Imaginative said:

IamFunkay7 said:

His shows changed my life literally, it had nothing to do with him it was really showing me things about myself I never knew. It led to an enlightening experience overall, I walked out of it with a different perception of some things... strange but true lol

Okay, you've got me curious... care to elaborate?

How about just saying it changed my life

[Edited 5/31/11 14:15pm]

adguy31 said:

purplethunder3121 said:

Dear Seth:

You say you don't want to start a flame war, but whether intentional or not, that is what you will do. I think it would have been wise of you not to go to so many concerts and get burnt out. These concerts were not meant to introduce new material but to play to as diverse as array of people possible with the "oldies" for those who may not have heard them before. You set yourself up for disappointment by going to too many shows. It is like indulging yourself with too many of your favorite drinks. After a while you become dull and resistant to them. But for those of us who didn't have the money, means, and time to see him in our youth--this concert was a chance to still catch Prince in his prime and introduce him to a whole new generation of fans, as well as rediscover him after decades of being out-of-touch. Therefore, what is a disappointment for you, is a new thrill others. My two cents. And that is all that it is. No disrespect intended.

No, I completely get it. I understand what the concert series is all about and was happy to see so many people at the shows being "re-introduced" to Prince. All I was asking is that at some point can he have a show/performance for the REAL fans and not just the radio fans. THat's all I was requesting. I would have been nice to hear Thieves in the Temple or 7 or 5 Women or Crystal Ball... you get the gist.

There have been plenty of shows for hardcore fans the last few years. Montreux Jazz festival, the New Morning, The Troubadour, La Cigale and so on.

When he played the O2 in London, he played several amazing aftershows as well.

First off let's give the man his props, he's 52 had a hip replacement and still commands, captivates, and delivers to his audience. He pulled out 21 funky nights in LA and shows in the Bay. Not to mention he did this with "US" the fans in mind by keeping tix at a resonable cost of a mere $25 for the most part.

I understand your frustration Seth, I will be 41 in June and discovered Prince at age 10. I know all the hits and of of course all the other albums that we the true fans know, "Rainbow Children", "New Power Soul", "Emanciaption", etc. While the jokes at the piano medley got old, I was still delighted to be part of 17,000 fans having a funky good time. You could tell that Prince and the band were into putting a 100% of pure love, funk, and showmanship into each night.

I will say that I was fortunate enough to attend some aftershows and also saw the 2nd show at the Troubadour, this is where Prince really let loose. I mean to hear "Bambi"...FANTASTIC. Like going to the dark side, he was is a zone that night.

The bottom line is I see so many orgers complain about Prince, "he never goes on tour", "he doesn't release certain material", "he keeps changing his band", etc..... LET IT GO!!!!! Prince is Prince and let's just enjoy the fact that the man HAS still got it!!! He still puts out good material, still has fun playing, still cares about the fans, still makes music matter. Who else is putting the likes of Stevie, Mary J, Shelby J, Janale, all on the same stage.

I for one am happy at all the shows I was lucky enough to attend. And yes it may sound corny but no matter how many times I hear "Purple Rain", it always seems new to me when he plays it and it still touches my heart.

Just MHO.

Peace

I'm in that exact mindset myself. I've seen him a couple dozen times over the years. My favourite tours were the Gold experience for the focus on that era, and One Nite Alone tours for the variety of songs. I got burnt out at the O2 from the main shows, however loved the couple of aftershows i saw in Indigo.

I'm not bothering with Hop farm cause i think i know EXACTLY what is coming, and i think i can live without it.

It probably won't stop me feeling sad on the day though.

Prince is in the business to make money. If word got out that he was playing 21 shows and not playing the songs that would be familiar to the overwhelming majority of people buying tickets do you really think the tour would have survived? I belong to a forum of another of my favorite artists, I always hear the same thing, setlist is stale, only for casual fans, yadda yadda yadda. Who do you think most of the 17,000 were? 17,000 diehards every night? I don't think so. I only caught three shows and each one was unique, lots of different songs each night, surprises here and there. Even the songs that were repeated at each show varied enough night to night to keep them interesting. Now, imagine going to see another artist you like and they don't play any of their hits, think you'd leave happy?

adguy31 said:

An Open Letter to Prince:

Dear Sir,

I have been a fan of yours since 1981 when a friend let me borrow the Controversy cassette tape. Even though I was 9 years old and my parents wouldn't let me listen to it, I somehow sneaked it into the house and put in whatever tape deck I could find and listen to that great music for hours. It was at that point you had me hooked. And, subsequently, I have been an arden supporter of yours by buying every album you have ever produced, defending you to so many people when you went through you name change and lack of commercial success as well as buying your concert tickets whenver you would tour or come to the area in which I have lived. In short, I have chosen to support all of your ventures and believe in your musical prowess and genius.

When I heard you were coming to LA for 21 Night I was excited to have the opportunity to see the greatest living musician; an icon. Never before had I been given an opportunity to see your talents in a smaller venue for such a long period of time. So, when tickets went on sale I made it a point to snatch up as many as I could afford and see as mnay shows as possible with the hopes of hearing some of greatest music that was an intregal part of my life. But, as I went to show after show at The Forum or Troubadour I became incressingly frustrated at the reality of hearing the same songs over and over and over again. Herein lies my issue with these concerts...

For once, I would like to see a real concert for REAL fans. Why can't you provide a concert for the people who have folowed you for (now) 30 years. I don't know how many times I have heard 1999, Little Red Corvette, Kiss, Alphabet Street, Take Me With U, Shhh, Let's Go Crazy and Purple Rain. Why do you have to make a concert for the "Radio" fans and not for the REAL fans. I know I cannot be alone in thinking this way. Why can't you perform a set that rewards the loyal, loyal followers who have helped to share the word about your music and performances with a concert that showcases your incredible catalog. For once, I would love to see a concert where you perform for the REAL fans with such greats as Thunder, Party Up, Condition of the Heart, America, Private Joy, Dorothy Parker, Eye Know, Partyman, 17 Days, Let's Pretend We're Married, and ANYTHING off the Gold Experience (minus Endorphine Machine or Shhh). This is not a wish list but an attempt to hear something... anything different.

I seems like the last 10 years of touring have been a "greatest hits' show and I would hope you would consider performing the songs that have made you great to the real fans. Your music is so much more than just "The Hits." And, if you can change the lyrics around to DMSR to fit your new beliefs then why can't you do that for other songs. And, more importantly, if you new beliefs prevent you from playing Darling Nikki then why in the hell would you even perform it (or just a snipet of it) in concert. C'mon, man. Now don't get me wrong. I am appreicative of every show you perform and loved every minute of it, however, I started getting disappointed when I kept hearing the same songs, anecdotes, and words to the crowd (Y'all ain't ready for me). It became more about Schtick then about performance.

I hope you keep touring and sharing your music with the world. We all know the music industry needs someone like you to show younger generations what good, make that great, music is all about. I just hope you add more songs to reward your life-long fans the opportunity to hear the songs that have become the soundtrack our lives.

Your loyal fan,

Seth

(PS - this is NOT intended to start a flame war here - I just wanted to air my frustration with the repetitive shows).

[Edited 5/30/11 19:06pm]

Dear Seth,

please stfu

Prince has sprinkled his current tour wqith SEVERAL off hits and deeper cuts. You guys just are complainers ands unrealistic expecting him to do arena tours of doing The Black Album.

For the record I never saw anyone in the shows acting disappointed or shaking their heads whining that he did not do Ronnie Talk To Russia or Billy Jack Bitch.

Be glad he has peppered these shows with a lot of one off hits and deeper cuts. Hell, he even OPENED with some of them including the ballad The Love We Make (well not a ballad but a slow song, you know what I mean). Opened with that at some places...not with Lets Go Crazy etc. So this shows he has twerked the set list many times and the expectations. He was way loose with it this tour but yall dunderheads going to a million and one concertws stay whining. But thats okay because in the grand scheme of thing sit has only been a few of you in contrats to the thousands who have been elevated by these shows. Log off for a few (life, net, and concerts), fanatics.

xlr8r said:

Prince has sprinkled his current tour wqith SEVERAL off hits and deeper cuts. You guys just are complainers ands unrealistic expecting him to do arena tours of doing The Black Album.

Probably the hits and eeper cuts weren't deep enough.

The BA thing is an exaggeration as you may know.

He did not introduce a new album. Gave a peek at two or so 'new'? songs.

He did play a lot of old stuff. He did play some newer stuff but not enough. Any Emancipation material? NEWS? Etc?

udo said:

xlr8r said:

Prince has sprinkled his current tour wqith SEVERAL off hits and deeper cuts. You guys just are complainers ands unrealistic expecting him to do arena tours of doing The Black Album.

Probably the hits and eeper cuts weren't deep enough.

The BA thing is an exaggeration as you may know.

He did not introduce a new album. Gave a peek at two or so 'new'? songs.

He did play a lot of old stuff. He did play some newer stuff but not enough. Any Emancipation material? NEWS? Etc?

Knock it off Udo. You know better than this.

He did it well as could be this time.

And it even showed that he tried to do it as well as he could for what its worth. Let him tweek it futher next go round but to post that bullshit Seth just wrote..please..get theee ENTIRE fuck outta here with that bullshit (yeah I spelled it out and didnt abbreviate it this time).

Anyone have a final count of how many different songs he played over the run? I'd like to see that compared to any other artist...

Dear Seth,

I think U should chill the F**k out. Just because Prince didn't/isn't playing all of the songs you like in your living room has less to do with him and most to do with U in that your request is laughable at best and really lame.

In the fall of 2009 Prince invited us to his "home", Paisley Park, to see/hear him up close and personal. There he played a number of songs the "casual" listener would not have known. Did you attend that show?

Your post as well as others get tiresome and frankly, come off as boring ill-informed and repetitive.

Geeze, let the man be a man.

I agree with the lucid posters.

Realtor said:

adguy31 said:

Thank you for making my point! That's all I am looking for is for Prince to do a show or two for the fans who want to hear the OTHER songs. I will openly admit that I am also a fan of Dave Matthews Band and MUSE. I love the DMB for their musicianship and not the drunk ass college kids who use the concert as their party place. But the one thing I love about the DMB and MUSE (for the most part) is that no two shows are ever the same and RARELY does the DMB play the same songs two nights in a row. Prince has been notorios for not playing the same shows but the last 10 years of touring have been repeats. And, I agree with you - Raspberry Beret and Inglewood Swinging had me out the door on a couple of concerts (as soon as i heard "Hey, Hey, Hey, Whatcha gotta say..." I was headed to the exits.

I am just wanting to see a concert for the fans that want to hear the other songs. I was at the Troubadour (1st show) and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was an incredible experience but it was extremely mellow. Prince is great at creating shows with tremendous energy and I would just like to see a show of some of the other great songs... just once!

I shouldn't make fun, because obviously we all (in prince.org) feel the same way Seth, but I think purplethunder3121 explained it clearly and thoroughly.

But I want to ask something, in all seriousness, how do you think Prince could pull that off? And what I mean is this: If you're doing shows in large arenas and you want people to support a 21 Night Stand, how do you think a fan would feel after hearing about it/reading a review and then showing up and saying to him/herself "What the hell are these songs?!?!?"

Prince was counting on a lot of word of mouth promotion, so it could be very detrimental to the success of the tour by suddenly playing songs that the majority of the audience is unfamiliar with. And Prince, more than most, enjoys the shock factor whenever possible. He's probably never going to spell out a setlist for the fans, because his mysterious aura is part of his appeal, so they like to "feel" like he was doing something nice for them by playing the Let's Go Crazy, Kiss and Raspberry Beret type tunes, or for people like us, Elephants and Flowers, Dolphin, and Chelsea Rodgers. And quite frankly, I prefer not knowing what song is next when I'm at at show.

So, besides doing smaller venue performances, how could Prince deliver a show like that in a 17,000 seat arena without pissing off over half the audience and causing people to badmouth his concert?

the answer is simple tho it might not seem likely 2 happen, but it's called balance. if he were 2 do songs other than the hits then it could say two things: i'm still making music and marketing. prince is not the type of act/artist that has stopped creating music past the 80's but like seth pointed out, for the last 7 years he's been nothing but a greatest hits tour act. to name a tour welcome 2 america and hardly perform tunes outiside of the 80's and barly a handful of songs from the 90's is not saying much. whether the casual fan or hardcore fan that may prefer the older material, it's still hampering him. this is a artist that advocated being free, this isn't a free artist at all

L4OATheOriginal said:

Realtor said:

I shouldn't make fun, because obviously we all (in prince.org) feel the same way Seth, but I think purplethunder3121 explained it clearly and thoroughly.

But I want to ask something, in all seriousness, how do you think Prince could pull that off? And what I mean is this: If you're doing shows in large arenas and you want people to support a 21 Night Stand, how do you think a fan would feel after hearing about it/reading a review and then showing up and saying to him/herself "What the hell are these songs?!?!?"

Prince was counting on a lot of word of mouth promotion, so it could be very detrimental to the success of the tour by suddenly playing songs that the majority of the audience is unfamiliar with. And Prince, more than most, enjoys the shock factor whenever possible. He's probably never going to spell out a setlist for the fans, because his mysterious aura is part of his appeal, so they like to "feel" like he was doing something nice for them by playing the Let's Go Crazy, Kiss and Raspberry Beret type tunes, or for people like us, Elephants and Flowers, Dolphin, and Chelsea Rodgers. And quite frankly, I prefer not knowing what song is next when I'm at at show.

So, besides doing smaller venue performances, how could Prince deliver a show like that in a 17,000 seat arena without pissing off over half the audience and causing people to badmouth his concert?

the answer is simple tho it might not seem likely 2 happen, but it's called balance. if he were 2 do songs other than the hits then it could say two things: i'm still making music and marketing. prince is not the type of act/artist that has stopped creating music past the 80's but like seth pointed out, for the last 7 years he's been nothing but a greatest hits tour act. to name a tour welcome 2 america and hardly perform tunes outiside of the 80's and barly a handful of songs from the 90's is not saying much. whether the casual fan or hardcore fan that may prefer the older material, it's still hampering him. this is a artist that advocated being free, this isn't a free artist at all

Just because he advocated being free from specific artist legalities doesnt make him above traditional industry concert stndards.

Noobdy tryna come and see him do all B -Sides except MAYBE 1000 prince.org folks. Yeah that would be a REAL successful tour

:eyeroll:

But it doesn't matter anyways: the audience is screaming for him and loving these shows. He is/will be successful no matter. While maybe 100 of the same folks here will still be steady whining lol.

Seth ever had one of those dayz you should've stayed in bed . I went to 9 shows and had a blast everytime. I'm 46 and I have been here since the beginning, before Yoda chose the purple cloak. It's like this dude the quote, unquote "hardcore" fan just wants to jam and party to Yoda's music and to do it live is a nuclear bomb bonus. My pops owned a recordshop here in L.A that I worked at when I was growing up and I guarantee I have heard the Controversy, 1999 and Purple Rain albums more times than a lot of members on this site combined between playing them for customers and for myself. Does it ever get old not in the least.....Seth this is the real "hardcore"....My cerebral is Mariana Trench deep you wouldn't survive the pressure......Peace

MLava said:

Prince is in the business to make money. If word got out that he was playing 21 shows and not playing the songs that would be familiar to the overwhelming majority of people buying tickets do you really think the tour would have survived? I belong to a forum of another of my favorite artists, I always hear the same thing, setlist is stale, only for casual fans, yadda yadda yadda. Who do you think most of the 17,000 were? 17,000 diehards every night? I don't think so. I only caught three shows and each one was unique, lots of different songs each night, surprises here and there. Even the songs that were repeated at each show varied enough night to night to keep them interesting. Now, imagine going to see another artist you like and they don't play any of their hits, think you'd leave happy?

the problem stems from what exactly is a "hit". is it the songs u hear on the radio over and over again or is it songs like joy in repetition, anna stesia, thieves in the temple (which was a number one r and b hit), or is it just songs like raspberry, lgc, lrc and those sorts of songs? there are hits that his fans love that yes the general public doesn't know about but if played, the ones that don't know might just like the song. i sat next 2 a couple at MSG that kept asking me what album this song was from what album that song was on. it makes 4 a broader audience and could make someone go out seeking that album or song.

if prince never played or kept creating music the songs we so loved would never have seen the light of day. we would be still listening 2 for you only.

if u see on this site that there is a new prince song or he did a "non hit" song at a show, the response it gets is overwhelming so it's not wrong 4 people 2 want more from a show than the "hits"

xlr8r said:

L4OATheOriginal said:

the answer is simple tho it might not seem likely 2 happen, but it's called balance. if he were 2 do songs other than the hits then it could say two things: i'm still making music and marketing. prince is not the type of act/artist that has stopped creating music past the 80's but like seth pointed out, for the last 7 years he's been nothing but a greatest hits tour act. to name a tour welcome 2 america and hardly perform tunes outiside of the 80's and barly a handful of songs from the 90's is not saying much. whether the casual fan or hardcore fan that may prefer the older material, it's still hampering him. this is a artist that advocated being free, this isn't a free artist at all

Just because he advocated being free from specific artist legalities doesnt make him above traditional industry concert stndards.

Noobdy tryna come and see him do all B -Sides except MAYBE 1000 prince.org folks. Yeah that would be a REAL successful tour

:eyeroll:

But it doesn't matter anyways: the audience is screaming for him and loving these shows. He is/will be successful no matter. While maybe 100 of the same folks here will still be steady whining lol.

tho i would love 2 see a tour of nothing but songs from the 90's onward i understand that he chooses 2 dip into the 80's. but still there could be a balance in his setlist of new and older material

xlr8r said:

Knock it off Udo. You know better than this.

He did it well as could be this time.

And it even showed that he tried to do it as well as he could for what its worth. Let him tweek it futher next go round but to post that bullshit Seth just wrote..please..get theee ENTIRE fuck outta here with that bullshit (yeah I spelled it out and didnt abbreviate it this time).

I know the setlist-drill yes, but my personal idea, opinion or whatever about a really fresh approach to the setlist might be slightly different.

As a Who fan who has more than once, attended three nights in a row and heard the same 15 songs at all three, I find this commentary laughable.

The song list for the entire residency has over 100 titles on it.

MLava said:

Anyone have a final count of how many different songs he played over the run? I'd like to see that compared to any other artist...

It was up to 87 when I compiled the setlists around time of the Troubadour shows. Probably right around 100 now.

I think y'all need to give Seth a break. When I read his letter I just thought in a singsongy voice, "someone's trying to get another night out of Prince for the Orger's in Los Angeles!!!" I think Seth's suggestion that Prince take song requests from fans only and make a concert out of that is just a little silly suggestion tho cause I can't figure how only fans would be able to do that even on a special website and Seth knows Prince is way too in control for that type of thing.

L4OATheOriginal said:

MLava said:

Prince is in the business to make money. If word got out that he was playing 21 shows and not playing the songs that would be familiar to the overwhelming majority of people buying tickets do you really think the tour would have survived? I belong to a forum of another of my favorite artists, I always hear the same thing, setlist is stale, only for casual fans, yadda yadda yadda. Who do you think most of the 17,000 were? 17,000 diehards every night? I don't think so. I only caught three shows and each one was unique, lots of different songs each night, surprises here and there. Even the songs that were repeated at each show varied enough night to night to keep them interesting. Now, imagine going to see another artist you like and they don't play any of their hits, think you'd leave happy?

the problem stems from what exactly is a "hit". is it the songs u hear on the radio over and over again or is it songs like joy in repetition, anna stesia, thieves in the temple (which was a number one r and b hit), or is it just songs like raspberry, lgc, lrc and those sorts of songs? there are hits that his fans love that yes the general public doesn't know about but if played, the ones that don't know might just like the song. i sat next 2 a couple at MSG that kept asking me what album this song was from what album that song was on. it makes 4 a broader audience and could make someone go out seeking that album or song.

if prince never played or kept creating music the songs we so loved would never have seen the light of day. we would be still listening 2 for you only.

if u see on this site that there is a new prince song or he did a "non hit" song at a show, the response it gets is overwhelming so it's not wrong 4 people 2 want more from a show than the "hits"

Yes, but a fan forum is in no way a fair representation of the audience. Of course those who love Prince's music enough to know all the songs, and want to devote their time to discussing it with likeminded people are going to have a completely different wishlist from the people who only know what they've been spoonfed by radio. Prince certainly varied the set enough in the shows I was able to catch to keep it very interesting. Each night I heard songs I didn't know that became new favorites (Future Soul Song, damn!) or heard songs I hadn't listened to in far too long which made me fall in love with them again. Definitely something in there for everybody.

antoinet said:

I think y'all need to give Seth a break.

fuck Seth

bobzilla77 said:

As a Who fan who has more than once, attended three nights in a row and heard the same 15 songs at all three, I find this commentary laughable.

The song list for the entire residency has over 100 titles on it.

dustoff said:

bobzilla77 said:

As a Who fan who has more than once, attended three nights in a row and heard the same 15 songs at all three, I find this commentary laughable.

The song list for the entire residency has over 100 titles on it.

That right there. There are some bands been at it longer than Prince out there that can't claim to have played that many different songs in their career.

slvrhrt7 said:

First off let's give the man his props, he's 52 had a hip replacement and still commands, captivates, and delivers to his audience. He pulled out 21 funky nights in LA and shows in the Bay. Not to mention he did this with "US" the fans in mind by keeping tix at a resonable cost of a mere $25 for the most part.

I understand your frustration Seth, I will be 41 in June and discovered Prince at age 10. I know all the hits and of of course all the other albums that we the true fans know, "Rainbow Children", "New Power Soul", "Emanciaption", etc. While the jokes at the piano medley got old, I was still delighted to be part of 17,000 fans having a funky good time. You could tell that Prince and the band were into putting a 100% of pure love, funk, and showmanship into each night.

I will say that I was fortunate enough to attend some aftershows and also saw the 2nd show at the Troubadour, this is where Prince really let loose. I mean to hear "Bambi"...FANTASTIC. Like going to the dark side, he was is a zone that night.

The bottom line is I see so many orgers complain about Prince, "he never goes on tour", "he doesn't release certain material", "he keeps changing his band", etc..... LET IT GO!!!!! Prince is Prince and let's just enjoy the fact that the man HAS still got it!!! He still puts out good material, still has fun playing, still cares about the fans, still makes music matter. Who else is putting the likes of Stevie, Mary J, Shelby J, Janale, all on the same stage.

I for one am happy at all the shows I was lucky enough to attend. And yes it may sound corny but no matter how many times I hear "Purple Rain", it always seems new to me when he plays it and it still touches my heart.

Just MHO.

Peace

Great post. I agree with you 100%. I saw four shows of the 21 Night Stand. One night I was in the purple circle and the other three in the Loge areas and I had a fantastic time all four nights. The main thing I realized with this set of shows was what I needed to do was to calm the fuck down and shut the fuck up with my ongoing criticism of Prince. I'm gay and an atheist, so I felt a little betrayed with his conversion to JW but that's my problem, not Prince's, something I admit only now, after the fact, not that it matters. I was so thrilled with the shows at the Forum and the various set lists. And yes, he did repeat himself here and there and yes, I could've done without "Raspberry Beret" and "Take Me With You," but you know what? I got to hear "If I was Your Girlfriend," "Insatiable," "Scandelous," and "Adore." Four songs I had never heard live before and I've seen Prince live at least 15 times. I was ten when I became a fan after seeing the "Purple Rain Tour," in Las Cruces, New Mexico in March of 1985. What the 21 Night Stand did for me was to take me back memory lane and reminded me of all the wonderful music, all the wonderful experiences and fun I've had listening to Prince my entire life. I managed to make the 21 Night Stand an event for about 10 people (friends and co-workers). People that are casual fans and had never seeing Prince live before. Seeing the excitement and awe in there faces was a brilliant reminder of what an awesome live performer Prince is. These same people went back several times. A girlfriend of mine, who is a singer-songwriter, managed to go to every show. Including the Troubadour and HOB shows. She was that inspired. She borrowed my entire collection (sorry Prince, some of your stuff is out of print) and has, in two months, become a hardcore.

And, slvrhrt7, I still get moved with Purple Rain too. I cried the first night he played it when I was in the Purple Circle. I wasn't expecting to cry. But the whole Prince Purple Ride I've had all my life came full circle that night and the emotion just overwhelmed me. My b.f. managed to get my meltdown, LOL, on his Iphone. I can't really explain it. And it may be corny but I was that moved.

Count me in with the group that considers themselves fortunate to have seen him perform live.

adguy31 said:

purplethunder3121 said:

Dear Seth:

You say you don't want to start a flame war, but whether intentional or not, that is what you will do. I think it would have been wise of you not to go to so many concerts and get burnt out. These concerts were not meant to introduce new material but to play to as diverse as array of people possible with the "oldies" for those who may not have heard them before. You set yourself up for disappointment by going to too many shows. It is like indulging yourself with too many of your favorite drinks. After a while you become dull and resistant to them. But for those of us who didn't have the money, means, and time to see him in our youth--this concert was a chance to still catch Prince in his prime and introduce him to a whole new generation of fans, as well as rediscover him after decades of being out-of-touch. Therefore, what is a disappointment for you, is a new thrill others. My two cents. And that is all that it is. No disrespect intended.

No, I completely get it. I understand what the concert series is all about and was happy to see so many people at the shows being "re-introduced" to Prince. All I was asking is that at some point can he have a show/performance for the REAL fans and not just the radio fans. THat's all I was requesting. I would have been nice to hear Thieves in the Temple or 7 or 5 Women or Crystal Ball... you get the gist.

He has done that. Many of the shows he did in Las Vegas were like that. And the small-venue shows he did in LA were like that, too (from what I understand).

Problem is, when he does that kind of show, he also charges $312.10 (or thereabouts) for the privilege of being there. He knows only the hard-core will pay that, so he plays a hard-core show.

You will never see "arena Prince" playing the lesser-known stuff - for the simple reason that he can't fill the space that way.

[Edited 5/31/11 12:21pm]

adguy31 said:

Realtor said:

I REALLY would like to know how this ONE show would be promoted.

The explanations have been clear as to why it didn't happen. So why not propose a viable way it could happen?

Well, since you want to know how this is promoted I guess I will have to put on my marketing hat for a bit...

One, have a show that was announced on Prince.org or on his website (which doesn't exist). Once announced, Prince could easily ask for fans to submit their requests of songs to hear that evening. Then he could have made a creative call as to what exact songs get played. After all, he is an artist and can choose what he wants. But that fact that he is acknowledging his hardcore fans and asking what they want to hear would be enough to satisfy me. I digress...

Then once he has all the information he can plan a show at the HOB or another small venue for only his fans. The bottom line about this is that it would announced only to fans via a site that caters to just fans. And, unfortunately, this site is the only one I am familiar with right now. I used to love NPGMusicClub but as we know that is no longer. You all know, as well as I do, that if Prince announced he was playing a show just for fans and they had a say in the set list then that show would sell out in no time. Especially if it were at a place like the HOB. I think the Troubadour as too small for all fans to attend.

So, does that answer your question about marketing and promotion. I think it is feasible and realistic. It's just a metter of getting the word out. Believe me, someone on his end could tally the songs coming in from fans. That's a quick and easy database in Excel and then rank in order of votes. But, like I said, he can change it around and play the songs he loves too. Since 2001 most of the tours have been greatest hits with the exception of the Ranbow Children tour which was OK considering he played Starfish and Coffee along with Anna Stesia. For the most part, his last tours have been incredibly repetitive.

How's that for a response?
Seth

He did this for the Empire shows in Vegas in 2006. (The NPGMC was still around at the time.) Those shows were insane.

What an idiotic thing to say, fans are fans, you can try to somehow make yourself feel "closer" to Prince by saying your a "real" fan and others are "radio" fans but theres always someone that has seen more shows than you or has been a fan longer, travels further, has more limited releases, has more merchandise etc. thats just silly. I was 2nd in line at HOB does that mean i was his 2nd real fan? If it wasnt for any hits, you problably wouldnt have ever been a fan and he wouldnt be playing the forum, Do you know of any really popular bands that have had 0 hits? i dont. You should have looked at the setlists before posting, he may not have played "your" favorites but he certainly didnt play the same songs every night, over 100 different songs, about 60 were only played 1 or 2 times, only about 14 songs were played just half the time and yes to not play Purple Rain at the Forum is like not watching the end of the movie. He played Purple Rain about #4 at one of the concerts which had a completly different feel than puting it at the end. I saw 9 shows and all were different. Not sure a "real" fan could have anything negative to say> Cheers

bobzilla77 said:

As a Who fan who has more than once, attended three nights in a row and heard the same 15 songs at all three, I find this commentary laughable.

The song list for the entire residency has over 100 titles on it.

As a big Tom Petty fan, I've probably seen him live over 20 times, including multiple times on the same tour. His setlist doesn't change from night to night and he says the same things to the audience at the same points in the show. The diversity of the Prince arena shows compared to other artists is actually quite remarkable from my viewpoint.

adguy31 said:

Realtor said:

I REALLY would like to know how this ONE show would be promoted.

The explanations have been clear as to why it didn't happen. So why not propose a viable way it could happen?

Well, since you want to know how this is promoted I guess I will have to put on my marketing hat for a bit...

One, have a show that was announced on Prince.org or on his website (which doesn't exist). Once announced, Prince could easily ask for fans to submit their requests of songs to hear that evening. Then he could have made a creative call as to what exact songs get played. After all, he is an artist and can choose what he wants. But that fact that he is acknowledging his hardcore fans and asking what they want to hear would be enough to satisfy me. I digress...

Then once he has all the information he can plan a show at the HOB or another small venue for only his fans. The bottom line about this is that it would announced only to fans via a site that caters to just fans. And, unfortunately, this site is the only one I am familiar with right now. I used to love NPGMusicClub but as we know that is no longer. You all know, as well as I do, that if Prince announced he was playing a show just for fans and they had a say in the set list then that show would sell out in no time. Especially if it were at a place like the HOB. I think the Troubadour as too small for all fans to attend.

So, does that answer your question about marketing and promotion. I think it is feasible and realistic. It's just a metter of getting the word out. Believe me, someone on his end could tally the songs coming in from fans. That's a quick and easy database in Excel and then rank in order of votes. But, like I said, he can change it around and play the songs he loves too. Since 2001 most of the tours have been greatest hits with the exception of the Ranbow Children tour which was OK considering he played Starfish and Coffee along with Anna Stesia. For the most part, his last tours have been incredibly repetitive.

How's that for a response?
Seth

I think your response is very fair and well thought out.

With that said, it's extremely unrealistic and asking much out of the ordinary for an accomplished musical icon like Prince. I agree, the NPG Music Club was superb, in more ways than one. But . . . it's gone. Have you read the posts in prince.org? There's no consensus about anything except people have a strong interest in Prince music. So, prince.org is not organized enough or unified to come close to doing what you are proposing.

Based on the details of your suggestion, I think you've come to grips that it could not occur in a 17,000 seat arena, which was the original point from purplethunder3121 and the rest of us who think it's not a viable idea. But I do maintain that most of the orgers would prefer as wide of a variety in setlists as possible, ESPECIALLY a guy like myself, who's attended 17 of the 21 performances during the Stand.

Just some other tidbits to chew on:

1. The orgers that think Prince doesn't care what his fans want to hear are 100% incorrect. I challenge the org to do some research pertaining to Prince's interviews over the years. He's stated on several . . . and I mean SEVERAL . . . occasions that he prefers playing new music and expanding his live repertoire but his fans, primarily AMERICAN FANS, don't respond well when he does. Therefore, he has been conditioned to play what they demand from him.

2. Let's be honest about some things about Prince, one being, he's much more talented than the people that are generally on stage with him. The ability for them to change up/switch up is probably not as high as you think. I'm aware that they are trained to look at him at every 8 count, but switching up setlists dramatically are easier said than done for bands, when you include the fact that the leader will then micromanage each song about 12 to 20 times. Nevertheless, the amount of different songs that Prince has played on this 21 Night Stand supercede any popular music act in current day, so please don't take that fact lightly.

3. The most important thing in all of this is I strongly believe that Prince is more in line with your thinking than you are aware of. When he does shows for $25, he's trying to do them for the fans by reducing the price. But when the crowd sits during Dreamer and stands during Raspberry Beret, what do you expect from him? Do you think it's fun for a legendary artist to play to audiences that give him a cold reception? The problem in all of this is NOT PRINCE. I've alluded to this, at least 20 times in the org, the problem is that his fans KISS HIS ASS. When Stillwaiting makes solid points in the org, he/she gets ridiculed. At the end of the day, either Prince's fans are going to SHOW him . . . at one of his concerts, not via the internet . . . that they want to hear other material. Until then, you can keep talking about this until you're blue in the face, but Prince IS going to keep doing what his fans are requesting of him.

[Edited 5/31/11 13:42pm]