Hiya all

Been a Prince fan since Lovesexy. I hadn't seen him live much but did catch ONA in Hammersmith Apollo which I really LOVED. Based on the strength of that concert and how much I adore Prince music I really splashed out and bought VIP tix for the opening night at the 02.

Anyway - I was sooooo disappointed with the whole thing. Been in touch with aeg to no avail. I was at the back of the stage about 4 rows back. Until the show started I didn't realise how rubbish a view I would have and of the clips I have seen of the concert I missed everything!! All I got was a glimpse of Prince every 10 minutes or so. For all that money.

I was starving as where we sat we got virtually no food. Made a complaint there and was promised someone to talk to who never showed up.

I just think that for an artist to allow this is disgusting! If you buy certain theatre tickets you are told you have a limited view. For me and my husband to have spent this money and been cheated has really soured my love for Prince and I haven't even really been able to listen to his music since.

I hope it passes as all those years of loving Prince music can't have gone down the swanney from that forever.

I just feel robbed! Why did Prince allow such shocking treatment of some of his longest fans or those who paid the most to see him?

Lisa

We've all been disappointed at some point. even orgers who have been fans for 20 years or so have decided to stop loving him. Prince is not perfect and can't please everyone all the time. He does what he thinks is good for him and doesn't really care what people say.
I also know for a fact that fans who decided to withdraw have come back One can go from disappointment to having the time of their life.
I would also like to add there are many more fantastic artists out there and one shouldn't be Prince exclusive.

newpowerhippies said:

Because he knew nothing about it perhaps?? stop blaming Prince!

dayzofwyld said:

Right! It's Maceo's fault!

I genuinely think he didnt know and that alot of stuff was set up for him, afterall he cant run it all single handed. I was thre as well in vip on first night but at the side near the drums so we could see him when he came over, I also heard alot of talk that he changed his routines each night to incorporate that back area. I was the in F3 on last night and he worked that area of the stage alot so we felt fine about that.

Sorry you feel you have a bad experience but we were at the dr john after - no -show and that is the most disappointing feeling ever as it was so awful, again we went on the last night and it was the best night ever.

I think the long concert was not pre-planned in great detail and I also think they learnt from it as all the moans and groans ie teething shows were ironed out by the end. The first night was a cold stage show compared to the last night, did you go before he ran back on the stage thru the crowd?

That ending was so cool and made the day for me!

Best to put it down to experience and just think you were lucky enough to HEAR him play live, nothing beats that, you just gotta feel that guitar! anyhow we all know what he looks like!

I know I know Prince may have been unaware. I really hope this feeling goes away as I have been digging on Prince music for so so long and would hate to find myself unable to listen to it or it being tainted in some way.

Don't get me wrong I did dance my butt off but every time a see some footage of the show it looked like an amazing amazing show up top if you weren't watching it from the back.

I am a big fan of other artists too. Not Prince exclusive but he is certainly one artist I have followed for the longest, finding something to love in every album and really marvelling at his genius. But this felt like a fiasco, one where Prince came out on top but many of us became casualties along the way....

Okay rant over. I just had to get it out....

newpowerhippies said:

U werent the only one 2 get screwed....happened most of the folx that paid VIP prices....i 4 one will never pay VIP 4 prince ever again n i will never buy another downlaod with DRM n it.

WOLFY

irishwolfhound said:

irishwolfhound said:

What has DRM got to do with Prince VIP tickets?

dayzofwyld said:

Some of you people really are deluded if you think he knew nothing about this sort of thing.

dayzofwyld said:

It shows how Prince/his team have ripped off fans with the VIP tickets and also the NPG club downloads, which people paid for but now cannot play ... so just shows how the fans are being ripped off.

ecnirp98 said:

yeah...its a shame cause all he has 2 do is activate the link on 3121.com so that all ex NPGMC members can play there music that they bought including me who purchased almost every download there was on the NPGMC....prince must b silly if he thinks were gonna buy his music with DRM again as we all got bitten by him n his team....ohhh well...just goes 2 show prince does not give a fuck about us....were just cash cows 2 him....but wolfy has the knowledge now n wont b milked no more.....

WOLFY

irishwolfhound said:

my irish brother wolfy,

we need to create attentIon like this for him to notice and be aware!!!!!

peace

TAH

purplewisdom said:

cool....any ideas anyone???
there has 2 be thousands of fams who cannot play there downloads from the NPGMC n there should b something done about this as we bought the music but cannot now play it because of prince....that has 2 be against the law.
imagine if i sold U a car n U were happily driving along the road n U broke down???..... U would take it back 2 my garage 2 get the car fixed as thats where U bought the car only 2 be told the garage was sold overnight n wolfy the owner has ran away n left everybody stranded with no after sales service...lol...were n a similar situation with the DRM bullshit as there is no link 2 verifiy that WE PAID 4 the funk but cannot PLAY the funk no mo cause the after sales has gone n prince fled with r hard earned cash...FU U PRINCE...thats chinese...lol

WOLFY
[Edited 10/27/07 6:30am]

irishwolfhound said:

There is software u can get 2 remove DRM from music files, a quick search on google will give results, you shouldn't have 2 do this as u have paid for this music, but then again, equally, u shouldn't lose out !

Makes me laugh how Prince has a weird contorted view of the world, he sues and threatens everyone over his image, music on the web, like you tube, fan websites etc, but then rips of his own fans, such as the DRM/VIP issue's without a concern in the world. He seems very naive and hung up on profit, i've heard him call his output 'product' which for a musical artists is a strange view on his own talent, reminds me abit of ther Warhol view ....

I remember when he was writing 'Slave' on his face in the mid 90's, I thought that was a particularly dis-tasteful as millions died during slavery, and to use that wording to describe someone trying to get out of a mega multi million pound contract that has earned them millions already was in poor taste.

The video's on you tube are interesting when he appeared on the TV program taking phone calls, it would be so cool if he did that now and we could ring in about the VIP tickets, see if he knew about the problems and what he's gonna do about it, or get Mc intyre to turn up at one of his gigs with the mic, like when they turn up at dodgy Irish (sorry Mr Wolfhound ) paving companys onsite putting down a dodgy drive for some pensioners life savings, see if Prince jumps in a white van like they do !!!

ecnirp98 said:

lol....why say sorry 2 me?
just cause some irish folx rip folx off has nothing 2 do with me.....personally i couldnt give a F about ppl that treat others badly...however U get dodgy folk n every nationality including the brits...i watch watchdog n all them programs 2...lol

as 4 prince...well lets just say i still love the music n the gigs etc,,,but i dont like when he rips off the fams that support him n his 5 star lifestyle...
i wouldnt mind but i loved those downloads,,,,choc invasion n slaugter house sounded great n wolfys lair but alas i cannot play them no more....


WOLFY
[Edited 10/28/07 5:56am]

newpowerhippies said:

or
Just wondered if you were still feeling as upset or if you are beginning to like listening to your Prince tracks again Hope it is the latter.

spud80 said:

Hiya, I am still not able to listen to Prince, stupid isn't it!! I know in a few months (probably in Spring as so many Prince albums sound so amazing in spring to me for some reason) it will pass. At least I hope it will.

I don't care what people say there are some really very unfair things that have happened that Prince will definitley be aware of. The VIP fiasco being one of them. I have never ever been so ripped off in my life and with 2 little girls it makes me feel sick, I could have taken them away somewhere, a weekend in Alton Towers or something but instead I thought it was time for a treat for me and my husband, something that would make both our years. If only I had known..... But that's the point, if any of us had known to what tune we were going to be ripped off would we have done it?

Also Wolfy's post about the music is soooo valid! I bought so much from him and it's theft that I can no longer play it. It didn't come with come contract to say we had temporarily 'rented' it did it? If Prince wants to embrace his internet distribution and put people off ripping them off for free then this is NOT the way to go about it is it?

I am lucky that I made a disc of each of the albums I bought and I at least still have them (for now until they are scratched).

Some great points here and what a shame!! Prince is without a doubt a musical genius and after being a fan, a loyal and devoted for 20 years I can't believe I feel like this about him and his music. I expected his excentricites but this is nothing more than a total rip off however you look at it and believe me I will never be stung like this again. Never.

Bring on the spring and hopefully a reawakening of being able to listen to some of it at least. Not Planet Earth that's for sure but lets face it it's not the best is it?

Know exactly what you mean because my hubby paid for me to go to the VIP night and I got really upset about it.

However, on a positive note, I take consolation in the fact that I met such great members of Prince.org - people who I had only previously spoken to on-line. The memories of the weeks when Prince was in London will live with me forever. I did have a great time at the concerts and hope you will get to like the music again - if anything, I am listening to his music more now than I was before. I don't always understand his actions and probably never will but I just so love his music. Hope things get better for you soon.

newpowerhippies said:

at least U have them on disc....i 2 burned them but my discs got stolen.....
it looks like prince really does hate his fams as with the latest development with the fan sites where he is taking legal action....
i mean 3121.com is sooooo borring the only place where we can have fun n talk 2 each other is here r housequake etc.....
i still love prince n i know im a sucker but like U i wont b taken 4 a ride again cause im never buying his music again via downloads r paying over the odds 4 his gigs....i was at the 02 18 nights and n a way it was my way of saying goodbye 2 prince cause n future prince will hardly c a penny of my hard earned cash.
the VIP folx r gettin a refund of 31.21...after spending 239.95...thats what i paid anyway 4 it n the least prince could do is put the link 4 the NPGMC downloads on his website.
i bought all the videos that could not be backed up r burned on2 disc also n there gone 4ever.
its theft prince....pure n simple.
peace n love always,

WOLFY