MaddMaxx said:

2020 said:

SchlomoThaHomo said:

Its about time!!! Hopefully she will be kicked off the NPG train soon

[Edited 9/27/12 7:23am]

MadamGoodnight said:

Thanks to everyone for all of your great reviews and pics from the Chicago shows! You've been keeping us up to date for the last 3 days

I'll second that. Great reports and bits of info .

SchlomoThaHomo said:

SchlomoThaHomo said:

Ok, I'm back from night 3! I'm going to do a quick write up before I crash.

First thing's first: Prince, hire a company to do your sound full time. Major issues with sound, AGAIN. Nearly the entire night. In fact, the sound seemed worse than the first night. Things like entirely missed keyboard solos, Shelby's mic sounded like it was literally OFF almost the entire night, Prince had to call for corrections almost all night, and the volume seemed too low. If doing these last minute Hit n Run type shows means you have to use the house sound crew wherever you go, I say just formulate an actual tour and hire someone to do the whole thing. These sound issues are inexcusable.

Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the show. It was a good one! I don't know if I would concur with Prince's statement near the end that, "This is the best one yet!!" But it was good.

Prince's voice seemed hoarse right from the start of the show, which was kind of a bummer. I'm thinking maybe it's not wise to do back to back to back shows AND aftershows and still expect to be able to sing. He was really straining at certain points. Even when he was just talking to the crowd, you could hear it. And he couldn't really count on the ladies to carry him because it seemed like they're mics were way low. So he did have us sing a lot of parts, which is fine if your voice is giving out.

Here's the set list (and some quotes):

Controversy - Cool beginning song, and got the crowd going. He came out, guitar in hand, and was wearing the gold sleep mask and the same outfit as last night. He's looking good.

Let's Go Crazy - The guitar isn't sounding as bad as Monday night but something still isn't right. I'm noticing the hoarseness in his voice already.

Delirious - Kept the momentum going. Unfortuntely, the sound issues were becoming apparent already. Mr. Hayes solo was completely missed. Prince proclaimed, a la the song "$," "EXACTLY!" Not a good way to kick things off.

1999 - 4 songs in and he's still doing Prince songs! I'm liking it!

Little Red Corvette - "Do anything you want with this music. It's yours, too." Does this mean we can put it on youtube again? I love the version he's been doing of this song lately. So far it's been one big sing a long up in the UC.

Take Me With U - Janelle came back out for this one. He seemed like he was going to sing with her but then he had her take the first verse. I think the throat was bothering him. I think her mic also went out at some point and she took his. She seems ok as an artist. I don't feel compelled to get into her though.

Raspberry Beret - Cuz ya can't have TMWU without Raspberry Beret. He had the audience do a lot of this one.

Cream - It was fine. He didn't mention how he wrote it while looking in the mirror. I wonder if he really does read the org?

Cool/Don't Stop Til You Get Enough - "This for all the Chicago pimps! Oh, I see a few down there!" The ladies seemed a little buried in the mix again, and the same goes for the horns. Sound issues still pervasive. Despite this, Prince still had charisma switched on to 11.

You have to hand it to him for hiding his displeasure, because I would've have been RAGING at the sound crew by this point. I noticed some missed band cues as well. "Just the drums" didn't bring just the drums until a measure or 2 too late. Maybe there were inner ear issues as well?

"Any 80's babies in here? If you were born in the 80's, you missed some gooood tiiiimes!"

I think Maceo soloed somewhere in here and he started introducing a couple band members.

"This brother right here....he played with Patti Labelle. Patti LABELLE! And Shelby? She sang back up with D'Angelo." Then he turns to Mike Scott. "And this pimp right here? He played with...Justin TIMBERLAKE?! Oh noooooo! But we still love him tho." He was also talking about various artists from back in the day. He did make mention of Sheila E, which got a big response. He also did a little call and response with her name, "Say Sheila E! Say Sheila E!" Maybe feelings aren't so hard on his behalf in regards to Sheila?

Joy In Repetition - This was an unexpected treat! The guitar was still giving him issues but he did his thing. He had the audience singing, "Love me," back to him a few times. I like when the audience participates in lesser known songs. I noticed the video screen went out during this song but it came back. I wasn't sure if it was intentional or not.

Let's Work - Killed this one. And got the audience energy back up after catching a breather with Joy

Extraloveable - He tried to shake his ass a bit for a minute, complaining, "I wish I had a bigger booty!" This one was SICK!!! The horn sound problems seemed to finally get resolved by this point and their addition to this song was incredible. This one was the highlight for me. Great arrangement, great playing, great performance.

U Got The Look - A "model" and "photographer" came on stage during this one, doing various poses. Prince still had the guitar, which was sounding better but still a little off. Someone grabbed him a bottle of water at this point. His voice sounded a bit better after a couple swigs.

Everyday People - The beat for Dance Electric started, so I thought that's what we were getting, but he started doing Everyday People, and Ledisi came out and handled most of the vocals. It was actually kind of cool with the Prince beat behind it.

Mountains - He keeps the same beat going for Mountains, which was great to hear, especially with the horns. However, it did seem slightly abbreviated.

The Dance Electric - GREAT to hear. Prince realized nobody would know this song, and mentioned it was by Andre Cymone "and me too!" He did some great guitar soloing towards the end.

Purple Rain - The started the "ooh hoo hoo hoo's" almost immediately after the chords starting, indicating they were ready for this one. He came out and said he was going to take his time with it. The guitar playing seemed a little buried, and I remember him cutting the solo a bit short, probably because of sound issues. But it was still a great performance with a lot of crowd participation. "Can I come stay with you? I might be little, but I take up a lot of space!"

The lights came on almost immediately after Purple Rain. It was only an hour and a half into the show and seemed a bit premature. But maybe he was starting all the encore stuff early so he could get to the HOB.

Damaris comes and and says the party is moving to the HOB. I did hear some booing at this point, but there was no way he was going to pull what he did on Monday. So most of us waited. Eventually, he came back on his neon bicycle, and got on stage. He did a little strutting and preening, and kind of flirted with leaving again to get the crowd riled up. Then he inched over to the piano...and stopped. And inched over a bit...and stopped. He was playing with his but it worked. The crowd started going crazy.

He got over to the piano, and tried to play it but it was dead. He yelled, "someone turn on my axe! Ok never mind, he's got it. People want credit for what they SPOSED to do! Put the spotlight him!" He was taking the piss out of the guy who came to turn on the axe. Eventually, it was sorted out and sat down and went into:

How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore? - This one got a HUGE response and tons of participation from the crowd. When he got to the "down on my knees, beggin ya please...," he repeated it a few times and on the final one the crowd took over, which prompted him to say, "who's singing this anyway?"

Do Me, Baby - Still just him and the piano, and us. The crowd was loving this and singing just as loud as he was.

I Wanna Be Your Lover - This was a bit short but still fun. The whole thing was feeling a bit like his One Night Alone piano segment, which was cool.

After this, he left again. But nobody was having it, so he came back. "Are you serious? Do you know how many hits I have? We'll be here all night!"

The Bird - Great crowd response. He brought dancers up from VIP. I noticed during this that Prince doesn't actually do the dance like everyone else was doing.

Jungle Love - "Who wrote this?" Dancers still on stage. The ladies mics seemed to be together now...lol...at the end of show. However, Shelby's still seemed low. Now I'm not one to gossip but I know some were complaining about her being too loud. And now she's barely audible? Hmm....

The Glamorous Life - This was the final song. A bunch of us sat around afterward cuz you never know. But then they stated disassembling the stage. Guess that was it!

All in all, it was a fun show. I thought he might come back for the sampler set but it didn't happen. Honestly, his voice sounded like it was almost gone. So I'm not surprised he didn't come back, as he still had another gig to do immediately after this one. He still delivered though, and I don't think people left disappointed like they did on Monday. However, I think it's a ballsy move to NOT do Kiss.

I can't wait to read reviews from the HOB!!

3 Days in a Row plus 2 Aftershows seems a bit much and strain on the vocals and body especially he's not on a schedule tour where you have to get to the next city! Maybe he was trying to save some money on Hotels instead of taking 1 day off during the 3 Concerts....?

Genesia said:

MJ007 said:

On a sidenote to the concert experience of last night...my neighbor just told me that Prince gave complimentary tickets to CPS (Chicago Public School) teachers to see last night's show. Prince, you're all right in my book - a little loopy sometimes, but you're a keeper. Thanks for showing Chicago a great time.

Because Chicago teachers can't afford to buy their own tickets on their (average) $71K salaries. Okay.

Well, I'm not going to go there with you as this aint the forum for it. But I will say that not all Chicago teachers are making $71K salaries. Furthermore, most teachers are UNDERPAID and most are underappreciated. His gesture was out of appreciation and I can appreciate that and give him props for it. Nuff said.

SpookyElektrix said:

Orionforever said:

This show was good.. not quite as good tho as Tuesday night.. Tuesday night was an A... Tonight maybe a B to B- but still kickin'!!!!

I was not happy tho that Prince wore the SAME clothes tonight as he did Tuesday night.. Hope the Brother had them washed... lol

The show was a bit rushed and he didn't do the long set at the Piano.. just a short couple of songs with him actually PLAYING the piano...

He had some engery.. .and danced a bit.. but not as much as Tuesday night..

Over all I think the 3 concert tour was a huge sucess.. Most people seemed very happy...

I hope he goes over to Detriot and MPLS and also some other areas to do some shows...
I hope that tuesday show ends up on DVD .. that would be totally awesome!!!!!

It was cool too cause Tuesday night there was a couple behind us.. probably in their early 60's and God Bless um' they were standing up and jammin'... very cool

Peace.......

I think he wore the same clothes so when editing for dvd he will pick best parts from both shows so it would look like just one show.

That could very well be it.. except the back up dancers had different clothes on each night?? But lets HOPE he tapes it and puts in on a DVD.. there Were ALOT of camera's around video taping from all angels.

Emancipation89 said:

Another amazing night with Prince! Seemed like the stadium was even more packed than yesterday. There was just as much guitar & piano playing as yesterday. Some of my favorite moments were Maceo Parker, Mountains, Joy In Repetition, Dance Electric (Prince warned at the beginning, "You may not know this song!" and it was true - no one around me seemed to know the lyrics to this song....), Do Me Baby (he still hits the high notes just fine and it sounded great live), and I must say I also really dig the way he plays Little Red Corvette.

Can't believe it was his last night at Chicago *bawl*

He didn't hardly play the Piano at all Wednesday night.. the entire Long set on the piano was gone with the samplers.. only did a few songs at the end...

MJ007 said:

SchlomoThaHomo said:

First thing's first: Prince, hire a company to do your sound full time. Major issues with sound, AGAIN. Nearly the entire night. In fact, the sound seemed worse than the first night. Things like entirely missed keyboard solos, Shelby's mic sounded like it was literally OFF almost the entire night, Prince had to call for corrections almost all night, and the volume seemed too low. If doing these last minute Hit n Run type shows means you have to use the house sound crew wherever you go, I say just formulate an actual tour and hire someone to do the whole thing. These sound issues are inexcusable.

What concert were you at? I didn't notice any sound issues. At the very beginning for about a nanosecond maybe. You gave a really thorough review of your experience but I hope you were able to actually live in the moment last night and just enjoy the show. From the vibe of that arena, people were really feeling Prince last night. He gave his best and it was appreciated. Things aren't going to be perfect at any show. The show rocked, Prince rocked, the crowd rocked, what more can you ask. Damn.

[Edited 9/27/12 6:22am]

If you noticed during Wednesdays show.. he mentioned many times about turn up the key boards... bring up my mike... turn up my guitar.. etc etc.... so there were a few problems that were not at all in Tuesdays show.. but it was still a great show!

SchlomoThaHomo said:

Shelby's mic sounded like it was literally OFF almost the entire night,

Is that a bad thing?

This show was great! I probably enjoyed Tuesday night more, but this definitely was not one to be missed! Highlights for me Dance Electric, Joy in Repetition, Extralovable, Mountains w/ Ledisi and Prince on piano for the encore (that was AMAZING). Also, I liked Janelle Monae on Take Me w/ U so much better than Andy.

No complaints on this one either. He did wear the same outfit as Tuesday, but that may be because he's trying to put together a concert video and wants to be able to edit pieces of both performances. Just wishful thinking.

Another great show! Not quite up to Tuesday's standard but a hell of a lot better than Monday night.

As for the sound issue, there were problems where I was seated with Prince's mic way too low in the mix, too many bass frequencies and a general muddiness to the sound. Last night was pristine so I could tell a huge difference and Prince sure wasn't happy about it.

He beckoned to the crowd "Do you love music? Do you love sound? I sure do" and then made the same comment about cloning himself to be in two places at once. The same quote he said at the house of blues on Monday when he complained about the incompetence of the sound guys.

If that wasn't obvious enough, surely when he came back on stage and mockingly picked up a stool and pretended to hurl it at the sound guys says it all.

Sound issues aside, Prince brought all he had to the show considering he played the previous two nights. I wish the setlist explored some of his rarer material but what do you expect going to an arena show? That's what the after-shows are for. And I don't have one complaint about the sampler set not being included. I would take the short piano set he did over the sampler ANY DAY.

[Edited 9/27/12 11:44am]

Hammond said:

Another great show! Not quite up to Tuesday's standard but a hell of a lot better than Monday night.

As for the sound issue, there were problems where I was seated with Prince's mic way too low in the mix, too many bass frequencies and a general muddiness to the sound. Last night was pristine so I could tell a huge difference and Prince sure wasn't happy about it.

He beckoned to the crowd "Do you love music? Do you love sound? I sure do" and then made the same comment about cloning himself to be in two places at once. The same quote he said at the house of blues on Monday when he complained about the incompetence of the sound guys.

If that wasn't obvious enough, surely when he came back on stage and mockingly picked up a stool and pretended to hurl it at the sound guys says it all.

Sound issues aside, Prince brought all he had to the show considering he played the previous two nights. I wish the setlist explored some of his rarer material but what do you expect going to an arena show? That's what the after-shows are for. And I don't have one complaint about the sampler set not being included. I would take the short piano set he did over the sampler ANY DAY.

[Edited 9/27/12 11:44am]

Is it really always the soundman that is to blame? Who hires those guys?

Orionforever said:

MJ007 said:

What concert were you at? I didn't notice any sound issues. At the very beginning for about a nanosecond maybe. You gave a really thorough review of your experience but I hope you were able to actually live in the moment last night and just enjoy the show. From the vibe of that arena, people were really feeling Prince last night. He gave his best and it was appreciated. Things aren't going to be perfect at any show. The show rocked, Prince rocked, the crowd rocked, what more can you ask. Damn.

[Edited 9/27/12 6:22am]

If you noticed during Wednesdays show.. he mentioned many times about turn up the key boards... bring up my mike... turn up my guitar.. etc etc.... so there were a few problems that were not at all in Tuesdays show.. but it was still a great show!

So how in the hell could they Mess up the sound Monday, get it together Tuesday, and then mess up some again Wednesday???

Astasheiks said:

Orionforever said:

If you noticed during Wednesdays show.. he mentioned many times about turn up the key boards... bring up my mike... turn up my guitar.. etc etc.... so there were a few problems that were not at all in Tuesdays show.. but it was still a great show!

So how in the hell could they Mess up the sound Monday, get it together Tuesday, and then mess up some again Wednesday???

Don't kill the messanger.. just telling you what we heard and saw (we had close seats) we saw him several times point to his ear peice which is a cue.. saw him pointing in the direction of the sound board and heard all he was saying... His guitar person missed their cue to hand him a guitar and Andy missed a cue to come and dance with him.. so there were a few more mess ups on Wednesday... no doubt... Tuesday was the best of the best.

Orionforever said:

Astasheiks said:

So how in the hell could they Mess up the sound Monday, get it together Tuesday, and then mess up some again Wednesday???

Don't kill the messanger.. just telling you what we heard and saw (we had close seats) we saw him several times point to his ear peice which is a cue.. saw him pointing in the direction of the sound board and heard all he was saying... His guitar person missed their cue to hand him a guitar and Andy missed a cue to come and dance with him.. so there were a few more mess ups on Wednesday... no doubt... Tuesday was the best of the best.

Guitar person probably got a butt chewing.

And do you think Andy got a spanky that night for missing her cue?

remko said:

Hammond said:

Another great show! Not quite up to Tuesday's standard but a hell of a lot better than Monday night.

As for the sound issue, there were problems where I was seated with Prince's mic way too low in the mix, too many bass frequencies and a general muddiness to the sound. Last night was pristine so I could tell a huge difference and Prince sure wasn't happy about it.

He beckoned to the crowd "Do you love music? Do you love sound? I sure do" and then made the same comment about cloning himself to be in two places at once. The same quote he said at the house of blues on Monday when he complained about the incompetence of the sound guys.

If that wasn't obvious enough, surely when he came back on stage and mockingly picked up a stool and pretended to hurl it at the sound guys says it all.

Sound issues aside, Prince brought all he had to the show considering he played the previous two nights. I wish the setlist explored some of his rarer material but what do you expect going to an arena show? That's what the after-shows are for. And I don't have one complaint about the sampler set not being included. I would take the short piano set he did over the sampler ANY DAY.

[Edited 9/27/12 11:44am]

Is it really always the soundman that is to blame? Who hires those guys?

Of course it's not always the soundmans fault. I'm just relaying what happened and how Prince reacted.

Personally, the sound didn't distract from the show as badly as Monday. It was still a fantastic show. Monday, not so much.

7

[Edited 9/27/12 16:02pm]

coltrane3 said:

Once again, Prince and the Band delivered a great show! Although 9/26 did not top 9/25 (What could?), it was wonderful. I had friends and family telling me how completely blown away they were. One of my friends who saw him for the first time last night even texted me after the show that she is now a “believer.” There were some sound issues again. They mainly had to do with volume because Prince called for several things to be turned up throughout the show. At one point, when the y finally got the volume right on the horns, he barked a “Thank You” that with such authority that it made me laugh. There were also some major issues with sound during Glamorous Life. Maybe that was a sign that Prince should stop doing Sheila's songs in concert. We all know he wrote them. He needs to retire them if he can't make things right with Sheila because they are not the same without her, though Ledisi sounded great. I just like my Sheila E. songs with Sheila E. NO ONE can do the percussion solo but her, and the song isn't the same without it. That said, those few snafus could not ruin what was a fantastic show.

Highlights

• Dance Electric in a stadium – What??!!!! It was great at the afterjam at HOB the night before, but in the stadium with the lighting he used, singing the verses and chorus – Go ‘head Prince!!!!

• Extra Lovable – I LOVED the horns on this and Prince’s energy was fantastic. He seemed so happy. Everyday People with Ledisi – Fantastic!

• I really just love the Everyday People/Mountains/Dance Electric mash up. The first two songs over the Dance Electric beat just work! This is the way to incorporate a cover into a Prince concert. One solid cover a night pays homage and keeps the party moving. I loved it at HOB and UC.

• Joy in Repetition – So sexy, and Maceo’s solo just killed it. Wow!

• The encore piano medley – I almost fainted when he did Do Me Baby and I Wanna Be Your Lover!

• Purple Rain – He was right, that was the best PR of all three nights. He murdered it!

• Limited backup vocal leads – Prince, please stick with this formula. Give these amazing ladies their one song and keep it moving. They were fantastic at the afterjam on 9/26. Let them get their shine there. The concert is for you!
• Limited medleys - I would always rather hear fewer songs fully realized than more songs in abbreviated form. The sampler was a cool way to run through some hits. That is the only medley I can get with at this point.

• Guitar – YES! YES! YES!

I am sure that I am forgetting something, but I just have to say that these three days have been extraordinary! Prince is truly the King! There is no one who can top him – not even on his worst day. You can etch that in stone.

I also have to give a huge thumbs up to Prince for giving the complimentary tickets to the CPS teachers and the Monday night HOB crowd. It was a great gesture no matter what anyone says. The UC was packed three nights in a row as was HOB. Dude made his money. He did not have to do that, but he did. He made some folks’ nights, weeks, months, years, lives with that move. Good on him.Since I already had tickets for 9/26, I gave my comp tickets away to some people and they had a ball.

Sorry, but I have to go OT for a minute because I saw a post that irritated me. Having been a CPS teacher, I know how completely thankless and utterly frustrating the job can be at times, especially when teaching in some of the worst neighborhoods in the city. That $71,000 average salary that someone posted includes the many first-year and early career teachers who make less than 40,000 a year to teach ill-prepared children in impoverished, crime ridden areas with little to no resources or support from parents or administrators. My friend who works for CPS said all folks were talking about at headquarters was the concert and how phenomenal it was. Well done Prince. Well done.

[Edited 9/27/12 22:05pm]

Thank you for this review!!! I wish more fans gave reviews like this for those that can't attend!

SchlomoThaHomo said:

Ok, I'm back from night 3! I'm going to do a quick write up before I crash.

First thing's first: Prince, hire a company to do your sound full time. Major issues with sound, AGAIN. Nearly the entire night. In fact, the sound seemed worse than the first night. Things like entirely missed keyboard solos, Shelby's mic sounded like it was literally OFF almost the entire night, Prince had to call for corrections almost all night, and the volume seemed too low. If doing these last minute Hit n Run type shows means you have to use the house sound crew wherever you go, I say just formulate an actual tour and hire someone to do the whole thing. These sound issues are inexcusable.

Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the show. It was a good one! I don't know if I would concur with Prince's statement near the end that, "This is the best one yet!!" But it was good.

Prince's voice seemed hoarse right from the start of the show, which was kind of a bummer. I'm thinking maybe it's not wise to do back to back to back shows AND aftershows and still expect to be able to sing. He was really straining at certain points. Even when he was just talking to the crowd, you could hear it. And he couldn't really count on the ladies to carry him because it seemed like they're mics were way low. So he did have us sing a lot of parts, which is fine if your voice is giving out.

Here's the set list (and some quotes):

Controversy - Cool beginning song, and got the crowd going. He came out, guitar in hand, and was wearing the gold sleep mask and the same outfit as last night. He's looking good.

Let's Go Crazy - The guitar isn't sounding as bad as Monday night but something still isn't right. I'm noticing the hoarseness in his voice already.

Delirious - Kept the momentum going. Unfortuntely, the sound issues were becoming apparent already. Mr. Hayes solo was completely missed. Prince proclaimed, a la the song "$," "EXACTLY!" Not a good way to kick things off.

1999 - 4 songs in and he's still doing Prince songs! I'm liking it!

Little Red Corvette - "Do anything you want with this music. It's yours, too." Does this mean we can put it on youtube again? I love the version he's been doing of this song lately. So far it's been one big sing a long up in the UC.

Take Me With U - Janelle came back out for this one. He seemed like he was going to sing with her but then he had her take the first verse. I think the throat was bothering him. I think her mic also went out at some point and she took his. She seems ok as an artist. I don't feel compelled to get into her though.

Raspberry Beret - Cuz ya can't have TMWU without Raspberry Beret. He had the audience do a lot of this one.

Cream - It was fine. He didn't mention how he wrote it while looking in the mirror. I wonder if he really does read the org?

Cool/Don't Stop Til You Get Enough - "This for all the Chicago pimps! Oh, I see a few down there!" The ladies seemed a little buried in the mix again, and the same goes for the horns. Sound issues still pervasive. Despite this, Prince still had charisma switched on to 11.

You have to hand it to him for hiding his displeasure, because I would've have been RAGING at the sound crew by this point. I noticed some missed band cues as well. "Just the drums" didn't bring just the drums until a measure or 2 too late. Maybe there were inner ear issues as well?

"Any 80's babies in here? If you were born in the 80's, you missed some gooood tiiiimes!"

I think Maceo soloed somewhere in here and he started introducing a couple band members.

"This brother right here....he played with Patti Labelle. Patti LABELLE! And Shelby? She sang back up with D'Angelo." Then he turns to Mike Scott. "And this pimp right here? He played with...Justin TIMBERLAKE?! Oh noooooo! But we still love him tho." He was also talking about various artists from back in the day. He did make mention of Sheila E, which got a big response. He also did a little call and response with her name, "Say Sheila E! Say Sheila E!" Maybe feelings aren't so hard on his behalf in regards to Sheila?

Joy In Repetition - This was an unexpected treat! The guitar was still giving him issues but he did his thing. He had the audience singing, "Love me," back to him a few times. I like when the audience participates in lesser known songs. I noticed the video screen went out during this song but it came back. I wasn't sure if it was intentional or not.

Let's Work - Killed this one. And got the audience energy back up after catching a breather with Joy

Extraloveable - He tried to shake his ass a bit for a minute, complaining, "I wish I had a bigger booty!" This one was SICK!!! The horn sound problems seemed to finally get resolved by this point and their addition to this song was incredible. This one was the highlight for me. Great arrangement, great playing, great performance.

U Got The Look - A "model" and "photographer" came on stage during this one, doing various poses. Prince still had the guitar, which was sounding better but still a little off. Someone grabbed him a bottle of water at this point. His voice sounded a bit better after a couple swigs.

Everyday People - The beat for Dance Electric started, so I thought that's what we were getting, but he started doing Everyday People, and Ledisi came out and handled most of the vocals. It was actually kind of cool with the Prince beat behind it.

Mountains - He keeps the same beat going for Mountains, which was great to hear, especially with the horns. However, it did seem slightly abbreviated.

The Dance Electric - GREAT to hear. Prince realized nobody would know this song, and mentioned it was by Andre Cymone "and me too!" He did some great guitar soloing towards the end.

Purple Rain - The started the "ooh hoo hoo hoo's" almost immediately after the chords starting, indicating they were ready for this one. He came out and said he was going to take his time with it. The guitar playing seemed a little buried, and I remember him cutting the solo a bit short, probably because of sound issues. But it was still a great performance with a lot of crowd participation. "Can I come stay with you? I might be little, but I take up a lot of space!"

The lights came on almost immediately after Purple Rain. It was only an hour and a half into the show and seemed a bit premature. But maybe he was starting all the encore stuff early so he could get to the HOB.

Damaris comes and and says the party is moving to the HOB. I did hear some booing at this point, but there was no way he was going to pull what he did on Monday. So most of us waited. Eventually, he came back on his neon bicycle, and got on stage. He did a little strutting and preening, and kind of flirted with leaving again to get the crowd riled up. Then he inched over to the piano...and stopped. And inched over a bit...and stopped. He was playing with his but it worked. The crowd started going crazy.

He got over to the piano, and tried to play it but it was dead. He yelled, "someone turn on my axe! Ok never mind, he's got it. People want credit for what they SPOSED to do! Put the spotlight him!" He was taking the piss out of the guy who came to turn on the axe. Eventually, it was sorted out and sat down and went into:

How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore? - This one got a HUGE response and tons of participation from the crowd. When he got to the "down on my knees, beggin ya please...," he repeated it a few times and on the final one the crowd took over, which prompted him to say, "who's singing this anyway?"

Do Me, Baby - Still just him and the piano, and us. The crowd was loving this and singing just as loud as he was.

I Wanna Be Your Lover - This was a bit short but still fun. The whole thing was feeling a bit like his One Night Alone piano segment, which was cool.

After this, he left again. But nobody was having it, so he came back. "Are you serious? Do you know how many hits I have? We'll be here all night!"

The Bird - Great crowd response. He brought dancers up from VIP. I noticed during this that Prince doesn't actually do the dance like everyone else was doing.

Jungle Love - "Who wrote this?" Dancers still on stage. The ladies mics seemed to be together now...lol...at the end of show. However, Shelby's still seemed low. Now I'm not one to gossip but I know some were complaining about her being too loud. And now she's barely audible? Hmm....

The Glamorous Life - This was the final song. A bunch of us sat around afterward cuz you never know. But then they stated disassembling the stage. Guess that was it!

All in all, it was a fun show. I thought he might come back for the sampler set but it didn't happen. Honestly, his voice sounded like it was almost gone. So I'm not surprised he didn't come back, as he still had another gig to do immediately after this one. He still delivered though, and I don't think people left disappointed like they did on Monday. However, I think it's a ballsy move to NOT do Kiss.

I can't wait to read reviews from the HOB!!

BobGeorge909 said:

coltrane3 said:

Last night (9/25) was fantastic, but this set seems really intriguing.

The ryde devyne definately caught my eye

Sadly there's no "The Ryde Dyvine" this concert...

bellanoche said:

Once again, Prince and the Band delivered a great show! Although 9/26 did not top 9/25 (What could?), it was wonderful. I had friends and family telling me how completely blown away they were. One of my friends who saw him for the first time last night even texted me after the show that she is now a “believer.” There were some sound issues again. They mainly had to do with volume because Prince called for several things to be turned up throughout the show. At one point, when the y finally got the volume right on the horns, he barked a “Thank You” that with such authority that it made me laugh. There were also some major issues with sound during Glamorous Life. Maybe that was a sign that Prince should stop doing Sheila's songs in concert. We all know he wrote them. He needs to retire them if he can't make things right with Sheila because they are not the same without her, though Ledisi sounded great. I just like my Sheila E. songs with Sheila E. NO ONE can do the percussion solo but her, and the song isn't the same without it. That said, those few snafus could not ruin what was a fantastic show.

Highlights

• Dance Electric in a stadium – What??!!!! It was great at the afterjam at HOB the night before, but in the stadium with the lighting he used, singing the verses and chorus – Go ‘head Prince!!!!

• Extra Lovable – I LOVED the horns on this and Prince’s energy was fantastic. He seemed so happy. Everyday People with Ledisi – Fantastic!

• I really just love the Everyday People/Mountains/Dance Electric mash up. The first two songs over the Dance Electric beat just work! This is the way to incorporate a cover into a Prince concert. One solid cover a night pays homage and keeps the party moving. I loved it at HOB and UC.

• Joy in Repetition – So sexy, and Maceo’s solo just killed it. Wow!

• The encore piano medley – I almost fainted when he did Do Me Baby and I Wanna Be Your Lover!

• Purple Rain – He was right, that was the best PR of all three nights. He murdered it!

• Limited backup vocal leads – Prince, please stick with this formula. Give these amazing ladies their one song and keep it moving. They were fantastic at the afterjam on 9/26. Let them get their shine there. The concert is for you!
• Limited medleys - I would always rather hear fewer songs fully realized than more songs in abbreviated form. The sampler was a cool way to run through some hits. That is the only medley I can get with at this point.

• Guitar – YES! YES! YES!

I am sure that I am forgetting something, but I just have to say that these three days have been extraordinary! Prince is truly the King! There is no one who can top him – not even on his worst day. You can etch that in stone.

I also have to give a huge thumbs up to Prince for giving the complimentary tickets to the CPS teachers and the Monday night HOB crowd. It was a great gesture no matter what anyone says. The UC was packed three nights in a row as was HOB. Dude made his money. He did not have to do that, but he did. He made some folks’ nights, weeks, months, years, lives with that move. Good on him.Since I already had tickets for 9/26, I gave my comp tickets away to some people and they had a ball.

Sorry, but I have to go OT for a minute because I saw a post that irritated me. Having been a CPS teacher, I know how completely thankless and utterly frustrating the job can be at times, especially when teaching in some of the worst neighborhoods in the city. That $71,000 average salary that someone posted includes the many first-year and early career teachers who make less than 40,000 a year to teach ill-prepared children in impoverished, crime ridden areas with little to no resources or support from parents or administrators. My friend who works for CPS said all folks were talking about at headquarters was the concert and how phenomenal it was. Well done Prince. Well done.

[Edited 9/27/12 22:05pm]

I agree with you on this point. I was irritated by this person's comment too. Not only was it the wrong forum for it but it was an unnecessary and misinformed dig at CPS teachers who may frequent this site. It irks me when someone simply regurgitates an untruth. But back on topic, I think Prince did a phenomenal job and I'm glad he made Chicago his first stop.

Orionforever said:

Emancipation89 said:

Another amazing night with Prince! Seemed like the stadium was even more packed than yesterday. There was just as much guitar & piano playing as yesterday. Some of my favorite moments were Maceo Parker, Mountains, Joy In Repetition, Dance Electric (Prince warned at the beginning, "You may not know this song!" and it was true - no one around me seemed to know the lyrics to this song....), Do Me Baby (he still hits the high notes just fine and it sounded great live), and I must say I also really dig the way he plays Little Red Corvette.

Can't believe it was his last night at Chicago *bawl*

He didn't hardly play the Piano at all Wednesday night.. the entire Long set on the piano was gone with the samplers.. only did a few songs at the end...

haha yeah, just during the first encore he played the piano on Wednesday night, but the solo piece he played briefly (maybe improvised?) right after How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore and the performance of DO ME BABY totally made my night

MJ007 said:

bellanoche said:

Once again, Prince and the Band delivered a great show! Although 9/26 did not top 9/25 (What could?), it was wonderful. I had friends and family telling me how completely blown away they were. One of my friends who saw him for the first time last night even texted me after the show that she is now a “believer.” There were some sound issues again. They mainly had to do with volume because Prince called for several things to be turned up throughout the show. At one point, when the y finally got the volume right on the horns, he barked a “Thank You” that with such authority that it made me laugh. There were also some major issues with sound during Glamorous Life. Maybe that was a sign that Prince should stop doing Sheila's songs in concert. We all know he wrote them. He needs to retire them if he can't make things right with Sheila because they are not the same without her, though Ledisi sounded great. I just like my Sheila E. songs with Sheila E. NO ONE can do the percussion solo but her, and the song isn't the same without it. That said, those few snafus could not ruin what was a fantastic show.

Highlights

• Dance Electric in a stadium – What??!!!! It was great at the afterjam at HOB the night before, but in the stadium with the lighting he used, singing the verses and chorus – Go ‘head Prince!!!!

• Extra Lovable – I LOVED the horns on this and Prince’s energy was fantastic. He seemed so happy. Everyday People with Ledisi – Fantastic!

• I really just love the Everyday People/Mountains/Dance Electric mash up. The first two songs over the Dance Electric beat just work! This is the way to incorporate a cover into a Prince concert. One solid cover a night pays homage and keeps the party moving. I loved it at HOB and UC.

• Joy in Repetition – So sexy, and Maceo’s solo just killed it. Wow!

• The encore piano medley – I almost fainted when he did Do Me Baby and I Wanna Be Your Lover!

• Purple Rain – He was right, that was the best PR of all three nights. He murdered it!

• Limited backup vocal leads – Prince, please stick with this formula. Give these amazing ladies their one song and keep it moving. They were fantastic at the afterjam on 9/26. Let them get their shine there. The concert is for you!
• Limited medleys - I would always rather hear fewer songs fully realized than more songs in abbreviated form. The sampler was a cool way to run through some hits. That is the only medley I can get with at this point.

• Guitar – YES! YES! YES!

I am sure that I am forgetting something, but I just have to say that these three days have been extraordinary! Prince is truly the King! There is no one who can top him – not even on his worst day. You can etch that in stone.

I also have to give a huge thumbs up to Prince for giving the complimentary tickets to the CPS teachers and the Monday night HOB crowd. It was a great gesture no matter what anyone says. The UC was packed three nights in a row as was HOB. Dude made his money. He did not have to do that, but he did. He made some folks’ nights, weeks, months, years, lives with that move. Good on him.Since I already had tickets for 9/26, I gave my comp tickets away to some people and they had a ball.

Sorry, but I have to go OT for a minute because I saw a post that irritated me. Having been a CPS teacher, I know how completely thankless and utterly frustrating the job can be at times, especially when teaching in some of the worst neighborhoods in the city. That $71,000 average salary that someone posted includes the many first-year and early career teachers who make less than 40,000 a year to teach ill-prepared children in impoverished, crime ridden areas with little to no resources or support from parents or administrators. My friend who works for CPS said all folks were talking about at headquarters was the concert and how phenomenal it was. Well done Prince. Well done.

[Edited 9/27/12 22:05pm]

I agree with you on this point. I was irritated by this person's comment too. Not only was it the wrong forum for it but it was an unnecessary and misinformed dig at CPS teachers who may frequent this site. It irks me when someone simply regurgitates an untruth. But back on topic, I think Prince did a phenomenal job and I'm glad he made Chicago his first stop.

MJ007 said:

I agree with you on this point. I was irritated by this person's comment too. Not only was it the wrong forum for it but it was an unnecessary and misinformed dig at CPS teachers who may frequent this site. It irks me when someone simply regurgitates an untruth. But back on topic, I think Prince did a phenomenal job and I'm glad he made Chicago his first stop.

First stop for what?

KCOOLMUZIQ said:

The fact that a 54 year old man can sit like this is amazing to me.. LOL

Prince is not the average 54 years old.....