KCOOLMUZIQ said:

alexnvrmnd777 said:

A-fuckin'-men. I've been saying this for quite some time now. And there's nothing wrong with being an oldies act, but just don't also act like you're on the forefront of music either, doin' shit better than you've ever done it before. Because you're not, Prince. Not even close.

Please do us all a favor & close ur accounts.....Prince is doing it at 53 better than anybody his age or younger......Stop complaining MJ is gone now. Honor and repect Prince 4 still being here & doing it well.

WTF are you talking about? I didn't mention MJ one iota there. I'm surprised yo 'ass can even talk with your mouth being full of the purple kool-aid and all. Hell, your words are even in purple too. Sigh... *smh*

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

alexnvrmnd777 said:

A-fuckin'-men. I've been saying this for quite some time now. And there's nothing wrong with being an oldies act, but just don't also act like you're on the forefront of music either, doin' shit better than you've ever done it before. Because you're not, Prince. Not even close.

Please do us all a favor & close ur accounts.....Prince is doing it at 53 better than anybody his age or younger......Stop complaining MJ is gone now. Honor and repect Prince 4 still being here & doing it well.

why don't u take ur own advice and close down YOUR account. ain't no one saying anything about MJ until u posted your bullshit. if anything u need 2 read what his really being said about prince and the ones saying that his setlist is whack as all hell are the ones truly HONORING the prince we came 2 like and love his way of giving the F U to everyone that told him he couldn't do this or that and did it. the prince we have today is the one we NEVER thought we'd see and it's sad 2 see his legacy tarnished 2 become a run of the mill performer when we know he has it in him to do what we grew up on. if u want 2 keep praising him ..go right on but don't be telling someone else 2 close their accounts cause they call him out on what he's doing currently.

i bet if u met prince u would kiss his ass but sorry homeslice i ain't doing it nor is alex and several others

alexnvrmnd777 said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

Please do us all a favor & close ur accounts.....Prince is doing it at 53 better than anybody his age or younger......Stop complaining MJ is gone now. Honor and repect Prince 4 still being here & doing it well.

WTF are you talking about? I didn't mention MJ one iota there. I'm surprised yo 'ass can even talk with your mouth being full of the purple kool-aid and all. Hell, your words are even in purple too. Sigh... *smh*

4 ur information I brought up MJ 2 remind U how devastated his die hard fans r of his death. We still have Prince here so stop putting him down all the time, appreciate him.

So Don't hate drink the purple cool-aid

It really does sort of hurt me to be so critical of Prince's live shows. He is clearly going through the motions most nights. As a decent songwriter, and poor musician, I know enough about live performances to properly review them.

If you have blind love for Prince, and you can go on and on about how his hair looked, then you are only capable of reviewing the concert based on how good a time you had.

I hate to play the "music snob" role, but Prince set high standards for himself live. I would say the following tours were either great or close to it: Controversy, PRain, Parade, SOTT, Lovesexy, ONA, and Musicology.

The Welcome 2 Shelby tour is ok at times, and great at times. It is just that he is capable of so much more.

The amount of songs that are not sung in full are highly disturbing. When I was a teenager, the only acts doing Medleys were old and washed up. Prince got away with it on Lovesexy, because the show itself was on another planet with the great band that he had.

On Welcome 2 Playing Other People's Songs Tour, Prince has a fairly weak band. Andy Allo? Please. She makes Mike Scott look like Carlos Santana. John Blackwell is probably the best in the band. Renato can be great, but he doesn't have the funk ability of a Dr Fink or a Tommy Barberella.

Morris Hayes is ok, but something is missing. Ida is not a bad bass player, but she is not on the level of Sonny T or Levi.

There are just too many factors that count against him.

Having the background singers going on and on with "Put Your Hands Up," would be ok if it was just occasional pumping the crowd up, but it gets excessive to the point of self-parody.

Prince is the best there is, and is just not what he used to be. If I thought he was old and washed up, that would be ok. The sad thing is, he is not, he is just mailing it in.

I still feel a bad or mediocre Prince show is still better than most other shows, but to those who have real knowledge of music and live performance cringe during his shows.

I wish I was one of those people who cared about how his hair looked, or just wanted to party...that would make the show more enjoyable.

Still, I will probably go to the next round of shows in my area, and hope for the best.

This tour is still better than the Jam of The Year/New Power Soul tours, which were about the

worst possible. Kirk Johnson was a better drummer than I am, but that band had no real sense of anything. At least Rhonda had improved by ONA.

Even ONA had some weak moments, but Prince fully believed in the new material, and he let the band actually play. There was only a medley section, and most of the other songs were full length, and Anna Stesia was not just a spiritual moment, but it was musical brilliance.

From this tour, Shh, Anotherloverholenyohead, and Guitar were the songs where he sometimes showed the passion. Scandalous, Adore, and If I Was Your Girlfriend were also quite strong at some shows...Columbia, SC in particular.

I will hope for the best, and of all the people who are critical of Prince's live experience, I am unique in the fact that I nearly love every studio release, and throw praise at most of them. I do like the new version of Extra Lovable, and the rap in it is not long enough to destroy the song's momentum. I love Lotus Flow3r, 3121, Planet Earth, and half of Musicology. I think MPLSound is one of his few weak albums to go with New Power Soul. I absolutely love Chaos And Disorder, and laugh when people don't get it.

If you have blind love for Prince, or you just care about him acting like a diva, you will love the show. If you have the ability to be critical, and have any kind of musical training, you might not be as happy.

I will always love Prince, but I can say that if I would've worked for him, I would've been fired in the first ten minutes. He only hires Yes-Men. NOBODY dare challenge him.

[Edited 11/27/11 20:15pm]

sunbeam said:

Hello fellow purple royalty, here is my review of my entire weekend in Toronto for the opening of the welcome to Canada tour. Friday night: while we waited outside in temperature not as cold as anticipated the growing joy of see prince for the first time with both my sons (17, 15 the 17 year old seen p with my in 2007 in Minneapolis). Gates were closed till roughly 8 and the show began with quite a cool start. The lights dimmed maybe three times and came back on before the girls began with the first song of the night. Excuse my lack of setlist accuracy I'm writing this on my flight back to Regina Saskatchewan Canada so my mind isnt all there. D.m.s.r was a highlight for my 17 year old as that is one of his favorite songs. P was flying around the stage in the 15 minute version of musicology and had a dance number mid way. P 's guitar and sound were solid for the first nigh of the tour, my son also plays guitar and he felt the hohner was pretty ice picky and trebly which made for mind blowing solos as much as ear paining sound. Of course he played the hits and the fans were loving it, I have seen P play 11 times in total since 1988 and would have liked to hear some new stuff but I understand why he played what he did. During the 6 encores is when I felt like prince was having the most fun, dancing on the piano and just boogieing. The sample set was cool as well as the time covers, let's work was a great way to end the show and had everyone wishing for more. All and all Fridays show was a 3 hour dance party. What ensued next was a prince fans wildest dreams. I had booked our hotel at the ritz Carleton hoping the purple yoda would be around. I didn't get into the after show but learned from a bell boy that indeed prince was staying on the 19th floor. Two big suburbans had been around all day as well. At roughly 245am the suburban pulled up for the 30th time. I went to see if maybe he was coming from the lobby. I didn't do the most appeasing walk as i was trying to give my son some yuks. The door opened and a boot stepped down, ( my son called me as I had turned my head after walking back to where we were sitting, he said its him Mom , it's him.) prince got outta of the suburban holding Andy's hand while my son aand I could only watch and be amazed, ( was about damn time we'd been out there a few hours and I had smoked a good number of cigarettes ) I yelled we love you prince as he entered the door, he smiled at andy as I called out. My son and I froze in time and then just smiled and laughed. This had completed our night. Sadly we only got one picture, pretty badly taken because of the shock we were in as well as trying not to make it too terribly obvious. Check Saturday's review for a better story about my sons chance with prince. Saturdays show: again delayed by whatever the reason prince did not get on till 9, opening with gold was cool we he was dressed in his gold pants and gold dress shirt. The sound had drastically improved, princes guitar has a fuller sound and his voice as well as band sounded tighter tonight. The set was great p played more guitar and even places the orange strat (my sons favorite) which sounded better than the hohner in my opinion. He played that on a stirring version of crimson and clover, with a very heavy solo , shhh as well featured great soloing and guitar work. Throughout the night prince seemed to feature a more distinct and planned set, he ripped through the funk with the twanged tele and had us all wanting more. I feel as if some fans expected 6 encores as well, no one seemed to leave after each set was done. I Almost didn't think he'd do the sampler but the encore clapping was a good 5 minutes at least. The sampler set ended with a dance to kiss. I should mention that both Friday and Saturday we sat about 6 rows up from the point of the stage. One night dead on the other off set to the right. Perfect seats in my opinion because when he was close man was he close and when he was far you could still see what he was doing as well as the lighting was easily seen. My son bought me a surprise ticket to the after show, I went and it was pretty cool, I didn't even realize prince was there till reading the org today, I just heard his voice. Saturdays show was more guitar heavy Sunday we flew out but not before getting one more glance at prince. Once again our bell boy had told us he was leaving around 330. My 17 year old stuck it out in the lobby and at 355 prince walked dead infront of him for a good twenty feet and starred him directly in the eye. He couldn't take a picture for two reasons. 1. Security was tight and 2. It was prince looking directly at him!!! Can't wait to read about rest of the shows. Sorry to drag on!

Stories like these make me remember why I love the Org. Great recount of what seemed like an amazing weekend.

RuthCass said:

sunbeam said:

Hello fellow purple royalty, here is my review of my entire weekend in Toronto for the opening of the welcome to Canada tour. Friday night: while we waited outside in temperature not as cold as anticipated the growing joy of see prince for the first time with both my sons (17, 15 the 17 year old seen p with my in 2007 in Minneapolis). Gates were closed till roughly 8 and the show began with quite a cool start. The lights dimmed maybe three times and came back on before the girls began with the first song of the night. Excuse my lack of setlist accuracy I'm writing this on my flight back to Regina Saskatchewan Canada so my mind isnt all there. D.m.s.r was a highlight for my 17 year old as that is one of his favorite songs. P was flying around the stage in the 15 minute version of musicology and had a dance number mid way. P 's guitar and sound were solid for the first nigh of the tour, my son also plays guitar and he felt the hohner was pretty ice picky and trebly which made for mind blowing solos as much as ear paining sound. Of course he played the hits and the fans were loving it, I have seen P play 11 times in total since 1988 and would have liked to hear some new stuff but I understand why he played what he did. During the 6 encores is when I felt like prince was having the most fun, dancing on the piano and just boogieing. The sample set was cool as well as the time covers, let's work was a great way to end the show and had everyone wishing for more. All and all Fridays show was a 3 hour dance party. What ensued next was a prince fans wildest dreams. I had booked our hotel at the ritz Carleton hoping the purple yoda would be around. I didn't get into the after show but learned from a bell boy that indeed prince was staying on the 19th floor. Two big suburbans had been around all day as well. At roughly 245am the suburban pulled up for the 30th time. I went to see if maybe he was coming from the lobby. I didn't do the most appeasing walk as i was trying to give my son some yuks. The door opened and a boot stepped down, ( my son called me as I had turned my head after walking back to where we were sitting, he said its him Mom , it's him.) prince got outta of the suburban holding Andy's hand while my son aand I could only watch and be amazed, ( was about damn time we'd been out there a few hours and I had smoked a good number of cigarettes ) I yelled we love you prince as he entered the door, he smiled at andy as I called out. My son and I froze in time and then just smiled and laughed. This had completed our night. Sadly we only got one picture, pretty badly taken because of the shock we were in as well as trying not to make it too terribly obvious. Check Saturday's review for a better story about my sons chance with prince. Saturdays show: again delayed by whatever the reason prince did not get on till 9, opening with gold was cool we he was dressed in his gold pants and gold dress shirt. The sound had drastically improved, princes guitar has a fuller sound and his voice as well as band sounded tighter tonight. The set was great p played more guitar and even places the orange strat (my sons favorite) which sounded better than the hohner in my opinion. He played that on a stirring version of crimson and clover, with a very heavy solo , shhh as well featured great soloing and guitar work. Throughout the night prince seemed to feature a more distinct and planned set, he ripped through the funk with the twanged tele and had us all wanting more. I feel as if some fans expected 6 encores as well, no one seemed to leave after each set was done. I Almost didn't think he'd do the sampler but the encore clapping was a good 5 minutes at least. The sampler set ended with a dance to kiss. I should mention that both Friday and Saturday we sat about 6 rows up from the point of the stage. One night dead on the other off set to the right. Perfect seats in my opinion because when he was close man was he close and when he was far you could still see what he was doing as well as the lighting was easily seen. My son bought me a surprise ticket to the after show, I went and it was pretty cool, I didn't even realize prince was there till reading the org today, I just heard his voice. Saturdays show was more guitar heavy Sunday we flew out but not before getting one more glance at prince. Once again our bell boy had told us he was leaving around 330. My 17 year old stuck it out in the lobby and at 355 prince walked dead infront of him for a good twenty feet and starred him directly in the eye. He couldn't take a picture for two reasons. 1. Security was tight and 2. It was prince looking directly at him!!! Can't wait to read about rest of the shows. Sorry to drag on!

That sounds absolutely perfect Well except for the part where Andy is holding his hand, that's my man!! Lol, no but in all seriousness I would've fainted. I loved your stories and I hope to hear some more amazing Prince adventures Btw can you post the picture?

I have 2 not very decent pictures which I will upload tomorrow hopefully (time permitting) P was staying on the 19th floor, likely with Andy..... Yummmaay. He played guitar while she played fiddle

RuthCass said:

sunbeam said:

Hello fellow purple royalty, here is my review of my entire weekend in Toronto for the opening of the welcome to Canada tour. Friday night: while we waited outside in temperature not as cold as anticipated the growing joy of see prince for the first time with both my sons (17, 15 the 17 year old seen p with my in 2007 in Minneapolis). Gates were closed till roughly 8 and the show began with quite a cool start. The lights dimmed maybe three times and came back on before the girls began with the first song of the night. Excuse my lack of setlist accuracy I'm writing this on my flight back to Regina Saskatchewan Canada so my mind isnt all there. D.m.s.r was a highlight for my 17 year old as that is one of his favorite songs. P was flying around the stage in the 15 minute version of musicology and had a dance number mid way. P 's guitar and sound were solid for the first nigh of the tour, my son also plays guitar and he felt the hohner was pretty ice picky and trebly which made for mind blowing solos as much as ear paining sound. Of course he played the hits and the fans were loving it, I have seen P play 11 times in total since 1988 and would have liked to hear some new stuff but I understand why he played what he did. During the 6 encores is when I felt like prince was having the most fun, dancing on the piano and just boogieing. The sample set was cool as well as the time covers, let's work was a great way to end the show and had everyone wishing for more. All and all Fridays show was a 3 hour dance party. What ensued next was a prince fans wildest dreams. I had booked our hotel at the ritz Carleton hoping the purple yoda would be around. I didn't get into the after show but learned from a bell boy that indeed prince was staying on the 19th floor. Two big suburbans had been around all day as well. At roughly 245am the suburban pulled up for the 30th time. I went to see if maybe he was coming from the lobby. I didn't do the most appeasing walk as i was trying to give my son some yuks. The door opened and a boot stepped down, ( my son called me as I had turned my head after walking back to where we were sitting, he said its him Mom , it's him.) prince got outta of the suburban holding Andy's hand while my son aand I could only watch and be amazed, ( was about damn time we'd been out there a few hours and I had smoked a good number of cigarettes ) I yelled we love you prince as he entered the door, he smiled at andy as I called out. My son and I froze in time and then just smiled and laughed. This had completed our night. Sadly we only got one picture, pretty badly taken because of the shock we were in as well as trying not to make it too terribly obvious. Check Saturday's review for a better story about my sons chance with prince. Saturdays show: again delayed by whatever the reason prince did not get on till 9, opening with gold was cool we he was dressed in his gold pants and gold dress shirt. The sound had drastically improved, princes guitar has a fuller sound and his voice as well as band sounded tighter tonight. The set was great p played more guitar and even places the orange strat (my sons favorite) which sounded better than the hohner in my opinion. He played that on a stirring version of crimson and clover, with a very heavy solo , shhh as well featured great soloing and guitar work. Throughout the night prince seemed to feature a more distinct and planned set, he ripped through the funk with the twanged tele and had us all wanting more. I feel as if some fans expected 6 encores as well, no one seemed to leave after each set was done. I Almost didn't think he'd do the sampler but the encore clapping was a good 5 minutes at least. The sampler set ended with a dance to kiss. I should mention that both Friday and Saturday we sat about 6 rows up from the point of the stage. One night dead on the other off set to the right. Perfect seats in my opinion because when he was close man was he close and when he was far you could still see what he was doing as well as the lighting was easily seen. My son bought me a surprise ticket to the after show, I went and it was pretty cool, I didn't even realize prince was there till reading the org today, I just heard his voice. Saturdays show was more guitar heavy Sunday we flew out but not before getting one more glance at prince. Once again our bell boy had told us he was leaving around 330. My 17 year old stuck it out in the lobby and at 355 prince walked dead infront of him for a good twenty feet and starred him directly in the eye. He couldn't take a picture for two reasons. 1. Security was tight and 2. It was prince looking directly at him!!! Can't wait to read about rest of the shows. Sorry to drag on!

That sounds absolutely perfect Well except for the part where Andy is holding his hand, that's my man!! Lol, no but in all seriousness I would've fainted. I loved your stories and I hope to hear some more amazing Prince adventures Btw can you post the picture?

P was staying on the 19th floor haha with Andy I'm sure Yummmaaaay, he played guitar while she played fiddle oh thats badd

sunbeam said:

RuthCass said:

That sounds absolutely perfect Well except for the part where Andy is holding his hand, that's my man!! Lol, no but in all seriousness I would've fainted. I loved your stories and I hope to hear some more amazing Prince adventures Btw can you post the picture?

P was staying on the 19th floor haha with Andy I'm sure Yummmaaaay, he played guitar while she played fiddle oh thats badd

This is maybe a stupid question haha but did it seem like they were a couple or just friends. We know he parades around with girls all the time but I'm wondering if something more is going on...just wanted to know what it looked like from your perspective. He has been singing a lot more about sex/sensuality lately and it seems like he's smitten

L4OATheOriginal said:

Praxis said:

a few thoughts: good music lasts forever...so the tendency to name or label Prince's music occurs on the level of opinion, whereas what the public is experiencing are totally different things.

so what if Prince does not satisfy hardcore fans 100%? fact of the matter is after 30 years he continues to attract new audiences.

as 4 destroying his live reputation are we talking about the same Prince here? for the last 2-3 years, the man has been getting rave reviews for his concerts as he is now in Canada.

lastly, yes, Prince makes his own decisions and I am glad he does. in the future if he chooses to be "produced" which I hope he does not, it could be interesting. Until then, everything which he does live or through recording, and which millions and millions love, remains

uniquely, Princely

[Edited 11/27/11 11:50am]

u may want 2 look closely at what each review is saying, "he played let's go crazy etc.. rarely will they mention when he does his current material" so it's not really a rave its more of saying "he's doing what we tell him 2 do otherwise his concert is bullshit" ..now if u read the reviews he got for ONA then u got something but him doing the hits over and over is rarely a rave review it's more of "prince is a greatest hits act only" not the same prince who broke down the walls of what is 2 be

Thats getting fairly predictable when you or I could have made out the Set List before the Concert and would be almost 70-90% correct of what would be played.

stillwaiting said:

I think Shelby shouted "Put Your Hands Up," at least 400 times total in the 6 shows I saw this year.

It basically causes arms to cover your ears , so I trust she has the best intentions for the audience.

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

alexnvrmnd777 said:

WTF are you talking about? I didn't mention MJ one iota there. I'm surprised yo 'ass can even talk with your mouth being full of the purple kool-aid and all. Hell, your words are even in purple too. Sigh... *smh*

4 ur information I brought up MJ 2 remind U how devastated his die hard fans r of his death. We still have Prince here so stop putting him down all the time, appreciate him.

So Don't hate drink the purple cool-aid

Oh please, Grace! Nobody's putting your little god down all the time. It's called tough love. Like L4OA said, he's content on being very run-of-the-mill, and he'll continue to do so if people, fams, like you continue to slurp his nuts at EVERY little thing he does. We know he's got it in him to be soooo much better and more challenging, but as long as he's got his faithful little contingent praising even his crap and boring shit, he'll never push himself. The people he surrounds himself with are the same way as well. But at least they have an excuse. They wanna keep their job.

What's next? He's 80 and in a wheelchair, but he can still push himself out there and play "The Cow Jumps Over The Moon" and say "push it up", and you guys'll be like, "Oh my Gawd!! He's the the greatest ever! Who else is doing that at 80?! Huh? Who? He's better than he was during even the Parade or SOTT eras!! All praise to Lord Prince (and his on-stage nurse)!!"

WHEW!! I thought about going but glad I did not. Same tired show = SAVED MONEY!!

stillwaiting said:

It really does sort of hurt me to be so critical of Prince's live shows. He is clearly going through the motions most nights. As a decent songwriter, and poor musician, I know enough about live performances to properly review them.

If you have blind love for Prince, and you can go on and on about how his hair looked, then you are only capable of reviewing the concert based on how good a time you had.

I hate to play the "music snob" role, but Prince set high standards for himself live. I would say the following tours were either great or close to it: Controversy, PRain, Parade, SOTT, Lovesexy, ONA, and Musicology.

The Welcome 2 Shelby tour is ok at times, and great at times. It is just that he is capable of so much more.

The amount of songs that are not sung in full are highly disturbing. When I was a teenager, the only acts doing Medleys were old and washed up. Prince got away with it on Lovesexy, because the show itself was on another planet with the great band that he had.

On Welcome 2 Playing Other People's Songs Tour, Prince has a fairly weak band. Andy Allo? Please. She makes Mike Scott look like Carlos Santana. John Blackwell is probably the best in the band. Renato can be great, but he doesn't have the funk ability of a Dr Fink or a Tommy Barberella.

Morris Hayes is ok, but something is missing. Ida is not a bad bass player, but she is not on the level of Sonny T or Levi.

There are just too many factors that count against him.

Having the background singers going on and on with "Put Your Hands Up," would be ok if it was just occasional pumping the crowd up, but it gets excessive to the point of self-parody.

Prince is the best there is, and is just not what he used to be. If I thought he was old and washed up, that would be ok. The sad thing is, he is not, he is just mailing it in.

I still feel a bad or mediocre Prince show is still better than most other shows, but to those who have real knowledge of music and live performance cringe during his shows.

I wish I was one of those people who cared about how his hair looked, or just wanted to party...that would make the show more enjoyable.

Still, I will probably go to the next round of shows in my area, and hope for the best.

This tour is still better than the Jam of The Year/New Power Soul tours, which were about the

worst possible. Kirk Johnson was a better drummer than I am, but that band had no real sense of anything. At least Rhonda had improved by ONA.

Even ONA had some weak moments, but Prince fully believed in the new material, and he let the band actually play. There was only a medley section, and most of the other songs were full length, and Anna Stesia was not just a spiritual moment, but it was musical brilliance.

From this tour, Shh, Anotherloverholenyohead, and Guitar were the songs where he sometimes showed the passion. Scandalous, Adore, and If I Was Your Girlfriend were also quite strong at some shows...Columbia, SC in particular.

I will hope for the best, and of all the people who are critical of Prince's live experience, I am unique in the fact that I nearly love every studio release, and throw praise at most of them. I do like the new version of Extra Lovable, and the rap in it is not long enough to destroy the song's momentum. I love Lotus Flow3r, 3121, Planet Earth, and half of Musicology. I think MPLSound is one of his few weak albums to go with New Power Soul. I absolutely love Chaos And Disorder, and laugh when people don't get it.

If you have blind love for Prince, or you just care about him acting like a diva, you will love the show. If you have the ability to be critical, and have any kind of musical training, you might not be as happy.

I will always love Prince, but I can say that if I would've worked for him, I would've been fired in the first ten minutes. He only hires Yes-Men. NOBODY dare challenge him.

[Edited 11/27/11 20:15pm]

I agree with you wholeheartedly, eventhough I don't have the musical background.

On the other hand, I can imagine that he likes the easy-going atmosphere that is going on now.

The band members are happy to have a good job. They will not challenge him, because they know how he can fire them. Especially with the current crisis, I can imagine they want to keep their jobs with Prince. I would.

And Prince gets a lot of love and praise. He doesn't need to deal with people who challenge him or even dare to put up a fight to get the best of his talent out.

And he's traveling around the world. For the purple hippies overhere his sitlest is predictable and maybe his concerts are showing his routine job. However, for the big crowds where he hasn't been a long time, it's a great trip to memory lane or nice chance to see all the hits live. And he and the band work hard to make it a big party for the audiance.

I am still lavishing on the second night of Prince at the North Sea Jazz Festival, where he wasn't into his hits, but was the great musician he truly is. That was just wonderful.

I like the warmth that Shelby disperses, however, as a band member I prefered Rosie Gaines.

I understand Prince that he wouldn't want to change his band right now. Everybody knows his songs, they know the drill and eachothers styles. They know their place and place in the foodchain. No stress going on. I would like that too. Especially when traveling around the world and having to deal with eachother all the time.

And he likes Andy. I understand that. And she is a good singer.

peri1025 said:

I couldn't agree more. I love the man, have done since I was around 10. It just wasn't what I'm used to feeling when Prince is playing live. As he himself said 'most of the people at my shows have been multiple times, I need to play a mix of all my hits'. So why didn't he at Toronto??? Not 26th anyway

I never thought i'd become a lighter shade of Purple.... why you wanna treat me so bad Prince?

stillwaiting said:

It really does sort of hurt me to be so critical of Prince's live shows. He is clearly going through the motions most nights. As a decent songwriter, and poor musician, I know enough about live performances to properly review them.

If you have blind love for Prince, and you can go on and on about how his hair looked, then you are only capable of reviewing the concert based on how good a time you had.

I hate to play the "music snob" role, but Prince set high standards for himself live. I would say the following tours were either great or close to it: Controversy, PRain, Parade, SOTT, Lovesexy, ONA, and Musicology.

The Welcome 2 Shelby tour is ok at times, and great at times. It is just that he is capable of so much more.

The amount of songs that are not sung in full are highly disturbing. When I was a teenager, the only acts doing Medleys were old and washed up. Prince got away with it on Lovesexy, because the show itself was on another planet with the great band that he had.

On Welcome 2 Playing Other People's Songs Tour, Prince has a fairly weak band. Andy Allo? Please. She makes Mike Scott look like Carlos Santana. John Blackwell is probably the best in the band. Renato can be great, but he doesn't have the funk ability of a Dr Fink or a Tommy Barberella.

Morris Hayes is ok, but something is missing. Ida is not a bad bass player, but she is not on the level of Sonny T or Levi.

There are just too many factors that count against him.

Having the background singers going on and on with "Put Your Hands Up," would be ok if it was just occasional pumping the crowd up, but it gets excessive to the point of self-parody.

Prince is the best there is, and is just not what he used to be. If I thought he was old and washed up, that would be ok. The sad thing is, he is not, he is just mailing it in.

I still feel a bad or mediocre Prince show is still better than most other shows, but to those who have real knowledge of music and live performance cringe during his shows.

I wish I was one of those people who cared about how his hair looked, or just wanted to party...that would make the show more enjoyable.

Still, I will probably go to the next round of shows in my area, and hope for the best.

This tour is still better than the Jam of The Year/New Power Soul tours, which were about the

worst possible. Kirk Johnson was a better drummer than I am, but that band had no real sense of anything. At least Rhonda had improved by ONA.

Even ONA had some weak moments, but Prince fully believed in the new material, and he let the band actually play. There was only a medley section, and most of the other songs were full length, and Anna Stesia was not just a spiritual moment, but it was musical brilliance.

From this tour, Shh, Anotherloverholenyohead, and Guitar were the songs where he sometimes showed the passion. Scandalous, Adore, and If I Was Your Girlfriend were also quite strong at some shows...Columbia, SC in particular.

I will hope for the best, and of all the people who are critical of Prince's live experience, I am unique in the fact that I nearly love every studio release, and throw praise at most of them. I do like the new version of Extra Lovable, and the rap in it is not long enough to destroy the song's momentum. I love Lotus Flow3r, 3121, Planet Earth, and half of Musicology. I think MPLSound is one of his few weak albums to go with New Power Soul. I absolutely love Chaos And Disorder, and laugh when people don't get it.

If you have blind love for Prince, or you just care about him acting like a diva, you will love the show. If you have the ability to be critical, and have any kind of musical training, you might not be as happy.

I will always love Prince, but I can say that if I would've worked for him, I would've been fired in the first ten minutes. He only hires Yes-Men. NOBODY dare challenge him.

[Edited 11/27/11 20:15pm]

sunbeam said:

RuthCass said:

That sounds absolutely perfect Well except for the part where Andy is holding his hand, that's my man!! Lol, no but in all seriousness I would've fainted. I loved your stories and I hope to hear some more amazing Prince adventures Btw can you post the picture?

P was staying on the 19th floor haha with Andy I'm sure Yummmaaaay, he played guitar while she played fiddle oh thats badd

Shoot if I was Andy I would be on the 19th floor no matter what lol

That's not bad

peri1025 said:

sunbeam said:

P was staying on the 19th floor haha with Andy I'm sure Yummmaaaay, he played guitar while she played fiddle oh thats badd

This is maybe a stupid question haha but did it seem like they were a couple or just friends. We know he parades around with girls all the time but I'm wondering if something more is going on...just wanted to know what it looked like from your perspective. He has been singing a lot more about sex/sensuality lately and it seems like he's smitten

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I hope they're together He needs someone who can make him happy!

alexnvrmnd777 said:

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

4 ur information I brought up MJ 2 remind U how devastated his die hard fans r of his death. We still have Prince here so stop putting him down all the time, appreciate him.

So Don't hate drink the purple cool-aid

Oh please, Grace! Nobody's putting your little god down all the time. It's called tough love. Like L4OA said, he's content on being very run-of-the-mill, and he'll continue to do so if people, fams, like you continue to slurp his nuts at EVERY little thing he does. We know he's got it in him to be soooo much better and more challenging, but as long as he's got his faithful little contingent praising even his crap and boring shit, he'll never push himself. The people he surrounds himself with are the same way as well. But at least they have an excuse. They wanna keep their job.

What's next? He's 80 and in a wheelchair, but he can still push himself out there and play "The Cow Jumps Over The Moon" and say "push it up", and you guys'll be like, "Oh my Gawd!! He's the the greatest ever! Who else is doing that at 80?! Huh? Who? He's better than he was during even the Parade or SOTT eras!! All praise to Lord Prince (and his on-stage nurse)!!"

Well Little Richard(who use 2 cum 2 this site) is in a wheelchair and he is still working sometimes. I will still be there when Prince turns 80 waving my purple flag . I know he will still be playing killer guitar & keyboards even in a wheelchair @ 80.He is one artist that don't need all the theatrics all the time.He can just sit there and play instruments & entertain people 4 hours. People will be content at just watching him do that. U want the Lovesexy/SOTT Prince? Go put in the dvd.

Jesus Chriiiiist who knew Prince fans were such utter fucking douches?

The show was amazing. If you've seen him so many times that you can no longer rationalize being in the very very few elite who've seen him so many time so as to actually complain about a show this amazing, maybe you need to take a step back and keep your sorry critical ass home next time!

And by the way, I'm a musician, been in many bands, and have played to tens of thousands. I know good musicianship when I see it, and Prince is by FAR one of the most talented musicians I've ever seen live, and still shows it night in night out. The band was tight. Anyone on this forum saying otherwise likely has never played outside their bedroom in the basement of their mom's house. Are you serious, do you even have the slightest clue what it takes to put on a show of this magnitude? Give your head a shake, Prince has more talent than you've got in your baby pinky you wannabee rockstar who never made it! LMAO

I participate regularly on another forum of my favorite band (another huge 80s act that's still going strong, releasing albums and packing stadiums) and I always thought our fans were fucking douchey as hell about setlists etc, but you morons take the cake!! lol

[Edited 11/28/11 7:40am]

stillwaiting said:

It really does sort of hurt me to be so critical of Prince's live shows. He is clearly going through the motions most nights. As a decent songwriter, and poor musician, I know enough about live performances to properly review them.

If you have blind love for Prince, and you can go on and on about how his hair looked, then you are only capable of reviewing the concert based on how good a time you had.

I hate to play the "music snob" role, but Prince set high standards for himself live. I would say the following tours were either great or close to it: Controversy, PRain, Parade, SOTT, Lovesexy, ONA, and Musicology.

The Welcome 2 Shelby tour is ok at times, and great at times. It is just that he is capable of so much more.

The amount of songs that are not sung in full are highly disturbing. When I was a teenager, the only acts doing Medleys were old and washed up. Prince got away with it on Lovesexy, because the show itself was on another planet with the great band that he had.

On Welcome 2 Playing Other People's Songs Tour, Prince has a fairly weak band. Andy Allo? Please. She makes Mike Scott look like Carlos Santana. John Blackwell is probably the best in the band. Renato can be great, but he doesn't have the funk ability of a Dr Fink or a Tommy Barberella.

Morris Hayes is ok, but something is missing. Ida is not a bad bass player, but she is not on the level of Sonny T or Levi.

There are just too many factors that count against him.

Having the background singers going on and on with "Put Your Hands Up," would be ok if it was just occasional pumping the crowd up, but it gets excessive to the point of self-parody.

Prince is the best there is, and is just not what he used to be. If I thought he was old and washed up, that would be ok. The sad thing is, he is not, he is just mailing it in.

I still feel a bad or mediocre Prince show is still better than most other shows, but to those who have real knowledge of music and live performance cringe during his shows.

I wish I was one of those people who cared about how his hair looked, or just wanted to party...that would make the show more enjoyable.

Still, I will probably go to the next round of shows in my area, and hope for the best.

This tour is still better than the Jam of The Year/New Power Soul tours, which were about the

worst possible. Kirk Johnson was a better drummer than I am, but that band had no real sense of anything. At least Rhonda had improved by ONA.

Even ONA had some weak moments, but Prince fully believed in the new material, and he let the band actually play. There was only a medley section, and most of the other songs were full length, and Anna Stesia was not just a spiritual moment, but it was musical brilliance.

From this tour, Shh, Anotherloverholenyohead, and Guitar were the songs where he sometimes showed the passion. Scandalous, Adore, and If I Was Your Girlfriend were also quite strong at some shows...Columbia, SC in particular.

I will hope for the best, and of all the people who are critical of Prince's live experience, I am unique in the fact that I nearly love every studio release, and throw praise at most of them. I do like the new version of Extra Lovable, and the rap in it is not long enough to destroy the song's momentum. I love Lotus Flow3r, 3121, Planet Earth, and half of Musicology. I think MPLSound is one of his few weak albums to go with New Power Soul. I absolutely love Chaos And Disorder, and laugh when people don't get it.

If you have blind love for Prince, or you just care about him acting like a diva, you will love the show. If you have the ability to be critical, and have any kind of musical training, you might not be as happy.

I will always love Prince, but I can say that if I would've worked for him, I would've been fired in the first ten minutes. He only hires Yes-Men. NOBODY dare challenge him.

[Edited 11/27/11 20:15pm]

congrats u will now be labeled a hater cause u MADE SENSE

Astasheiks said:

L4OATheOriginal said:

u may want 2 look closely at what each review is saying, "he played let's go crazy etc.. rarely will they mention when he does his current material" so it's not really a rave its more of saying "he's doing what we tell him 2 do otherwise his concert is bullshit" ..now if u read the reviews he got for ONA then u got something but him doing the hits over and over is rarely a rave review it's more of "prince is a greatest hits act only" not the same prince who broke down the walls of what is 2 be

Thats getting fairly predictable when you or I could have made out the Set List before the Concert and would be almost 70-90% correct of what would be played.

yeah and then have setlist B inserted in the nights he doesn't do LGC ..ooh throw in LRC yeah that will work ...oh wait let me throw in the beautiful ones here, adore there ...yep yep i got it now ..

acrobat70 said:

Jesus Chriiiiist who knew Prince fans were such utter fucking douches?

The show was amazing. If you've seen him so many times that you can no longer rationalize being in the very very few elite who've seen him so many time so as to actually complain about a show this amazing, maybe you need to take a step back and keep your sorry critical ass home next time!

I totally agree! I've seen Prince numerous times over the years and I loved Saturday night's show. He is and always will be an awesome musician and showman. Hearing Gold and Mountains was the highlight for me and seeing him looking so fine only added to the perfection of the evening. The ladies were terrific and the version of Angel was beautiful and emotional.

He opened with Gold...awesome gold outfit...classic mic on stand in the middle of the stage to start...fantastic lighting...gold confetti...it doesn't get much better than that...

problem was there wasn't much that could top that opening number... Full version of Mountains was another highlight. All else was okay. Covers and samplers. No other monumetal moments in my opinion. Well..okay...the middle of the stage, back to the audience booty shaking during one the encores was a nice touch! I had a perfect view being at the point of the symbol! Always a Prince fan and am satisfied with just a couple 'get the chills' moments...I'm sure all you patiently awaiting your shows will be too!

L4OATheOriginal said:

congrats u will now be labeled a hater cause u MADE SENSE

Congrats for being an idiot who quotes page long posts and responds with a one liner! lmao

acrobat70 said:

Jesus Chriiiiist who knew Prince fans were such utter fucking douches?

The show was amazing. If you've seen him so many times that you can no longer rationalize being in the very very few elite who've seen him so many time so as to actually complain about a show this amazing, maybe you need to take a step back and keep your sorry critical ass home next time!

And by the way, I'm a musician, been in many bands, and have played to tens of thousands. I know good musicianship when I see it, and Prince is by FAR one of the most talented musicians I've ever seen live, and still shows it night in night out. The band was tight. Anyone on this forum saying otherwise likely has never played outside their bedroom in the basement of their mom's house. Are you serious, do you even have the slightest clue what it takes to put on a show of this magnitude? Give your head a shake, Prince has more talent than you've got in your baby pinky you wannabee rockstar who never made it! LMAO

I participate regularly on another forum of my favorite band (another huge 80s act that's still going strong, releasing albums and packing stadiums) and I always thought our fans were fucking douchey as hell about setlists etc, but you morons take the cake!! lol

[Edited 11/28/11 7:40am]

It wasn't said that the show was not amazing. A Prince show still is better than any other random artist out there.

And yes, I think most already said they know they are spoiled Prince wise.

It isn't about dissing Prince being a bad performer or musician. He is a great performer and musician. And his current band members are not bad musicians or not doing a great job while touring with him. They work hard and are tight. That's not the point.

It's about him pushing himself to his upper limits and squeezing every drop of talent out of him.

And, it is also reasonable for him to be in the place he's at now. Making music, surrounded by people he gets along with, sold out stadiums. Just nice and easy going, however, still hard working and giving it all.

It's not that black and white.

acrobat70 said:

L4OATheOriginal said:

congrats u will now be labeled a hater cause u MADE SENSE

Congrats for being an idiot who quotes page long posts and responds with a one liner! lmao

congrats on being the toilet paper i use 2 clean myself ..YOUNT

acrobat70 said:

Jesus Chriiiiist who knew Prince fans were such utter fucking douches?

The show was amazing. If you've seen him so many times that you can no longer rationalize being in the very very few elite who've seen him so many time so as to actually complain about a show this amazing, maybe you need to take a step back and keep your sorry critical ass home next time!

And by the way, I'm a musician, been in many bands, and have played to tens of thousands. I know good musicianship when I see it, and Prince is by FAR one of the most talented musicians I've ever seen live, and still shows it night in night out. The band was tight. Anyone on this forum saying otherwise likely has never played outside their bedroom in the basement of their mom's house. Are you serious, do you even have the slightest clue what it takes to put on a show of this magnitude? Give your head a shake, Prince has more talent than you've got in your baby pinky you wannabee rockstar who never made it! LMAO

I participate regularly on another forum of my favorite band (another huge 80s act that's still going strong, releasing albums and packing stadiums) and I always thought our fans were fucking douchey as hell about setlists etc, but you morons take the cake!! lol

[Edited 11/28/11 7:40am]

I think that some of the frustration is due to the fact that he has been doing hits based tours since 2004 (Musicology). I guess the reality is that he is now a nostalgia act but some of us still think he is recording and releasing worthwhile new material and it's kind of a shame that he isn't playing much, if any of it, very often. For example, a lot of fans loved the Lotusflow3r album and would have enjoyed hearing a tour based around it but he didn't do that. Obviously on large scale tours he is mostly going to be playing the hits but it would be great if he sprinkled in some smaller scale tours that cater to the hardcore fan. I think that he can do both but with a few exceptions most of his shows since 2004 were catering to the casual fan.

As far as covers go the man has released over thirty albums. He has much more material than can fill a single concert. When he plays covers that is time that could instead be spent playing his own songs. The odd cover can be fun but I think most of us feel that they should be kept to a minimum and we would rather hear a semi-obscure song of his rather than a cover.

rialb said:

acrobat70 said:

Jesus Chriiiiist who knew Prince fans were such utter fucking douches?

The show was amazing. If you've seen him so many times that you can no longer rationalize being in the very very few elite who've seen him so many time so as to actually complain about a show this amazing, maybe you need to take a step back and keep your sorry critical ass home next time!

And by the way, I'm a musician, been in many bands, and have played to tens of thousands. I know good musicianship when I see it, and Prince is by FAR one of the most talented musicians I've ever seen live, and still shows it night in night out. The band was tight. Anyone on this forum saying otherwise likely has never played outside their bedroom in the basement of their mom's house. Are you serious, do you even have the slightest clue what it takes to put on a show of this magnitude? Give your head a shake, Prince has more talent than you've got in your baby pinky you wannabee rockstar who never made it! LMAO

I participate regularly on another forum of my favorite band (another huge 80s act that's still going strong, releasing albums and packing stadiums) and I always thought our fans were fucking douchey as hell about setlists etc, but you morons take the cake!! lol

[Edited 11/28/11 7:40am]

I think that some of the frustration is due to the fact that he has been doing hits based tours since 2004 (Musicology). I guess the reality is that he is now a nostalgia act but some of us still think he is recording and releasing worthwhile new material and it's kind of a shame that he isn't playing much, if any of it, very often. For example, a lot of fans loved the Lotusflow3r album and would have enjoyed hearing a tour based around it but he didn't do that. Obviously on large scale tours he is mostly going to be playing the hits but it would be great if he sprinkled in some smaller scale tours that cater to the hardcore fan. I think that he can do both but with a few exceptions most of his shows since 2004 were catering to the casual fan.

As far as covers go the man has released over thirty albums. He has much more material than can fill a single concert. When he plays covers that is time that could instead be spent playing his own songs. The odd cover can be fun but I think most of us feel that they should be kept to a minimum and we would rather hear a semi-obscure song of his rather than a cover.

when he used 2 do cover versions u would listen and say wow nice rendention, now it's like it's become a part of the show instead of the one off performance or a aftershow feel ..kind of sad and especially that now it's the back ground singers doing the covers

L4OATheOriginal said:

acrobat70 said:

Congrats for being an idiot who quotes page long posts and responds with a one liner! lmao

congrats on being the toilet paper i use 2 clean myself ..YOUNT

Yount!