... A big thanks to the obvious Fams in 102/103/104/105 area... we could hear you from the floor seats!! Was down in C2, and apart from a guy and his brother next to us, the crowd was so dull as to be embarrassing. I was seriously hoping your vibes would carry to the stage to make up for the others... Just can't understand what is wrong with people. And why is it these gormless morons just stare blankly ahead instead of getting into the show, or even having the courtesy to clap at the end... but still sit there waiting for the band to come out, and yet give nothing back in return. I just don't get it.

Anyway, thanks to Housequake, 3121, and my fuzzy memory for the collated set list...


Band started with Shelby saying 'we're warming it up y'all' with Shelby vocals for:
Chelsea Rodgers
Misty Blue
Baby Love

0843 Prince on for:
1999
I Feel For You
Controversy (Housequake chant/ Funky London chant
Somewhere Here On Earth (wow)
If I Was Your Girlfriend (full song)
Musicology
The Question Of U / The One
What A Wonderful World / Your Song - killer Mike Philly solos
Little Red Corvette - 2 lines spoken

Piano set
Adore (oh yes, we did)
Insatiable
Money Don't Matter 2 Night
Dear Mr Man (almost gospel style)
I Would Die 4 U
Little Red Corvette
Under The Cherry Moon (instrumental)
Love Is A Losing Game

Cream
U Got The Look
Take Me With U
Guitar
Whole Lotta Love
Kiss
Purple Rain - ends 2209

Back at 2213:
Nothing Compares 2 U

Immediately onto synth:
DMSR (fills only)
Sign 'O' The Times (pretty much the whole song!)
DMSR fills
When Doves Cry
Alphabet St
Irresistible Bitch (no lyrics)
Darling Nikki (no lyrics, but Prince teasing the crowd by wagging his finger and shaking his head all around)
Pop Life
I Wanna Be Your Lover (short)
The Most Beautiful Girl In The World
Raspberry Beret
Ends 2228

Skipper1958 tells me that he yawned at Kristin Scott Thomas down in the stage suite, didn't want to get up and sing or something...

After that, was actually pretty worried Prince wouldn't do the aftershow...

But, after what felt like ages, four scuffles in the crowd, the lyric sheet woman running back & forth behind the curtain, and what appeared to be some lighting/sound problems, the band starts from behind the curtain with a grinding intro before the curtain parts for...

Thankyou for Talking To Me Africa
3121 with DMSR verses throughout & plenty of crowd chanting
Girls and Boys, with the occasional line form Delirious/Song of the Heart (including the crowd's hand waves in the style of the G&B video!) This was a really loose jammy version too, Prince kept taking it down to the base, or base and guitar riffs). Prince was loving it, pulling his dirty guitar faces behind/at Shelby, it was great.
Blues Monologue No. 1- "I used to be like you and then everything changed" Prince not only showed off his musical genius, but also his comic genius throughout the night... This started off quite poignantly, 'I used to be like you', but now things are different, people wanna take my picture, I can't walk down the street anymore 'cos people put cameras in my face (during which people in the audience were still trying to take pictures ). Then he said how a photographer 'wanted to take my picture, then there were six cameras around me.... he said that all he needed was a picture of me and Michael Jackson, he could retire' The crowd went crazy...! Finished up by saying that inside, he's still the same person, he hasn't changed, it's everyone else. Anyway, this was a long story! He moved on to how "I used to buy my mother cigarettes and tampoons at the store..." You gotta imagine that during all of this, he's acting out the parts on stage, so with this line he pretended to be carrying a package, trying to hide it under his imaginary coat and look cool at the same time! When everyone laughed he said "Yeah, like you never've done that before?!" "I used to go to New York, looking at beautiful girls, and they were looking at me - asking me to move so that they could see my dark, tall more handsome friend" "All that changed...." Phew....on with the show....

Satisfied, which went into a long extended version of Three Handed Woman (Louis Jordan, just bought it on Itunes!). So, Prince talking about an ex girlfriend that he still loved but....she was cock-eyed.... "She was looking at the salt when she asked for the pepper, she'd be talkin to me, but lookin at the wall.." God, this was so funny.. Then he borrowed from Louis Jordan's Three Handed Woman (buy it on Itunes for a reminder!) "She was three handed - right- left- and underhanded"
"Undressing me with the left hand, turning down the lights with the right, while calling someone else on the phone with her middle hand..." Whenever the crowd gave a sympathetic 'aaaawwww', he'd give us another reason not to feel sorry for him! 'She's cockeyed, three-handed and beggin'" At the end it dissolved into the closing line from Satisfied... Words can never do this justice. These tracks went on forever, a privilige to be part of it.

Gotta Broken heart again (god I hope this version sees the light of day somehow, it's indescribably beautiful)
Lolita (with the Twinz)
Black Sweat (with Twinz)
Be Happy (Mary J Blige)?? Crowd on stage at this point, hmmm mmm, that base riff baby, Shelby working the crowd...!!

Encore:
Took a while for them to come back.....
9 Million Bicycles/Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Prince made a great version of the Katie Melua song (not sure about the choice of song in the first place, but all he touches turns to gold). Anyway, I was ready to cry if he even sung a line form Over the Rainbow. Luckily for my dignity, it didn't go further than Renato's great piano playing...
Sing A Simple Song
Everyday People - Now, this was a killer jam. Prince and the NPG worked the song, then Shelby got the crowd giving it the 'I-iayyyyy, am everyday people' chant, which went on and on and on. The band were jamming with the crowd, then Prince says something about the balcony being funky, and whilst still playing, Prince, Shelby and Marva go up to King's Row (via the DJ booth downstairs) to continue jamming. So, Prince is leaning over the balcony with playing the guitar, whilst Shelby's starts a contest to see whether the floor or balcony crowd are loudest. Of course... the floor won it! There's an insight as to why Prince went up to the balcony on 3121.com...! Prince was still leading the rest of the band, who were still playing on stage. At the end of the song, Prince with a massive smile, leaning over the balcony, house-lights on, us on the floor screaming and everyone has their hands in the air.... So Prince has a Michael Jackson moment (f you know what i mean), and lowers his guitar by the neck down to the crowd below.... Everyone's freaking out, until they think he's gonna let go at which everyone shouts 'Nooo...!'

It was a great ending to an unforgettable night, despite the zombies and morons that seemed to infiltrate the audience...

What a party we had. Thanks Prince & the band, you make the world a better place.

Prince for Mayor of London, anyone?
[Edited 9/17/07 6:26am]

definitely - from where i was sitting up high in the arena looked like most of the arena was having a great time but must be pockets of dullards spoiling it for those near them. great write up of the aftershow i was not at.