Pity Prince didnt choose Wembley. I personally found the O2 a terrible let down.
Th sound was awful
I saw Prince at Wembley Stadium about 14 years ago (roughly) and he was awesome - the sound, the show, the fireworks, the full package. this tour didnt compare for me.

For me a stage at the front works the best - a full set can be aimed at the crowds. I did feel for those at the O2 who mostly saw the back of Prince, though I know he did move around.

In the 02 the sound was awful, least it was where I was. Really really bad. Possibly the worst sound system I've ever ever heard at a concert.
I'm sorry to moan, but I was sooooo exited, and left feeling a bit let down by the venue (not by Prince!).
And the lighting was so dark too, see the screens - at least from where I was.

Prince - please dont retire as I'd like to see you on a better night one day!

K1ttycat said:

I remember that gig well and Mayte getting her tits out LOL. We posphoned our honeymoon to see this. Luckily my hubby is also a fan

I dont know if Wembly would be a good venue,again its too big so sound would still be compromised. Also,I dont think they'd be able to make the stage "in the round" there,with the way its set up..

Wembley's my local venue so I go there a fair bit. The sound wasn't great at Live Earth, and wasn't that hot in the arena last time I was there (last year), either. I don't think you'd find much difference between Wembley and the O2 in sound quality.

The O2 I thought was a brilliant venue. The sound was poor in the VIP seats because they were under the speakers. Everywhere else I sat, the sound was fine.

Playing in the round worked out well in the end. I wish he'd moved around a bit more, particularly for those who saw his back most of the evening. But there's no doubt that this layout enabled more people to get closer to the action than a stage at one end would have done.

Claire73 said:

thats what I mean, i'm not keen on this round business. And at Wembley before the sound was just fab.Really great. The size was impressive.
It was the one when Mayte came down on a swing from the roof and we all thought it was prince...turned out to be her in a pink bikini which was a little confusing!!
At O2 I was in 103. It was terrible truely.
[Edited 9/26/07 1:37am]

I think you mean Wembley Arena, he didn't play the stadium... not for the gold experience tour anyway, unless you mean another tour.

another tour then. Definately the stadium. Perhaps about 15 years ago then ...gosh, time flys!

Well I for one think that the 02 is a great entertainment venue. Good location, good transport links, easy to get to by road, everything you need under one roof. Bars, restaurants, cinema, Indigo2, the arena itself. I can't fault it personally and would go back there to see Prince without hesitation.

he played the stadium during the tour which started with MY NAME IS PRINCE ACT ii was it called - with the MAYTE bikini reveal - thingy

it was better indoors at the NIA in birmingham she appreared from behind the mixing desk on the trapeze and hovered above the crowd on the way to the stage ..everyone going mental thinking it was prince only for the reveal ... and PRINCE to stroll on singing the opening lines to SEXY MF

K1ttycat said:

It was definately 1993 in the stadium

Have seen two gigs at the O2. One with stage end and Prince.

The stage end gig sounded fine, but it normally is when you are on the floor of these big arena.

For Prince, I was in the lower tier, just below the mixing desk and it did sound ropey which was a real shame.

Can't imagine what its like to see a gig from the upper tiers.

Somebody mentioned transport links, it does indeed have very good transport links. I do feel though that the opening of only one door after the gig to the tube station is one day going to cause a serious problem. I know they can't let everyone go down on to the platforms in one go, but there has to be a better way of dealing with the situation after the gig.

Did you not read Brian May's summary of the show and the O2?

Playing in the round is possible anywhere. Diana Ross did it at Wembley Arena recently. I saw Bryan Adams at the stadium do it once. If the artists wants to play in the round then they will. It's nothing to do with Wembley vs. O2.

Personally I wouldn't have gone to as many shows if he'd done Wembley Arena. It's a right bugger to get to, even though I live on that side of London. I find the sound problems tend to be the same everywhere depending on where you're sitting.

Also if we're talking about the arena, the toilet facilities are still abysmal compared to the O2, even after the new refurbishments.

Ellie said:

Yep, I'd choose the 02 over Wembley any day of the week.

i'm talking stadium. it was heaven for all events if you ask me. give or take the loos and services.

I used to love big stadium gigs, but only when I was dedicated enough to get general admission and spend the entire day lining up to run to the front of the pitch. Sitting down and being hundreds of metres away from the stage is not a comforting thought though.

I haven't been to the new Wembley Stadium, but everyone I know who has says it's just too big and has kind of lost that special atmosphere it used to have. If Prince had done the stadium he'd have had far fewer dates, you'd have had a much smaller chance of seeing him properly up close, and considering the weather earlier in the Summer, it would be a huge risk in that respect too.

You could also forget about decent aftershows too. Where would he go? A club off the grounds? Would Prince & The Band have been able to wash up, relax and then casually make their way there with enough enthusiasm to do what they did at the Indigo 10 times over?

hemphizzx said:

I saw this tour at sheffield arena and Mayte did the hovering above the crowds thing. It made it doubly exciting when you already thought you were watching him then he appeared on stage. I went crazy!!!

iloveannie said:

Can't people form their own opinions then?

Ellie said:

The good thing about the old Wembley too was the fact that it was general admission seating too, which made it a first come first served basis.

It certainly will be interesting to see how the O2 does affect Wembley.

I mean, will bands that play Wembley whenever they tour risk the upgrade to a larger arena? I am a massive Depeche Mode fan and they always do two nights at Wembley (like they did last year to christen the revamped, turned around arena), BUT, they get a lot of people come over from Germany, Italy, Sweden etc,,, for the gigs. Can't imagine them doing two nights at the O2, although, to be honest, for the bands themselves, I guess most arenas look the same from the stage when the lights go down.

I saw George Michael from the VIP seats at Wembley Stadium, and having seen him at the Arena it was a real let down. There was literally a mile between me and the stage and he was a very distant dot, even through my powerful binoculars I saw Elton John at Charlton FC from the cheap seats and he was a distant dot too!

I was upper tier Row A towards the corner for the last Prince show, and upper row E for Elton John at the O2. It definitely works better for those upstairs if the stage is in the centre - I felt a lot closer to Prince, even though my seats for Elton were in the second block from the stage... and both were miles better than the stadium experience! I think people often forget just how bad it is to be at the back of a stadium.

I hate stadiums for gigs and much prefer smaller venues. I even find arenas too big. Places like the Indigo, Brixton Academy and Hammersmith Apollo are much better IMHO.

TheEnglishGent said:

I prefer smaller places. Places like Rock City in Nottingham, Shepherds Bush Empire etc.....but I have no problems with arenas and stadiums because I always get standing tickets and never have a problem in finding a decent spot.

I have to say though, I see George Michael at Carrow Road in Norwich earlier this year and Depeche Mode at Inter Stadion in Bratislava and both were absolutely perfect for a gig. About 25000 capacity and ideal.

Why more bands do not use football stadiums, especially England, I don't know,

I would add though, I am sure the reason Prince picked the O2 is because not only is it a new venue, it will be a long time before someone breaks the record of performing there for 21 nights.

It almost always depends on the audience too. Seeing The Fugees at Hammersmith a couple of years ago was torture. SO many pricks in the crowd at the front, and then Pras had to stage-dive onto my head - the guy is HEAVY. Then again, Tenacious D and Barenaked Ladies there were some of the best I've ever been to.

Scissor Sisters and Billy Idol and Brixton were a bit average for atmosphere, but Lenny Kravitz just rocked the roof off the place. Brixton Academy is really fun for sit-down comedy concerts though.

Brixton is such a special venue. From the outside it still looks like a run down shit hole, but I just love the castle type setting around the stage.

See The Cult there last year and it had been a few years since I see a gig there and it was just crazy.

It has to be said that the acoustics in the indigo were nothing short of amazing. The venue was perfect in my opinion.

i HATE stadium gigs

the sound was not great at times but on the whole i thought the 02 was a GREAT venue

lots of bars etc to make a good night out of it !!

motr said:

More importantly for me, there's a huge Nando's right opposite it now, but ethe O2 also has one

K1ttycat said:

Atlast,someone who can hear properly!!!I agree totally,the sound in the O2 was appalling,boomy,no clarity,no separation.If it wasn't for the aftershows I would have been so disappointed.The main show was good and it was great to see him so close but I've never heard a worse sound at a concert ever,no matter where I sat.I'm glad for the people that weren't bothered by it,but I've worked in the music business for over 20 years and toured around the world and I can assure you,the O2 sound for Prince was DREADFUL!!We are so blessed by his presence though,I do hope he returns soon

Ellie said:

Yeah, AND with the 02 you don't have to get your hair wet if it rains
[Edited 9/26/07 3:56am]

I watched Michael Jackson at the old Wembley Stadium, I was 15 years old and it was my first ever live concert. When the mainshow started and Micheal Jackson was about to come on stage, the bass started rumbling and it was so powerful it felt like I was being punched in the chest - the whole show was an amazing experience!

That said, I don't think a venue that large would have worked for the shows Prince has been doing at the 02 - the music, especially the synth sets and solo piano songs , work nicely in a smaller, more intimate venue.

I personally like the 02 but I do agree that the sound quality is pretty poor in the floor seats.