New topic
Printable| Author | Message |
My musings of a fine summer Hello,
On what is the one-week anniversary of the start of the last O2 gig(!) I thought it only right to record my feelings at this time. From the first of August, having sat amongst the Gods of the upper tier of the O2 Arena, I was captivated by my musical idol - Prince Rogers Nelson. This worship of mine would continue over the next 6 weeks until 11 concerts and 15 aftershows later; my will, wallet and opportunity had ran their course. As hard as it is for me to believe (I have yet to move fully to 'acceptance') last Friday's concert was the last I would see of Prince. I hope that I will see him again in a live concert and, in concerts of some magnitude, but for the forseeable future it is far from certain. I live with the consolation that those concerts though provided me with the best summer of my life. I have struggled with, sparked over and staggered at Prince since first making his acquaintance in my teenage years. Now, a near 15 years on, I readily accept that his music has shaped my tastes, my viewpoints and in many ways my life. To have witnessed his abilities during concert is a special gift, one that is as addictive as the cruellest of drugs. And seeing Prince live can be cruel - as the house lights go up at the end of another spectacular performance, an enamoured crowd may boo their hero, such is the nastiness of conclusion! The 21 nights at the O2 were divine. In a twist of fate and luck, I live within shooting distance of this venue. To be a follower of his music and be faced with such exposure to his performances, it was an opportunity I couldn't miss. Credit card in hand and internet connection primed, tickets were sourced. The most important to me being the Aftershows... the stuff of legend, which I had witnessed (somewhat disappointingly) some years ago during the One Nite Alone tour, were to be almost nightly, planned events. I reorganised my work hours, ate little, danced much, forsaked my normality, took criticism from fellow workers, spent too much and slept too little all for the joys that witnessing Prince's live shows gave me. To witness him playing guitar so majestically with only drums and bass for back up - admittedly, played tremendously by Cora and Josh - remains the highlight of the aftershows for me. I witnessed astonishing signs of brilliance at many of those shows but the bareness of that evening and the bewilderment of the crowd that they were taking part in their own 'Small Club' was real once-in-a-lifetime magic. The concerts too were spell-binding though flawed on occasion. They became strangely short during the midst of the run. The quality though was never to be questioned. World-class... perhaps even the best in the world currently. To see a 49-year old Prince perform like this and still be the best demonstrates how untouchable he man was in 1987 - truly at the peak of his powers. To hear 'Somewhere Hear On Earth' performed solely at the piano now is a testimony of Prince's greatness. He can still do it. He always had it. He never left them, they left him - the motto of any Prince fan. I will carry with me for the remainder of my life the wonderful and poignant memories of having such access to my musical guru, the master that is Prince. The somewhat unexpected song of the tour (in my eyes and ears at least) proved to be 'Controversy', taking on a life-force of its own with that great line-up of the NPG. How apt for him to have used it in the final night satellite broadcast. The anticipation before the show, waiting in the lower tier of the O2; the driving straight from work to the IndigO2 for the aftershow; the smell of beer and the elbowing and shuffling of expectant fans at 1am; the delirium of his appearance at stage-right; the virtuosity of his musicianship; the unchartered territory that the music would journey to; the accompaniment of his great band and of a worthy voice in Shelby J; the adoration from the congnoscenti... These feelings and memories will play wistfully in mind for all time. Thank you, Prince. Thank you for the experiences. Thank you for you - troubled celebrity, misunderstood star though of sole importance, musical genius. I will mourn and celebrate those short six weeks of 2007 when Prince played live for me almost at my behest. Mourn and celebrate in equal measure. One thing remains unquestioned though. I wouldn't have missed them for the world! Chris. "What did the five fingers say to the face?" SLAP!! -- Rick James, habitual line-stepper. | |
- E-mail - orgNote -  Report post to moderator |
PorterUK said: Hello,
On what is the one-week anniversary of the start of the last O2 gig(!) I thought it only right to record my feelings at this time. From the first of August, having sat amongst the Gods of the upper tier of the O2 Arena, I was captivated by my musical idol - Prince Rogers Nelson. This worship of mine would continue over the next 6 weeks until 11 concerts and 15 aftershows later; my will, wallet and opportunity had ran their course. As hard as it is for me to believe (I have yet to move fully to 'acceptance') last Friday's concert was the last I would see of Prince. I hope that I will see him again in a live concert and, in concerts of some magnitude, but for the forseeable future it is far from certain. I live with the consolation that those concerts though provided me with the best summer of my life. I have struggled with, sparked over and staggered at Prince since first making his acquaintance in my teenage years. Now, a near 15 years on, I readily accept that his music has shaped my tastes, my viewpoints and in many ways my life. To have witnessed his abilities during concert is a special gift, one that is as addictive as the cruellest of drugs. And seeing Prince live can be cruel - as the house lights go up at the end of another spectacular performance, an enamoured crowd may boo their hero, such is the nastiness of conclusion! The 21 nights at the O2 were divine. In a twist of fate and luck, I live within shooting distance of this venue. To be a follower of his music and be faced with such exposure to his performances, it was an opportunity I couldn't miss. Credit card in hand and internet connection primed, tickets were sourced. The most important to me being the Aftershows... the stuff of legend, which I had witnessed (somewhat disappointingly) some years ago during the One Nite Alone tour, were to be almost nightly, planned events. I reorganised my work hours, ate little, danced much, forsaked my normality, took criticism from fellow workers, spent too much and slept too little all for the joys that witnessing Prince's live shows gave me. To witness him playing guitar so majestically with only drums and bass for back up - admittedly, played tremendously by Cora and Josh - remains the highlight of the aftershows for me. I witnessed astonishing signs of brilliance at many of those shows but the bareness of that evening and the bewilderment of the crowd that they were taking part in their own 'Small Club' was real once-in-a-lifetime magic. The concerts too were spell-binding though flawed on occasion. They became strangely short during the midst of the run. The quality though was never to be questioned. World-class... perhaps even the best in the world currently. To see a 49-year old Prince perform like this and still be the best demonstrates how untouchable he man was in 1987 - truly at the peak of his powers. To hear 'Somewhere Hear On Earth' performed solely at the piano now is a testimony of Prince's greatness. He can still do it. He always had it. He never left them, they left him - the motto of any Prince fan. I will carry with me for the remainder of my life the wonderful and poignant memories of having such access to my musical guru, the master that is Prince. The somewhat unexpected song of the tour (in my eyes and ears at least) proved to be 'Controversy', taking on a life-force of its own with that great line-up of the NPG. How apt for him to have used it in the final night satellite broadcast. The anticipation before the show, waiting in the lower tier of the O2; the driving straight from work to the IndigO2 for the aftershow; the smell of beer and the elbowing and shuffling of expectant fans at 1am; the delirium of his appearance at stage-right; the virtuosity of his musicianship; the unchartered territory that the music would journey to; the accompaniment of his great band and of a worthy voice in Shelby J; the adoration from the congnoscenti... These feelings and memories will play wistfully in mind for all time. Thank you, Prince. Thank you for the experiences. Thank you for you - troubled celebrity, misunderstood star though of sole importance, musical genius. I will mourn and celebrate those short six weeks of 2007 when Prince played live for me almost at my behest. Mourn and celebrate in equal measure. One thing remains unquestioned though. I wouldn't have missed them for the world! Chris. think i've got a tear so off to get my shades "C'mon y'all - let me hear you sing, c'mon y'all, shake, c'mon y'all, jump" - Yes Prince -
"London do you feel for me what I feel for you"- yes Prince - "Can I play my guitar now?" - yes please | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
ritaw said: PorterUK said: Hello,
On what is the one-week anniversary of the start of the last O2 gig(!) I thought it only right to record my feelings at this time. From the first of August, having sat amongst the Gods of the upper tier of the O2 Arena, I was captivated by my musical idol - Prince Rogers Nelson. This worship of mine would continue over the next 6 weeks until 11 concerts and 15 aftershows later; my will, wallet and opportunity had ran their course. As hard as it is for me to believe (I have yet to move fully to 'acceptance') last Friday's concert was the last I would see of Prince. I hope that I will see him again in a live concert and, in concerts of some magnitude, but for the forseeable future it is far from certain. I live with the consolation that those concerts though provided me with the best summer of my life. I have struggled with, sparked over and staggered at Prince since first making his acquaintance in my teenage years. Now, a near 15 years on, I readily accept that his music has shaped my tastes, my viewpoints and in many ways my life. To have witnessed his abilities during concert is a special gift, one that is as addictive as the cruellest of drugs. And seeing Prince live can be cruel - as the house lights go up at the end of another spectacular performance, an enamoured crowd may boo their hero, such is the nastiness of conclusion! The 21 nights at the O2 were divine. In a twist of fate and luck, I live within shooting distance of this venue. To be a follower of his music and be faced with such exposure to his performances, it was an opportunity I couldn't miss. Credit card in hand and internet connection primed, tickets were sourced. The most important to me being the Aftershows... the stuff of legend, which I had witnessed (somewhat disappointingly) some years ago during the One Nite Alone tour, were to be almost nightly, planned events. I reorganised my work hours, ate little, danced much, forsaked my normality, took criticism from fellow workers, spent too much and slept too little all for the joys that witnessing Prince's live shows gave me. To witness him playing guitar so majestically with only drums and bass for back up - admittedly, played tremendously by Cora and Josh - remains the highlight of the aftershows for me. I witnessed astonishing signs of brilliance at many of those shows but the bareness of that evening and the bewilderment of the crowd that they were taking part in their own 'Small Club' was real once-in-a-lifetime magic. The concerts too were spell-binding though flawed on occasion. They became strangely short during the midst of the run. The quality though was never to be questioned. World-class... perhaps even the best in the world currently. To see a 49-year old Prince perform like this and still be the best demonstrates how untouchable he man was in 1987 - truly at the peak of his powers. To hear 'Somewhere Hear On Earth' performed solely at the piano now is a testimony of Prince's greatness. He can still do it. He always had it. He never left them, they left him - the motto of any Prince fan. I will carry with me for the remainder of my life the wonderful and poignant memories of having such access to my musical guru, the master that is Prince. The somewhat unexpected song of the tour (in my eyes and ears at least) proved to be 'Controversy', taking on a life-force of its own with that great line-up of the NPG. How apt for him to have used it in the final night satellite broadcast. The anticipation before the show, waiting in the lower tier of the O2; the driving straight from work to the IndigO2 for the aftershow; the smell of beer and the elbowing and shuffling of expectant fans at 1am; the delirium of his appearance at stage-right; the virtuosity of his musicianship; the unchartered territory that the music would journey to; the accompaniment of his great band and of a worthy voice in Shelby J; the adoration from the congnoscenti... These feelings and memories will play wistfully in mind for all time. Thank you, Prince. Thank you for the experiences. Thank you for you - troubled celebrity, misunderstood star though of sole importance, musical genius. I will mourn and celebrate those short six weeks of 2007 when Prince played live for me almost at my behest. Mourn and celebrate in equal measure. One thing remains unquestioned though. I wouldn't have missed them for the world! Chris. think i've got a tear so off to get my shades but very nicely written and enjoyable read "C'mon y'all - let me hear you sing, c'mon y'all, shake, c'mon y'all, jump" - Yes Prince -
"London do you feel for me what I feel for you"- yes Prince - "Can I play my guitar now?" - yes please | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
ritaw said: ritaw said: think i've got a tear so off to get my shades but very nicely written and enjoyable read very well written and you speak for us all! I think we were privileged to be part of such an amazing experience. | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Beautifully written Chris. Thanks 4 sharing.  `U need 2 find a love that's gonna last' | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
PorterUK said: Hello,
On what is the one-week anniversary of the start of the last O2 gig(!) I thought it only right to record my feelings at this time. From the first of August, having sat amongst the Gods of the upper tier of the O2 Arena, I was captivated by my musical idol - Prince Rogers Nelson. This worship of mine would continue over the next 6 weeks until 11 concerts and 15 aftershows later; my will, wallet and opportunity had ran their course. As hard as it is for me to believe (I have yet to move fully to 'acceptance') last Friday's concert was the last I would see of Prince. I hope that I will see him again in a live concert and, in concerts of some magnitude, but for the forseeable future it is far from certain. I live with the consolation that those concerts though provided me with the best summer of my life. I have struggled with, sparked over and staggered at Prince since first making his acquaintance in my teenage years. Now, a near 15 years on, I readily accept that his music has shaped my tastes, my viewpoints and in many ways my life. To have witnessed his abilities during concert is a special gift, one that is as addictive as the cruellest of drugs. And seeing Prince live can be cruel - as the house lights go up at the end of another spectacular performance, an enamoured crowd may boo their hero, such is the nastiness of conclusion! The 21 nights at the O2 were divine. In a twist of fate and luck, I live within shooting distance of this venue. To be a follower of his music and be faced with such exposure to his performances, it was an opportunity I couldn't miss. Credit card in hand and internet connection primed, tickets were sourced. The most important to me being the Aftershows... the stuff of legend, which I had witnessed (somewhat disappointingly) some years ago during the One Nite Alone tour, were to be almost nightly, planned events. I reorganised my work hours, ate little, danced much, forsaked my normality, took criticism from fellow workers, spent too much and slept too little all for the joys that witnessing Prince's live shows gave me. To witness him playing guitar so majestically with only drums and bass for back up - admittedly, played tremendously by Cora and Josh - remains the highlight of the aftershows for me. I witnessed astonishing signs of brilliance at many of those shows but the bareness of that evening and the bewilderment of the crowd that they were taking part in their own 'Small Club' was real once-in-a-lifetime magic. The concerts too were spell-binding though flawed on occasion. They became strangely short during the midst of the run. The quality though was never to be questioned. World-class... perhaps even the best in the world currently. To see a 49-year old Prince perform like this and still be the best demonstrates how untouchable he man was in 1987 - truly at the peak of his powers. To hear 'Somewhere Hear On Earth' performed solely at the piano now is a testimony of Prince's greatness. He can still do it. He always had it. He never left them, they left him - the motto of any Prince fan. I will carry with me for the remainder of my life the wonderful and poignant memories of having such access to my musical guru, the master that is Prince. The somewhat unexpected song of the tour (in my eyes and ears at least) proved to be 'Controversy', taking on a life-force of its own with that great line-up of the NPG. How apt for him to have used it in the final night satellite broadcast. The anticipation before the show, waiting in the lower tier of the O2; the driving straight from work to the IndigO2 for the aftershow; the smell of beer and the elbowing and shuffling of expectant fans at 1am; the delirium of his appearance at stage-right; the virtuosity of his musicianship; the unchartered territory that the music would journey to; the accompaniment of his great band and of a worthy voice in Shelby J; the adoration from the congnoscenti... These feelings and memories will play wistfully in mind for all time. Thank you, Prince. Thank you for the experiences. Thank you for you - troubled celebrity, misunderstood star though of sole importance, musical genius. I will mourn and celebrate those short six weeks of 2007 when Prince played live for me almost at my behest. Mourn and celebrate in equal measure. One thing remains unquestioned though. I wouldn't have missed them for the world! Chris. very nice, thankx for sharing, I was beginning to feel a little guilty about giving into temptation and instead of being happy with 1 show and maybe aftershow, ended up at 9 shows and 6 aftershows, only regret being that i didnt arrive in London till the 22nd of August  If it were not for insanity, I would be sane.
"True to his status as the last enigma in music, Prince crashed into London this week in a ball of confusion" The Times 2014 | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Whitnail said: PorterUK said: Hello,
On what is the one-week anniversary of the start of the last O2 gig(!) I thought it only right to record my feelings at this time. From the first of August, having sat amongst the Gods of the upper tier of the O2 Arena, I was captivated by my musical idol - Prince Rogers Nelson. This worship of mine would continue over the next 6 weeks until 11 concerts and 15 aftershows later; my will, wallet and opportunity had ran their course. As hard as it is for me to believe (I have yet to move fully to 'acceptance') last Friday's concert was the last I would see of Prince. I hope that I will see him again in a live concert and, in concerts of some magnitude, but for the forseeable future it is far from certain. I live with the consolation that those concerts though provided me with the best summer of my life. I have struggled with, sparked over and staggered at Prince since first making his acquaintance in my teenage years. Now, a near 15 years on, I readily accept that his music has shaped my tastes, my viewpoints and in many ways my life. To have witnessed his abilities during concert is a special gift, one that is as addictive as the cruellest of drugs. And seeing Prince live can be cruel - as the house lights go up at the end of another spectacular performance, an enamoured crowd may boo their hero, such is the nastiness of conclusion! The 21 nights at the O2 were divine. In a twist of fate and luck, I live within shooting distance of this venue. To be a follower of his music and be faced with such exposure to his performances, it was an opportunity I couldn't miss. Credit card in hand and internet connection primed, tickets were sourced. The most important to me being the Aftershows... the stuff of legend, which I had witnessed (somewhat disappointingly) some years ago during the One Nite Alone tour, were to be almost nightly, planned events. I reorganised my work hours, ate little, danced much, forsaked my normality, took criticism from fellow workers, spent too much and slept too little all for the joys that witnessing Prince's live shows gave me. To witness him playing guitar so majestically with only drums and bass for back up - admittedly, played tremendously by Cora and Josh - remains the highlight of the aftershows for me. I witnessed astonishing signs of brilliance at many of those shows but the bareness of that evening and the bewilderment of the crowd that they were taking part in their own 'Small Club' was real once-in-a-lifetime magic. The concerts too were spell-binding though flawed on occasion. They became strangely short during the midst of the run. The quality though was never to be questioned. World-class... perhaps even the best in the world currently. To see a 49-year old Prince perform like this and still be the best demonstrates how untouchable he man was in 1987 - truly at the peak of his powers. To hear 'Somewhere Hear On Earth' performed solely at the piano now is a testimony of Prince's greatness. He can still do it. He always had it. He never left them, they left him - the motto of any Prince fan. I will carry with me for the remainder of my life the wonderful and poignant memories of having such access to my musical guru, the master that is Prince. The somewhat unexpected song of the tour (in my eyes and ears at least) proved to be 'Controversy', taking on a life-force of its own with that great line-up of the NPG. How apt for him to have used it in the final night satellite broadcast. The anticipation before the show, waiting in the lower tier of the O2; the driving straight from work to the IndigO2 for the aftershow; the smell of beer and the elbowing and shuffling of expectant fans at 1am; the delirium of his appearance at stage-right; the virtuosity of his musicianship; the unchartered territory that the music would journey to; the accompaniment of his great band and of a worthy voice in Shelby J; the adoration from the congnoscenti... These feelings and memories will play wistfully in mind for all time. Thank you, Prince. Thank you for the experiences. Thank you for you - troubled celebrity, misunderstood star though of sole importance, musical genius. I will mourn and celebrate those short six weeks of 2007 when Prince played live for me almost at my behest. Mourn and celebrate in equal measure. One thing remains unquestioned though. I wouldn't have missed them for the world! Chris. very nice, thankx for sharing, I was beginning to feel a little guilty about giving into temptation and instead of being happy with 1 show and maybe aftershow, ended up at 9 shows and 6 aftershows, only regret being that i didnt arrive in London till the 22nd of August I've just read this again and yes it was a pretty special summer this year - best concerts i've been to - frankly i was stunned and amazed never having seen Prince before so the first concert on 14th August simply unforgettable - and managed to go a further four times with family friends and colleagues some of whom "got it" but not all - trying not to become obsessed but have to say really like everything i've listened too and especially guitar and piano - wonderful. "C'mon y'all - let me hear you sing, c'mon y'all, shake, c'mon y'all, jump" - Yes Prince -
"London do you feel for me what I feel for you"- yes Prince - "Can I play my guitar now?" - yes please | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
ritaw said: Whitnail said: very nice, thankx for sharing, I was beginning to feel a little guilty about giving into temptation and instead of being happy with 1 show and maybe aftershow, ended up at 9 shows and 6 aftershows, only regret being that i didnt arrive in London till the 22nd of August I've just read this again and yes it was a pretty special summer this year - best concerts i've been to - frankly i was stunned and amazed never having seen Prince before so the first concert on 14th August simply unforgettable - and managed to go a further four times with family friends and colleagues some of whom "got it" but not all - trying not to become obsessed but have to say really like everything i've listened too and especially guitar and piano - wonderful. For someone who seems to have only just arrived on the Prince scene, you have done a very good job on the ORG ! I keep reading your comments. How come you never saw him before? I think its amazing that many of us got a ticket for the one concert and then realized how ridiculous it was to only be going to ONE concert! 
I mean, whatever was I thinking of to have just the one? It was like an illness, an obsession - worse than drugs - after one you just had to have another as soon as possible. And when you couldn't get to another, it was the ony thing you thought about day and night, scheming, planning how to get the next fix! Boy, I could compare it to heroin! I didn't care how much was whizzing out my account - I just clicked away, signed up, paid out... It was with some relief it finally all came to an end, yet here I am up all night writing about it!  | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Carocool said: ritaw said: I've just read this again and yes it was a pretty special summer this year - best concerts i've been to - frankly i was stunned and amazed never having seen Prince before so the first concert on 14th August simply unforgettable - and managed to go a further four times with family friends and colleagues some of whom "got it" but not all - trying not to become obsessed but have to say really like everything i've listened too and especially guitar and piano - wonderful. For someone who seems to have only just arrived on the Prince scene, you have done a very good job on the ORG ! I keep reading your comments. How come you never saw him before? I think its amazing that many of us got a ticket for the one concert and then realized how ridiculous it was to only be going to ONE concert!
I mean, whatever was I thinking of to have just the one? It was like an illness, an obsession - worse than drugs - after one you just had to have another as soon as possible. And when you couldn't get to another, it was the ony thing you thought about day and night, scheming, planning how to get the next fix! Boy, I could compare it to heroin! I didn't care how much was whizzing out my account - I just clicked away, signed up, paid out... It was with some relief it finally all came to an end, yet here I am up all night writing about it! been on another planet for a while i guess but i can remember thinking about going to the Lovesexy tour then deciding it was a bit OTT - but now i think it is more about the music - but would have loved to have seen some of the dancing having just watched the SOTT cd - such energy - well wherever he plays next i will be going - just hope it isi not too long "C'mon y'all - let me hear you sing, c'mon y'all, shake, c'mon y'all, jump" - Yes Prince -
"London do you feel for me what I feel for you"- yes Prince - "Can I play my guitar now?" - yes please | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
PorterUK said: The somewhat unexpected song of the tour (in my eyes and ears at least) proved to be 'Controversy', taking on a life-force of its own with that great line-up of the NPG. How apt for him to have used it in the final night satellite broadcast.
. Totally agree with you on this, I've always loved the album version of this song, but whenever i'd seen it live, it didn't quite capture it for me...but the o2 was a different matter! really worked, the vocal climax is amazing, and the added(new...ish!) horn riff hell, i even liked the 'claps your hands ya'll; stomp your feet'... and the cartwheels! | |
| - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
