Any theories on what the point of this segment is?

I did not care that he took a few minutes from a 3 hour show to tease us with a few seconds of Darling Nikki or Sign o the Times or 777-9311 or whatever. The show was awesome and it was just a brief moment.

But why Single Ladies, or Party all the Time

It's typical Prince weirdness. What is his point? Does he even have one?

NDRU said:

Any theories on what the point of this segment is?

I did not care that he took a few minutes from a 3 hour show to tease us with a few seconds of Darling Nikki or Sign o the Times or 777-9311 or whatever. The show was awesome and it was just a brief moment.

But why Single Ladies, or Party all the Time

It's typical Prince weirdness. What is his point? Does he even have one?

Party All The Time works. Somehow. (Yet it has only been included once)

Single Ladies has got to go though.

edgarama said:

NDRU said:

Any theories on what the point of this segment is?

I did not care that he took a few minutes from a 3 hour show to tease us with a few seconds of Darling Nikki or Sign o the Times or 777-9311 or whatever. The show was awesome and it was just a brief moment.

But why Single Ladies, or Party all the Time

It's typical Prince weirdness. What is his point? Does he even have one?

Party All The Time works. Somehow. (Yet it has only been included once)

Single Ladies has got to go though.

Yeah Party all the Time seems like a joke in the middle of a bunch of great songs. Like if he played Never Gonna Give You Up or Safety Dance

Single Ladies might be a joke too, but it seems unlikely given his past support of Beyonce

NDRU said:

Any theories on what the point of this segment is?

I did not care that he took a few minutes from a 3 hour show to tease us with a few seconds of Darling Nikki or Sign o the Times or 777-9311 or whatever. The show was awesome and it was just a brief moment.

But why Single Ladies, or Party all the Time

It's typical Prince weirdness. What is his point? Does he even have one?

I heard Eddie Murphy was in the audience that night, which might explain why he played Party All The Time. Prince looked around with a "what the hell is this" expression on his face when he played the sample.

NDRU said:

Any theories on what the point of this segment is?

I did not care that he took a few minutes from a 3 hour show to tease us with a few seconds of Darling Nikki or Sign o the Times or 777-9311 or whatever. The show was awesome and it was just a brief moment.

But why Single Ladies, or Party all the Time

It's typical Prince weirdness. What is his point? Does he even have one?

Seems like you did care otherwise you wouldnt have started this thread.

powersoul99 said:

NDRU said:

Any theories on what the point of this segment is?

I did not care that he took a few minutes from a 3 hour show to tease us with a few seconds of Darling Nikki or Sign o the Times or 777-9311 or whatever. The show was awesome and it was just a brief moment.

But why Single Ladies, or Party all the Time

It's typical Prince weirdness. What is his point? Does he even have one?

Seems like you did care otherwise you wouldnt have started this thread.

I'm glad I could bore you with this, thank you for letting me know!

I do care why he did it, I don't care that he did it (it did not ruin the show)

Some fans love this segment so much, they probably want the entire concert to be this. It usually is about five minutes or so, but has been longer. Prince opened up Charlotte, NC with this, and like he has been doing, it has had all kinds of spots in the show.

I don't like it, and can give several great reasons why he should quit doing it. Keep in mind, if you are a Prince-can do no wrong-type...then please read another post, just forget mine, as my honest opinion won't matter to you anyway.

1. He doesn't play When Doves Cry. This was his most succesful single, and he is singing a few of the lyrics over a tape playing. Embarrassing. This would work fine for Britnay Spears.

2. He gives the background singers like Shelby way too much time on lead vocals, so to take another five minutes away from a possible full length song is wrong.

3. He wants to be considered a serious musician, and a legend. He likes it when people mention him in the same sentence with James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Tony M(just kidding), U2, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and The Beatles.

Prince is better than all of those legends combined. It is sad he stoops so low, when he is capable of so much more. Its like watching Michael Jordan struggle to beat a 75 year old man at basketball.

Take a moment, and think...would ANY of those artists sing over a backing tape, or play their instrument over a backing tape? No. And it simply looks like a time for Prince to show how pretty he looks. All the fans who go to the show because they like him as a good looking artist, or they go because they are attracted to the fame....they like this. Serious Musicians do not.

Now if you go to the show to see how many people stare at your sexy outfit, and you want to talk about Prince's hair, then that is fine, and you will like the "Sample Set." If you think about why Prince chose a particular chord progression for a song, you will probably look at it as if you are seeing your hero go down the wrong path for a moment.

I would agree with that if he spent more than a few minutes doing it. But the rest of the show is live and incredibly musical. That's just a moment.

That is why I feel there might be some kind of reason to do it, as if it is a deliberate contrast to the live music. Like saying "this is what famous musicians do nowadays"

But my best guess is it has no logical explanation but is simply one of Prince's weird-isms that makes him smile as if any of us understood his meaning

I'm not a huge fan of the sampler set either. I'm assuming it's a break/costume change for the band. Overall, would much rather hear him do piano/acoustic guitar versions of these tracks.

Also, kill those covers... I mean, do we all really need to hear Play That Funky Music White Boy over great Prince tracks like Girls and Boys, Joy in Repetition, Hot Thing, etc. (Insert ANY Prince song here).

[Edited 5/13/11 12:01pm]

This segment of the show is not disappointing to me at all, I don't question if Prince is shaping up as a "true" musician, or legend... because he does and is. He probably wouldn't do this segment in an intimate setting. He knows exactly what he is doing, he's a pro. He understands that in the larger venues, the audience responds well to these moments. They may wish that he played more of each song, but it still pumps up the crowd, and they are happy to hear even a snippet of these songs, let's face it, the man has so many hits, he can't play the full version of all of them. And as far as Single Ladies... why not? haha! It's pro marriage.

I'm not a fan of it, but it's a tease and a crowd-pleaser, so let him have his fun. It'd be more fun if he did a mash-up, running one song's verse into a different one's chorus or something. But it's probably a waste of time thinking of ways in which this part of the set could be improved.

I don't mind the sampler set but what I do mind is that it's the same hits sampled over and over again.

single ladies n party all the time stopped my energy flow completely . not my fav part of the show. the piano mixer is kinda cool for what it is but the two sec run thru of four or five songs leaves me dissapointed .. wanna hear em .. btw nice stage in the forum club bhind the curtain very intimate..

to all the haters on the internet, whos lookin at u

I don't mind if Prince plays a club or an arena, a palace or a dump (Forum), 1 show, or 21 shows.

I also don't mind if he plays hits, obscure songs, funky songs, "jazzy" songs, rock songs, or covers. No matter what he does it's pretty amazing, and kudos to Prince for changing his setlists and mixing things up. So many bands play the exact same show for an entire tour.

But, the one thing that I do not really enjoy is hearing short versions of songs, medleys, and the sampler set. I was so happy to hear Raspberry Beret and 1999, for example, and both were cut short. The first time When Doves Cry broke out, night 1 of the LA run, the audience went nuts. Then... Oh, he's just goofing around.

So, that's my one pet peeve, since you've brought it up: play the whole song!

PS - I would love to see Prince get on the "play a whole album" bandwagon and do an entire album in order live.

purplepurple said:

I don't mind if Prince plays a club or an arena, a palace or a dump (Forum), 1 show, or 21 shows.

I also don't mind if he plays hits, obscure songs, funky songs, "jazzy" songs, rock songs, or covers. No matter what he does it's pretty amazing, and kudos to Prince for changing his setlists and mixing things up. So many bands play the exact same show for an entire tour.

But, the one thing that I do not really enjoy is hearing short versions of songs, medleys, and the sampler set. I was so happy to hear Raspberry Beret and 1999, for example, and both were cut short. The first time When Doves Cry broke out, night 1 of the LA run, the audience went nuts. Then... Oh, he's just goofing around.

So, that's my one pet peeve, since you've brought it up: play the whole song!

PS - I would love to see Prince get on the "play a whole album" bandwagon and do an entire album in order live.

I agree with you. Except for that last part. I don't like the "routine" that slips in once you know which songs will be next for the next hour.

NDRU said:

Any theories on what the point of this segment is?

I did not care that he took a few minutes from a 3 hour show to tease us with a few seconds of Darling Nikki or Sign o the Times or 777-9311 or whatever. The show was awesome and it was just a brief moment.

But why Single Ladies, or Party all the Time

It's typical Prince weirdness. What is his point? Does he even have one?

Got to mention this: of his last 40 or so concerts, maybe 3-5 of them were 3 hours. So this Piano Sample Crap is taking away from a short show most nights. I went to 6 in the Carolinas, and all of them were around the 2 hour mark. If you take away the time Shelby&Co were singing, and take away the time Prince was just dancing, and take away the time Prince held the microphone for the audience to sing...It was a one hour show. It is still a very good show, but even at 50 plus, this man is capable of putting on a better show.

This show is much better than the 1997-2001 shows where he was clearly going through the motions, but the tour is a step or so below Musicology.

Tours that Welcome 2 America beats:

Jam of The Year 1997-98, Hit N Run 2000-01, Diamonds And Pearls, want to say Nude, but that is very close, maybe even a tie. I'd say for various reasons, that Gold and the Act 1/Act 2 tours were probably a little better than W2A.

Tours Much Better than W2A:

Dirty Mind, Controversy, 1999, Purple Rain, Parade, SOTT, Lovesexy, One Nite Alone, Musicology

Other than Musicology, the best thing about the above tours was that Prince was not scared to play his new material. Other than sneaking in Future Soul Song or Laydown, he pretty much ignores that he has written anything since 1992. Of course, he claimed he was "playing the hits for the last time," for Musicology. Right.

stillwaiting said:

Some fans love this segment so much, they probably want the entire concert to be this. It usually is about five minutes or so, but has been longer. Prince opened up Charlotte, NC with this, and like he has been doing, it has had all kinds of spots in the show.

I don't like it, and can give several great reasons why he should quit doing it. Keep in mind, if you are a Prince-can do no wrong-type...then please read another post, just forget mine, as my honest opinion won't matter to you anyway.

1. He doesn't play When Doves Cry. This was his most succesful single, and he is singing a few of the lyrics over a tape playing. Embarrassing. This would work fine for Britnay Spears.

2. He gives the background singers like Shelby way too much time on lead vocals, so to take another five minutes away from a possible full length song is wrong.

3. He wants to be considered a serious musician, and a legend. He likes it when people mention him in the same sentence with James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Tony M(just kidding), U2, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and The Beatles.

Prince is better than all of those legends combined. It is sad he stoops so low, when he is capable of so much more. Its like watching Michael Jordan struggle to beat a 75 year old man at basketball.

Take a moment, and think...would ANY of those artists sing over a backing tape, or play their instrument over a backing tape? No. And it simply looks like a time for Prince to show how pretty he looks. All the fans who go to the show because they like him as a good looking artist, or they go because they are attracted to the fame....they like this. Serious Musicians do not.

Now if you go to the show to see how many people stare at your sexy outfit, and you want to talk about Prince's hair, then that is fine, and you will like the "Sample Set." If you think about why Prince chose a particular chord progression for a song, you will probably look at it as if you are seeing your hero go down the wrong path for a moment.

He is???????????????????????

id given anything to have seen jimi ..

edgarama said:

NDRU said:

Any theories on what the point of this segment is?

I did not care that he took a few minutes from a 3 hour show to tease us with a few seconds of Darling Nikki or Sign o the Times or 777-9311 or whatever. The show was awesome and it was just a brief moment.

But why Single Ladies, or Party all the Time

It's typical Prince weirdness. What is his point? Does he even have one?

Party All The Time works. Somehow. (Yet it has only been included once)

Single Ladies has got to go though.

He played Party All The Time twice. Lucky us!

I just had a great idea.... What if P was 2 do different samples every few shows of songs that he may never think to play... just to get a reaction from the crowd... and then possibly play the whole songs in future shows??? First sample... "IT" ... "AMERICA" ... " THE DANCE" ... " PRIVATE JOY" ... "1+1+1 IS 3" ... "THIEVES IN THE TEMPLE" ... " PAISLEY PARK" ... Wouldn't that kickass??? It would have me

"shittin kittens" !!! I LOVE U MAN!!!

xperiencedone said:

single ladies n party all the time stopped my energy flow completely . not my fav part of the show. the piano mixer is kinda cool for what it is but the two sec run thru of four or five songs leaves me dissapointed .. wanna hear em .. btw nice stage in the forum club bhind the curtain very intimate..

to all the haters on the internet, whos lookin at u

I hear ya....

Single ladies has got to go and thankfully, it was not played last night.

stillwaiting said:

NDRU said:

Any theories on what the point of this segment is?

I did not care that he took a few minutes from a 3 hour show to tease us with a few seconds of Darling Nikki or Sign o the Times or 777-9311 or whatever. The show was awesome and it was just a brief moment.

But why Single Ladies, or Party all the Time

It's typical Prince weirdness. What is his point? Does he even have one?

Got to mention this: of his last 40 or so concerts, maybe 3-5 of them were 3 hours. So this Piano Sample Crap is taking away from a short show most nights. I went to 6 in the Carolinas, and all of them were around the 2 hour mark. If you take away the time Shelby&Co were singing, and take away the time Prince was just dancing, and take away the time Prince held the microphone for the audience to sing...It was a one hour show. It is still a very good show, but even at 50 plus, this man is capable of putting on a better show.

This show is much better than the 1997-2001 shows where he was clearly going through the motions, but the tour is a step or so below Musicology.

Tours that Welcome 2 America beats:

Jam of The Year 1997-98, Hit N Run 2000-01, Diamonds And Pearls, want to say Nude, but that is very close, maybe even a tie. I'd say for various reasons, that Gold and the Act 1/Act 2 tours were probably a little better than W2A.

Tours Much Better than W2A:

Dirty Mind, Controversy, 1999, Purple Rain, Parade, SOTT, Lovesexy, One Nite Alone, Musicology

Other than Musicology, the best thing about the above tours was that Prince was not scared to play his new material. Other than sneaking in Future Soul Song or Laydown, he pretty much ignores that he has written anything since 1992. Of course, he claimed he was "playing the hits for the last time," for Musicology. Right.

Fair enough (though that seems a bit too calculating for something fun), but specifically the one I was at was 3 hours.

That show was probably better than the two Musicology shows I saw, but comparable in many ways. He seemed so much more into it. Musicology was great, but felt paced with restraint for a long tour, where the show I saw felt like a "this could be the last time" kind of performace.

Honestly it's difficult to compare this tour to one I saw in 1988, but I enjoyed the last show I saw more than the Lovesexy show. It just had a funner vibe and better flow, even though it was not as creative.

I do agree with the complaints about new material. It pains us to realize Prince is just the Stones playing Satisfaction, but that is what he is now. Of course, in that context, he is light years better than the Stones because he is not like an old man and his voice sounds better than Mick's, but he is a greatest hits guy now. I accept that, it's probably why I am not disappointed when he plays Kiss...again.

[Edited 5/15/11 20:39pm]

GetBlue said:

I'm not a huge fan of the sampler set either. I'm assuming it's a break/costume change for the band. Overall, would much rather hear him do piano/acoustic guitar versions of these tracks.

Also, kill those covers... I mean, do we all really need to hear Play That Funky Music White Boy over great Prince tracks like Girls and Boys, Joy in Repetition, Hot Thing, etc. (Insert ANY Prince song here).

[Edited 5/13/11 12:01pm]

I think you may be right

Vict0r said:

I don't mind the sampler set but what I do mind is that it's the same hits sampled over and over again.

Most huge pop acts would do literally identical shows from night to night. Prince changes the songs quite a bit compared to them.

I don't really get the complaint that night to night is too similar. How may nights in a row are we expected to be seeing this?

Now, I do get that people are tired of hearing the same songs year to year. I'd be fine never hearing Purple Rain ever again. It also bugs me that he has said several times that he's retiring these songs.

But knowing what I am getting into, I never fail to enjoy what I get.

purplepurple said:

I don't mind if Prince plays a club or an arena, a palace or a dump (Forum), 1 show, or 21 shows.

I also don't mind if he plays hits, obscure songs, funky songs, "jazzy" songs, rock songs, or covers. No matter what he does it's pretty amazing, and kudos to Prince for changing his setlists and mixing things up. So many bands play the exact same show for an entire tour.

But, the one thing that I do not really enjoy is hearing short versions of songs, medleys, and the sampler set. I was so happy to hear Raspberry Beret and 1999, for example, and both were cut short. The first time When Doves Cry broke out, night 1 of the LA run, the audience went nuts. Then... Oh, he's just goofing around.

So, that's my one pet peeve, since you've brought it up: play the whole song!

PS - I would love to see Prince get on the "play a whole album" bandwagon and do an entire album in order live.

This I could totally agree with.

I don't personally mind the medleys, but I do think it's a tease and not what most people want, whether they are casual fans or hardcore fans.