OK OK OK here is are my brief thoughts about the Vegas ONA finale. FIRST things first I don`t have a complete set list handy because I wasn`t taking notes. I will leave that to someone else. SECONDLY for those few of you whom read my posts know that I feel that TRC is by far the WORST album Prince have ever done; therefore I will not be very kind towards my comments of the live TRC material. THIRD I didn`t go to the aftershow so I cannot tell you anything about it other than the fact that it was at Studio 54 in the MGM. Finally I like Prince as a musician and as a showman, but I am not a brainwashed fam; therefore I will add criticism where criticism is due. With those thought in mind; let the show begin.

The tickets for the NPG music club members were held at the box office prior to the start of the show. We were told that starting at 0700 on Sunday morning we could line up at the theater to get our numerical wrist bands (it was first come first serve so the sooner you got there the better seats you were entitled too). When you got your wristband you were told that you needed to be back at 1400 to be let into the theater for the show (now remember we had to be there at 1400 for a show that was supposed to start at 2000). After you got in and got your tickets we were all told that there were going to be 3 video cameras there doing some filming for an "upcoming video release". Now let me remind all of you of some of the other "upcoming releases" from Prince & NPGMC: Roadhouse Gardens, The Kevin Smith Celebration documentary, the 7 CD sampling set, Crystal Ball 2, and the recently announced XENOPHOBIA set. In other words don`t start watching your mail boxes for the DVD of the show anytime soon. Now here comes my BIGGEST GRIPE about the entire show. Everyone stood there inside the theater in a hallway for almost 2 hours; with no information from anyone concerning our wait. I knew that with Prince having the ego-monster that he has, something like this should be expected. Still I find it kinda shocking that we sat there all that time without any info from the people from the Aladdin or from the people in Prince`s camp. I guess that Prince`s massive Ego trip was a tad bit more pressing than the 60 plus year old mother from San Antonio sitting besides me, or maybe I should mention the young PREGNANT woman sitting next to me that looked like she was ready to pass out. I think that most of the fans were frustrated with the entire situation; but hey were the Premium Members right??? Plus the most annoying part of the show was some dancing JACKASS IN CUSTOM AIRBRUSHED PRINCE BLUE JEANS from San Fran (I think). He was pretty much the only comic relief of the show; but alas even the Humpty Dance gets stale after a while. (See I told you that I was pissed).

After what seemed like an eternity the doors opened and we were allowed to get our seats. I myself was in the 5th row right center and I had an excellent view of the entire stage. I must admit that it was a very intimate setting if you were in the fan section because you were surrounded by other people who shared a love for Prince and his music. IM only going to touch briefly on the soundcheck because it was very short. Prince and the band only did 3 instrumental numbers with the best one being XENOPHOBIA (and it was intense to say the least). Also Prince wasn`t very talkative with the fans. Don`t get me wrong he seemed to be in a good mood; just not talkative. I see nothing wrong with that but there were some fans mentioning that they "expected" Prince to be a bit more intimate with the crowd. As I mentioned the instrumental tunes were good and the band was WAY TIGHT!!! The words fine tuned killing machine come to mind. Speaking of the band it, the line up consisted of the same people as the rest of the ONA show with the exception of Mr. Madhouse Eric Leeds and the totally hot Sheila E. Overall I would say the that soundcheck last a little over 20 minutes.

After another hour plus wait the lights went down and the show started. It started at 2015 according to my watch and the funk didnt end until exactly 2325 (thats 3 hours and 10 minutes folks). Prince opened the show with a quick drum solo, followed by a quick drum solo by Sheila E, and finally one by the Monster John Blackwell. Speaking of Mr. Blackwell I now understand why they have him surrounded in a Plexi-glass cage; they do that so that he won`t hurt anyone when we goes APESHIT on the drums. In one word the man is AWESOME. Period.

Now I told you guys earlier that I wasn`t going to give you a note for note list of the set because I don`t have it. However I will mention the tunes that I remember and what I consider the highlights of the show. He started off with a 9 minute jam of The Rainbow Children and from there went into Pop Life, both of which sounded very good. A surprising move on Prince`s part was that he mentioned that during the tour he kept getting request for an old song that he never played anymore: Purple Rain. And with that he jumped into a very stripped down version of the song that included a special appearance by Habibi (Habibi still looks great after all these years. hehehe). Other highlights were: The question of you, Pass the Peas (WHEW!!!), Starfish and Coffee, Take me with you, 1+1+1=3, HouseQuake, The Jam, The Beautiful Ones, Sometimes it Snows in April, Alphabet Street (with just Prince on bass FUNKY!!!), The Ladder, Whole Lotta Love (by Zepplin), Power Fantastic (the poor girl sitting next to me creamed her G-String 3 times!!!), The Ride (with Sheila E on Drums), Adore, Nothing Compares to You, & The Work. NOTICE TO FELLOW VEGAS CONCERT GOERS; PLEASE ADD THE ADDITIONAL SONGS THAT I FORGOT. For me the 2 best songs were Strange Relationship and Days of Wild. Strange Relationship sounded very similar to the ONA Boxed Set version but I was still surprised at how good it sounded in person. On the other hand Days of Wild was the finale and it brought the house down (hell even the security personal were tappin their feet and bobbin their heads). Prince brought up almost all of the NPGMC members to dance onstage with him during the song. I must admit that the stage was packed with fans with huge smiles on their faces. Even the aforementioned DANCING JACKASS got his 2.413423121 seconds of fame by getting to dance next to Prince and sing 2 words of Days of Wild into the mic. SWEET!!!

Now a few notes about Mr. Nelson and crew. This is the closest that I have been to Prince during one of his concerts and I was satisfied with what I saw. During the entire 3 plus hour show a smile never left Prince`s face (nor mine either for that matter). The man has more energy that the entire Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. If he wasn`t dancing then he was directing the band. If he wasn`t directing the band then he was playing a VERY FUCKING MEAN GUITAR . And if he wasn`t playing a mean guitar the he was busy getting the crowd pumped up (by the way am I the only person there who noticed that he didn`t do the splits at all??? Is our beloved tiny hero getting old???). As always the band was top notch and made very few mistakes (I only saw 2). Seeing Eric Leeds and Sheila E brought back wonderful memories of the SOTT and Lovesexy era. You could tell that Sheila was having a great time and enjoying every second of the show. I loved watching her prance around the stage with her cymbal in hand. I must admit that Sheila E is one of those women who get more beautiful the older they get. But enough of my ranting on Miss E, as I told you before Prince was in a great mood and it showed. The little man didnt stop moving once and he still holds the title of the best male dancer in the business. I sure wish that I could move like that.

Inevitably the argument is going to be brought up as to if the entire experience was worth $250.00 ($100.00 for NPGMC membership and $150.00 per ticket). My thought on the issue is this. Personally I don`t think that it was worth it; however I would spend the money again in a heartbeat without a second thought. This is only my 6th Prince concert but it is by far the best concert that I have ever been too (it even beats out the Feb-14-1994 NIN concert in St. Louis dubbed the St. Valentines Day Massacre). Furthermore I would like to say that IM 32 and have been a die-hard Prince fan (not a fam) since 1987 and I have to say that I have never been happier nor prouder to be a Prince fan. Being surrounded by Prince "friends" only heightened the experience for me. Everyone was friendly and I almost felt as if we were on big extended family; if only for a night. More importantly the concert was one of those lasting memories that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. For a little over 3 hours I forgot my troubles and entered the funky world of Prince Rogers Nelson and his New Power Generation. My only regret is that my One Nite Alone with Prince didn`t last a lifetime; but then again thats what the memories are for. Thank you Prince and thank you Las Vegas. IT AINT OVER!!!

he hanst done the splits in a long time.
where have u been???
sounds like one of those media writers who know jack shit about Prince.

Thank you, funkbible...I almost felt like I was there! Good job!

I refuse to read this shit, its peppered with negativity. Forget it.

funkbible
wrote:
Power Fantastic (the poor girl sitting next to me creamed her G-String 3 times!!!)

ehehehhehhehe
great line...and great report.
thanx,u made me laugh damn loud...

Ciao


T.

why do people even bother going to the show

****
[This message was edited Tue Jan 21 12:04:26 PST 2003 by MrPRN]

Well i have 2 say!
Someone B-ing honest in his report is nice.
Put a word 2 the funk AND put a word 2 the crap!
NICE!
Been 2 53 shows since 86.
And what can i say!
Billy Sparks... "The kid is in rare form 2nite"...
Saw 2 shows in europe.
And it was dah bomb.
As 4 the waiting before the soundcheck!
CRAAAP!
WORTHLESS!!!
As 4 the soundcheck...
WOOOW!
COOL!
SHIT!
Worh all the 100$.!
As for the show!
Well what can i say...
Billy Sparks...
As 4 some of the afterpartys...
That DJ is sucking big fucking elephant dick...
But when Prince is playing...
U don't want 2 B anywhere else...

Peace!

It's amazing that everytime people have to wait it's because of Prince's "massive ego".

FirstAvenue said:

How was this peppered with negativity? I take it you were really serious when you said you refused to read it?! Read it, and I'm sure you'll change your statement!! My apologies if you were being sarcastic!

So, he was dancing throughout the concert. Boy I hope I get to see this sometime in the near future.

Wish I could have afforded to be there.

Thanks for your honest report.

So, the show "wasn't worth" the $250 you paid for it, yet you would do it again in a heartbeat?

Sounds like it *was* worth it to you.

I'm happy for you that you got to go to the concert. Many of us couldn't make it. However, I'm sorry that you feel the need to "cop an attitude" in writing your review. I didn't find it cool in the least. There's nothing wrong with pointing out parts of your experience that you wish had been different, but when you allow these shortcoming to dominate your thinking, it pollutes your soul.

Head the advice of Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians...

1 Thessalonians 5:
"16Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
19Do not put out the Spirit's fire; 20do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22Avoid every kind of evil.
23May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it."

Thanks for the great review..

I see nothing negative here, just a persons point of view...

I for one recieved a whole lot more info then you did. The lady whom seemed to be incharge gave out alot of info.
yes we were told to be back to line up at 2 to pickup our tickets(laminates) but that we had time to leave and go eat
or whatever. SURE beats waiting in line from 6 am. got all info about studio 54 and any guest could buy there ticket then(also reduced line time)

lets see Ive been to 3 ONA shows 7 shows for the Celebraton with great seats and around other real Prince fans who know how to have a great time. plus the 4 cd. yeah i more then got my moneys worth for membership!

One last thing... Bobby the dancin machine is sooo cool.
not only that but very real of who he is. Met him 4 years ago and can honestly say I am glad to know him. in fact if it werent for him hooking me up with other folks out there I probably woulndnt have gone to Vegas so Thanks again friend!!! Continue to DO YOUR DANCE!

I got my money's worth as well (and that too in the light of getting a divorce). Saw several ONA in USA / Canada / Europe + Vegas (missed Celebration due to personal problems). Got the cd's, great seats, great soundchecks - Antwerpen soundcheck was worth the $100 alone + met many super nice folks. All ok for me, ready for 2003. PB

ps - I was introduced to "Bobby' by some nice folks from L.A. and a very cool from Canada and he was nice and projected nothing but positivity and a great enthusiasm about Prince and the music! That's what we need!!!

Hey, watch it, FunkBible! Don't be talkin' 'bout my Mama! Geri, the Funky Great-Grandma was in 'da House for her first Prince concert and she had a great time.

The lobby wait was a major pain, but the Aladdin staff was incedibly quick to provide my Mom a chair the minute we lined up in the lobby. Big ups to them. And to everybody else in line and in our section (including you) whose conversations she enjoyed. All of you who spent any time with her helped me to give her a truly memorable Christmas present.

I'm disappointed that you came away with the impression of Bobby reflected in your post. I'd seen him at the Celly, but never met him until Sunday night. He was very kind to my Mom and spent time talking to her (while I was layin' some lame lines on an Oakland cutie (Crysta, Christa, Crista -- sp?)
Be still my heart.

Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah. Bobby. He's definitely a live wire. I had a nice chat with him as well. Now he and I might never be runnin' buddies and I'd probably never wear some of his stuff, but I'm glad I live in a world where I get to feed off his energy every once in a while. Every party needs a spark. And I admire his ability to bring more than his share of spark to the Celly and to Vegas.

I won't tell my Mom what you called him. She thought both of you were nice. She'd be crushed to hear that "that nice boy sitting next to me" would say such a thing about "that other nice dancing guy." In honor of what both of you did to enhance my Mom's experience Sunday night, you and Bobby and I are getting together for a group hug next time we hook up. O.K.? Hey! While we're at it, maybe we could work in Christa/Crista/Crysta (sp?).

P.S. -- Thanks to everybody who tried to save my original place in line when our friends at NPGMC advanced the distribution of the wristbands before 7a.m. without notice while I went to wake up my Mom. We could have had Row 2; we ended up in Row 4. Big deal. Getting bumped back in line, we ended up behind a stranger from Utah who, it turns out, grew up two miles from me in San Antonio! His two cousins were in my high school graduating class! One was in my home room! His cousins and I are on the same page in our high school annual! (Cue Rod Serling.) Not always, and not often, NPGMC's sometimes frustrating ways can have serendipitous consequences.

****
[This message was edited Tue Jan 21 12:04:47 PST 2003 by MrPRN]

I'd forgotten about Power Fantastic, The Question of U & The Ride!!



.
[This message was edited Wed Dec 18 1:29:13 PST 2002 by CalhounSq]

Two questions: Did he curse during, DOW? And did he mention Christmas--negatively or at all? Thanks.

2freaky4church1 said:

No & no to my recollection...

I've seen mixed "reviews" on Bobby. Some people like him and others don't. One thing for sure is that Bobby is a "star" among Prince fans/fams.

Bobby is one of the models in the Prince.org retail section. Plus, pictures on the NPG official site of one of the Prince celebrations had Bobby in several pics.

People have written reports saying that Bobby was asked onstage to dance in Oakland and in other cities. The NPG staff knows him and he gets acknowledged by Prince. Some people who've met Bobby like him and say he's a nice guy. Other people think he's an annoying attention hog. I remember reading some reviews of a West Coast show earlier this year where somebody was complaining that Bobby's wild dancing and wide purple coat blocked the view of people in the seats behind him.

Bobby: Is one of my best friends. I think to slander him on a public forum is unwarrented and cruel. Especially if you REALLY knew him. He has more natural spark and energy than anyone I have ever met. He has nothing but love in his heart for all. He would help you at a show if you needed it... ask anyone who knows him!

I cannot express enough how inappropriate it is to taint a beautiful nite for all with such blatent negativity. Insults can be hurtful. Fortunately Bobby is of such character it won't stay with him long.

Haters are not welcome at Prince shows...u should know this.

Bobby's comment: "It's amazing how brave people can be when hiding behind a computer"!and "However, I have to agree, the waiting was so long that it was enough to irritate anybody. 2pm- 8pm...COME ON!"
[This message was edited Wed Dec 18 22:19:28 PST 2002 by Berry]

I don't know Bobby but was introduced to him in Las Vegas and he radiates joy and positivity - which what a Prince concert or any other place can use. To even start a thread about someone is totally uncalled for and just plain rude. An apology is in order to this Gent.

In my opinion, this was by far the most organized line-up situation I've ever been involved in with regard to attending a Prince function! I hope they do the exact same thing at The Celebration.

We were told to meet at the Aladdin box office at 7am and that your position in line would be secured by the number on the wristband given to you. We picked up our wristbands (I was a cool #28!) and were free for the remainder of the morning to do whatever we wanted to do. This was the best way for the hotel to prevent ardent Prince fans from camping out all day in front of the concert venue.

They asked us to return at 2pm to line up for the soundcheck. Now, I can understand some people being unhappy about being told to return at 2pm then having to wait for 2 hours but, we have to realize that we're dealing with Prince here... when did ANYBODY ever go see Prince and not have to wait?! I have come to expect a wait when I deal with that brotha so, I don't get as bent about it anymore! Also, I don't always think that it's necessarily about Prince's ego... we all know he's the ultimate perfectionist and during the soundcheck they are really at work, trying to get everything down tight for us! The real soundcheck is done before all the loud azz NPGMC members are actually let in. What we get is extra - not really a soundcheck but a mini pre-concert and some personal interaction with Prince. (I will never forget the look and the smile he tossed at me during all the applause when I shouted out "Welcome Home Prince")! Also, I figured that Prince wanted to maintain some sort of element of surprise with Nikka Costa, even though most of us pretty much knew she was gonna be there. I personally had fun waiting in line, talking to all the people there, getting rowdy for the cameras... hey, it could've been worse - we could've been in MN...outside of Paisley Park... with the temperature below freezing... can anybody say RAVE??

Lastly, I have a real problem with people putting down others for the way they choose to enjoy themselves! Bobby is my friend and one of the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet! I love his energy, his passion, and his Love 4 One Another attitude! I told Bobby that haters hate because they really wish it was happening to them!! Dancing with Prince is something that any Prince fan would welcome and he got the opportunity. Why shouldn't he enjoy it!

Big ups to all my "bay-bays" from LA, SF, Detroit, NC, AZ, San Diego and New Mexico who were in Vegas, and my homegirl from Chi-town April who's always got my back!!!

RedZRyder said:

Back atcha girl

I'm sorry but I have to say a couple things about that EGO MANIAC Bobby!!! I know him very well so I can say these things...

First of all, he's the most technically challenged person I know. He barely uses his computer (which is why you don't see him sticking up for himself here) and he JUST got a celphone. Still, he has the nerve to call me and all of his friends all the time, being all nosy, and wanting to know "how everything is going" all the time. And don't get me started on all of the Dream Factory parties he FORCES on us! He throws Prince parties that make us listen and dance to Prince music ALL NIGHT LONG. I mean, who would want to do that? What is he trying to do, kill us??

And the guy won't let me and his other friends stay in a hotel when we visit either!! Would you beleive he makes us stay with HIM?!?! He even makes breakfast for everyone!! GET OVER YOURSELF Bobby!! The ego on that guy! He's such an attention hog that for the Leno show, he spent the night to get tickets for other people even though he already had tickets. (Obviously so he can dance all night in front of the other 30 people spending the night)

I remember once he came down and stayed with me and some other Prince friends to see the Vibe Show taping and he had the audacity to do 10 loads of my laundry while I was at work to say "thank you" for letting him stay. That's all!! He didn't even clean my apartment or wash my car! S-E-L-F-I-S-H !!

And I'm not bitter just because he was the reason I met my soul-mate and new wife Karrie because of him either. I'm sure we would've eventually met anyway right!?!

Who does he think he is?!?!?!

NPGen2002 said:

Thank you for that! I don't even know Bobby (just see him around from time to time in the Bay Area), but I don't like how folks start making negative comments about folks without actually meeting them...Bobby has been very polite on the few ocassions we've actually spoken...

Okay, I have to say some something about this idiot(funkbible) who posted something about my brother Bobby
First of all before you start calling folks out of there names, know who u're f*#%ing with! It's funny how you complain behind a computer and bad mouth someone by typing it. Did you tell the person (Bobby) what you thought about him to his face? I don't think so. Bad mouthing him is bad mouthing his ENTIRE FAMILY..and I hate to tell you.. IT'S A WHOLE LOT OF US U WILL HAVE 2 DEAL WITH!!

It seems to me that u're just jealous of how much energy and enthusiasm one person can have because you don't possess those qualities. We all LOVE Prince's music and how it makes us feel and we express it in different ways. Some of us can dance and sing to it all night, others like you choose to be quiet and sit still (BORING!!!)

Anyway, for those of us who knows Bobby, we love him just the way he is and would never want him to change. FREEDOM is a beautiful thing and that is what Bobby possess and tries to pass that on to all the Prince lovers

This is all about having FUN!!

funkbible can you spell L-0-V-E-4-O-N-E-A-N-O-T-H-E-R?

probably not.