An official statement from the local promoter about the concert in Cologne had just been sent to media:

In response to the articulated criticism towards the course of yetserday's conert by Prince, which we contentaly and moraly understand, we would like to state the follwoing as local representative:

Neither the promoter nor the venue has any influence on the sound at all.

Aspects like sound levels, set lists or production are responsabilities of the artists and their respective crews alone. All equipment for sound and light for yesterday's concert was being brought and handled by the artist and his crew.

Neither Dirk Becker Entertainment as promoter nor Lanxess Arena as place of event have a saying on the length of a concert event.

There were no regulations being made for yesterday's concert with Prince that the concert had to be ended at any certain time. Those decisions are/were being made by the artist alone.

We regret any inconveniences experienced by fans and would like to present a statement by the artist or his management towards yesterday's incidents, but despite numerous attempts we didn't come across one as yet.

(phone number and mail-adress plus signature follows)

"yetserday's conert by Prince"

I thought of counting all the typos and grammatical errors, but then realized I don't have all day

Now we should sue Prince for that. It is really time to do that. enough is enough. Everytime something goes wrong, he always blame the others..This Time its simply u, Prince! Dont blame the others. U f..cked it up!

AnttiH said:

"yetserday's conert by Prince"

I thought of counting all the typos and grammatical errors, but then realized I don't have all day

you're right and I apologize. Wasn't wearing my glasses while translating the statement.

nonesuch said:

AnttiH said:

"yetserday's conert by Prince"

I thought of counting all the typos and grammatical errors, but then realized I don't have all day

you're right and I apologize. Wasn't wearing my glasses while translating the statement.

No need to apologize, but good to know that it was a translation and not the original statement (I thought it was the original statement from the organizers, sorry if I sounded rude). Feel free to copy-paste the original one in German, many people understand German, I know I do...

[Edited 7/29/11 8:07am]

AnttiH said:

nonesuch said:

you're right and I apologize. Wasn't wearing my glasses while translating the statement.

No need to apologize, but good to know that it was a translation and not the original statement (I thought it was the original statement from the organizers, sorry if I sounded rude). Feel free to copy-paste the original one in German, many people understand German, I know I do...

[Edited 7/29/11 8:07am]

okay, but first another story:

http://www.mediabiz.de/musik/news/prince-in-koeln-ausgebuht/308082?NL=mwd&uid=6123&ausg=20110729&lpos=InV_1

here's the statement in German:

Stellungnahme

Zur bekannten Kritik am Ablauf des gestrigen Konzerts mit PRINCE, die wir inhaltlich und moralisch

vollständig nachvollziehen können, möchten wir als Veranstalter gerne wie folgt Stellung nehmen:

Auf den Sound haben der Veranstalter oder auch die Halle nicht den geringsten Einfluss.

Die Bereiche Lautstärke, Songauswahl und Produktion fallen unter die alleinige Verantwortung der Künstler

und deren Crew. Das gesamte Equipment hinsichtlich Ton- und Lichttechnik wurde auch gestern vom Künstler

und dessen eigenem Personal mitgebracht und bedient.

Auf die Dauer des Konzerts können Dirk Becker Entertainment als Veranstalter oder die LANXESS arena als

Veranstaltungsort ebenfalls keinen Einfluss nehmen. So gab es auch beim gestrigen Konzert mit PRINCE

keinerlei Auflagen oder Bestimmungen, das Konzert zu einem bestimmten Zeitpunkt zu beenden.

Diese Entscheidung liegt allein beim Künstler.

Wir bedauern die den Fans entstandenen Unannehmlichkeiten und würden gerne ein Statement des Künstlers

oder seines Managements zu den gestrigen Vorfällen hinzufügen, leider aber haben wir dies auch nach

mehrmaligem Nachfragen bis jetzt noch nicht erhalten.

Prince in Köln ausgebuht

Großansicht

Spielte in Köln ein umstrittenes Konzert: Prince (Bild: Dirk Becker Entertainment)

Weil Prince bei seinem einzigen Deutschlandkonzert am 28. Juli in der KölnerLanxess Arena nur knapp 80 Minuten - und das einer knapp einstündigen Verspätung und einer 50-minütigen Unterbrechung nach nur einem Song - spielte und die Show unter einer schlechten Akustik litt, kam es zu Buhrurufen und Becherwürfen. Veranstalter Dirk Beckerund die Hallenbetreiber sehen die Verantwortung dafür jedoch beim Künstler.

"Auf den Sound haben der Veranstalter oder auch die Halle nicht den geringsten Einfluss", teilt Dirk Becker Entertainment mit. "Die Bereiche Lautstärke, Songauswahl und Produktion fallen unter die alleinige Verantwortung der Künstler und deren Crew."

Stefan Löcher, Geschäftsführer der Betreibergesellschaft Arena Management, betont, dass es auch kein Zeitlimit in der Halle gegeben hätte. Man sei vorbereitet gewesen, die Halle bis 1 Uhr zu bespielen.

In den 90er Jahren hatte Prince in der damals noch Köln Arena genannten Halle ebenfalls ein kürzeres Konzert gespielt, als man das von ihm erwartet. Das führte auch damals zu Ärger unter den Konzertbesuchern. Allerdings gab der Musiker damals ein öffentlich zugängliches Aftershow-Konzert im Kölner Club Live Music Hall, bei dem er dann noch mehrere Stunden auf der Bühne stand.

Quelle: MusikWoche

From all of this mess IMO Prince needs to get a pro behind the mixing table and not interfere with what he is doing.

BeyondSpace said:

From all of this mess IMO Prince needs to get a pro behind the mixing table and not interfere with what he is doing.

nonesuch said:

An official statement from the local promoter about the concert in Cologne had just been sent to media:

In response to the articulated criticism towards the course of yetserday's conert by Prince, which we contentaly and moraly understand, we would like to state the follwoing as local representative:

Neither the promoter nor the venue has any influence on the sound at all.

Aspects like sound levels, set lists or production are responsabilities of the artists and their respective crews alone. All equipment for sound and light for yesterday's concert was being brought and handled by the artist and his crew.

Neither Dirk Becker Entertainment as promoter nor Lanxess Arena as place of event have a saying on the length of a concert event.

There were no regulations being made for yesterday's concert with Prince that the concert had to be ended at any certain time. Those decisions are/were being made by the artist alone.

We regret any inconveniences experienced by fans and would like to present a statement by the artist or his management towards yesterday's incidents, but despite numerous attempts we didn't come across one as yet.

(phone number and mail-adress plus signature follows)

Them trying to cover their asses and point fingers : "It wasn't our fault; it was Prince's fault!"

I feel bad for all the German fans who paid a lot of money for what sounds like a bad show. I'd be angry too.

Logically, the sound problem lies with Prince's crew. I mean, they had the same type of problem at a different show, in a different country (Rotterdam, Holland). Prince needs to take responsiblity when his staff messes up, instead of always pointing the finger at someone else.

I just hope they get the sound problem fixed before the show tomorrow.

armpit said:

nonesuch said:

An official statement from the local promoter about the concert in Cologne had just been sent to media:

In response to the articulated criticism towards the course of yetserday's conert by Prince, which we contentaly and moraly understand, we would like to state the follwoing as local representative:

Neither the promoter nor the venue has any influence on the sound at all.

Aspects like sound levels, set lists or production are responsabilities of the artists and their respective crews alone. All equipment for sound and light for yesterday's concert was being brought and handled by the artist and his crew.

Neither Dirk Becker Entertainment as promoter nor Lanxess Arena as place of event have a saying on the length of a concert event.

There were no regulations being made for yesterday's concert with Prince that the concert had to be ended at any certain time. Those decisions are/were being made by the artist alone.

We regret any inconveniences experienced by fans and would like to present a statement by the artist or his management towards yesterday's incidents, but despite numerous attempts we didn't come across one as yet.

(phone number and mail-adress plus signature follows)

Them trying to cover their asses and point fingers : "It wasn't our fault; it was Prince's fault!"

Uh, why is it so hard to believe that it was Prince's fault? Jesus christ.

Gohi said:

armpit said:

Them trying to cover their asses and point fingers : "It wasn't our fault; it was Prince's fault!"

Uh, why is it so hard to believe that it was Prince's fault? Jesus christ.

^ I think the point is Prince acknowledged (during the concert) that his sound guy was slipping--IMO its unprofessional for the promoter and venue to start wagging their fingers.

sweething said:

Gohi said:

Uh, why is it so hard to believe that it was Prince's fault? Jesus christ.

^ I think the point is Prince acknowledged (during the concert) that his sound guy was slipping--IMO its unprofessional for the promoter and venue to start wagging their fingers.

I think it's unprofessional for Prince to announce to everyone that his soundguy sucks, but there ya go.

Gohi said:

sweething said:

^ I think the point is Prince acknowledged (during the concert) that his sound guy was slipping--IMO its unprofessional for the promoter and venue to start wagging their fingers.

I think it's unprofessional for Prince to announce to everyone that his soundguy sucks, but there ya go.

we know, you already expressed your opinion. reading your posts on other threads--you've got a vendetta. i see objectivity is futile as you're concerned. poof be gone!

Gohi said:

sweething said:

^ I think the point is Prince acknowledged (during the concert) that his sound guy was slipping--IMO its unprofessional for the promoter and venue to start wagging their fingers.

I think it's unprofessional for Prince to announce to everyone that his soundguy sucks, but there ya go.

Last year it was Andy who was continously blamed for so called f-ups , this year it's John. Fact of the matter is that Prince continuously asks for ''guitar up'' and things like that where they are already very loud.Makes you wonder how well Prince's OWN judgment of the sound is.....

sweething said:

Gohi said:

I think it's unprofessional for Prince to announce to everyone that his soundguy sucks, but there ya go.

we know, you already expressed your opinion. reading your posts on other threads--you've got a vendetta. i see objectivity is futile as you're concerned. poof be gone!

Who do I have a so-called vendetta against, Prince? Not at all. I just think people need to look at these situations with an open mind and realize that Prince can be wrong too. When you run your ship the way Prince does (flying by the seat of your pants, showing up to things whenever he likes) then you're bound to have a few moments like these. I'm not saying he's a bad guy or anything, but literally calling out your soundman is not something that most artists do. Sorry if I give off the impression that I hate Prince.

Calling out for level changes is fine, but the last time I saw him his obsession with doing this ruined lots of songs. He re-started the song No More Candy 4 U 3 times, stopped several and refused to sing certain lyrics, instead opting to say stuff like "Front wedge, more boom on the snare, turn my voice up." I understand he is a perfectionist but the adjustments were totally minimal and we all pay to see him sing and play guitar (amongst other stuff) not boss his soundman around.

Also, that Tinkerbell shit is the most annoying thing I have ever seen so congrats on that.

eelco said:

Gohi said:

I think it's unprofessional for Prince to announce to everyone that his soundguy sucks, but there ya go.

Last year it was Andy who was continously blamed for so called f-ups , this year it's John. Fact of the matter is that Prince continuously asks for ''guitar up'' and things like that where they are already very loud.Makes you wonder how well Prince's OWN judgment of the sound is.....

It could be the guitar is quiet on stage so, that Prince can hear himself, asks for it to be turned up, and the sound guy turns it up in the house.

This is not a unique occurence... at a lot of gigs (Arras especially!!) Prince is asking for adjustments to be made. At Coachella, for example, during 7 (I think...) he asked for something to be changed and it was done on stage rather than in house (or vice versa). During Peach on the It Ain't Over CD he asks for a spotlight to be turned on "Not on me, on them". These mistakes happen...

I think if you take a job you do some research, especially with a renowned artist such as Prince. (You can take "renowned" whichever way you choose )

harveya said:

eelco said:

Last year it was Andy who was continously blamed for so called f-ups , this year it's John. Fact of the matter is that Prince continuously asks for ''guitar up'' and things like that where they are already very loud.Makes you wonder how well Prince's OWN judgment of the sound is.....

It could be the guitar is quiet on stage so, that Prince can hear himself, asks for it to be turned up, and the sound guy turns it up in the house.

This is not a unique occurence... at a lot of gigs (Arras especially!!) Prince is asking for adjustments to be made. At Coachella, for example, during 7 (I think...) he asked for something to be changed and it was done on stage rather than in house (or vice versa). During Peach on the It Ain't Over CD he asks for a spotlight to be turned on "Not on me, on them". These mistakes happen...

I think if you take a job you do some research, especially with a renowned artist such as Prince. (You can take "renowned" whichever way you choose )

Well, this european tour continues to be a failure after failure affair soundwise.... Sure, mistakes can happen but when they happen at half of the shows

He dissed the soundman? I hope he didn't say anything similar to what he was saying to the soundman on Soul Psycodelicide! THAT would be a jerk move

To be honest, Prince does not, in general, have very good sound. Having seen him most recently at Nokia in LA, then a bunch of Forum shows (from numerous spots at the Forum) and then in Luxembourg last month, I found at all shows the sound was distorted, sometimes muffled, and generally not mixed well enough to hear individual instruments clearly. Most bands you see these days sound pretty good live, especially major acts. The technology has come a long way.

Heck, I saw bands like Eric Clapton, Genesis, and Paul McCartney at the Forum in the EIGHTIES and they sounded far better than Prince did in 2011. (The Prince shows themselves were great, of course, just talking about the sound.)

Prince probably does not realize how bad he usually sounds because he is on stage hearing things through his monitors.

He should really upgrade his equipment / sound guys.

armpit said:

nonesuch said:

An official statement from the local promoter about the concert in Cologne had just been sent to media:

In response to the articulated criticism towards the course of yetserday's conert by Prince, which we contentaly and moraly understand, we would like to state the follwoing as local representative:

Neither the promoter nor the venue has any influence on the sound at all.

Aspects like sound levels, set lists or production are responsabilities of the artists and their respective crews alone. All equipment for sound and light for yesterday's concert was being brought and handled by the artist and his crew.

Neither Dirk Becker Entertainment as promoter nor Lanxess Arena as place of event have a saying on the length of a concert event.

There were no regulations being made for yesterday's concert with Prince that the concert had to be ended at any certain time. Those decisions are/were being made by the artist alone.

We regret any inconveniences experienced by fans and would like to present a statement by the artist or his management towards yesterday's incidents, but despite numerous attempts we didn't come across one as yet.

(phone number and mail-adress plus signature follows)

Them trying to cover their asses and point fingers : "It wasn't our fault; it was Prince's fault!"

Because it was Prince's fault.

This is not the first time. I recall that there was a tour where Prince had fired most of his crew (because something had upset him) and told his PAs to hire local crew for each gig. Which of course is impossible (because qualified people like that are usually not available on the drop of a hat), so what they did was they kept the crew but didn't tell Prince, put up the crew in different hotels, and disguised them while at work.

Bad sound IS Prince's fault. Simple as that. It's HIS crew.

BartVanHemelen said:

armpit said:

Them trying to cover their asses and point fingers : "It wasn't our fault; it was Prince's fault!"

Because it was Prince's fault.

This is not the first time. I recall that there was a tour where Prince had fired most of his crew (because something had upset him) and told his PAs to hire local crew for each gig. Which of course is impossible (because qualified people like that are usually not available on the drop of a hat), so what they did was they kept the crew but didn't tell Prince, put up the crew in different hotels, and disguised them while at work.

Bad sound IS Prince's fault. Simple as that. It's HIS crew.

Really? Which tour was that? Maybe the Nude tour?

Cologne was so bad, so really, really bad for Prince´s standards that in hindsight, I can´t even be really angry because at least I witnessed a historical moment. That´s how much the show sucked.

And I know you know it´s not just the sound, the setlist or the length of the show I´m talking about.

It sucked so bad that I can´t even be mad at him.....I don´t know if you speak German but you should check out the reviews. The Rolling Stones concert incidence 1981 is nothing in comparison because back then you could at least blame it on the crowd...but Thursday night left me with my mouth wide open in shock and disbelief.

And the apologists here think it´s just the bad sound or the same old hits that are the problem but for me it´s not really the choice of songs.....it goes way deeper than that.

KoolEaze said:

BartVanHemelen said:

so what they did was they kept the crew but didn't tell Prince, put up the crew in different hotels, and disguised them while at work.

Bad sound IS Prince's fault. Simple as that. It's HIS crew.

Nude or D&P (I thought the latter)

BartVanHemelen said:

armpit said:

Them trying to cover their asses and point fingers : "It wasn't our fault; it was Prince's fault!"

Because it was Prince's fault.

This is not the first time. I recall that there was a tour where Prince had fired most of his crew (because something had upset him) and told his PAs to hire local crew for each gig. Which of course is impossible (because qualified people like that are usually not available on the drop of a hat), so what they did was they kept the crew but didn't tell Prince, put up the crew in different hotels, and disguised them while at work.

Bad sound IS Prince's fault. Simple as that. It's HIS crew.

old german saw: "Der Fisch stinkt immer vom Kopf" means "the fish stinks always from the head"

I don't know if that makes sense in english.

KoolEaze said:

BartVanHemelen said:

Because it was Prince's fault.

This is not the first time. I recall that there was a tour where Prince had fired most of his crew (because something had upset him) and told his PAs to hire local crew for each gig. Which of course is impossible (because qualified people like that are usually not available on the drop of a hat), so what they did was they kept the crew but didn't tell Prince, put up the crew in different hotels, and disguised them while at work.

Bad sound IS Prince's fault. Simple as that. It's HIS crew.

Really? Which tour was that? Maybe the Nude tour?

Cologne was so bad, so really, really bad for Prince´s standards that in hindsight, I can´t even be really angry because at least I witnessed a historical moment. That´s how much the show sucked.

And I know you know it´s not just the sound, the setlist or the length of the show I´m talking about.

It sucked so bad that I can´t even be mad at him.....I don´t know if you speak German but you should check out the reviews. The Rolling Stones concert incidence 1981 is nothing in comparison because back then you could at least blame it on the crowd...but Thursday night left me with my mouth wide open in shock and disbelief.

And the apologists here think it´s just the bad sound or the same old hits that are the problem but for me it´s not really the choice of songs.....it goes way deeper than that.

So why was it bad even when the sound issues were resolved?

Gohi said:

KoolEaze said:

Really? Which tour was that? Maybe the Nude tour?

Cologne was so bad, so really, really bad for Prince´s standards that in hindsight, I can´t even be really angry because at least I witnessed a historical moment. That´s how much the show sucked.

And I know you know it´s not just the sound, the setlist or the length of the show I´m talking about.

It sucked so bad that I can´t even be mad at him.....I don´t know if you speak German but you should check out the reviews. The Rolling Stones concert incidence 1981 is nothing in comparison because back then you could at least blame it on the crowd...but Thursday night left me with my mouth wide open in shock and disbelief.

And the apologists here think it´s just the bad sound or the same old hits that are the problem but for me it´s not really the choice of songs.....it goes way deeper than that.

So why was it bad even when the sound issues were resolved?

Well, they weren't.

KoolEaze said:

BartVanHemelen said:

Because it was Prince's fault.

This is not the first time. I recall that there was a tour where Prince had fired most of his crew (because something had upset him) and told his PAs to hire local crew for each gig. Which of course is impossible (because qualified people like that are usually not available on the drop of a hat), so what they did was they kept the crew but didn't tell Prince, put up the crew in different hotels, and disguised them while at work.

Bad sound IS Prince's fault. Simple as that. It's HIS crew.

Really? Which tour was that? Maybe the Nude tour?

Cologne was so bad, so really, really bad for Prince´s standards that in hindsight, I can´t even be really angry because at least I witnessed a historical moment. That´s how much the show sucked.

And I know you know it´s not just the sound, the setlist or the length of the show I´m talking about.

It sucked so bad that I can´t even be mad at him.....I don´t know if you speak German but you should check out the reviews. The Rolling Stones concert incidence 1981 is nothing in comparison because back then you could at least blame it on the crowd...but Thursday night left me with my mouth wide open in shock and disbelief.

And the apologists here think it´s just the bad sound or the same old hits that are the problem but for me it´s not really the choice of songs.....it goes way deeper than that.

you did put it in a nutshell, Eaze.

so many inconsistencies are to be considered when it comes to that concert.

one example: all media, be it local or nationwide had been informed that prince did not want any photographers at his european shows since the paris-gig. instead prince would have had his own photographer shooting some pics, which prince would have approved after each show. the local promoter was then going to be sent those shots and asked to distribute the pics to media around midnight after the shows. the cologne-promoter informed media about prince's wish a few days before the concert-date. the morning after the whateveryoumightcallit media was informed that none such photos were ever distributed by prince's peopleto the promoter and that they didn't react to requests by the local promoter. consequently most papers used older pics, stating that prince didn't cooperate in the way he suggested. that only adds to the discontent he had left behind.

one more thought about the arena itself: it is so very true that it was not built for great acoustics. but many many people had been to dozens of shows there which were not halfway sounding as badly as prince's last whateveryoumightcallit. if other artists can provide a suitable front-of-house-mix, so shall prince. why had the sound of the first rotterdam show 2011 such frantic reaction from attendants? are many of the european venues suitable for almost everybody else, but for prince?

to me the cologne-appearance pf prince wasn't a concert. it was a display of downright ridiculous behaviour. and such a sad waste of talent and spirit. i agree that everyone can have a bad day, even pros. but a real pro will at least be ccoperative and willing to comunicate. prince didn't even bother to let people know what had happen from his point of view. well, apart from the lame and strange statements he or his people had included in funkenberry's update - claiming 'post-production difficulties'! 'post-production difficulties'??? what the hell is that supposed to mean? they didn't get to the airport on time after the show? were there too many chemtrails in the air layers above cologne when prince's rented private-jet departed from cologne-airport? was bria stalking him? was he reminded of meeting mayte for the first time a few miles down the rhein? was he approached by pop-folklore from cologne hours before showtime? that, at least, would be an explanation of him having a rel bad time. but he did not bother to release a statement.

i do sound

prince has a very good system : top notch...

also there is a difference between a monitor/ foh/ system engineer...it's a team with different capabilities and duties during the show

also setup time/ money/ sound check is a factor...

iggy23 said:

i do sound

prince has a very good system : top notch...

also there is a difference between a monitor/ foh/ system engineer...it's a team with different capabilities and duties during the show

also setup time/ money/ sound check is a factor...

so? will you please share your thoughts if you had been to that concert?