petes2 said:

kewlschool said:

LRC solo was very cool -(I think he was trying to impress certain member of guns and roses, along with members of alice in chains, and soungarden.) The one thing that stood out was the concert was short. And after the last song 90% of the audienece waited for at least 10 mins or more for him to come out. Prince didn't. I would give Maceo a 10 on Jamming with Prince-It was great. If you like Maceo this was his night.

guns and roses maybe but alice and soundgarden? Prince probably wouldn't give their music the time of day.

That may or not be the case. But they are fellow musicians and Prince did make eye contact more than once to give them the hey I can throw down look (In a playful manner).

petes2 said:

jackmitz said:

Short, mellow show. Woefully unattended, but the band played well. Hot Thing was two verses plus a little jam....what a treat. Everything else was pretty standard. The LRC solo was off the chain. Off to the afterparty.

I told you a month ago that the show wouldn't sell out, and that Springsteen half-filled the joint, in comparison to that was it more or less? I tried to get last minute tickets but I couldn't get my money together, even though they were dirt cheap. I sulked for the next few hours like a big baby, should have bought the tix earlier.

If you count the extreme nosebleed which where blocked off by curtains 75-80% of the venue.

If you don't count the black out areas about 90% sell out.

kewlschool said:

petes2 said:

I told you a month ago that the show wouldn't sell out, and that Springsteen half-filled the joint, in comparison to that was it more or less? I tried to get last minute tickets but I couldn't get my money together, even though they were dirt cheap. I sulked for the next few hours like a big baby, should have bought the tix earlier.

If you count the extreme nosebleed which where blocked off by curtains 75-80% of the venue.

If you don't count the black out areas about 90% sell out.

that doesn't sound that bad, Bruce who is known for fanatical fans didn't even do that well, that's the reason I didn't expect a huge turnout. times are hard in america for alot of us, for us musicians it's even worse so I can't feel too bad about not having extra dough, I pay my Prince dues everytime I perform a song of his to the best of my ability.

hmm

sounds like it was pretty chill

kewlschool said:

petes2 said:

guns and roses maybe but alice and soundgarden? Prince probably wouldn't give their music the time of day.

That may or not be the case. But they are fellow musicians and Prince did make eye contact more than once to give them the hey I can throw down look (In a playful manner).

maybe he did but black folks look at a lot of white music with pure contempt, as in how Prince contemptuously said in an interview "you'll go to the Grammy's and U2'll beat you". Prince has always had the attitude, "I can outdo you in your own field" thing. Not that GnR and Soundgarden weren't great musicians, just speaking on Prince's particular outlook.

http://blogcritics.org/music/article/concert-review-prince-tacoma-dome-tacoma/ the responses say a little of why P might have left, people running under the stage and picture and vids being taken. I said a month ago that one of the reasons I wasn't too eager to go was I'm getting too old to be harassed for coming out to see a hero. People don't change, that's probably why Prince left early, it's not like Prince to not put on a good show but it is like him to be a controlling person. It's amazing he can still hold onto his fans really, no one else in the business does the shit he does, Springsteen has been the most bootlegged artist in history and he never pulled the shit. If people wanna take pictures let them, they paid there hard earned money and give their time to see you Prince!

purplecrack said:

I've attended over 20 Prince concerts from different eras (including 4 W2A shows), and the Tacoma Dome show was the absolute worst show I've ever witnessed. When I tell you these words, you need to understand that I'm a massive fan and have been for over 25 years- This show was so bad it was embarassing. Maceo's playing and Prince laying face down on the piano very briefly were the only 2 immensely enjoyable components of the entire evening. The majority of the concert sounded like a local church band revival of the hits- I mean a really sloppy, muddy, RUSHED performance. I'm sorry, there is no excuse for this performance- What Prince advertised this tour as, and what transpired in Tacoma last night couldn't be 2 more different birds.

I still love Prince, but I won't be so quick to throwdown 500.00-1000.00 to see 2 sorry excuses for a show. Yeah, I said it, the aftershow was awful too. And what was all that "Girls and Boys" footage being shown before the show started ? What a bag of hot air. Curiously, I did notice a newer shirt design that had the W2A logo on the sleeve and printed on it was "copyright 2011 NPG Productions". Funny thing is the shirt was a reprint of the "Take Me With U" single artwork from that other band, you know, the elephant in the room Prince tries not to talk about too much, the Revolution. Of course that was the #1 selling shirt from what my friends and I witnessed at multiple merch stands.

I sincerely hope there is a bigger reason this show was awful and not just Prince thinking it would be great to turn the setlist into a local church revival. San Jose W2A shows were on the other hand, 2 of the best shows I've ever seen him play. Maybe he's over the tour, maybe he's over Tacoma Dome not selling out. I'd love feedback and thoughts on this if you feel inclined.

If it was the Revolution with him and/or Sheila E. opening, it would have sold out. I probably already said enough to cause a few tizzy fits, but come on, can you hear me now on some of this ?

NPG = Not Properly Grounded

How interesting. I went to the Oakland, San Jose, and 6 of the LA Forum shows on the W2A tour and felt that the San Jose shows were the two that were shortest and had less energy from the crowd. Just goes to show how differently each fan interprets the experience. I always say though that when I'm at a Prince show I'd rather be there than anywhere else--never been disappointed by one, just treasure some more highly than others

Just wanted to add my two cents. Most of what I thought has already been said, though. The main show was completely underwhelming. This was my fourteenth Prince show, including two W2A shows in LA last summer, and it was without a doubt my least favorite. This was a greatest-hits show through-and-through with absolutely nothing for the hardcore fans. I could not believe he was done after 90 minutes; what was even weirder is that he didn't acknowledge the show was over in any way. No "thank you," no "good night," just nothing. It was confusing. People were PISSED. I talked to a few people outside, and one comment stuck in my head: "this was my first Prince show, and it will probably be my last." When I pointed out that there was an afterjam coming up and he would most likely play there, another fan said how lame it was that he cut a concert with thousands of people in attendance short to reserve his energy for an aftershow with a couple of hundred. Even though I thought the aftershow was amazing, I can't say I disagree.

I thought the main show actually started out great-- he seemed to have a great energy, even poking fun at himself when he dropped the mike during Delirious. But after about 30 minutes, something changed; he just seemed to be going through the motions. Near the end, I realized that I wasn't even watching the show, but was instead people-watching and not even paying attention to what was going on onstage. There was a super-cute family right across the aisle from me with two boys about 5 and 7 who were having a ball, who I later learned were Mr. Blackwell's family. The only saving graces for the show for me were the near-full rendition of Forever in My Life during the sampler set, and also Hot Thing with the band accompinent during the sampler set.

The afterjam, though-- wow. I almost didn't go because I was half convinced he wouldn't even play because of his lackluster performance during the main show. I thought he was in a bad mood or something. I decided to give it a shot anyway, and got there a little before midnight and planted myself right in front of the stage about four people back. It got a little nuts after awhile with people crowding in and bumping into each other, but for the most part the people that were around me kept a really positive attitude and joked around about it. I drove up from Portland from the show, and coincidentally the people standing right next to me were not only also from Portland, but lived only about five minutes from me. I've only had the good fortune to be at one other aftershow on the JOTY tour, and this absolutely blew it out of the water. It was musicianship at its finest. His guitar was on fire; his bass-playing during Musicology and Sweet Thing were great to see since he doesn't seem to pick up the bass too much anymore. The band member that really surprised me was Elisa; she has a really great energy on stage and was dancing and acting silly the whole time. Liv Warfield was getting a lot of love too because there were a lot of Portland people in the house.

The lowlight of the show was right after Prince took the stage, his inhumanly big bodyguards decided that everybody needed to step back three feet from the edge of the stage. We were already packed in extremely tight, and they seemed to somehow think we could just make that three feet appear out of nowhere and kept forcing people back when there wasn't anywhere for them to go. I'm not claustrophic in the least, but I started to feel like I couldn't breathe for a second.

As others have said, Andy wasn't there much at all. She came out during I Got the Love and sang some very limited backup vocals, and then played a little guitar on Musicology. Other than being danced around by Prince during Sweet Thing, that was the extent of her contribution to the show. For those of you looking for any evidence that they are indeed a couple, there was a throwaway moment that probably hardly anybody caught during Musicology-- she was playing guitar and her hair was getting in her eyes, and Prince casually reached up and brushed her bangs back behind her ear. It's hard to explain why, but it was just a nice tender moment that I don't think you would do unless you were emotionally close to someone.

So all-in-all, I'm glad I made the trip up from Portland just for the afterjam. If I had skipped it, I wouldn't have felt the trip was worthwhile at all. I'm tired as hell, my 44-year-old feet are hurting like a mofo, and my lower back is killing me, but I'd do it again.

Wow, dplatt! You were lucky to have been so close at the aftershow. My neck hurts today from straining to see him over the taller people in front of me, LOL. I agree, I'd do it all again (and be closer to the stage next time. ).

So... here are a few of the awful pictures I managed to snap with my cellphone during the show. I would have had a field day with my actual camera, but I thought that having my phone out was risky enough. Sorry they are so blurry, it's the best I could do without getting caught.

Here I am before the show, super stoked at how close I am to the stage.

[img:$uid]http://i581.photobucket.com/albums/ss254/wera300/Prince%20Tacoma%20Dome/IMG_1334.jpg[/img:$uid]

Confetti during Purple Rain!

[img:$uid]http://i581.photobucket.com/albums/ss254/wera300/Prince%20Tacoma%20Dome/IMG_1338.jpg[/img:$uid]

Purple Rain, post confetti. Hm, I wonder who that golden blur on stage could be??

[img:$uid]http://i581.photobucket.com/albums/ss254/wera300/Prince%20Tacoma%20Dome/IMG_1342.jpg[/img:$uid]

View of the symbol stage from the top of the Dome. I took this on my way out.

[img:$uid]http://i581.photobucket.com/albums/ss254/wera300/Prince%20Tacoma%20Dome/IMG_1354-1.jpg[/img:$uid]

Ok, worst photo ever, but I did not want to get caught and kicked out, so here's all I've got from the after show.

[img:$uid]http://i581.photobucket.com/albums/ss254/wera300/Prince%20Tacoma%20Dome/IMG_1356.jpg[/img:$uid]

Just pretend you can know what's going on. It's like listening to the radio.

Hm, those photos shouldn't be so big. They were resized in photobucket. Sorry guys!

dplatt said:

petes2 said:

http://blogcritics.org/music/article/concert-review-prince-tacoma-dome-tacoma/ the responses say a little of why P might have left, people running under the stage and picture and vids being taken. I said a month ago that one of the reasons I wasn't too eager to go was I'm getting too old to be harassed for coming out to see a hero. People don't change, that's probably why Prince left early, it's not like Prince to not put on a good show but it is like him to be a controlling person. It's amazing he can still hold onto his fans really, no one else in the business does the shit he does, Springsteen has been the most bootlegged artist in history and he never pulled the shit. If people wanna take pictures let them, they paid there hard earned money and give their time to see you Prince!

It tells you on the ticket to not take pictures. This has been on the front of concert tickets for years.

Who know why the short was short but since P does more time on state then most acts now a days I wonder if this show was not just the normal time and people are just assuming all of his shows are going to be 3 hours long.

I am also a little suspect of some of the reviews which are wildly different. Almost as if some orgers where not at the same show.

Wow, reviews all over the map! Both here and in the few other online reviews I've found. I mostly just see lots of rave reviews from the wider population in tweets on twitter. Myself, I came in with few preconceived notions: that it was going to be a hits show; that this hits show was generally receiving good reviews on other stops; that I usually enjoy watching Prince perform. I enjoyed myself, commented that he was having fun and thought that boded well for an aftershow (this a direct contrast to some other reviews here), and actually didn't even notice that the show was shorter than expected until I looked at the track list the next day. I like that even if it is a hits show he keeps it from being a totally predictable set list, unlike what is often seen on tours that I've otherwise found much more shall we say original. I thought the arrangements and performances were well done, and not having set expectations other than these I had no sense of the let down that I see in many others' reviews. When I saw Prince and the band head up the aisle after the encore I knew they'd left the building and didn't wait around once the lights went up. I figured a lot of others would be waiting but it didn't occur to me at the time that there would be any particular sense of let down about it. Maybe it would have if I looked at my watch. But I wasn't thinking about the time. I was coming off of an enjoyable and expertly executed funk experience.

In addition to his good mood and what struck me as a joyful performance, he made two references to the afterparty during the show. That was enough to convince me that we wouldn't be disappointed at Republiq. I haven't followed what aftershows have been like throughout the W2C tour but know that there have been a wide variety over the course of the W2* tour legs in the last year. I didn't know at all what to expect. Portland at the Roseland in 2002 pretty much defined the perfect aftershow in our books, I know my wife was picturing that show as we made our way. It took us some time to make our way to the club, but we got there and made it through the line and through will call to settle into a pretty much full club. We got a round of drinks and settled into a spot on the upper level by the bar to take in the show. Opus was wrapping up their set, all word was Prince and company would play, and all doubts were removed when they began setting up the stage. My friend asked if I wanted to head down into the fray, our wives were content to stay up above for the time being. Now we had a reasonable view from the floor when the NPG took the stage. Good times.

The show has been described elsewhere and I don't think I have new details to add. What I will say is that this show in many ways reminded me of a George Clinton P-Funk styled set, and I was struck by the jazz like improvization and variations on a theme that Prince conducted, leading the band and cueing in solos. The band warming up the crowd. The elders of funk making their way on stage after the young ones started things going. The variations on a theme and solos that characterized the long jams. The unbroken sequences of songs within each jam requiring a critical ear and thorough knowledge to identify and name a set list. Prince's retreat and re-emergence, lettng the band do its thing once again mid-show while he was off stage before joining again to wrap up the show with a final jam. The sheer exhaustion resulting from this non-stop funk. More than the main show, this was a set that I could see leaving people either hot or cold. Some people like jams, but some people want identifiable songs! Most it seems were just amazed to watch them throw down but I did see more harsh reviews than I think I ever have for an aftershow. My wife didn't get what she expected and took a while to get past that. Again, I had no set expectations, and this one-of-a-kind show seemed like a treat to me.

After the show we parted ways with those we'd danced amongst like unnamed new friends who now had something special in common but who we'd likely never see again. And then I drank a bottle of water at the car like a man who'd been stuck in a desert for days. Back at our friends' place I hit the pillow wondering if I'd be able to wind down enough to sleep, the last thing I remember before waking up later that morning with a crushed feeling I hadn't had since the last time the P-Funk Mothership landed on me.

So lucky to get to have a night like this once, let alone have past shows as points of reference to compare it to. I'll consider myself even more blessed if I get to do it again!

Cheers,

Z

laurarichardson said:

petes2 said:

http://blogcritics.org/music/article/concert-review-prince-tacoma-dome-tacoma/ the responses say a little of why P might have left, people running under the stage and picture and vids being taken. I said a month ago that one of the reasons I wasn't too eager to go was I'm getting too old to be harassed for coming out to see a hero. People don't change, that's probably why Prince left early, it's not like Prince to not put on a good show but it is like him to be a controlling person. It's amazing he can still hold onto his fans really, no one else in the business does the shit he does, Springsteen has been the most bootlegged artist in history and he never pulled the shit. If people wanna take pictures let them, they paid there hard earned money and give their time to see you Prince!

It tells you on the ticket to not take pictures. This has been on the front of concert tickets for years.

Who know why the short was short but since P does more time on state then most acts now a days I wonder if this show was not just the normal time and people are just assuming all of his shows are going to be 3 hours long.

I am also a little suspect of some of the reviews which are wildly different. Almost as if some orgers where not at the same show.

i thought of you when I wrote that but didn't think you'd actually show, you're amazing, I bet you'd defend prince if he pissed on my head.

laurarichardson said:

petes2 said:

http://blogcritics.org/music/article/concert-review-prince-tacoma-dome-tacoma/ the responses say a little of why P might have left, people running under the stage and picture and vids being taken. I said a month ago that one of the reasons I wasn't too eager to go was I'm getting too old to be harassed for coming out to see a hero. People don't change, that's probably why Prince left early, it's not like Prince to not put on a good show but it is like him to be a controlling person. It's amazing he can still hold onto his fans really, no one else in the business does the shit he does, Springsteen has been the most bootlegged artist in history and he never pulled the shit. If people wanna take pictures let them, they paid there hard earned money and give their time to see you Prince!

It tells you on the ticket to not take pictures. This has been on the front of concert tickets for years.

Who know why the short was short but since P does more time on state then most acts now a days I wonder if this show was not just the normal time and people are just assuming all of his shows are going to be 3 hours long.

I am also a little suspect of some of the reviews which are wildly different. Almost as if some orgers where not at the same show.

I think that the differences in reviews are based on expectations. Prince played well for 1.5 hours. Because some cities got 2.5-3 hour shows, it made this show seem too short. He played some rarities in other cities, which made this show seem bland in comparison. It's really all how you look at it. Like I said in my review, I enjoyed the experience overall, and was happy to share it with someone I really cared about.

UCantHavaDaMango said:

laurarichardson said:

It tells you on the ticket to not take pictures. This has been on the front of concert tickets for years.

Who know why the short was short but since P does more time on state then most acts now a days I wonder if this show was not just the normal time and people are just assuming all of his shows are going to be 3 hours long.

I am also a little suspect of some of the reviews which are wildly different. Almost as if some orgers where not at the same show.

I think that the differences in reviews are based on expectations. Prince played well for 1.5 hours. Because some cities got 2.5-3 hour shows, it made this show seem too short. He played some rarities in other cities, which made this show seem bland in comparison. It's really all how you look at it. Like I said in my review, I enjoyed the experience overall, and was happy to share it with someone I really cared about.

Actually, I wouldn't say some cities got longer shows, If you refer to the setlists and show lengths of the entire world tour dates of the W2A, W2C and W2E you'll likely discover that the Tacoma Dome show stands very alone with the shortest set length and least number of songs performed- I can see where people who went to the Tacoma Dome show were disappointed with the set length and number of songs performed when compared to the rest of the tour that audiences were treated to. The other omission was no b-sides or rarities, not even in the sampler set! It is definitely odd and it's very likely that there is more to the story than we know at this time...

Prince on bass at the afterjam was amazing. He did that crazy fuzz/TV zap thing that you hear in "Dance On" when the music stops and the glass breaks- Never seen him do that live and it was truly awesome. He gave Bootsy a run for his money... Also LOVED "You Got The Love" & "Sweet Thing" . There was some of the cleanest freestyle breaks during an extended "Musicology" that were so tight, it sounded like there was another band hidden behind the stage to make possible the funk I was hearing. Maceo being there was extra icing on the cake... When I see Shelby, all I wanna do is listen to Ohio Players, puff up and party up. That woman should make a music video. Shelby's pretty cool...

Revolutionary said:

UCantHavaDaMango said:

I think that the differences in reviews are based on expectations. Prince played well for 1.5 hours. Because some cities got 2.5-3 hour shows, it made this show seem too short. He played some rarities in other cities, which made this show seem bland in comparison. It's really all how you look at it. Like I said in my review, I enjoyed the experience overall, and was happy to share it with someone I really cared about.

Actually, I wouldn't say some cities got longer shows, If you refer to the setlists and show lengths of the entire world tour dates of the W2A, W2C and W2E you'll likely discover that the Tacoma Dome show stands very alone with the shortest set length and least number of songs performed- I can see where people who went to the Tacoma Dome show were disappointed with the set length and number of songs performed when compared to the rest of the tour that audiences were treated to. The other omission was no b-sides or rarities, not even in the sampler set! It is definitely odd and it's very likely that there is more to the story than we know at this time...

Prince on bass at the afterjam was amazing. He did that crazy fuzz/TV zap thing that you hear in "Dance On" when the music stops and the glass breaks- Never seen him do that live and it was truly awesome. He gave Bootsy a run for his money... Also LOVED "You Got The Love" & "Sweet Thing" . There was some of the cleanest freestyle breaks during an extended "Musicology" that were so tight, it sounded like there was another band hidden behind the stage to make possible the funk I was hearing. Maceo being there was extra icing on the cake... When I see Shelby, all I wanna do is listen to Ohio Players, puff up and party up. That woman should make a music video. Shelby's pretty cool...

Hi Revolutionary!! I met you at the show the other night and asked you about your "Parade" concert shirt. I agree with most of the comments being posted here.. good and not so good. I have to say that it is always a thrill to see Prince live.. I would take 1 1/2 hours to nothing any day.

I was disappointed in the length of the show and he seemed to really rush through saying "thank you" as if he were done 1/2 hour into the show (at least that is how it seemed). It was like he started off at a "rolling boil" and didn't let it "simmer" to perfection as he usually does . I was sort of glad that he played his most mainstream hits only because I had people with me who were not as familiar with his vast library of work.. loved that he played so many from SOTT because he did not tour with that album here (as far as I know).

If I could have gone to the aftershow, I would have. I was tired (still roughly 4 months out from a kidney transplant). It looks like the aftershow was incredible. I see people on here saying that he did not play as long because he was trying to preserve his energy for the aftershow.. he was mad that the main concert was not sold out..or the crowd was not crazy enough.. That would really irritate me. We paid good money to see him and the ones who were there only wanted to be entertained by this amazing man who rarely visits us.

Overall, he was thrilling, as usual, but the show was too short and a bit rushed. I still love him and will jump at the chance to see him again. As my friend (first time Prince concert goer) said.. The man is SEXY..

jackmitz said:

Ooooookay....here's my two cents: The main show was...uninspired. Prince tried and tried to hype up the crowd, to no avail. There were two large upstairs sections curtained off, which is never a good sign. The sampler set was rad, and Prince treated us to 2 versus (plus a jam) of Hot Thing. The LRC solo was inspired, and Maceo played extremely well throughout. The aftershow was a different animal....the club was woefully oversold (I could NOT believe that they were still sellling tix at the door, as the place was packed well beyond occupancy), and it was really difficult to maneuver. We set up camp at the side of the stage, and sometime before 2am, the NPG stormed the stage. They started a jam out of 'Wanna Be Your Lover' which was the record Rashida was spinning as the NPG took the stage. That turned into a funky ass jam which included 'Imma Be' and 'It Takes Two' interpolations. Next up was the theme from 'Which Way is Up?', and halfway through Prince took the stage and delivered a searing guitar solo. A ferocious take on 'Stratus' was next, followed by a LONG Pass the Peas, which had the entire room levatating. P left the stage for a while (which prompted more than a few people to head for the exit), and Shelby led the band through an AMAZING version of Gnarls Barkley's 'Crazy'. A pair of Chaka tunes followed (You've Got the Love and Sweet Thing), which brough P back to the stage. In the middle of 'Sweet Thing', P shed his guitar and took Ida's bass. Finally, the band layed down a mighty version of 'Musicology', which included a long take on 'Mama Feelgood'. All in all, the aftershow was just over 2 hours, and a FANTASTIC experience, despite the crowd. If I had to compare, I would say the the main show in Victoria was far superior, but the Seattle aftershow was a hair better than the one on Saturday.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR EARLIER POST! If you didn't post about the afterjam, I would have totally missed it! I was standing against the railing by the upper bar. PERFECT place to see the show because the stage was so low and of course Prince is so short.

I'll say "ditto" to your comparison of the Tacoma Dome show vs the afterjam. I paid the $300 for the VIP tickets only to discover that the people next to me were plucked from way in the back to fill the additional seats. The sales were very low. If you had never been to a Prince show before, you would have loved it. This was my 5th show and for Prince, he was just going through the motions compared to One Night Alone in Portland and Musicology at Key Arena. The ending of the show was so abrupt that HUNDREDS of people refused to leave because they couldn't believe it was already over. That was my que to race to Seattle. I think he was saving himself for the afterjam because it was AMAZING! Afterjam was more enjoyable than the show. SO THANKFUL I WAS THERE!!!!

I can't believe you even got those pics. The girl in front of me at the Dome got yanked out of her seat, taken off to the side and security watched her delete her pics from her phone. I was trying to take pics 30 min before the show even started and security told me to knock it off.

At the aftershow it was nuts. If they saw you with your cell phone out you got kicked out. One girl was just texting and she was kicking and screaming when they escorted her out.

UCantHavaDaMango said:

Wow, dplatt! You were lucky to have been so close at the aftershow. My neck hurts today from straining to see him over the taller people in front of me, LOL. I agree, I'd do it all again (and be closer to the stage next time. ).

So... here are a few of the awful pictures I managed to snap with my cellphone during the show. I would have had a field day with my actual camera, but I thought that having my phone out was risky enough. Sorry they are so blurry, it's the best I could do without getting caught.

Here I am before the show, super stoked at how close I am to the stage.

[img:$uid]http://i581.photobucket.com/albums/ss254/wera300/Prince%20Tacoma%20Dome/IMG_1334.jpg[/img:$uid]

Confetti during Purple Rain!

[img:$uid]http://i581.photobucket.com/albums/ss254/wera300/Prince%20Tacoma%20Dome/IMG_1338.jpg[/img:$uid]

Purple Rain, post confetti. Hm, I wonder who that golden blur on stage could be??

[img:$uid]http://i581.photobucket.com/albums/ss254/wera300/Prince%20Tacoma%20Dome/IMG_1342.jpg[/img:$uid]

View of the symbol stage from the top of the Dome. I took this on my way out.

[img:$uid]http://i581.photobucket.com/albums/ss254/wera300/Prince%20Tacoma%20Dome/IMG_1354-1.jpg[/img:$uid]

Ok, worst photo ever, but I did not want to get caught and kicked out, so here's all I've got from the after show.

[img:$uid]http://i581.photobucket.com/albums/ss254/wera300/Prince%20Tacoma%20Dome/IMG_1356.jpg[/img:$uid]

Just pretend you can know what's going on. It's like listening to the radio.

purplecrack said:

I've attended over 20 Prince concerts from different eras (including 4 W2A shows), and the Tacoma Dome show was the absolute worst show I've ever witnessed. When I tell you these words, you need to understand that I'm a massive fan and have been for over 25 years- This show was so bad it was embarassing. Maceo's playing and Prince laying face down on the piano very briefly were the only 2 immensely enjoyable components of the entire evening. The majority of the concert sounded like a local church band revival of the hits- I mean a really sloppy, muddy, RUSHED performance. I'm sorry, there is no excuse for this performance- What Prince advertised this tour as, and what transpired in Tacoma last night couldn't be 2 more different birds.

I still love Prince, but I won't be so quick to throwdown 500.00-1000.00 to see 2 sorry excuses for a show. Yeah, I said it, the aftershow was awful too. And what was all that "Girls and Boys" footage being shown before the show started ? What a bag of hot air. Curiously, I did notice a newer shirt design that had the W2A logo on the sleeve and printed on it was "copyright 2011 NPG Productions". Funny thing is the shirt was a reprint of the "Take Me With U" single artwork from that other band, you know, the elephant in the room Prince tries not to talk about too much, the Revolution. Of course that was the #1 selling shirt from what my friends and I witnessed at multiple merch stands.

I sincerely hope there is a bigger reason this show was awful and not just Prince thinking it would be great to turn the setlist into a local church revival. San Jose W2A shows were on the other hand, 2 of the best shows I've ever seen him play. Maybe he's over the tour, maybe he's over Tacoma Dome not selling out. I'd love feedback and thoughts on this if you feel inclined.

If it was the Revolution with him and/or Sheila E. opening, it would have sold out. I probably already said enough to cause a few tizzy fits, but come on, can you hear me now on some of this ?

NPG = Not Properly Grounded

Sounds like ole boy owes you all a make up concert!

Astasheiks said:

UCantHavaDaMango said:

Yes, I knew that it was risky, but I am a bad, bad girl. I saw similar consequences for people around me, so I was super stealthy. I turned my phone brightness all the way down, and waited until the nearest security guard looked busy. The crackdown at Republiq was over the top! I was really annoyed when security would block people's view of Prince just to shine their flashlights on an offender until they were found and escorted out. I can't imagine it was pleasant for the people on stage either. It would have been a much better experience had they found a more discreet way of dealing with it. Needless to say, I was the most nervous to take a photo in there, so I just pointed and clicked without letting the camera focus. Oh well, it was better than getting caught and kicked out! [Edited 12/21/11 13:57pm]

maybe prince'll learn someday and maybe he won't, that treating people who revere him in that way is repugnant. I always tell people I aged emotionally more than most my age and it shows in not wanting to put up with bullshit, it's the primary reason I didn't want to go to his concert. His fans will get older and older and less tolerant of the bs. Someone show me where Elvis, Springsteen or any other great artist routinely booted people or had them kicking and screaming because they, god forbid, wanted a pic. Prince, if you're out there you're gonna see someday. I doubt if you'll ever go broke but you'll see.

jackmitz said:

hardly. After that MONSTER aftershow, he doesn't owe us a damn thing Astasheiks said:

Sounds like ole boy owes you all a make up concert!

I'm not talking about the Aftershow, I'm talking about all the people that were pissed at his 105 mins Main Concert Show!!! After charging their arse these type of ticket prices: $ 525.00 Purple Circle VIP Package / $ 350.00 Welcome 2 Canada - VIP Tour Package / $ 199.00 (+ $ 17.85 = $ 216.85) / $ 119.00 (+ $ 13.86 Fees/ = $ 132.86) / $ 79.00 (+ $ 11.61 = $ 90.61) / $ 49.00 (+ $ 9.09 = $ 58.09) / $ 20.00 (+ $ 8.40 = $ $28.40)

petes2 said:

UCantHavaDaMango said:

Yes, I knew that it was risky, but I am a bad, bad girl. I saw similar consequences for people around me, so I was super stealthy. I turned my phone brightness all the way down, and waited until the nearest security guard looked busy. The crackdown at Republiq was over the top! I was really annoyed when security would block people's view of Prince just to shine their flashlights on an offender until they were found and escorted out. I can't imagine it was pleasant for the people on stage either. It would have been a much better experience had they found a more discreet way of dealing with it. Needless to say, I was the most nervous to take a photo in there, so I just pointed and clicked without letting the camera focus. Oh well, it was better than getting caught and kicked out! [Edited 12/21/11 13:57pm]

maybe prince'll learn someday and maybe he won't, that treating people who revere him in that way is repugnant. I always tell people I aged emotionally more than most my age and it shows in not wanting to put up with bullshit, it's the primary reason I didn't want to go to his concert. His fans will get older and older and less tolerant of the bs. Someone show me where Elvis, Springsteen or any other great artist routinely booted people or had them kicking and screaming because they, god forbid, wanted a pic. Prince, if you're out there you're gonna see someday. I doubt if you'll ever go broke but you'll see.

Exactly; with hundreds if not a 1000 of photos of him out there already; who gives a rat arse; he should be happy somebody want to take a photo of him, right?

Astasheiks said:

petes2 said:

maybe prince'll learn someday and maybe he won't, that treating people who revere him in that way is repugnant. I always tell people I aged emotionally more than most my age and it shows in not wanting to put up with bullshit, it's the primary reason I didn't want to go to his concert. His fans will get older and older and less tolerant of the bs. Someone show me where Elvis, Springsteen or any other great artist routinely booted people or had them kicking and screaming because they, god forbid, wanted a pic. Prince, if you're out there you're gonna see someday. I doubt if you'll ever go broke but you'll see.

Exactly; with hundreds if not a 1000 of photos of him out there already; who gives a rat arse; he should be happy somebody want to take a photo of him, right?

ya, I've seen Prince a couple times, when I was young and at musicology, I remember being made to hide my walkman under a tree because no walkmans were allowed, I didn't have a car and didn't expect that, being the youngster I was I felt oddly more connected to Prince than I ever have in that his issue of control directly touched me, but as I've gotten older, I just see it as bullshit. Unfortunately, we all get older, we look at everything different and we adjust or we dissapear, I think Prince will always have enough fans but he's certainly run alot of them off. Now, I have to be fair, his talent has given all of us more than our money's worth but it goes deeper than that, simple decency would be appreciated by all.

Right On! I know if I spent over $100 to see anybody at a Main Concert a fool better perform longer than a 105 mins!

Hey Prince, it's time to grow up, stop making thousands of people pay for what mommy and daddy did or didn't do to and for you. I was spoiled as child by my daddy, you don't see me going around throwing tantrums until I get my way anymore though, we all have to face reality, even middle aged pop stars. Don't get me wrong, I loves you, treasure you but perhaps you could take a cue from Smokey Robinson when asked why he was so humble and approachable "if the cab driver didn't have 10 of my albums who would I be?"

Seriously don't get the sense of entitlement that makes even people who *weren't at the show* angry that Prince put on a perfectly fine concert that didn't happen to meet their arbitrary expectations. Hey petes2, you need a hug or something?

zinj said:

Seriously don't get the sense of entitlement that makes even people who *weren't at the show* angry that Prince put on a perfectly fine concert that didn't happen to meet their arbitrary expectations. Hey petes2, you need a hug or something?

i'm not angry about that, I as a musician know that musicians have good days and bad days, that's not the gripe. I'm saying the reason I wasn't eager to go was because of his attitude and no I don't need your hug, go hug your cat or something. I don't believe in people being treated like some of the descriptions above when they are just trying to see someone they admire. Anyway, there is nothing I can do about it but I guarantee you if those behaviors got to the point of alienating too many fans for Prince to live like he does he'd change his tune, he has before. I think I was pretty clear before concert and after what my reservations were, however, his performance is almost always stellar I didn't even consider that part. It just so happens that it is possible that the reason he left the show early was because of his "issues" once again and it gets tired.