Chastity belts -- even metaphorical ones -- hinder rocking. No performer has built a more ecstatic three-decade career by channeling carnal desires than the artist formerly known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince. Watching one of the sexiest men on Earth trying to perform a PG show is like watching Kobe Bryant trying to play basketball with his shoelaces tied together. Prince wanted the room to get hot Thursday night, during the first of a promised 21-night stand at the storied but aged Forum. But the Jehovah’s Witness had to keep his libido in check.

"I’m in rehab!" he chided, as he mischievously played the opening chords to his old masturbation ode "Darling Nikki," then quickly changed tunes. The man who used to make wild love to his guitar now apparently views eroticism as an addiction. "This is an abstinence ring!" he protested as he shrugged off another old musical temptation.

Tension between sin and salvation, blues and gospel, has fueled the fire of many great singers, including Little Richard -- whom Prince more and more resembles -- and Al Green, whom he increasingly sounds like. The pull of Prince’s youthful drive whipped him into a sort of existential fervor on the 1982 hit "Little Red Corvette"; he tweaked the lyrics -- "A body like yours ought to be in my jail" -- as the reformer wrestled with the rocker.

There was a feeling of imprisonment, that the indefatigable, elfin erstwhile glyph was trapped in an identity crisis. The veteran performer played in fits and lulls, seemingly unable to get the pacing right. There were several false starts; the show began 90 minutes after the announced curtain time, and the lights and house music went off repeatedly before comedian George Lopez finally took the stage, announcing Prince with the intro to "Let’s Go Crazy." There were false endings too; more than half the house cleared when the lights came on after one encore, only to have Prince and his old cohort Sheila E. return for her song "The Glamorous Life," and an additional half hour of music.

Still, even an off show for Prince is a night to remember, especially if you paid only $25. He certainly didn’t skimp, playing for more than three hours. At 52, he looks gorgeous, tiny and trim even in heels, like Peter Pan with a lascivious grin. He has a solid band, although, with three keyboard players, they have a tendency to play quiet-storm schmaltz. And even without the smut, he has an incredible catalog to draw on: "Purple Rain," "Uptown," "Controversy" and "When Doves Cry" were among the hits played Thursday.

Prince tried to substitute spiritual energy for sexual, creating a revival atmosphere (a la Al Green). He also celebrated his black roots. "Welcome to the 'hood," he said by way of introduction. He announced that this would be the first of a series of Forum shows -- every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, beginning April 21, "for as long as you will have us." This extended L.A. stay on the Welcome 2 America tour is intended to boost the fortune of the struggling former Lakers home. "With your help we can save this place," he said, sounding more like a community activist than a legendarily mysterious star.

With the cheap seats (as well as expensive VIP tickets that could get you on-stage), Prince is trying to get in touch with his fan base. Unfortunately, there were a fair number of empty chairs Thursday. In an old showman’s trick, the singer repeatedly sought affirmation from the audience: "Is it OK if I play guitar?" (Yes; I wish he had played it more.) "Can I stay?" These were rhetorical questions, but for the first time in 29 years of seeing Prince perform live, I also sensed insecurity. We love you, Prince. Now please, play "Darling Nikki."

A 52 year old man singing Darling Nikki would be more than a bit creepy.

802 said:

A 52 year old man singing Darling Nikki would be more than a bit creepy.

That 52 year old man singing Darling Nikki wouldn't be creepy at all.

I'm not really sure how that song is a "masturbation ode" though, just because it has the word in the first verse, but then, to go into that would be to start to examine all the holes (probably a bad choice of words) in that review and there must be better things to do.

Chiquetet said:

802 said:

A 52 year old man singing Darling Nikki would be more than a bit creepy.

That 52 year old man singing Darling Nikki wouldn't be creepy at all.

If he stopped dying his hair [or is a wig ] and stopped putting on all that make up, it would be.

Seems like a typical review for an LA Times writer. Californians are so uptight.

802 said:

Chiquetet said:

That 52 year old man singing Darling Nikki wouldn't be creepy at all.

If he stopped dying his hair [or is a wig ] and stopped putting on all that make up, it would be.

Each to their own.

Seems like a rather fair, and objective observation by a person who probably covers a lot of different shows by different acts...

One thing I will say is that the writer has no concept of how Prince like to tease his audience. Also, the writer is not up to date on how P. (now) mixes other aspects of life into his music other than just sex and God...

Seems like this journalist needs to do some fact checking. He hasn't been "the artist formerly known as Prince" for over a decade. His name IS Prince...

lalalahehehee said:

Seems like this journalist needs to do some fact checking. He hasn't been "the artist formerly known as Prince" for over a decade. His name IS Prince...

they called him "the artist formerly known as The Artist Formerly..."

But their review sounds way off compared to everyone else's!

peterv said:

Seems like a rather fair, and objective observation by a person who probably covers a lot of different shows by different acts...

One thing I will say is that the writer has no concept of how Prince like to tease his audience. Also, the writer is not up to date on how P. (now) mixes other aspects of life into his music other than just sex and God...

yeah, and some people don't like it. But it is silly to single out how he did not play the whole Darling Nikki when that is just a brief moment out of three hours of music

Is the reviewer so wrong?

eireboy34 said:

Is the reviewer so wrong?

it's stuff like this that is a little hard to believe

"There was a feeling of imprisonment, that the indefatigable, elfin erstwhile glyph was trapped in an identity crisis. The veteran performer played in fits and lulls, seemingly unable to get the pacing right."

"the singer repeatedly sought affirmation from the audience: "Is it OK if I play guitar?" (Yes; I wish he had played it more.)"

"but for the first time in 29 years of seeing Prince perform live, I also sensed insecurity"

People are ungrateful monsters- where is the gratitude? People are selfish and want Prince to be what THEY want- that is a fantasy in their head- Just be very grateful you get to witness any Prince at all- he could have chose to be a monk and bounced- he's still here, he's still amazing- I want to hear ALL the 1st 10 albums too- but that honestly isn't our call- People just want what THEY want- they don't care about anyone else, including themselves... Sorry Prince, too many haters and brats around these days... Class, today the word is "GRATITUDE" -

grat·i·tude

   [grat-i-tood, -tyood] Show IPA

–noun

the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful: He expressedhis gratitude to everyone on the staff.

Use gratitude in a Sentence

See images of gratitude

Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin grātitūdin- (stemof grātitūdō ) thankfulness, equivalent to grāt ( us ) pleasing + -i--i- + -tūdin- -tude

—Related forms

o·ver·grat·i·tude, noun

un·grat·i·tude, noun

—Synonyms
thanks, thankfulness, appreciation, gratefulness. ♥

Revolutionary said:

People are ungrateful monsters- where is the gratitude? People are selfish and want Prince to be what THEY want- that is a fantasy in their head-

I agree with this partly. I'm grateful, but I don't think everyone needs to be grateful, any more than Prince should be--they paid money to see him afterall.

But they do need to judge stuff based on what it is, not what they wish it could be.

So he did not cuss. What DID he do, and was it good?

Revolutionary said:

People are ungrateful monsters- where is the gratitude? People are selfish and want Prince to be what THEY want- that is a fantasy in their head- Just be very grateful you get to witness any Prince at all- he could have chose to be a monk and bounced- he's still here, he's still amazing- I want to hear ALL the 1st 10 albums too- but that honestly isn't our call- People just want what THEY want- they don't care about anyone else, including themselves... Sorry Prince, too many haters and brats around these days... Class, today the word is "GRATITUDE" -

grat·i·tude

   [grat-i-tood, -tyood] Show IPA

–noun

the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful: He expressedhis gratitude to everyone on the staff.

Use gratitude in a Sentence

See images of gratitude

Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin grātitūdin- (stemof grātitūdō ) thankfulness, equivalent to grāt ( us ) pleasing + -i--i- + -tūdin- -tude

—Related forms

o·ver·grat·i·tude, noun

un·grat·i·tude, noun

—Synonyms
thanks, thankfulness, appreciation, gratefulness. ♥

No, that's called Customer Service Satisfaction.

Having seen this show, I think that's a fair review.

I was more impressed than this writer, and disagree with the stuff about "identity crisis." The issue with pacing is a matter of opinion; it was a little weird to get a ballad so early in the night, and do some of the biggest hits in his catalog as medleys, but by now I expect P shows to be all over the place like that. I didn;t have a problem with it but the writer did. Fair enough.

Critics should not be expected to express "gratitiude". If they were, all you'd ever have is fawning reviews, and how interesting would that be to read? How could you believe anything the writer said?

Maybe there's some truth to the idea that "people want Prince to be what they want him to be" but that's true of reviews too. A review is just a journalist's opinion; the fact this thread even exists suggests that people want the writer to have the same opinion as them.

bobzilla77 said:

Having seen this show, I think that's a fair review.

I was more impressed than this writer, and disagree with the stuff about "identity crisis." The issue with pacing is a matter of opinion; it was a little weird to get a ballad so early in the night, and do some of the biggest hits in his catalog as medleys, but by now I expect P shows to be all over the place like that. I didn;t have a problem with it but the writer did. Fair enough.

Critics should not be expected to express "gratitiude". If they were, all you'd ever have is fawning reviews, and how interesting would that be to read? How could you believe anything the writer said?

Maybe there's some truth to the idea that "people want Prince to be what they want him to be" but that's true of reviews too. A review is just a journalist's opinion; the fact this thread even exists suggests that people want the writer to have the same opinion as them.

I did not even see the LA show, so I have no idea what i am talking about

But I did see the Oakland one, I assume they were fairly similar.

Anyway I agree that one could find fault with the show such as medleys or unfamiliar songs so I don't fault the writer for reporting what they saw.

But it's hard to imagine Prince seeming even slightly unsure of himself or in crisis. That seems ridiculous. The guy I saw onstage seemed totally at ease and having as much fun as the rest of us, if not more. Any "conflict" is just a tease.

LOADED Review.

Aloisio said:

Chastity belts -- even metaphorical ones -- hinder rocking. No performer has built a more ecstatic three-decade career by channeling carnal desires than the artist formerly known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince. Watching one of the sexiest men on Earth trying to perform a PG show is like watching Kobe Bryant trying to play basketball with his shoelaces tied together. Prince wanted the room to get hot Thursday night, during the first of a promised 21-night stand at the storied but aged Forum. But the Jehovah’s Witness had to keep his libido in check.

"I’m in rehab!" he chided, as he mischievously played the opening chords to his old masturbation ode "Darling Nikki," then quickly changed tunes. The man who used to make wild love to his guitar now apparently views eroticism as an addiction. "This is an abstinence ring!" he protested as he shrugged off another old musical temptation.

Tension between sin and salvation, blues and gospel, has fueled the fire of many great singers, including Little Richard -- whom Prince more and more resembles -- and Al Green, whom he increasingly sounds like. The pull of Prince’s youthful drive whipped him into a sort of existential fervor on the 1982 hit "Little Red Corvette"; he tweaked the lyrics -- "A body like yours ought to be in my jail" -- as the reformer wrestled with the rocker.

There was a feeling of imprisonment, that the indefatigable, elfin erstwhile glyph was trapped in an identity crisis. The veteran performer played in fits and lulls, seemingly unable to get the pacing right. There were several false starts; the show began 90 minutes after the announced curtain time, and the lights and house music went off repeatedly before comedian George Lopez finally took the stage, announcing Prince with the intro to "Let’s Go Crazy." There were false endings too; more than half the house cleared when the lights came on after one encore, only to have Prince and his old cohort Sheila E. return for her song "The Glamorous Life," and an additional half hour of music.

Still, even an off show for Prince is a night to remember, especially if you paid only $25. He certainly didn’t skimp, playing for more than three hours. At 52, he looks gorgeous, tiny and trim even in heels, like Peter Pan with a lascivious grin. He has a solid band, although, with three keyboard players, they have a tendency to play quiet-storm schmaltz. And even without the smut, he has an incredible catalog to draw on: "Purple Rain," "Uptown," "Controversy" and "When Doves Cry" were among the hits played Thursday.

Prince tried to substitute spiritual energy for sexual, creating a revival atmosphere (a la Al Green). He also celebrated his black roots. "Welcome to the 'hood," he said by way of introduction. He announced that this would be the first of a series of Forum shows -- every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, beginning April 21, "for as long as you will have us." This extended L.A. stay on the Welcome 2 America tour is intended to boost the fortune of the struggling former Lakers home. "With your help we can save this place," he said, sounding more like a community activist than a legendarily mysterious star.

With the cheap seats (as well as expensive VIP tickets that could get you on-stage), Prince is trying to get in touch with his fan base. Unfortunately, there were a fair number of empty chairs Thursday. In an old showman’s trick, the singer repeatedly sought affirmation from the audience: "Is it OK if I play guitar?" (Yes; I wish he had played it more.) "Can I stay?" These were rhetorical questions, but for the first time in 29 years of seeing Prince perform live, I also sensed insecurity. We love you, Prince. Now please, play "Darling Nikki."

The reviewer hits heavy on a topic that many of us hardcore supporters of Prince have been saying for years now, or at least since 2001. Prince's own censorship of himself is so dis-heartening, and sad. It's not what fans want nor deserve.

jmfd said:

The reviewer hits heavy on a topic that many of us hardcore supporters of Prince have been saying for years now, or at least since 2001. Prince's own censorship of himself is so dis-heartening, and sad. It's not what fans want nor deserve.

You and the reviewer probably don't do many things that you both did at 26, so why complain that Prince doesn't do many things that he did at 26? And there's shitloads of other (better) songs he could play instead.

Seems like the lighter fluid and match should suit this review fine next time Prince hits the stage.

I was at the concert, and it was incredible the Darling Nikki bit was funny to me

I mean yes Prince isn't the high powered sex machine he used to be but he played almost every song i wanted him to play but didn't expect him to. My friend that went with me has been to 7 concerts and has never seen him do half the song's he did thursday. It was an amazing show, one of the best i have seen even if he decided not to hump the stage

As a 37 year old fan who was too young to see him in 1986 (but started going to live shows in 1997) I THOROUGHLY enjoyed the mix of old school jams that he was throwing down on opening night....all the music that made me fall in love with him LIVE FINALLY, cause he's been leaving those out in concerts of late. My aunt and I thought he looked happy and joyful & he REALLY got down & grooved again! The beautiful Ones, contraversy, when doves cry, 1999, Delirious, awesome slow version of Little Red Corvette, DMSR!, kiss, raspberry beret, purple rain, If I was your Girlfriend, on and on....yeah: so we waited an hour and a half for him to begin, but then he went on for 3 hours (if you were PURE enough to stay till the end). IF you are anywhere near LA, you have to go to this show. Loge ticket seats were AWESOME and not very expensive. Now that we've been once, we are hoping to catch another one for $25.....

Revolutionary said:

People are ungrateful monsters- where is the gratitude? People are selfish and want Prince to be what THEY want- that is a fantasy in their head- Just be very grateful you get to witness any Prince at all- he could have chose to be a monk and bounced- he's still here, he's still amazing- I want to hear ALL the 1st 10 albums too- but that honestly isn't our call- People just want what THEY want- they don't care about anyone else, including themselves... Sorry Prince, too many haters and brats around these days... Class, today the word is "GRATITUDE" -

grat·i·tude

   [grat-i-tood, -tyood] Show IPA

–noun

the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful: He expressedhis gratitude to everyone on the staff.

Use gratitude in a Sentence

See images of gratitude

Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin grātitūdin- (stemof grātitūdō ) thankfulness, equivalent to grāt ( us ) pleasing + -i--i- + -tūdin- -tude

—Related forms

o·ver·grat·i·tude, noun

un·grat·i·tude, noun

—Synonyms
thanks, thankfulness, appreciation, gratefulness. ♥

PREACH BROTHA!

As Prince fans we tend to project OUR wants and desires and make (usually) negative judgements when they are unmet (because they are fucking unrealistic). Peeps just need to be thankful for all that P HAS done, and continues to do. Stop bitching, and fucking appreciate, it makes you look better.

[Edited 4/18/11 21:56pm]

jmfd said:

The reviewer hits heavy on a topic that many of us hardcore supporters of Prince have been saying for years now, or at least since 2001. Prince's own censorship of himself is so dis-heartening, and sad. It's not what fans want nor deserve.

Says who? I personally don't care that Prince censors himself, in fact, I respect him for it. I would never get on stage with some of the stuff he did before, and I'm glad that he had an awakening and decided to sell music...and not sex. At least not so overtly. He is still incredibly sexy and has the women screaming for more, which is exciting. He doesn't have to curse to achieve that. This reviewer is obviously trashy and likes that kind of trashy singing.

Prince fans deserve Prince's best...and that's what he is giving them. Not cursing has nothing to do with not giving your best. I've seen him 7 times on this tour, he is giving it his all....and he is doing an amazing job. I'm glad he's calmed down, now I can take my nieces/nephews to the shows and not worry about their little minds being corrupted. Prince is realizing sex isn't all he has...sure he is sexy as hell, but he is more than that. I love it when he shows his spiritual side.

This reviewer is missing the point, Prince is showing a balance between spirituality and sexuality...and I'm enjoying the ride! He is even more intriguing to me knowing he is practicing abstinence than thinking he is sleeping with 2-3 different women. Prince gets all my respect and deserves it from others for changing his life around. But then again, this reviewer probably has no morals and doesn't get where Prince is coming from...

Aloisio said:

Chastity belts -- even metaphorical ones -- hinder rocking. No performer has built a more ecstatic three-decade career by channeling carnal desires than the artist formerly known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince. Watching one of the sexiest men on Earth trying to perform a PG show is like watching Kobe Bryant trying to play basketball with his shoelaces tied together. Prince wanted the room to get hot Thursday night, during the first of a promised 21-night stand at the storied but aged Forum. But the Jehovah’s Witness had to keep his libido in check.

"I’m in rehab!" he chided, as he mischievously played the opening chords to his old masturbation ode "Darling Nikki," then quickly changed tunes. The man who used to make wild love to his guitar now apparently views eroticism as an addiction. "This is an abstinence ring!" he protested as he shrugged off another old musical temptation.

Tension between sin and salvation, blues and gospel, has fueled the fire of many great singers, including Little Richard -- whom Prince more and more resembles -- and Al Green, whom he increasingly sounds like. The pull of Prince’s youthful drive whipped him into a sort of existential fervor on the 1982 hit "Little Red Corvette"; he tweaked the lyrics -- "A body like yours ought to be in my jail" -- as the reformer wrestled with the rocker.

There was a feeling of imprisonment, that the indefatigable, elfin erstwhile glyph was trapped in an identity crisis. The veteran performer played in fits and lulls, seemingly unable to get the pacing right. There were several false starts; the show began 90 minutes after the announced curtain time, and the lights and house music went off repeatedly before comedian George Lopez finally took the stage, announcing Prince with the intro to "Let’s Go Crazy." There were false endings too; more than half the house cleared when the lights came on after one encore, only to have Prince and his old cohort Sheila E. return for her song "The Glamorous Life," and an additional half hour of music.

Still, even an off show for Prince is a night to remember, especially if you paid only $25. He certainly didn’t skimp, playing for more than three hours. At 52, he looks gorgeous, tiny and trim even in heels, like Peter Pan with a lascivious grin. He has a solid band, although, with three keyboard players, they have a tendency to play quiet-storm schmaltz. And even without the smut, he has an incredible catalog to draw on: "Purple Rain," "Uptown," "Controversy" and "When Doves Cry" were among the hits played Thursday.

Prince tried to substitute spiritual energy for sexual, creating a revival atmosphere (a la Al Green). He also celebrated his black roots. "Welcome to the 'hood," he said by way of introduction. He announced that this would be the first of a series of Forum shows -- every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, beginning April 21, "for as long as you will have us." This extended L.A. stay on the Welcome 2 America tour is intended to boost the fortune of the struggling former Lakers home. "With your help we can save this place," he said, sounding more like a community activist than a legendarily mysterious star.

With the cheap seats (as well as expensive VIP tickets that could get you on-stage), Prince is trying to get in touch with his fan base. Unfortunately, there were a fair number of empty chairs Thursday. In an old showman’s trick, the singer repeatedly sought affirmation from the audience: "Is it OK if I play guitar?" (Yes; I wish he had played it more.) "Can I stay?" These were rhetorical questions, but for the first time in 29 years of seeing Prince perform live, I also sensed insecurity. We love you, Prince. Now please, play "Darling Nikki."

Huh?? Is this right?

eireboy34 said:

Is the reviewer so wrong?

The way I read it was that it wasn't 'nasty' or X-rated enough for the reviewer... as they spent so much of the review dwelling on the fact that Prince has cleaned up his show quite a bit.

In that, "I" feel the reviewer is wrong...as, "I" can't knock a performance because it wasn't vulgar enough--yes, even if it is Prince. Sounds kinda' weird to me and I'm literally scratching my head. Like Prince, I'm older and there some things that I'm not into anymore (overly explicit vulgarity and sexuality).... BUT... if Prince still did that stuff I'd still tolerate it for what it is.

People are different, and have different expectations I guess. To each his own.

NDRU said:

eireboy34 said:

Is the reviewer so wrong?

it's stuff like this that is a little hard to believe

"There was a feeling of imprisonment, that the indefatigable, elfin erstwhile glyph was trapped in an identity crisis. The veteran performer played in fits and lulls, seemingly unable to get the pacing right."

"the singer repeatedly sought affirmation from the audience: "Is it OK if I play guitar?" (Yes; I wish he had played it more.)"

"but for the first time in 29 years of seeing Prince perform live, I also sensed insecurity"

i feel that prince is imprisoned by his fame a lot just by the setlist where he has been playing it safe for years now instead of the way Prince used 2 be by beliving in his new music and basing tour around that new material and not giving a fuck what people thought.

DaphneLovesPR1NCE said:

jmfd said:

The reviewer hits heavy on a topic that many of us hardcore supporters of Prince have been saying for years now, or at least since 2001. Prince's own censorship of himself is so dis-heartening, and sad. It's not what fans want nor deserve.

Says who? I personally don't care that Prince censors himself, in fact, I respect him for it. I would never get on stage with some of the stuff he did before, and I'm glad that he had an awakening and decided to sell music...and not sex. At least not so overtly. He is still incredibly sexy and has the women screaming for more, which is exciting. He doesn't have to curse to achieve that. This reviewer is obviously trashy and likes that kind of trashy singing.

Prince fans deserve Prince's best...and that's what he is giving them. Not cursing has nothing to do with not giving your best. I've seen him 7 times on this tour, he is giving it his all....and he is doing an amazing job. I'm glad he's calmed down, now I can take my nieces/nephews to the shows and not worry about their little minds being corrupted. Prince is realizing sex isn't all he has...sure he is sexy as hell, but he is more than that. I love it when he shows his spiritual side.

This reviewer is missing the point, Prince is showing a balance between spirituality and sexuality...and I'm enjoying the ride! He is even more intriguing to me knowing he is practicing abstinence than thinking he is sleeping with 2-3 different women. Prince gets all my respect and deserves it from others for changing his life around. But then again, this reviewer probably has no morals and doesn't get where Prince is coming from...

L4OATheOriginal said:

NDRU said:

it's stuff like this that is a little hard to believe

"There was a feeling of imprisonment, that the indefatigable, elfin erstwhile glyph was trapped in an identity crisis. The veteran performer played in fits and lulls, seemingly unable to get the pacing right."

"the singer repeatedly sought affirmation from the audience: "Is it OK if I play guitar?" (Yes; I wish he had played it more.)"

"but for the first time in 29 years of seeing Prince perform live, I also sensed insecurity"

i feel that prince is imprisoned by his fame a lot just by the setlist where he has been playing it safe for years now instead of the way Prince used 2 be by beliving in his new music and basing tour around that new material and not giving a fuck what people thought.

that is totally valid about him as an artist (he did say he was going to stop playing those songs several times)

The thing is, was the concert a failure? Were the people there disappointed? Maybe a couple, but thousands of others were screaming their approval. So it's hard to say that he is conflicted or imprisoned on that stage. He seems utterly sure of himself. Top of his game.

However, that type of success might be hindering him as a recording artist, knowing nobody (except a few hardcore fans who are a little disappointed in in his recent output) really cares about the new stuff