[Edited 8/15/13 16:25pm]

[Edited 8/15/13 16:26pm]

Trickology said:

I think some artists are tonedeaf when it comes to economic situations. Not putting anyone deliberately at fault, I just think if this is the audience you want at your shows to give a series of shows, you cut out people out of a certain bracket. But if the goal is just to sell your VIP seating and maxing your profit for the night, knock yourself out. Hopefully they can deliver at that price.

I completely agree with this. I hope everyone who goes to the NYC shows has a great time, but the prices are too high for me. Janelle Monae is charging $25 for her show in at the House of Blues Boston in October. I can afford that ... and I know she will be headlining. I wish more artists would follow that type of price structure.

How was the beginning of the City Winery Purple Week and the Purple Rain New York Screening? How was DJD DUDLEY? Were there surprise guests? Love to hear the details

kok said:

How was the beginning of the City Winery Purple Week and the Purple Rain New York Screening? How was DJD DUDLEY? Were there surprise guests? Love to hear the details

What!!! No report of any kind...

kok said:

kok said:

How was the beginning of the City Winery Purple Week and the Purple Rain New York Screening? How was DJD DUDLEY? Were there surprise guests? Love to hear the details

What!!! No report of any kind...

I didn't go, but a few of my fellow NY purple peeps went and they said that the NPG crew just introduced themselves, plugged the shows that they would be doing and stayed to watch Purple Rain for only the first 10 minutes They didn't perform, weren't any special guests, or no real interaction with the audience. I assume that they were busy getting ready for the real shows to stay and socialize with the audience. I still believe they should've stayed to watch the movie with the audience seeing that most of the people who were at the screening will be at the shows supporting the band! New Yorkans are a fickle bunch, so that little stunt already left a few friends of mine with a bad taste in their mouth!

They better bring it the first show, ore else the bad news will spread like wildfire and they'll have an empty house for the remaining shows!!

dartluv5 said:

kok said:

What!!! No report of any kind...

I didn't go, but a few of my fellow NY purple peeps went and they said that the NPG crew just introduced themselves, plugged the shows that they would be doing and stayed to watch Purple Rain for only the first 10 minutes They didn't perform, weren't any special guests, or no real interaction with the audience. I assume that they were busy getting ready for the real shows to stay and socialize with the audience. I still believe they should've stayed to watch the movie with the audience seeing that most of the people who were at the screening will be at the shows supporting the band! New Yorkans are a fickle bunch, so that little stunt already left a few friends of mine with a bad taste in their mouth!

They better bring it the first show, ore else the bad news will spread like wildfire and they'll have an empty house for the remaining shows!!

I was certainly wondering thanks dartluv5 for your report and the inside story on the screening. I so wanted to be there but there was so many changes and delays in sharing what was going to happen Monday night that I couldn't prepare properly to leave my state to travel NYC...I was so disappointed. Extremely.

Interesting about NPG participation, but I'm sure they are preparing an incredible show, for everyone over the next week! Last 2 question...was it well attended? Did you hear about many out of towners? Again, dartluv5 I appreciate the time, energy, thoughtfulness and consideration you took to answer my request for information...I wish I was there...hope I can attend Sunday(unsure) but do know how much I value...U

Ready to get funktified tonight !

2elijah said:

Ready to get funktified tonight !

See you in a little while!

can't wait to read your reviews...have a wonderful time...I smile thinking about the funk and the crazy fun you all will have...enjoy

kok said:

dartluv5 said:

I didn't go, but a few of my fellow NY purple peeps went and they said that the NPG crew just introduced themselves, plugged the shows that they would be doing and stayed to watch Purple Rain for only the first 10 minutes They didn't perform, weren't any special guests, or no real interaction with the audience. I assume that they were busy getting ready for the real shows to stay and socialize with the audience. I still believe they should've stayed to watch the movie with the audience seeing that most of the people who were at the screening will be at the shows supporting the band! New Yorkans are a fickle bunch, so that little stunt already left a few friends of mine with a bad taste in their mouth!

They better bring it the first show, ore else the bad news will spread like wildfire and they'll have an empty house for the remaining shows!!

I was certainly wondering thanks dartluv5 for your report and the inside story on the screening. I so wanted to be there but there was so many changes and delays in sharing what was going to happen Monday night that I couldn't prepare properly to leave my state to travel NYC...I was so disappointed. Extremely.

Interesting about NPG participation, but I'm sure they are preparing an incredible show, for everyone over the next week! Last 2 question...was it well attended? Did you hear about many out of towners? Again, dartluv5 I appreciate the time, energy, thoughtfulness and consideration you took to answer my request for information...I wish I was there...hope I can attend Sunday(unsure) but do know how much I value...U

I'm not sure about the Purple Rain screening attendees, but I know that there are a few members posting in our NY Prince Fan site that are attending the shows from out of town With most New York shows there are usually a lot of people who travel from all over the globe for entertainment at any given moment, so I'm sure there will be a full house there tonight!

chocolate1 said:

2elijah said:

Ready to get funktified tonight !

See you in a little while!

Liv, Shelby, NPGHornz and Alice Smith, kicked some azz all over the place tonight. Awesome, awesome performance and amazing, amazing talent, and the audience was so into it. Thanks for getting us seats that close to the stage, that was totally unexpected but a nice surprise. It was nice the NPG band invited Alice Smith on stage and she 'tore the flo up!' Freaking amazing artist, so glad she is finally being recognized for her awesome talent. Also loved that jazz instrumental by the NPG Hornz that they said Prince wrote. Will come back to the thread tomorrow. Show was so good it wore me out.

[Edited 8/21/13 20:34pm]

2elijah said:

chocolate1 said:

See you in a little while!

Liv, Shelby, NPGHornz and Alice Smith, kicked some azz all over the place tonight. Awesome, awesome performance and amazing, amazing talent, and the audience was so into it. Thanks for getting us seats that close to the stage, that was totally unexpected but a nice surprise. It was nice the NPG band invited Alice Smith on stage and she 'tore the flo up!' Freaking amazing artist, so glad she is finally being recognized for her awesome talent. Also loved that jazz instrumental by the NPG Hornz that they said Prince wrote. Will come back to the thread tomorrow. Show was so good it wore me out.

[Edited 8/21/13 20:34pm]

Thanks 2elijah for great report and it brought a smile to my heart that even the seating was delightful surprise, how cool. I was happy for you to be blessed with an additional treat ...I'm so hungry for a Prince, NYC and Liv, Shelby and NPGHornz fix!!!

You know Alice Smith sounds incredibly familiar...wasn't she also @ the March Carnegie Hall Benefit? Any setlist stand outs from any other gifted artists?

I knew the show would be hot, awesome performances and totally on point...and just think...this is only the beginning each night will be hotter than the night before

dartluv5 said:

kok said:

I was certainly wondering thanks dartluv5 for your report and the inside story on the screening. I so wanted to be there but there was so many changes and delays in sharing what was going to happen Monday night that I couldn't prepare properly to leave my state to travel NYC...I was so disappointed. Extremely.

Interesting about NPG participation, but I'm sure they are preparing an incredible show, for everyone over the next week! Last 2 question...was it well attended? Did you hear about many out of towners? Again, dartluv5 I appreciate the time, energy, thoughtfulness and consideration you took to answer my request for information...I wish I was there...hope I can attend Sunday(unsure) but do know how much I value...U

I'm not sure about the Purple Rain screening attendees, but I know that there are a few members posting in our NY Prince Fan site that are attending the shows from out of town With most New York shows there are usually a lot of people who travel from all over the globe for entertainment at any given moment, so I'm sure there will be a full house there tonight!

Thanks again for the info...what is the NY Prince site? Appreciate and value your input...man do I need a NYC and Prince fix

kok said:

2elijah said:

Liv, Shelby, NPGHornz and Alice Smith, kicked some azz all over the place tonight. Awesome, awesome performance and amazing, amazing talent, and the audience was so into it. Thanks for getting us seats that close to the stage, that was totally unexpected but a nice surprise. It was nice the NPG band invited Alice Smith on stage and she 'tore the flo up!' Freaking amazing artist, so glad she is finally being recognized for her awesome talent. Also loved that jazz instrumental by the NPG Hornz that they said Prince wrote. Will come back to the thread tomorrow. Show was so good it wore me out.

[Edited 8/21/13 20:34pm]

Thanks 2elijah for great report and it brought a smile to my heart that even the seating was delightful surprise, how cool. I was happy for you to be blessed with an additional treat ...I'm so hungry for a Prince, NYC and Liv, Shelby and NPGHornz fix!!!

You know Alice Smith sounds incredibly familiar...wasn't she also @ the March Carnegie Hall Benefit? Any setlist stand outs from any other gifted artists?

I knew the show would be hot, awesome performances and totally on point...and just think...this is only the beginning each night will be hotter than the night before

First, let me say kudos to 'Chocolate1 and Wonder505'. You ladies are awesome. Had a great time with you, and Chocolate1, thanks for the amazing seat arrangements. I did not expect that we would be so close to the front of the stage, but thankful for that.


Shelby and Liv are powerful, energetic performers. I'd go see them again in the future if they come back to NY, after their residency here, and will always support their music. I was having too much fun to do a set list. I got to hold Shelby's hand and later after the show, got a big hug from Shelby, she has such a warm, welcoming persona. Loved her red and gold dress which just complimented her beautiful complexion. I was happy that she sang her single 'North Carolina'. Liv sang her song 'I decided' and 'Why do you lie?'. They both came out on stage singing songs together, then each did their solos. The only thing is that when Liv did her last solo, the speakers were up kind of high and it sort of drowned her voice out a bit, but other than that, she did a great job.

Damaris Lewis, was also there on stage dancing. She introduced Shelby, Liv and the band, and did a few dance numbers and teased some of the horn players. I thought her body was going to break in two when she shook on stage, but she did good. I'm sure the guys in the audience were having a good time watching her shake.

Now about Alice Smith...lawd, it was like lightning striking. When she finished performing, in my mind I was like "What the *%^*?? just happened?" That's how good she is. At one point, for a quick second, it was like watching a combination of Tina Turner, Mary J, Terrence Trent D'Arby (aka Sananda Maitreya) and Prince all mixed up in one body. She has all that and then some. Who knew she could get down like that? Powerful voice, amazing performer. She sang 'She' from her album and other songs as well. Really enjoyed her performance. Three powerful and entertaining singers on stage in one night. Also, to answer your question, yes, Alice was the one who performed at Carnegie Hall in March, with her husband, Citizen Cope and sang 'Pop Life', but her performance at Carnegie was different than last night's performance. Last night, it was like she unleashed, an entirely, different personality, and blew the audience away. Alice was 'feeling the songs' (so-to-speak), she sang and her voice projection rang through City Winery. I was glad back in March, when I saw her name added to the Carnegie list for the Prince tribute, because I was a fan of her music, back in 2006/2007, and had purchased her previous album back then, and always wanted to see her perform live. I'm happy she is finally getting the attention she deserves, and it was another nice surprise, seeing her as a special guest last night. I got to meet her and told her how I appreciate her talent. She was thankful, humble and such a sweetheart.

NPGHornz did a great job, and about half of them got to do a solo. I saw Seth from Spreecast, was sitting 3rd from me, and met someone named Paula, who was sitting next to me during the show.

Thanks to Shelby, Liv, the entire NPGHornz section, for putting on such a fantastic show and bringing the 'funk' back to music, the real 'funk', and also adding Alice Smith as a special guest to the show last night. Loved it!!

[Edited 8/22/13 17:04pm]

So did they play without drums, without bass, without guitars?

kok said:

dartluv5 said:

I'm not sure about the Purple Rain screening attendees, but I know that there are a few members posting in our NY Prince Fan site that are attending the shows from out of town With most New York shows there are usually a lot of people who travel from all over the globe for entertainment at any given moment, so I'm sure there will be a full house there tonight!

Thanks again for the info...what is the NY Prince site? Appreciate and value your input...man do I need a NYC and Prince fix

@ the bolded....it's a NY based Prince fan site that I follow on Facebook. The group is called New York Prince Fans, but people from all over can join, just as long as it's regarding Prince and Prince affiliated events.

Glad that everyone who attended seemed to enjoy themselves

LeRoy said:

So did they play without drums, without bass, without guitars?

No... They had all three.
I'm sorry that the only name I remember is the bass player, Andrew Gouche.

dartluv5 said:

kok said:

Thanks again for the info...what is the NY Prince site? Appreciate and value your input...man do I need a NYC and Prince fix

@ the bolded....it's a NY based Prince fan site that I follow on Facebook. The group is called New York Prince Fans, but people from all over can join, just as long as it's regarding Prince and Prince affiliated events.

Glad that everyone who attended seemed to enjoy themselves

It was really good!
I didn't go in with any expectations, other than to have fun...
It was all that and more!
Alice Smith: WHAT?! I WILL try to catch her next show!

I'm actually too tired to post a full discussion right now, but I'll be back later with more details.

chocolate1 said:

LeRoy said:

So did they play without drums, without bass, without guitars?

No... They had all three.
I'm sorry that the only name I remember is the bass player, Andrew Gouche.

Oooh, Andrew Gouche is good! I saw him play bass for Chaka Khan at a jazz festival in Italy. Then he did an after show jam session. Here is a 1-min video I took of that. You guys are in for a treat if he contiinues to play these shows. Glad everyone had a good time!

I went to both shows and both of them were absolutely amazing and everyone had a great time. Alice Smith was amazing and I really loved Liv. I heard Alice and more guests were coming this evening and that each night would build up. The band seemed to have a great time, but they were super engaging. It was well worth the $75 that I paid. It was a really good time. Also I liked that each singer had their own style and but then came together on the Prince song.

LeRoy said:So did they play without drums, without bass, without guitars?

Guitar: Ryan Waters (Sade...)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151764312061999&set=a.10150153012066999.335462.58721111998&type=1

Drums: Tyrone Hendrix (Sheila E., Mike Phillips, Stevie Wonder...) http://www.tyronehendrix.com/shows.html

[Edited 8/22/13 8:40am]

[Edited 8/22/13 8:43am]

[Edited 8/22/13 8:46am]

incredibleD said:

LeRoy said:So did they play without drums, without bass, without guitars?

Guitar: Ryan Waters (Sade...)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151764312061999&set=a.10150153012066999.335462.58721111998&type=1

Drums: Tyrone Hendrix (Sheila E., Mike Phillips, Stevie Wonder...) http://www.tyronehendrix.com/shows.html

[Edited 8/22/13 8:40am]

[Edited 8/22/13 8:43am]

[Edited 8/22/13 8:46am]

Thank you. I didn't catch their names.

chocolate1 said:

incredibleD said:

Guitar: Ryan Waters (Sade...)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151764312061999&set=a.10150153012066999.335462.58721111998&type=1

Drums: Tyrone Hendrix (Sheila E., Mike Phillips, Stevie Wonder...) http://www.tyronehendrix.com/shows.html

[Edited 8/22/13 8:40am]

[Edited 8/22/13 8:43am]

[Edited 8/22/13 8:46am]

Thank you. I didn't catch their names.

Yes, Ryan was on guitar. That solo he did with Liv singing was awesome.

NikkiDarling said:

I went to both shows and both of them were absolutely amazing and everyone had a great time. Alice Smith was amazing and I really loved Liv. I heard Alice and more guests were coming this evening and that each night would build up. The band seemed to have a great time, but they were super engaging. It was well worth the $75 that I paid. It was a really good time. Also I liked that each singer had their own style and but then came together on the Prince song.

I didn't find Cassandra O'Neal to be too engaging at all, but Shelby and Alice Smith definitely were. Shelby and Liv bring their own personalities to their singing/performance, very energizing and uplifting, and it was nice seeing them share the stage together, and also backing Alice Smith, when Alice sang. I bought some mp3's off Alice's album 'She', last month, but I just purchased the single 'She' this morning. Love it. Can't wait for Shelby's album to come out either. Really had a fun time last night, and it wore me out, but the best kind of tired is from having fun. Will be interesting to read reviews of tonight's show as well.

Just to add, the song written by Prince 'Shades of Umber' that the NPGHornz/band performed was pretty nice, and full of various, instrumental changes. That's a song that would have fit on Prince's C-Note album.

[Edited 8/22/13 9:28am]

2elijah said:

NikkiDarling said:

I went to both shows and both of them were absolutely amazing and everyone had a great time. Alice Smith was amazing and I really loved Liv. I heard Alice and more guests were coming this evening and that each night would build up. The band seemed to have a great time, but they were super engaging. It was well worth the $75 that I paid. It was a really good time. Also I liked that each singer had their own style and but then came together on the Prince song.

I didn't find Cassandra O'Neal to be too engaging at all, but Shelby and Alice Smith definitely were. Shelby and Liv bring their own personalities to their singing/performance, very energizing and uplifting, and it was nice seeing them share the stage together, and also backing Alice Smith, when Alice sang. I bought some mp3's off Alice's album 'She', last month, but I just purchased the single 'She' this morning. Love it. Can't wait for Shelby's album to come out either. Really had a fun time last night, and it wore me out, but the best kind of tired is from having fun. Will be interesting to read reviews of tonight's show as well.

Just to add, the song written by Prince 'Shades of Umber' that the NPGHornz/band performed was pretty nice, and full of various, instrumental changes. That's a song that would have fit on Prince's C-Note album.

[Edited 8/22/13 9:28am]

Oh, yeah I forgot all about Cassandra. She was talking to much! Shelby is a hype man but she can sing so she was enjoyable. Liv & Alice were here. "Shade of Umber" was amazing!! You reminded me of things that I forgot about.

NikkiDarling said:

2elijah said:

I didn't find Cassandra O'Neal to be too engaging at all, but Shelby and Alice Smith definitely were. Shelby and Liv bring their own personalities to their singing/performance, very energizing and uplifting, and it was nice seeing them share the stage together, and also backing Alice Smith, when Alice sang. I bought some mp3's off Alice's album 'She', last month, but I just purchased the single 'She' this morning. Love it. Can't wait for Shelby's album to come out either. Really had a fun time last night, and it wore me out, but the best kind of tired is from having fun. Will be interesting to read reviews of tonight's show as well.

Just to add, the song written by Prince 'Shades of Umber' that the NPGHornz/band performed was pretty nice, and full of various, instrumental changes. That's a song that would have fit on Prince's C-Note album.

[Edited 8/22/13 9:28am]

Oh, yeah I forgot all about Cassandra. She was talking to much! Shelby is a hype man but she can sing so she was enjoyable. Liv & Alice were here. "Shade of Umber" was amazing!! You reminded me of things that I forgot about.

Lol. No what I meant was that Cassandra just doesn't seem 'approachable' so when I feel that kind of energy, I don't attempt to go near. That's just the vibe I was picking up from her. Shelby and Alice were mingling with fans, and were very nice, embracing, and appreciative towards the fans they spoke to. I don't think Liv was around on the floor after the show, so she must have been resting for the next show. But all-in-all I had a great time, got funktified by the NPG band and so satisfied with that. Fun time!

Now if people go to the shows with expectations of Prince showing up, and he doesn't, then they've already set themselves up for disappointment, but if you go with no expectations, to see Liv, Shel and the rest of the NPG band perform and take in the music, then you can enjoy yourself. However, if Prince does show up at any of the remaining shows, then kudos to the fans that get lucky and experience that.

[Edited 8/22/13 11:28am]