Post all your reports and experiences here. Thanks

Hi everybody,

I just came back from the third show, after having seen all the three (no saturday aftershow though).

Of course today's show was totally different. No NPG hornz until the sampler medley.

As Prince shouted himself, it was rock'n'roll but funky. Great music, great musicianship, great guitar playing both from Prince and this lady (sorry, I still haven't learned the names of the ladies), some really nice bass guitar and even the drummer was following. And Prince at the piano too.

Later, when the NPG hornz entered the stage, some of us just sighted. But it was good on its own terms.

I think that Prince, as always, is trying to be many personas all at once. At one moment, he wants to have a big band, just like these funk bands in the 70's, with a multitude on stage, every instrument, every sound, every set of sounds combined easily produced. And he is the leader of this extremely skillful, well running and perfectly operating machine. And he is very very proud of it.

On the other hand, like today's show, he deeply understands the magic of the intimacy (though a very loud one) that can be achieved with just four people on stage and the place it gives for his show-off but his emotions as well. And at moments we could experience this magic.

He simply can be all of that (and even more), we have seen this in his many shows, tours, once jumping from a big-band shows (Parade, Sign o' the times), through more modest (the Nude tour), to the ONA concerts, finally to the intimate aftershows we have experienced (live or otherwise) so many.

And like with his music, which is equally eclectic and equally in demand to embrace every genre Prince thinks himself capable of performing, in Montreux we saw the man again divided between the two, never however leaving the distinction line clean, with an endeavour of an intimate "Something in the Water" between the NPG hornz grand sounds on Saturday and Sunday, and with the sampler medley following the 3rdEyeGirl show tonight.

His multi-talent is his advantage, but his curse as well.

It has always been like that. We shouldn't be surprised. I am ready and willing to experience much of it. I do prefer the intimate moments of tonight.

Tonight was a great show. Thank you Prince

[Edited 7/15/13 15:25pm]

SometimesIwonder said:

Can I just say, 3 nights in Montreux & this is the only feedback from fans? He did one show in Dublin in 2011 & I lost count at the number of pages of comments from fans on here... just saying. If it was me, I'd like 2 go more often 2 where I was really, really appreciated. please bring that funky horn line up 2 the UK & Eire!!

SometimesIwonder said:

Can I just say, 3 nights in Montreux & this is the only feedback from fans? He did one show in Dublin in 2011 & I lost count at the number of pages of comments from fans on here... just saying. If it was me, I'd like 2 go more often 2 where I was really, really appreciated. please bring that funky horn line up 2 the UK & Eire!!

[Edited 8/5/13 9:22am]

SometimesIwonder said:

Can I just say, 3 nights in Montreux & this is the only feedback from fans? He did one show in Dublin in 2011 & I lost count at the number of pages of comments from fans on here... just saying. If it was me, I'd like 2 go more often 2 where I was really, really appreciated. please bring that funky horn line up 2 the UK & Eire!!

Feedback on Prince.org is not equal to ticket sales.

He's going to go where he can get paid/sell tickets. I assume he accomplished that at Montreux?

RodeoSchro said:

ForbiddenFruit said:

"21st century, oh what a shame That race still matters - NOT GUILTY" ("Dreamer" tonight)

It was absolutely an amazing show...Prince was so inspired and in a good mood. He is a genius, he plays guitar so perfectly (we were lucky yesterday evening, considering that in the first 2 shows he didn't play anything...). Also the 3 girls on stage are really good and powerful. Perfect setlist (I expected a longer concert for 175 CHF...), strong and funky, all the people in the audience was dancing and singing...I really hope to see one of his concert really soon!

rafael said:

SometimesIwonder said:

Can I just say, 3 nights in Montreux & this is the only feedback from fans? He did one show in Dublin in 2011 & I lost count at the number of pages of comments from fans on here... just saying. If it was me, I'd like 2 go more often 2 where I was really, really appreciated. please bring that funky horn line up 2 the UK & Eire!!

tdavison said:

SometimesIwonder said:

Can I just say, 3 nights in Montreux & this is the only feedback from fans? He did one show in Dublin in 2011 & I lost count at the number of pages of comments from fans on here... just saying. If it was me, I'd like 2 go more often 2 where I was really, really appreciated. please bring that funky horn line up 2 the UK & Eire!!

I was there for the 3 shows. The first was nothing like I've seen before from Prince and thought it was brilliant. He was an old school bandleader and there must have been considerable rehearsing for everything to be so tight. The second night was similar and bit repetitive of the first night. The third night was one of the best Prince gigs I've seen. It was blistering! The disco on the stage was a direct result of the crowd baying so long for an encore and was a great way to end the night. The venue was dangerous and badly organized for this kind of gig. It's just not designed for what Prince creates. I don't get the 3rd Eyye Girl concept. The 2 new girls (not Ida) don't have the funk and they are overwhelmed by being in Prince's band. But I love whatever Prince does and especially his willingness to try new things, so the band can only get better. Given Prince's age and that there are many fanatics who are the same age, or close, and that many fanatics travel internationally for occasions like this, I picked a vibe up in Montreux that it wont be long before it might not be worth the expense to continue the habit and to quit while he's on top...

Sounds fantastic! Glad he changed the format and wish I was there rather than the day before... I hope the DVD deal is still in play and that it comes out by christmas...

Stranger

SometimesIwonder said:

RodeoSchro said:

Feedback on Prince.org is not equal to ticket sales.

He's going to go where he can get paid/sell tickets. I assume he accomplished that at Montreux?

I know RodeoSchro, true enough. But when the wave of excitement & positivity is buzzing in the fans so much they can't help share their thoughts/feelings, then it can only breed more & more good energy amongst us, non? Surely that has 2b important 2 Prince along with the green? Edit: OOPS My Apologies- just read the above sticky thread about Montreux!! Didn't notice it b4... [Edited 7/16/13 1:11am]

No problem!

One of the things that's always puzzled/amused me is that Prince can sell out 15,000+ arenas all over the world, yet there are probably less than a thousand members that interact on this site.

Surely most Prince fans are computer-literate, but I guess Prince doesn't inspire people to congregate on the web. Maybe it's because of that aura of mystery about him, and the fact that his private life is actually private.

Not much to gossip about must equal not much reason for most people to get online.

SometimesIwonder said:

Can I just say, 3 nights in Montreux & this is the only feedback from fans?

A lot of reviews on other (non-English) sites.

For example in French:

07/13

http://www.schkopi.com/fo...17262.html

07/14

http://www.schkopi.com/fo...17263.html

07/15

http://www.schkopi.com/fo...17264.html

MobeenAzhar said:

I'll post a long report later but can you please org note me if you have any pics of me on stage?! I'm the man with mohawk and the pink heart painted on my head! Damaris bought me up before anyone else so I was dancing with her for most if 'Doves'. Please get in touch! The memory will stay with me for all time but a pic woul be nice too!

I don't have a picture but you were AWESOME up there. (I was standing next to you on the right). So fun!!!

I'm just back home from attending the third concert, and it was the only one I went to so in light of the previous comments I'm quite happy with my choice as all three were out of the question (Switzerland is an expensive place!).

To briefly comment on the lack of Org representation.. I started queueing about 6.30pm and the line stretched right around the auditorium by this point. We were in line for half an hour at least, and the staff actually told us the concert had been delayed so we may as well leave and come back later! Needless to say we didn't, but there was plenty of time to chat so I did speak with several of my surrounding fans.

One pair were a man and woman, she at least was from London and had attended around 20 shows...she said she did hair and makeup for famous folk and although she had contacts in the music business she'd never been able to gain any advantage in terms of Prince concerts. Anyway, I asked if she was on the org, and she said no as she was completely computer illiterate (she was about 30 I'd say)...her mother had an account though!

I also got speaking to a pair of girls (26 and 28 years of age). Both English and one was a hardcore fan with a tattoo on her neck and the other was her friend.. Despite one of them having attended numerous shows including Madrid, she wasn't on the Org either when I asked, but her mother had an account. She seemed dismissive the minute I mentioned, saying something like "Oh no, I don't bother with all that stuff!"

No, I don't know what it is with all the mothers out there, but they need to educate their daughters.

Does being on the Org make us the hardcore or just merely a bit different to the vast majority of Prince fans? Wanting to read about him and be in the 'know' seems natural to me, but it's obvious that alot of what I'd consider serious fans simply don't have the desire to read this site. C'est la vie.

Despite being quite late to the queue and the 'hardcore' folk were obviously at the front, there were people with Prince T-shirts surrounding me and a lady had a bespoke symbol necklace around her neck. Everyone had their reasons for being further down the queue, including me as I'd only arrive in the country a matter of five hours earlier.

As for the concert, I had no idea what to expect but the venue wasn't the grand old building I believed it to be. It's a relatively blocky, modern construction with very little character outside. The interior looks to be acoustically designed with a wooden ceiling and a balcony at the back where the rich people can sit and view from afar.

I was to the right of the stage, near the video screen positioned there. Throughout, a very professionally live edited stream of footage was fed to the screens and cameras on boom arms were circling the stage and audience. I'd be surprised if something official doesn't come out as every effort was made to present the concert visually.

When I say edited, I mean that the camera cut to Prince yelping at the piano with split second timing and then went away again to the band..so some planning has gone into the camera cuts.

I didn't know 3rd Eye Girl were going to be performing, but with no support act they all just took the stage and proceeded to shred their instruments to devastating effect. Prince will never have played a heavier gig than this...it was intense.

The obligatory cameras were out in force, but a small latino lady was out to stop folk and a pen torch was shone on people who dared to do something. She couldn't and didn't stop everyone though. At one point a large bouncer came through the crowd past me and I'm sure he had the intention of an eviction..

I did manage to get a few video clips, blurry pics and the audio of some songs despite all of this.

Most of the time I watched the video screen as the footage was very close up, and when Prince was at the piano he markedly made a point of trying to stop someone from taking his picture.

There were two or three at the front doing it, but he pointed at one in particular, making a face and waving his hand at them. This had no effect so he looked behind himself as if to ask, "Are you filming someone behind me?". He turned back around and then made a swirly finger gesture around his head, suggesting the person was mad, but he just carried on with the concert.

My friend noticed a young lady standing by herself in the eaves, dancing around, and I can only presume that was his manager? Later on I think she was out as around twenty people took to the stage and joined the throng..

I loved the performance, but I wish I'd been front and centre. I was stopped from doing this as two people in front of me surged forward and I followed, but a lady whom they'd passed by put her arm out and prevented me from getting past her. What's up with that?

I didn't want to cause a scene but she had no right to prevent my free movement in the crowd! I could have circumvented her but the moment was lost and I couldn't be bothered with the hassle after that. Besides, the video screen did afford me a very good view.

Being front centre would have been awesome as P was touching hands with the front row at one point, but I was happy to be where I was overall. The music was great and the band were having a blast.

I must say though, when the camera cut to the crowd faces sometimes, I didn't think people looked terribly excited! The arms in the air at the front told me otherwise for the majority of people and the participation in song chanting when prompted was flawless, but the blank expressions on the faces of those in the front third really surprised me. Maybe they were concentrating??

Anyway, I had an awesome time, the song choice was good and I'm proud to say I was there!

Our trip to Montreux started with a massive dose of Murphy's Law. A cancelled flight meant we ended up traveling 8 hours on train to Montreux via Paris. One Paris bomb scare later, we were desperately wishing that Prince would take the stage late on the first night. For the first night at least, it was not meant to be.

We got to Montreux in time to see the GCS after show with Prince sitting in for 10 minutes on guitar and keys. It was cool-but not the show we’d planned on seeing.

Sundays show was big-band. The band is huge. The horns are tight and I think Prince really enjoys being the big band leader. It was a good introductory show for one of my friends who has never seen Prince before, but a little Vegas-y for my taste. My highlight was the opening; 'Act of God' and also a beautiful version of ‘Something in the Water’. It was cool but nothing I hadn’t really seen before. It’s a party on stage. It’s fun.

The European debut of 3rd Eye Girl was for me, the main event. I have seen Prince maybe 40 times since '93 and the 3rd Eye Girl show is on par (if not better) than 'One Night Alone'. There was a stark difference between this show and the previous night. I enjoyed the NPG show but watching 3rd Eye Girl just highlights how Prince was coasting the night before, in my opinion.

With 3rd Eye Girl, Prince's attention to the structure of the show and details clothing are reminiscent of previous album-related tours. This is not the 'review' type show that so many of us have seen since 1996.

There is fire in this show and Prince really works.

I’ll leave the set list to others but the guitar work is intense and unrelenting. Prince sang for the whole show and his falsetto and screaming were both impassioned and precise throughout. It was like watching an artist on a mission to prove something. The front of the stage was like a mosh pit. The show has real texture-from all out hard rock on 'Screwdriver' and 'Endorphinemachine' to spaced out psychedelic on 'The Breakdown' and 'Plectrum Electrum'.

It feels that this band were/are really involved in making the new material like 'Fix Ur Life Up' and that really shows. Donna wriths and jumps around on stage like she’s posessed. The previous night-she looked board.

Being so close to the front meant we could really see Princes facial expressions. He seemed genuinely moved at the crowd response and even shed a tear at the end of 'The Love we Make'.

He also seemed pretty angry with the hot teleprompter woman who sat to the extreme stage right. I think she messed up a few times. For example; the intro to Bambi was especially long and I think it's because the lyrics weren't on screen in time. Prince turned his back to the crowd and looked over to her. He was angry as he mouthed ‘Bambi!' Similarly, we missed the 'hold up, wait a minute' verse of 'Endorphinemachine' and Prince looked over to teleprompt woman and shook his head. He handled it like a pro though and his ad libs added to the truly creative spirit of the show.

I've often seen Prince signal to band members but tonight I actually saw Ida ask 'what shall we play?' Before Prince mouthed 'The Breakdown'. It was amazing to witness such detail. ‘The Breakdown’ is sick. The lyrics are very personal and raw.

All in all, it added up to one of the best shows I've ever seen. It could have stopped there but as Prince sat down for the encore sample set, we heard the intro to 'When Doves Cry', Damaris appeared for the first time that night. She walked across the stage and came straight to me. I was kind of recognizable as I had a Mohawk and a pink heart painted on the side if my head. For the next few minutes I was dancing with Damaris in front of Prince's key board. I was dancing hard but I did have time to tell Prince 'I love you'. He nodded and smiled. It was pretty nuts being on stage with just Damaris and Prince. I maintained eye contact with him for a fair amount of time but I was really feeling the music and putting on a bit if a performance for the crowd too. It was crazy.

As doves morphed into 'Sign O the Times' Damaris bought up a whole bunch of people from the crowd, including my friends. I stayed centre stage, dancing hard for about 30 minutes. It was a beautiful experience for me and one that will always stay with me.

A few other things specific points to note:

- We stayed at the same hotel as Prince and the band so over the w/e I met Larry (who was actually lovely).

- Donna, Hannah, Ida and Josh were sweet and asked my name and spoke to me for a few minutes. They thought I was a little crazy as I approached them near the hotel lifts after Sundays show and said 'I'm so excited I might be sick'. They were all sweet though and thought I was funny. They got into the lift together and the doors shut. My friend and I started screaming and jumping because we couldn't believe what had just happened and at that point the lift doors reopened! The whole of 3rd Eye Girl were staring at us-but they could see the funny side of it (I hope).

- Ten minutes later I met Shelby, Liv and Elisa. They were all very nice. Liv said my style was 'crazy' and asked where I got my necklace from.

- Cassandra and Adrian (one of the horn players) were also really sweet and said they wanted my shoes!

- I spoke to Nick (the trumpeter) after the first show just outside my hotel room and he made some interesting observations. I asked him if he'd grown up listening to Prince and he said 'Not really. I'm a jazz musician'. He told me he'd been working with Prince for almost a year and when I asked if he'd recorded a lot he said 'a whole bunch of stuff'. He also said he had ‘no idea’ when I asked if any of it would ever be released.

- For those questioning 3rd Eye Girl’s musical ability, I'd suggest you get some perspective. The girls play like they are on a mission and that really comes through the very core of this show. I really hope Prince sticks to his guns, releases the album and tours smaller venues with the new material. Prince is really stretching again. It's a beautiful thing.

PS: If anyone has any images/video of me on stage – please org note me. It will mean the world to me.

x

[Edited 7/16/13 13:28pm]

Thanks for the great review! Sounds like it was an amazing show. I'm wondering if the teleprompter girl was Chelsea Rodgers? Hmm. So cool that you also got to meet a lot of the band members. Did you get to meet P and Damaris?

MobeenAzhar said:

Our trip to Montreux started with a massive dose of Murphy's Law. A cancelled flight meant we ended up traveling 8 hours on train to Montreux via Paris. One Paris bomb scare later, we were desperately wishing that Prince would take the stage late on the first night. For the first night at least, it was not meant to be.

We got to Montreux in time to see the GCS after show with Prince sitting in for 10 minutes on guitar and keys. It was cool-but not the show we’d planned on seeing.

Sundays show was big-band. The band is huge. The horns are tight and I think Prince really enjoys being the big band leader. It was a good introductory show for one of my friends who has never seen Prince before, but a little Vegas-y for my taste. My highlight was the opening; 'Act of God' and also a beautiful version of ‘Something in the Water’. It was cool but nothing I hadn’t really seen before. It’s a party on stage. It’s fun.

The European debut of 3rd Eye Girl was for me, the main event. I have seen Prince maybe 40 times since '93 and the 3rd Eye Girl show is on par (if not better) than 'One Night Alone'. There was a stark difference between this show and the previous night. I enjoyed the NPG show but watching 3rd Eye Girl just highlights how Prince was coasting the night before, in my opinion.

With 3rd Eye Girl, Prince's attention to the structure of the show and details clothing are reminiscent of previous album-related tours. This is not the 'review' type show that so many of us have seen since 1996.

There is fire in this show and Prince really works.

I’ll leave the set list to others but the guitar work is intense and unrelenting. Prince sang for the whole show and his falsetto and screaming were both impassioned and precise throughout. It was like watching an artist on a mission to prove something. The front of the stage was like a mosh pit. The show has real texture-from all out hard rock on 'Screwdriver' and 'Endorphinemachine' to spaced out psychedelic on 'The Breakdown' and 'Plectrum Electrum'.

It feels that this band were/are really involved in making the new material like 'Fix Ur Life Up' and that really shows. Donna wriths and jumps around on stage like she’s posessed. The previous night-she looked board.

Being so close to the front meant we could really see Princes facial expressions. He seemed genuinely moved at the crowd response and even shed a tear at the end of 'The Love we Make'.

He also seemed pretty angry with the hot teleprompter woman who sat to the extreme stage right. I think she messed up a few times. For example; the intro to Bambi was especially long and I think it's because the lyrics weren't on screen in time. Prince turned his back to the crowd and looked over to her. He was angry as he mouthed ‘Bambi!' Similarly, we missed the 'hold up, wait a minute' verse of 'Endorphinemachine' and Prince looked over to teleprompt woman and shook his head. He handled it like a pro though and his ad libs added to the truly creative spirit of the show.

I've often seen Prince signal to band members but tonight I actually saw Ida ask 'what shall we play?' Before Prince mouthed 'The Breakdown'. It was amazing to witness such detail. ‘The Breakdown’ is sick. The lyrics are very personal and raw.

All in all, it added up to one of the best shows I've ever seen. It could have stopped there but as Prince sat down for the encore sample set, we heard the intro to 'When Doves Cry', Damaris appeared for the first time that night. She walked across the stage and came straight to me. I was kind of recognizable as I had a Mohawk and a pink heart painted on the side if my head. For the next few minutes I was dancing with Damaris in front of Prince's key board. I was dancing hard but I did have time to tell Prince 'I love you'. He nodded and smiled. It was pretty nuts being on stage with just Damaris and Prince. I maintained eye contact with him for a fair amount of time but I was really feeling the music and putting on a bit if a performance for the crowd too. It was crazy.

As doves morphed into 'Sign O the Times' Damaris bought up a whole bunch of people from the crowd, including my friends. I stayed centre stage, dancing hard for about 30 minutes. It was a beautiful experience for me and one that will always stay with me.

A few other things specific points to note:

- We stayed at the same hotel as Prince and the band so over the w/e I met Larry (who was actually lovely).

- Donna, Hannah, Ida and Josh were sweet and asked my name and spoke to me for a few minutes. They thought I was a little crazy as I approached them near the hotel lifts after Sundays show and said 'I'm so excited I might be sick'. They were all sweet though and thought I was funny. They got into the lift together and the doors shut. My friend and I started screaming and jumping because we couldn't believe what had just happened and at that point the lift doors reopened! The whole of 3rd Eye Girl were staring at us-but they could see the funny side of it (I hope).

- Ten minutes later I met Shelby, Liv and Elisa. They were all very nice. Liv said my style was 'crazy' and asked where I got my necklace from.

- Cassandra and Adrian (one of the horn players) were also really sweet and said they wanted my shoes!

- I spoke to Nick (the trumpeter) after the first show just outside my hotel room and he made some interesting observations. I asked him if he'd grown up listening to Prince and he said 'Not really. I'm a jazz musician'. He told me he'd been working with Prince for almost a year and when I asked if he'd recorded a lot he said 'a whole bunch of stuff'. He also said he had ‘no idea’ when I asked if any of it would ever be released.

- For those questioning 3rd Eye Girl’s musical ability, I'd suggest you get some perspective. The girls play like they are on a mission and that really comes through the very core of this show. I really hope Prince sticks to his guns, releases the album and tours smaller venues with the new material. Prince is really stretching again. It's a beautiful thing.

PS: If anyone has any images/video of me on stage – please org note me. It will mean the world to me.

x

[Edited 7/16/13 13:28pm]

MobeenAzhar said:

- For those questioning 3rd Eye Girl’s musical ability, I'd suggest you get some perspective. The girls play like they are on a mission and that really comes through the very core of this show. I really hope Prince sticks to his guns, releases the album and tours smaller venues with the new material. Prince is really stretching again. It's a beautiful thing.

Great review, nice stories, thanks !

Maybe some dont even know Prince is headlining montreux?

would make sense to have this on the front page....its quite an honour to headline for three nights