The morning after....

Tired, aching, sunburned, but happy!

Great festival set last night. The main section on the show was billiantly delivered with passion.

for me...

Negatives

Hop Farms management. Terrible compared to other UK festivals.

Getting out of the car park at the end.

Larry Graham in the Prince set. nuff said.

The usual pusher inners.

Curfews

Positives

Best version of Purple Rain I've heard in the last 15 years.

Little Red Corvette

Cool

Great version of U got the look

The Paisley Park videos

Weather

Good natured crowd

The new band (although Andys guitar was rather silent)

Prince's Mood and passion

Prince was on fire last night. The best show I have seen him do. A perfect set list, and I am delighted I was there.

Sounds like a fun night. Wish I could have been there, I even had a ticket lined up, but hey-ho, next time.

A good version of Purple Rain? didn't think I'd hear you say that!

no afters then? not even a rumour?

onlymatt said:

Sounds like a fun night. Wish I could have been there, I even had a ticket lined up, but hey-ho, next time.

A good version of Purple Rain? didn't think I'd hear you say that!

no afters then? not even a rumour?

Not that I'm aware of. Unless thats why there are so few on here this morning. They all went to the aftershow and I missed out!

Yeah Purple Rain, one of the songs I think he should rest for a few years was a corker.

The 82-85 stuff sounded particularly good last night because Prince was quite focussed and in the zone. He was really feeling PR last night, more that the last 100 times I've seen him do it. It reminded me of the performances in the Nude tour.

SquirrelMeat said:

Negatives

Hop Farms management. Terrible compared to other UK festivals.

Getting out of the car park at the end.

Larry Graham in the Prince set. nuff said.

The usual pusher inners.

Curfews

What was wrong there? Honesly asking as the only other "festival" I've been to was the non camping Hyde Park/Hard Rock Calling which is just stages and music with nothing else to do. I though Hop Farm was much better than that. The staff were friendly and helpful and that was all that I asked really.

Maybe because we went by coach and didn't experience the car park delays.

let's start with the worse thing about hop park. no bloody mobile internet signal. no 3g. how are people supposed to be civilised without mobile internet? and the phone signal was terrible in general so even relying on texting ppl to check the internets still existed meant i never got a text straight away so i spent most of the show worrying about the collapse of human civilisation because the internet had died

the setlist was pretty predictable, if you are a real prince fan you have to know you are going to get the hits at a big show, particularly a festival one, but he still threw in a few interesting things that he's not played in the uk before, at least not in the particular arrangement, and he started with a soundcheck jam of a brand new song, so that was a pretty good start. few artists would do something like that. i was hoping through the day that prince would have a better sound guy as the supports acts sound was just awful, WAY too much bass, so it was hard to enjoy the opening acts, but aloe blacc was a really great start to the day to get things moving. he also stuck around at the back of the state to watch most of the other acts. eliza doolittle also did that and watched prince from the press/security pitt at the front of the stage

highlights were cool/dont stop till you get enough, you live to get funky and if i was your girlfriend

the show was a real endurance test for real fans, waiting from 9ish to get a wristband and then from 11am camped in the baking heat in front of the stage. at least all the grass was dry and it wasnt the slightest bit muddy and it didnt rain so that was a bonus, but it was so damn hot, i'm glad i put on sunscreen. no signs of sunburn, but my feet were aching last night and my legs are still aching. if he did do an afterparty it would have been gruelling. and because of an accident we didnt get out the carpark till about 2am, 3 hours after prince left the stage

so hopefully prince doesn't play any more festivals or outside venues like that again. being miles from bathrooms means you cant eat or drink normally but you need water so you dont dehydrate, so balancing water and no peeing for 14 hours in the blazing heat directly under the sun (why did they have to do a festival where the sun was right above? bad planning that!)

it was the first gig i've been to where you can take photos and videos and not be noised up by security. in fact none of princes regular security guys were anywhere to be seen

oh shelby came out at the start and threw out tour t shirts into the crowd whilst a guy with a suit and orange shirt filmed it on his ipad, and andy allo (who is gorgeous!) threw more out during the show

larrys set wasnt that great i thought as he didnt had cynthia and jerry on the horns, i think they are going to play with sly again. also the sound was awful when larry was playing

tiny tempah was absolute shite though. prince could have played the worst crap in his life after that and he would have sounded amazing by comparison

SquirrelMeat said:

onlymatt said:

Sounds like a fun night. Wish I could have been there, I even had a ticket lined up, but hey-ho, next time.

A good version of Purple Rain? didn't think I'd hear you say that!

no afters then? not even a rumour?

Not that I'm aware of. Unless thats why there are so few on here this morning. They all went to the aftershow and I missed out!

Yeah Purple Rain, one of the songs I think he should rest for a few years was a corker.

The 82-85 stuff sounded particularly good last night because Prince was quite focussed and in the zone. He was really feeling PR last night, more that the last 100 times I've seen him do it. It reminded me of the performances in the Nude tour.

it's the first time i've seen prince play a big gig in a long time without an aftershow. it's like having xmas dinner without the dessert. really weird. it must be like what normal people feel like after seeing prince, except i go for the aftershow and the main show is just a bonus. i didn't really expect an aftershow this time though

Overall great gig.

Highlights:

New Position: best AV ever at a P gig, was in a weird empty zone behind stage in front of 2 giant speakers and big screen above merch stall – hardly anyone there. I figured there was no point being anywhere else as it way too packed…Never heard his vocals so cleanly (in all 25 years of p gigs) screen were great and he looked really, really cool.

Prince is COOL?: Seeing three 12-14 year aged boys dance and sing kiss and really look like they think Prince is cool. In 25 years of being a fan my general impression is that most mainstream people vilify p. (that’s been my experience, he’s somewhat of a laughing stock) so it was great to see so much love for him from all ages!!

Play with U: awesome passion and crowd interaction, amazing and very tight performance, he wowed the crowd and they loved it. Good crowd and lovely to see him open air on a summer’s night.

Lowlights:

No Joy in Repition: same ol’ set list, but I also feel there’s no point complaining about this as it’s only hardcore OCD nut cases like myself that see multiple shows, travel overseas and get saturated.

This feel good set list is really working well for large crowds. It’s a winning formula that I’m a bored of but hey, fucking ell – it really works!!

Veej said:

New Position: best AV ever at a P gig, was in a weird empty zone behind stage in front of 2 giant speakers and big screen above merch stall – hardly anyone there. I figured there was no point being anywhere else as it way too packed…Never heard his vocals so cleanly (in all 25 years of p gigs) screen were great and he looked really, really cool.

That is exactly where I was, up against the barrier. Can't be arsed with all the "I must be at the front" twats these days, they just ruin the gig.

Sound was awesome from there and it was nice and chilled out.

What a day!

Arrived @ 11.30am and pitched up on my own awaiting Aloe Blacc - he didn't disappoint. Second only to Prince on the Sunday Lineup. Imelda May was good as was Larry Graham - Seemed that he had his set cut short due the amount of time it took for his crew to set up! Didn't quite get the hype around Tinie Tempah, good at what he does but not my cup of tea.

By the time Larry had come I had worked my way to dead centre of stage about 3-4 people back - I wasn't going to lose my spot with a trip to the loo.

Prince kept us waiting, but it was good to see all those old videos on the big screen even though most people didn't understand the link. After what seemed ages waiting Shelby came out on stage with a handful of t-shirts - she stepped centre stage and lobbed one right in my direction. Happy days!!!! People around me were very jealous.

As for the concert, it was as we all expected - hits and covers. I knew he wasn't going to play a fan friendly set list (that's what aftershows are for) but the hits he did play, were played the best I've seen. This show was head and shoulders above the five o2 shows I saw in 2007. Loved the opener 'We Live 2 Get Funky' and great versions of 1999, Delirious & Raspberry Beret.

Band were awsome - so in sync with Prince. That is apart from Andy Allo who seems as though she is getting some on the job training. Don't get me wrong was still very good (and Gorgeous) but it looked as though Prince was giving her pointers throughout the show. During one of the encores she was running around throwing more t-shirts into the crowd - it looked like she was balling them up with sheets of paper, I can only assume these were set lists??

Overall it was a great day and a great show. My back was killing me from standing for nearly 11hrs and my bladder was fit to burst.

To top it off it took 2.5hrs to get out of the car park!! I did come prepared and brought a pillow and had a kip for 2hrs to find the same cars still around me trying to get out. Nightmare!!

Wow. I've been going to Prince gigs since 1986 and yesterday was one of the most joyous, triumphant sets I've seen him play. I've heard better setlists, I've seen more breathtaking shows, and I've probably seen tighter bands (both NPG & Revolution) but there was an amazing vibe last night that just left me grinning like a happy moron by the time the last encore was done. The crowd was obviously mixed, but there were enough "real" fans there to make a difference. And in many ways having random kids, grannies etc added to the mix in a weird but positive way.

Prince himself was on fire, like he was relaxed, and happy. A man at the top of his game, with nothing to prove. Once again, it was an honour to see him.

PS Larry Graham was OK. We just sat around and chilled at the back and I can think of worse ways to pass the time on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

(Took f***ing forever to get out of the car park though.)

Logging in again after a long long absence to say... BEST GIG I'VE SEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. (And Nos 2 and 3 are also by Prince: 02 opening night, and Lovesexy Wembley 88.)

Edit: Oh, and look out for my review in next week's Independent On Sunday. Bit of product placement, there.

[Edited 7/4/11 2:43am]

Don't usually comment on this forum but I had to on this occasion....

Well and truly impressed... From where I was standing Hop Farm was AWESOME...50,000 (approx) peeps singing and partying in the open air on a perfect day... words cant describe the atmosphere you have to be there...

Discounting aftershows it was IMO one of the best Prince gigs ever (and I've witness loads since '86 so thats saying something). Prince was on top form... didn't get home till 3am... still recovering.

Thanks P... see you next time

PS. Other cool things..
Showing associates videos before the start..
The Sinead O'Connor comment..

.

This was a great show, lots of energy, both from Prince and the Crowd.

But again it is "you had to be there ".

Paris was a better gig yet those that wasnt at Paris wouldnt agree cause it is a "you had to be there" thing.

You look at the setlist and you would say "same setlist" yet it's not really about that anymore, we know what to expect, and we just party.

Great to see such good comments about this gig and we had a really great time.

Thought Larry was Ok when he came on with Prince,

Highlight had to be We Live 2 Get Funky.

Low was, not remembering wher my car was and walking round fields trying to find it. LOL

Hoping he enjoyed it as much as we did and will come back to England soon.

The reviewer from the Daily Mail thinks "U Got The Look" was written for Roxette http://bit.ly/lOQuWN D'oh! PRINCEFAIL

Great write up from the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14009720

Loved yesterdays show, familiar set but played superbly. Will write more later

PriceAndTheRevolution said:

The reviewer from the Daily Mail thinks "U Got The Look" was written for Roxette http://bit.ly/lOQuWN D'oh! PRINCEFAIL

wait till you see the review in the sun. it's a corker

we couldn't find our car either. never thought of looking for signs and the place is massive. found it though in the end. the delay didnt matter as no-one could get out anyways

This sounded like an amazing show , but only 2 hours ? its giving me goose bumps

for im going to the dublin show , what did he start the show with

can you give me the first couple of tunes he played , sooooo

f@@@@@@@ excited !!

[img:$uid]http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01339/prince_682_1339225a.jpg[/img:$uid]

mfcuker said:

This sounded like an amazing show , but only 2 hours ? its giving me goose bumps

for im going to the dublin show , what did he start the show with

can you give me the first couple of tunes he played , sooooo

f@@@@@@@ excited !!

We Live 2 Get Funky (inc. Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic) - "soundcheck" in front of everyone
Let's Go Crazy
Delirious
Let's Go Crazy (reprise)
1999
Little Red Corvette
Nothing Compares 2 U (by Shelby J.)
Take Me With U
Raspberry Beret
Cream
Cool (inc. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough by Shelby J. Liv Warfield)
Let's Work
U Got The Look
Purple Rain

Kiss
Controversy
Play That Funky Music
Controversy (reprise, inc. Housequake chant)

Everyday People (with Larry Graham)
Come Together (with Larry Graham, Ashling Biscuit Cole)
I Want To Take You Higher (with Larry Graham, Ashling Biscuit Cole)


If I Was Your Girlfriend
Dance (Disco Heat)
Baby I'm A Star

Duration : 130 minutes

[img:$uid]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v434/princepics/hop2.jpg[/img:$uid]

unique said:

mfcuker said:

This sounded like an amazing show , but only 2 hours ? its giving me goose bumps

for im going to the dublin show , what did he start the show with

can you give me the first couple of tunes he played , sooooo

f@@@@@@@ excited !!

We Live 2 Get Funky (inc. Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic) - "soundcheck" in front of everyone
Let's Go Crazy
Delirious
Let's Go Crazy (reprise)
1999
Little Red Corvette
Nothing Compares 2 U (by Shelby J.)
Take Me With U
Raspberry Beret
Cream
Cool (inc. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough by Shelby J. Liv Warfield)
Let's Work
U Got The Look
Purple Rain

Kiss
Controversy
Play That Funky Music
Controversy (reprise, inc. Housequake chant)

Everyday People (with Larry Graham)
Come Together (with Larry Graham, Ashling Biscuit Cole)
I Want To Take You Higher (with Larry Graham, Ashling Biscuit Cole)


If I Was Your Girlfriend
Dance (Disco Heat)
Baby I'm A Star

Duration : 130 minutes

thanks for that ,

finished with baby im a star , love that !!

even worse to think i had tickets for this but sadly cudnt afford to go as im goin

to dublin at end of the month , yipeeeeeeeeeeeeee !!

theres video of the soundcheck on the dawn experience

SquirrelMeat said:

The morning after....

Tired, aching, sunburned, but happy!

Great festival set last night. The main section on the show was billiantly delivered with passion.

for me...

Negatives

Hop Farms management. Terrible compared to other UK festivals.

Getting out of the car park at the end.

Larry Graham in the Prince set. nuff said.

The usual pusher inners.

Curfews

Positives

Best version of Purple Rain I've heard in the last 15 years.

Little Red Corvette

Cool

Great version of U got the look

The Paisley Park videos

Weather

Good natured crowd

The new band (although Andys guitar was rather silent)

Prince's Mood and passion

I thought Andy's guitar was pretty clear (unlike the French TV performance). It was certainly working when he introduced the band members and she was all over Wendy's parts in Kiss. She was alright, not as strong as previous guitarists he's had, but she served her purpose.

unique said:

theres video of the soundcheck on the dawn experience

iv been trying to find this for ten mins , were ?

Ellie said:

SquirrelMeat said:

Negatives

Hop Farms management. Terrible compared to other UK festivals.

Getting out of the car park at the end.

Larry Graham in the Prince set. nuff said.

The usual pusher inners.

Curfews

What was wrong there? Honesly asking as the only other "festival" I've been to was the non camping Hyde Park/Hard Rock Calling which is just stages and music with nothing else to do. I though Hop Farm was much better than that. The staff were friendly and helpful and that was all that I asked really.

Maybe because we went by coach and didn't experience the car park delays.

Inside they were great. But the car park staff didn't have a clue and the planning was terrible. Basically, all taxis, pick ups and 10,000 parkers had to get out via one lane that was blocked for buses and padestrians for the first hour.

Lucky for me I was bay 1 and one of the first few cars out, but the exit route was awash with people waiting in the pick up area, but no cars could get in because of the grid lock.

unique said:

SquirrelMeat said:

Not that I'm aware of. Unless thats why there are so few on here this morning. They all went to the aftershow and I missed out!

Yeah Purple Rain, one of the songs I think he should rest for a few years was a corker.

The 82-85 stuff sounded particularly good last night because Prince was quite focussed and in the zone. He was really feeling PR last night, more that the last 100 times I've seen him do it. It reminded me of the performances in the Nude tour.

it's the first time i've seen prince play a big gig in a long time without an aftershow. it's like having xmas dinner without the dessert. really weird. it must be like what normal people feel like after seeing prince, except i go for the aftershow and the main show is just a bonus. i didn't really expect an aftershow this time though

Yeah me too. I had the car strategically placed better that the Griswalds, ready for a quick escape back to London and was hoping for an old school PA announcement. I was checking the web too (I had a full 3g signal on voda).

Had to settle for Planet Earth album at volume for the journey home.

SquirrelMeat said:

unique said:

mfcuker said:

This sounded like an amazing show , but only 2 hours ? its giving me goose bumps

for im going to the dublin show , what did he start the show with

can you give me the first couple of tunes he played , sooooo

f@@@@@@@ excited !!

We Live 2 Get Funky (inc. Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic) - "soundcheck" in front of everyone
Let's Go Crazy
Delirious
Let's Go Crazy (reprise)
1999
Little Red Corvette
Nothing Compares 2 U (by Shelby J.)
Take Me With U
Raspberry Beret
Cream
Cool (inc. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough by Shelby J. Liv Warfield)
Let's Work
U Got The Look
Purple Rain

Kiss
Controversy
Play That Funky Music
Controversy (reprise, inc. Housequake chant)

Everyday People (with Larry Graham)
Come Together (with Larry Graham, Ashling Biscuit Cole)
I Want To Take You Higher (with Larry Graham, Ashling Biscuit Cole)


If I Was Your Girlfriend
Dance (Disco Heat)
Baby I'm A Star

Duration : 130 minutes

Think the only tune you forgot was the cover version of Adele's "Make You Feel My Love" which actually went down well, as its a popular tune and all the non Prince fans were singing along to...trying to remember where it slotted into the setlist though...was it after Cream...???