Post your concert reviews and experiences here folks.

http://www.wantickets.com...ntId=97343

[Edited 12/16/11 8:55am]

rmartin70 said:

The Doc tweeted this link.

http://www.wantickets.com...ntId=97343

[Edited 12/16/11 8:55am]

Showing SOLD OUT!!

I hope everyone from here got tickets... You're crazy not to go!

earth to people?

I bet they had so much purple fun they are too exhausted to post for us

my sister just left the show. said she's weak in the knees from all the funk.

C'mon folks, give us your first concert impresssions while you are on the way to the afterjam party!

The show was bad, in the sickest way possible. But please is there anyway to get into the soldout afterjam? Anyone know some insider secrets? Time is running outttttttt.......

[Edited 12/17/11 1:06am]

I just came back from the concert and it was AMAZING!!! Since I always want to know the set list first before the reviews, I am going to post what I noted in my iPhone in regards to songs (if I did happen to forget one or two or have some of them in the wrong order, please feel free to add or correct).

SETLIST

Gold

Purple Rain

Let's Go Crazy

Delirious

Shhh

Mountains

1999

Housequake

Come Together (Prince and girls sang)

Everyday People (Prince and girls sang)

Long Train Running (Doobie Brothers' tune... girls sang)

Alphabet Street

Angel (Sarah McLaughlan cover... girls sang)

Controversy

Take Me With You (Prince and Andy)

Raspberry Beret

Cream

Love Rollercoaster (snippet)

Don't Stop Till You Get Enough (Michael Jackson cover... girls sang)

Cool

First Encore:

If I Was Ur Girlfriend

Kiss

Nothing Compares To U

Second Encore:

(Prince Medley Behind Piano)

Dance Electric (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! drums snippet only ... unfortuntately )

Hot Thing

When Doves Cry

Nasty Girls (drums only snippet)

Sign O The Times

Shockadelica (drums only snippet)

The Most Beautiful Girl In The World

Darling Nikki

I Would Die 4 U

(Band Starts Up Again)

Dance (Disco Heat)

Baby I'm A Star

(TECHNICAL DETAILS)

The show started at around 8:45pm, went until 11:15pm with the stadium being approximately 85% to capacity. The sound coud've been a lot better then it was... the keyboards and bass were a little too overpowering (especially on 'Let's Go Crazy') so there were times when Prince's vocals and guitar were a little too buried in the mix. Several times Prince called out to the sound guys to turn up either his guitar, his vocals or bring down the overall stage mix. He did his usual thing where he left after the first encore for about 14 minutes or so, about 1/2 the stadium lights came on and then he decided to return for the last encore.

MY REVIEW (for what it's worth - LOL):

Overall Prince put on a pretty spectacular 2 1/2 hour show. Very hard to believe that he is 53 years old and still performing like he is 23. For anyone who says that the reason that Britney Spears lip-syncs her shows is because of all her dancing leaving her out of breath, well - that's a crock. Prince danced his tail off all the while he was singing songs like 'Kiss' and never losing a step... he showed everyone how it should be done.

This being my 5th time seeing him, I was really happy that he did songs like 'Controversy', 'Shhh', 'Gold', 'Cream' and 'I Would Die 4 U' plus teased us with gems like 'Dance Electric', 'Darling Nikki', and 'Nasty Girls' since I had never heard him perform any of these before live. Unlike the 'One Night Alone' tour which I felt was super musically tight, this concert came across a little looser with it more about the jamming and spur of the moment tunes. For some - like me - that was awesome, but for others, you could tell they were hoping to get full songs and less drawn out jams. Prince was captivating as always and you could tell he was having a great night with his band.

The aftershow is being held at Bar None here in town and tix sold out pretty fast. One thing someone noted to me about the aftershows is that there seems to be a reason that Prince isn't singing very much at them and handing all the vocals over to Andy. Aside from wanting to rest his voice, there's the real easy opportunity for someone (at any of these clubs he plays aftershows at), to plug in an audio recording device and record the performances straight out of the soundboard. By him just playing more instruments and singing less, what incentive would there be to record something like that... probably not as much. I'm not sure if he sang much at the other Aftershows across Canada so who knows, there may not be any truth to that... interesting thought though.

The guest vocalist this evening at the afterjam is a Canadian artist named K-Os. I'm not going to that but hopefully someone can let us Org'ers here know how that went

[Edited 12/17/11 1:45am]

[Edited 12/17/11 1:51am]

I'm so jealous, I love K-os... man so lucky

IamFunkay7 said:

I'm so jealous, I love K-os... man so lucky

K-os is SO underrated. Love him too. Very cool brother. Nice to see others hip to him.

Thanks for the reviews, sounds like a great funky moment!

thanks 4 posting the setlist i just wish he would stop going from gold into purple rain too early in the show 4 a bathroom break

greaser said:

The show was bad, in the sickest way possible. But please is there anyway to get into the soldout afterjam? Anyone know some insider secrets? Time is running outttttttt.......

[Edited 12/17/11 1:06am]

Why? What happend?

Hope you finally got in to the Bar None.

L4OATheOriginal said:

thanks 4 posting the setlist i just wish he would stop going from gold into purple rain too early in the show 4 a bathroom break

iwonderyou said:

I just came back from the concert and it was AMAZING!!! Since I always want to know the set list first before the reviews, I am going to post what I noted in my iPhone in regards to songs (if I did happen to forget one or two or have some of them in the wrong order, please feel free to add or correct).

SETLIST

Gold

Purple Rain

Let's Go Crazy

Delirious

Shhh

Mountains

1999

Housequake

Come Together (Prince and girls sang)

Everyday People (Prince and girls sang)

Long Train Running (Doobie Brothers' tune... girls sang)

Alphabet Street

Angel (Sarah McLaughlan cover... girls sang)

Controversy

Take Me With You (Prince and Andy)

Raspberry Beret

Cream

Love Rollercoaster (snippet)

Don't Stop Till You Get Enough (Michael Jackson cover... girls sang)

Cool

First Encore:

If I Was Ur Girlfriend

Kiss

Nothing Compares To U

Second Encore:

(Prince Medley Behind Piano)

Dance Electric (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! drums snippet only ... unfortuntately )

Hot Thing

When Doves Cry

Nasty Girls (drums only snippet)

Sign O The Times

Shockadelica (drums only snippet)

The Most Beautiful Girl In The World

Darling Nikki

I Would Die 4 U

(Band Starts Up Again)

Dance (Disco Heat)

Baby I'm A Star

(TECHNICAL DETAILS)

The show started at around 8:45pm, went until 11:15pm with the stadium being approximately 85% to capacity. The sound coud've been a lot better then it was... the keyboards and bass were a little too overpowering (especially on 'Let's Go Crazy') so there were times when Prince's vocals and guitar were a little too buried in the mix. Several times Prince called out to the sound guys to turn up either his guitar, his vocals or bring down the overall stage mix. He did his usual thing where he left after the first encore for about 14 minutes or so, about 1/2 the stadium lights came on and then he decided to return for the last encore.

MY REVIEW (for what it's worth - LOL):

Overall Prince put on a pretty spectacular 2 1/2 hour show. Very hard to believe that he is 53 years old and still performing like he is 23. For anyone who says that the reason that Britney Spears lip-syncs her shows is because of all her dancing leaving her out of breath, well - that's a crock. Prince danced his tail off all the while he was singing songs like 'Kiss' and never losing a step... he showed everyone how it should be done.

This being my 5th time seeing him, I was really happy that he did songs like 'Controversy', 'Shhh', 'Gold', 'Cream' and 'I Would Die 4 U' plus teased us with gems like 'Dance Electric', 'Darling Nikki', and 'Nasty Girls' since I had never heard him perform any of these before live. Unlike the 'One Night Alone' tour which I felt was super musically tight, this concert came across a little looser with it more about the jamming and spur of the moment tunes. For some - like me - that was awesome, but for others, you could tell they were hoping to get full songs and less drawn out jams. Prince was captivating as always and you could tell he was having a great night with his band.

The aftershow is being held at Bar None here in town and tix sold out pretty fast. One thing someone noted to me about the aftershows is that there seems to be a reason that Prince isn't singing very much at them and handing all the vocals over to Andy. Aside from wanting to rest his voice, there's the real easy opportunity for someone (at any of these clubs he plays aftershows at), to plug in an audio recording device and record the performances straight out of the soundboard. By him just playing more instruments and singing less, what incentive would there be to record something like that... probably not as much. I'm not sure if he sang much at the other Aftershows across Canada so who knows, there may not be any truth to that... interesting thought though.

The guest vocalist this evening at the afterjam is a Canadian artist named K-Os. I'm not going to that but hopefully someone can let us Org'ers here know how that went

[Edited 12/17/11 1:45am]

[Edited 12/17/11 1:51am]

thank you for sharing this...it is much appreciated. let's hope that Prince is blessed with the energy he has for a long time 2 come. i have not seen him live in years & know that whenever i do, whether in the near or far future, he will still blow mind.

as 4 the Gold > Purple Rain sequence...it makes total sense to me why and how he could do that. they're both anthem type tunes & after them, he can let lose.

4 now...I am happy w/ the jamming vibe. that is what it is about, having fun on stage so that others feel the vibe and enjoy it as well.

perhaps as fans, we should accept that this is where Prince is now, and it is working for him. most importantly, he is happy, he is successful, he has overcome recording co's and media outlets who would rather not promote him, because it would mean that all independent artists can also prosper and follow his lead.

the thousands who see him are not as critical as long-time fans are, and really, it's about him funkin' it out with them, the masses...the new breed

keep enjoying yourself Prince and the NPG...y'all are true stars

Positive review from Francois Marchand

VANCOUVER - When it comes to getting the royal treatment, music fans need look no further than Prince.

At 53, Rogers Nelson still rocks the stage like few can, and he kicked off a spectacular weekend in Vancouver (which also includes "royals" Kanye West and Jay-Z performing Saturday and Sunday) on Friday night at Rogers Arena.

With a setlist that was a cavalcade of classics peppered with covers and medleys, Prince painted the town purple - and then some.

It may be easy to overlook Prince's output over the past decade, not that the man has failed to have his fair share of successes.

Yet it was plain to see most fans in attendance, ranging from old Prince aficionados to costumed youngsters that weren't even born when Prince was topping the charts, were there for the hits, and the hits they got in spades.

Prince, the artist formerly known as The Artist Formerly Known As, took to the stage a solid 45 minutes later than scheduled (with a couple lighting teases in between), which was more than enough time for fans to get juiced, get pumped and get a little on-edge (if you got too edgy you could shell out 30 bucks for a Prince-approved tambourine and get ready to go crazy).

But once Prince hit his symbol-shaped in-the-round stage, all was forgiven, the 12,000-strong crowd ready to party like it was 1999 all over again.

Backed by his incredible cast of musicians known as the New Power Generation and three deep-voiced backup singers, Prince kicked things off in a lightning-filled cloud of smoke (some of which, as one would have expected, was provided by the crowd).

"Is everybody here?" Prince asked from the shadows. "Let's go."

Dressed in a super flashy sequined suit, confetti already raining down from the ceiling, Prince signaled the beginning of what would be a soulful, jubilant celebration with Gold, followed immediately by the song everybody wanted to hear: Purple Rain.

"Do you want to hear me play my guitar?" he asked as he got ready to attack his Telecaster for the song's infamous solo, Rogers Arena exploding into a shower of purple and golden confetti, white flags waving atop the stage, the crowd singing along, "Wooooo-hoo!"

The party was on.

Let's Go Crazy merged into Delirious, from 1982's classic 1999 (the album's title track not far behind), with former James Brown sax blower Maceo Parker bringing the funk home.

Not surprisingly, considering the way he shimmies and shakes, Prince may just be the rightful heir to the Godfather of Soul.

Some moments may have felt a bit like glorified jam karaoke (the NPG singers did, however, give Sarah McLachlan a run for her money covering Angel), but you have to give Prince proper credit.

Unlike most contemporary pop acts, his setlists are unpredictable, changing on a nightly basis yet working like clockwork thanks to a backing band that knows exactly how to deal with the depth of his catalogue and the man's spontaneous nature. What's more, the guy performs as if every fiber of his being was to disintegrate if he didn't give it everything he had.

Speaking of spontaneous, with multiple costume changes and medleys blending a super fun Everyday People (again with Parker on sax) and the Beatles' Come Together, Prince refused to paint by numbers, playing it by ear, though a few teleprompters scattered around the stage seemed to help keep things under control.

Sure, Prince used some predictable and sometimes cheesy tricks, including saying "Vancouver!" about a hundred times and doing the old, "Have you been to Calgary before? That's a funky city!" to rile up the locals.

It was all in good fun, though, and overall there was really very little one could've complained about, especially as the show moved into electro-funk mode in its second half, kicking off with the "old school" VU-blasting Controversy and would go on to include a Raspberry Beret topped with a gooey layer of Cream and more medley jamming incorporating Michael Jackson's Don't Stop Till You Get Enough.

Vancouver may not have gotten Toronto's crazy string of six encores, but what we got were a couple extra sets that included a slamming Kiss, with Prince gyrating his hips and pulling some twisted dance moves (impressive considering the diminutive funk-pop star was rocking some major high heels), culminating with Nothing Compares 2U, the song famously covered by Sinead O'Connor.

People obviously wanted more, staying long after the house lights had been turned on.

Patient fans who toughed it out an extra 10 minutes would be rewarded with a third bunch of songs handed out DJ-style, including When Doves Cry and a quick snippet of I Would Die For You

With his Welcome 2 Canada tour, Prince brought one hell of a party to Vancouver, a two-and-a-half-hour roller coaster ride worthy of a New Year's Eve bash, and fans really partied like it was, well, 2011.

Article found at The Vancouver Sun

Praxis said:

thank you for sharing this...it is much appreciated. let's hope that Prince is blessed with the energy he has for a long time 2 come. i have not seen him live in years & know that whenever i do, whether in the near or far future, he will still blow mind.

as 4 the Gold > Purple Rain sequence...it makes total sense to me why and how he could do that. they're both anthem type tunes & after them, he can let lose.

4 now...I am happy w/ the jamming vibe. that is what it is about, having fun on stage so that others feel the vibe and enjoy it as well.

perhaps as fans, we should accept that this is where Prince is now, and it is working for him. most importantly, he is happy, he is successful, he has overcome recording co's and media outlets who would rather not promote him, because it would mean that all independent artists can also prosper and follow his lead.

the thousands who see him are not as critical as long-time fans are, and really, it's about him funkin' it out with them, the masses...the new breed

keep enjoying yourself Prince and the NPG...y'all are true stars

Very well said, I completely agree with you! Whether some of us like what Prince is doing or not, it does work ... the success of his concerts wherever he has been playing since summer 2010 is proof enough! He continues to draw big crowds, they are enthusiastic at the concerts, and he is having a great time as well. Nothing wrong with that at all.

philmoreliz said:

I just left the after jam. It went until 4:30 am, Prince mostly on bass. Thank you prince.org for tipping me off that such things exist. I especially want to that the person who wrote in about how late they would start playing. There were about 150 or fewer people there at the end. A fine birthday present. My boyfriend kept wanting to leave as he did not think they would show. Boy is he glad he listened to reason, as in NO WAY ARE WE CUTTING OUT? I would have been happy with the concert alone which was extraordinary. I lack the prose to fully describe it but maybe later.

woah is that the usual?

Do you have any pictures to share Vancouver?

Praxis said:

Praxis said:

WOW!!! I'm a little sad that I sold my ticket to this one, but it was for the best. I hope he does Gold in Tacoma too. I'm glad that he was at the afterjam. I was debating whether or not to go to the one in Seattle. As long as he performs, it'll be worth it. Thank you all for sharing!

Great set! I had a feeling it'd be good. I hoping he saves his energy for Tacoma though, my girl has never seen Prince in concert so Im trying to convert her. She only knows the hits so lets hope he pulls a few gems out then.

Really enjoyed reading this...thanks! Was it your impression that he was 'with' Andy? I was surfing the 'net the other day, and up popped her photo on a website. I think I was comparing cell phones, and....whoops...there was Andy! Also, up close and personal, did he seem really small? I have never seen him in person. You said you were inches away. Just curious whether that was the first thing that came to mind (wow, he's small), or, not so much.

micv said:

I went to the concert and the afterjam. This was my 11th concert on the Welcome 2... tours so there weren't many surprises. Highlight for me were hearing 'Gold', a wee snippet of Shockadelica and him doing Alphabet Street on guitar instead of during the sample set. Left the arena around 11:10 and walked to Bar None, arriving at 11:30. Everyone outside was trying to figure out how they could get in and I seemed to be the only one with a ticket so they let me right in. I planted myself in front of the stage next to the reserved section. The wait was long but they did have to transport the bands instruments and set them all up. Then some dude in a bowtie who has no future in music came up and sang 3 songs. I think he knew the bar owners cuz he was seated in the reserved section. There was a vip section off to the side for the NPG. Prince and andy didn't show up until later and they followed the band up on stage. In a bit of good fortune, princes bodyguard guided him up to the stage right next to me so I got to stand next to him when he entered and exited the stage. The stage was about a foot high so we got good eye contact with all the band. Prince alternated bass and guitar all night. Here's the setlist as I remember it--pretty sure I'm forgetting some songs and these are probably not in right order: - 777.9311 ... PRINCE ON BASS - PASS THE PEAS ... PRINCE ON BASS - which way is up liv sang a song I recognized but don't know the name of... - We want the funk -Thank you falettinme b mice elf - Let's get it on... andy on vox - People get ready... shelby on vox - Get wild extended jam - made up song about vancouver... all ladies on vox - It ain't ova till its ova jam/chant I'm sure that's not everything. Basically prince started on bass, moved to guitar and then went back to bass. He alternated playing facing john blackwell and being right up at the front of the stage and facing the audience. Those were my favorite times cuz he was 6 inches from me and its amazing to watch him play so up close. His bodyguard stood on stage and deleted any photos off proples phones who tried to take photos so don't expect to see any pictures posted. Prince was wearing that same suit and top hat that he wore at one of the europe shows... I can't remember which. His hair was tied up in a long black scarf with the velvet top hat cocked to the side on his head. He looked gorgeous if I may voice my humble opinion! The show did end at 4.40 am as another poster stated. Prince threw down idas bass towards the end but then picked it up again and played a few more minutes. When he threw his pick down it was done. The band was escorted off stage and prince curteously let all the girls go ahead of him. He and maceo were last to leave and they disappeared into the morning A great experience that I will treasure! I wish I was going to victoria but I'm flying back to california. I hope there is another afterjam in my future... and that andy allo isn't involved lol. Ps: Ladies DO NOT wear heels to the afterjam. I wore flats and my feet were killing me after standing for over 7 hours. The women around me in heels were dropping like flies and left early. Not worth it to look sexy if you miss a moment of prince! [Edited 12/17/11 15:31pm] [Edited 12/17/11 15:50pm]

micv said:

I went to the concert and the afterjam. This was my 11th concert on the Welcome 2... tours so there weren't many surprises. Highlight for me were hearing 'Gold', a wee snippet of Shockadelica and him doing Alphabet Street on guitar instead of during the sample set. Left the arena around 11:10 and walked to Bar None, arriving at 11:30. Everyone outside was trying to figure out how they could get in and I seemed to be the only one with a ticket so they let me right in. I planted myself in front of the stage next to the reserved section. The wait was long but they did have to transport the bands instruments and set them all up. Then some dude in a bowtie who has no future in music came up and sang 3 songs. I think he knew the bar owners cuz he was seated in the reserved section. There was a vip section off to the side for the NPG. Prince and andy didn't show up until later and they followed the band up on stage. In a bit of good fortune, princes bodyguard guided him up to the stage right next to me so I got to stand next to him when he entered and exited the stage. The stage was about a foot high so we got good eye contact with all the band. Prince alternated bass and guitar all night. Here's the setlist as I remember it--pretty sure I'm forgetting some songs and these are probably not in right order: - 777.9311 ... PRINCE ON BASS - PASS THE PEAS ... PRINCE ON BASS - which way is up liv sang a song I recognized but don't know the name of... - We want the funk -Thank you falettinme b mice elf - Let's get it on... andy on vox - People get ready... shelby on vox - Get wild extended jam - made up song about vancouver... all ladies on vox - It ain't ova till its ova jam/chant I'm sure that's not everything. Basically prince started on bass, moved to guitar and then went back to bass. He alternated playing facing john blackwell and being right up at the front of the stage and facing the audience. Those were my favorite times cuz he was 6 inches from me and its amazing to watch him play so up close. His bodyguard stood on stage and deleted any photos off proples phones who tried to take photos so don't expect to see any pictures posted. Prince was wearing that same suit and top hat that he wore at one of the europe shows... I can't remember which. His hair was tied up in a long black scarf with the velvet top hat cocked to the side on his head. He looked gorgeous if I may voice my humble opinion! The show did end at 4.40 am as another poster stated. Prince threw down idas bass towards the end but then picked it up again and played a few more minutes. When he threw his pick down it was done. The band was escorted off stage and prince curteously let all the girls go ahead of him. He and maceo were last to leave and they disappeared into the morning A great experience that I will treasure! I wish I was going to victoria but I'm flying back to california. I hope there is another afterjam in my future... and that andy allo isn't involved lol. Ps: Ladies DO NOT wear heels to the afterjam. I wore flats and my feet were killing me after standing for over 7 hours. The women around me in heels were dropping like flies and left early. Not worth it to look sexy if you miss a moment of prince! [Edited 12/17/11 15:31pm] [Edited 12/17/11 15:50pm]

I was there too right up front! And so true about the shoes. My feet were on fire but my friend and I were real troopers and wasn't about to leave and give up this opportunity. I flew in from California too. I must have seen you because we were right up front also. He was so close to me I could have touched him but I refrained. I really don't know where Prince and the NPG get all their energy. Shelby told me she liked the necklace I was wearing so I gave it to her. Later towards the end she picked up one of Princes pick that he had thrown down and everyone was wanting her to give it to them and she came over and placed it in my hand! I thought that was so sweet. This was my 4th concert this year and first aftershow. The concert had so much energy but the aftershow I felt was the best because we got a closer glimpse of who Prince really is. I think he is a little shy..which I always find sexy..oh and did I say sexy....By the way everyone looks slimmer in the group which probaly comes from all the vigorous dancing and crazy schedule, but Andy looked extremly thin from the first time I saw her in Montreal this summer. I need to go on the Prince diet too!!

oohlalalady said: