no pics?

PasiKullero said:

nonesuch said:

Let's face it: Prince is really unreliable in his deliverance, it can be heaven, 1. but it's mostly been hell in the last couple of years.
2. He should retire or go jam with Larry Graham somewhere secretly for the rest of his life. .

Not true at all.

1. The most of his recent European gigs in Paris, Ghent, Helsinki, latter North Sea Jazz etc. were huge successes. If he sucked at Cologne or the first North Sea Jazz gig, doesn't mean his doings were "mostly hell during the last couple of years". That's simply a lie, because he didn't sucked at the States, either.

2. From you behalf, perhaps. There are hundreds of thousands - or perhaps millions - concert goers who highly disagree with you. You can choose not to go anymore, but that's purely your own decission.

I have personally done thousands of gigs during my professional years as musician. Sometimes you deliver good, medicore or bad performances. You can't avoid that. Because we are dealing with the humans, different spaces and audiencies, there are always many variables, which can go wrong.

Sometimes frustration or anger can be shown, as well. Especially, when your monitors doesn't work or stupid bastards are throwing beer cans towards your face. I would have walked from the stage immediately, when something like that happened. So has the most of my colleagues.

I feel sorry for the most of Cologne audience for wasted money, but let's stick stick to the reality. Everybody has occationally bad days at work, so has Prince.

[Edited 7/30/11 1:45am]

I was also in Cologne and disappointed because of the short show. But other than that I agree 100% with PasiKullero!! Prince has been delivering fantastic shows on this tour, not only here in Europe but already in the States. He got rave reviews for them from the media and fans alike, and he deserves all of it. He continues to be an awesome performer and many times his concerts are some of the best he has given!!!! - Countless reviews testify that.

He is also a human being and can have a really bad day, combined with sound issues and whatever. He is not superman, and even he can make mistakes and behave in a way that is not ideal. Yes he could have handled the situation differently, but no one of us functions perfectly every day, why should we expect that from him??

Dreamer20ten said:

PasiKullero said:

Not true at all.

1. The most of his recent European gigs in Paris, Ghent, Helsinki, latter North Sea Jazz etc. were huge successes. If he sucked at Cologne or the first North Sea Jazz gig, doesn't mean his doings were "mostly hell during the last couple of years". That's simply a lie, because he didn't sucked at the States, either.

2. From you behalf, perhaps. There are hundreds of thousands - or perhaps millions - concert goers who highly disagree with you. You can choose not to go anymore, but that's purely your own decission.

I have personally done thousands of gigs during my professional years as musician. Sometimes you deliver good, medicore or bad performances. You can't avoid that. Because we are dealing with the humans, different spaces and audiencies, there are always many variables, which can go wrong.

Sometimes frustration or anger can be shown, as well. Especially, when your monitors doesn't work or stupid bastards are throwing beer cans towards your face. I would have walked from the stage immediately, when something like that happened. So has the most of my colleagues.

I feel sorry for the most of Cologne audience for wasted money, but let's stick stick to the reality. Everybody has occationally bad days at work, so has Prince.

[Edited 7/30/11 1:45am]

I was also in Cologne and disappointed because of the short show. But other than that I agree 100% with PasiKullero!! Prince has been delivering fantastic shows on this tour, not only here in Europe but already in the States. He got rave reviews for them from the media and fans alike, and he deserves all of it. He continues to be an awesome performer and many times his concerts are some of the best he has given!!!! - Countless reviews testify that.

He is also a human being and can have a really bad day, combined with sound issues and whatever. He is not superman, and even he can make mistakes and behave in a way that is not ideal. Yes he could have handled the situation differently, but no one of us functions perfectly every day, why should we expect that from him??

Because people who only have the money or the time to attend one show have the same right to receive a good show for their hard earned moneyas everyone else in the world. No one is perfect, but he handled the situation unprofessional. It was nice that he apologized several times, but his non-communication after "Laydown" was a catastrophe.

At least I witnessed a historic moment. İt was one of those rare and special moments where Prince really, really blew it BİG time. İn all those decades of being a Prince fan and having been to many,many shows,İ've never seen something SO BAD before. So really bad that it's special.

No hard feelings here.

Ten years from now İ can say 'İ was there! And it was REALLY as bad as they say it was, if not worse!'

Definitely witnessed a pivotal part in Prince history.

KoolEaze said:

At least I witnessed a historic moment. İt was one of those rare and special moments where Prince really, really blew it BİG time. İn all those decades of being a Prince fan and having been to many,many shows,İ've never seen something SO BAD before. So really bad that it's special.

No hard feelings here.

Ten years from now İ can say 'İ was there! And it was REALLY as bad as they say it was, if not worse!'

Definitely witnessed a pivotal part in Prince history.

haha yeah just like my june 2nd 1990 experience

KoolEaze said:

At least I witnessed a historic moment. İt was one of those rare and special moments where Prince really, really blew it BİG time. İn all those decades of being a Prince fan and having been to many,many shows,İ've never seen something SO BAD before. So really bad that it's special.

No hard feelings here.

Ten years from now İ can say 'İ was there! And it was REALLY as bad as they say it was, if not worse!'

Definitely witnessed a pivotal part in Prince history.

Yes, that underlines how I see it.

And I do understand disappointment and frustration for all those for whom this was the only Prince concert. And yes, it was unprofessional. Nothing more to say, except that I see it the way KoolEaze said ... it will be something I'll always remember, as it never happened in all those years that I have seen Prince live!

Dreamer20ten said:

KoolEaze said:

At least I witnessed a historic moment. İt was one of those rare and special moments where Prince really, really blew it BİG time. İn all those decades of being a Prince fan and having been to many,many shows,İ've never seen something SO BAD before. So really bad that it's special.

No hard feelings here.

Ten years from now İ can say 'İ was there! And it was REALLY as bad as they say it was, if not worse!'

Definitely witnessed a pivotal part in Prince history.

Yes, that underlines how I see it.

And I do understand disappointment and frustration for all those for whom this was the only Prince concert. And yes, it was unprofessional. Nothing more to say, except that I see it the way KoolEaze said ... it will be something I'll always remember, as it never happened in all those years that I have seen Prince live!

İ would actually even feel a bit sorry for him if he wasn' t such a greedy guy.

The press in Germany wrote some disastrous articles and reviews and people who were there and saw him for the first time were extremely disappointed. İt really is a huge public relations fiasco and no damage control on earth will ever make people forget this incident. İ think this will have some consequences for him.

Andy is giving him a hard time! The worst band ever he's touring with. Whatever it is that causes him headache, hopefully he'll sort it out soon. He looks very unhappy lately.

It appears that you did not see him in Malahide after the Cologne show.

Please compare his presentation, his body language etc between the two gigs.

I was told that mr P had to be talked from his motorised vehicle after abandoning the stage after the first song.

Can anybody confirm?

Also: why oh why did he react to vehemently to a small technical problem?

Didn't he sleep well?

Trouble with Bria or Andy?

Another lawsuit?

Or what was the reason?

SomewhereHereOnEarth said:

no pics?

udo said:

I was told that mr P had to be talked from his motorised vehicle after abandoning the stage after the first song.

Can anybody confirm?

Also: why oh why did he react to vehemently to a small technical problem?

Didn't he sleep well?

Trouble with Bria or Andy?

Another lawsuit?

Or what was the reason?

I have no idea what happened that day/evening, but have been thinking about it, too. There must have been something else going on, not just technical/sound problems. Because there have been other concerts at which there were sound issues, and he did not react to them by stormin off stage! So that's why I have been saying he is just a human being ... who knows what was troubling him that evening to cause that behaviour?

And as you pointed out, Udo, just two days later at the Malahide concert, everything was apparently alright again. From the videos I have seen he looked happy and seemed "back to normal". Since there was no other incident like in Cologne on this tour, I do tend to think that more than one factor contributed to what happened that evening.

serpan99 said:

SomewhereHereOnEarth said:

no pics?

<zip>

Thanks!

I got handed a huge video file of Purple Rain at the Lanxess Arena with a few moments in that file where I am visible in the crowd...

(you, the filmer, were somewhere to the left hand side of the cat walk; I was at the farthest end of the cat walk, dead center; thanks for filming)

Udo, sounds like we were standing next to each other. I was front center stage, first row..can't really get closer than that.

serpan99 said:

SomewhereHereOnEarth said:

no pics?

He looks upset in this photo. I chose not to see any photos, it all reminds me of how great the gig in Cologne was!!!

soulsurfer05 said:

udo said:

Maybe less.

Who got their money back?

Wish I could get my money back ....

8pm - 8:40pm: nothing

8:40pm - 8:45:
Laydown

8:45 - 9:25pm: nothing

9:25pm - 10:45pm:
We Live (2 Get Funky)
Stratus
Shhh
Mountains (short)
Alphabet St (long)
1999
Misty Blue (Shelby)
Let's go crazy
Delirious
Controversy
Purple Rain
Kiss
A Love Bizarre (incl. We Love Funky Music)

==> Shortest Prince main concert ever, only 14 songs!

==> 5 min + 80 min = 85 min brutto - pauses = 75 min netto of live music! Great!!!!

256 Posts...

Mercy 14 songs!!!

OzlemUcucu said:

Udo, sounds like we were standing next to each other. I was front center stage, first row..can't really get closer than that.

udo said:

OzlemUcucu said:

Udo, sounds like we were standing next to each other. I was front center stage, first row..can't really get closer than that.

I was at the center of the upside down T-shape that was the catwalk.
I can point me out in the video that I have of Purple Rain of that show.
Of course I cannot link to that video here, because that would be useful, fun, etc.
The photographer was very often in my/our neighborhood.

We've been part of a crucial moment in Prince history.

Yes the photographer and the cameraman actually annoyed me. I was at the front of the T shaped stage. How many were at the front? Maybe 10? I had to re-think about this gig just yesterday, and there is no way I can xcuse how crap this was. Particularly, when he returned to the stage, he spent about 20 minutes or so doing soundcheck with no coherent song continuation. I just think he simply didn't wanna play, and it was very embarassing. It was a huge letdown, and I hope he doesn't come to Germany again

Where are the videos, can someone dm them to me?

Well, at least some people now know where to get that one video.

Spread the word...

OzlemUcucu said:

Yes the photographer and the cameraman actually annoyed me. I was at the front of the T shaped stage. How many were at the front? Maybe 10? I had to re-think about this gig just yesterday, and there is no way I can xcuse how crap this was. Particularly, when he returned to the stage, he spent about 20 minutes or so doing soundcheck with no coherent song continuation. I just think he simply didn't wanna play, and it was very embarassing. It was a huge letdown, and I hope he doesn't come to Germany again

Where are the videos, can someone dm them to me?

He should come to Germany.. just not to the Lanxess Arena ever again

udo said:

Well, at least some people now know where to get that one video.

Spread the word...

Could you enlighten me via orgnote please?

SashaNicole said:

OzlemUcucu said:

Yes the photographer and the cameraman actually annoyed me. I was at the front of the T shaped stage. How many were at the front? Maybe 10? I had to re-think about this gig just yesterday, and there is no way I can xcuse how crap this was. Particularly, when he returned to the stage, he spent about 20 minutes or so doing soundcheck with no coherent song continuation. I just think he simply didn't wanna play, and it was very embarassing. It was a huge letdown, and I hope he doesn't come to Germany again

Where are the videos, can someone dm them to me?

He should come to Germany.. just not to the Lanxess Arena ever again

No, I disagree. He shouldn't come to Gemany for some time now. The audience was full with people from the whole of Germany and we all have a bitter taste. I wish I could at least have felt the presence of NPG on stage, but even that was nowhere to be found, xcept Blackwell. Thinking about that flag and Shelby towards the end o the show makes me laugh...ridiculous!

[Edited 8/15/11 15:33pm]

MJMia said:

udo said:

Well, at least some people now know where to get that one video.

Spread the word...

Could you enlighten me via orgnote please?

Thanks guys for the download link.

OH my God... Damn, at the closeup he looks like he wants to stab someone... I never ever seen him this angry. I could sence it at the show as well, but watching the video??? What the hell went wrong???

He came on stage angry, he was angry before the gig even started. I don't know Prince, but I notice if someone is very angry or not, and I was very close to the stage, I knew the gig was gonna be a disaster, cause he looked so irritated. Unfortunately the audience sucked a bit too. Waiting like you were in classical concert - muted - didn't help the situation either when he left after the first song. I was very surprised he came back at all.

He shoudn't have came back. No gig is better than having a disappointed. And I do believe there was no curfew - I think this is also confirmed by the City Cologne, and I also do believe that he himself messed up the sound shortly b4 gig start. If I was him, I'd be angry too. Don't you think?

Of course not knowing about those issues while standing at the front row, I thought there was something wrong within the band, this is what I could see. No direction, no control - just kinda do what you can even blindfolded. I can't recall having seen Andy at all that evening.

I do remember Blackwell tho, I suppose he was the one who reminded me of NPG and obviously P.

So I wanna ask P: I know you've been gone for a long time as far as you genius is concerned, but what happened to your band NPGGGGGG?

Funny gig!

Edit:

[Edited 8/15/11 12:40pm]

Ozlem:

[img:$uid]http://img854.i.../img:$uid]

?

Ha! The good thing is tho I had my hair done like his. I'm hearing his endless soundchecks in Zurich continue, we are so privileged to be experiencing his sounchecks at gigs instead of what it shoulda (thoughts of Prince).

[Edited 8/17/11 13:15pm]

OzlemUcucu said:

Ha! The good thing is tho I had my hair done like his. I'm hearing his endless soundchecks in Zurich continue, we are so privileged to be experiencing his sounchecks at gigs instead of what it shoulda (thoughts of Prince).

[Edited 8/17/11 13:15pm]

an artist should never make his audience part of his personal discontent. And that was exactly what Prince did in Cologne...People paid big money to see a show...And that is what Prince is entitled to...But shouting through the mic to his soundman over and over again and making a fool of him during a concert is very sad and unprofessional.

Luckily i saw more than 1 gig but when you only could attend the cologne gig i also would be very dissapointed....