I have tickets to see my first Prince gig in Birmingham on the 15th!!!

I am sooo excited but I have no idea what to expect.

I've only been a fan for about 2 years, introduced by my husband (a lifelong fan) but I dove in deep and practicly went through Prince's HUGE back catalogue before declaring myself to be a very big Prince fan.

I live in Wales but I was in Amsterdam on holiday whilst Prince was here in the Uk in February so I was devestated to miss them as the gigs have been to be reported as wonderful.

So does anyone have any thoughts on what type of gigs these arena dates will be or what I can hope to expect?

[Edited 5/7/14 4:41am]

mysterymum said:

Who knows really...I've been to every tour since I can remember and, since 95 he's not really been promoting albums at these things so it's always been quite a hits and a few rarity type affair. Saw him in Feb and, whilst my gig was very short, this feel is different....it was very loud, raw and not many hits but a few rarities (endorphinmachine etc). some gigs had a decent piano medley of hits but the one I went to only consisted of a few as a 2nd gig was coming after us. My only downside was the length of the show

However....I'm not sure this will be the same again in length or content.I expect the rock aspect and a few more hits. Either way, if you've not seen him before you may well be amazed at how tight everything is....I take it for granted now(sometimes it's hard to believe its live) but my wife was blown away having grown up in indie bands.

You're in for a treat especially with it being first night
[Edited 5/7/14 5:34am]

Your gonna love it! I remember my first prince gig. For some reason I was really nervous about it???? Weird I know.

Penguin what was ur first p gig and what was ur favourite?

lastdance said:

Fav...I loved the theatrics of Diamonds & Pearls but my best single gig/night was the final night of 21 nights and the after show; epic gig with great energy and the 3 hr after show with Amy Winehouse & Beverly Knight....was really lucky. Had a couple if duffish gigs too (most recent in feb when it was really rushed to make way for a second gig and a really short O2 gig back in 2007) but, apart from that they've been great every time. I'm almost a bit bored of the hits like Purple Rain (he seemed it too in feb) but I guess you've got to hAve them.

Mysterymum -let's us know what you think after
[Edited 5/7/14 10:34am]

mysterymum said:

I have tickets to see my first Prince gig in Birmingham on the 15th!!!

I am sooo excited but I have no idea what to expect.

I've only been a fan for about 2 years, introduced by my husband (a lifelong fan) but I dove in deep and practicly went through Prince's HUGE back catalogue before declaring myself to be a very big Prince fan.

I live in Wales but I was in Amsterdam on holiday whilst Prince was here in the Uk in February so I was devestated to miss them as the gigs have been to be reported as wonderful.

So does anyone have any thoughts on what type of gigs these arena dates will be or what I can hope to expect?

[Edited 5/7/14 4:41am]

Cool ! Where in Wales you coming from?

Me & my mate coming up from Swansea

It's funny you should say you're nervous, I am too!

I kinda hope I'm not disappointed but at the same time keep my expectations low as I love watching purple rain tour and lovesexy tour and obviously he doesn't move around as much now and the playfulness and theatrics won't be there.

Also my husband went to a lovesexy and batman concert and loved prince in his 80's heyday but doesn't know any of his music post diamonds and pearls era so I'm eager to see how he reacts too.

God, it's a lot to think about!!!

I'm just so excited though.

P.s. we are in Barry.

Anyone else popping their Prince cherry??

mysterymum said:

The gig I went to in feb wasn't the best or the longest by a long way and he seemed a bit like he was in a rush. The psychedelic guitar never came off its stand and he stuck with a plain black one for the whole hour he was on stage and never went off the setlist that formed the basics of every other show...but this show was definitely an anomaly for the hit n run tour and Prince in general.

One noticeable difference to all other tours....it was LOUD!!!!

You are going to love it mysterymum!

Prince always puts on a show and in a large venue, he always looks after the crowd

I think these gigs are going to be more in line with his o2 performances, in being less 'edgy' than the small venue gigs he did earlier this year. Don't get me wrong, he and the band seemed to be having fun in February, but there was a degree of rawness and intensity I personally haven't seen except in an aftershow.

If you think about the Arsenio performances recently, I think that's the kind of vibe you're going to feel. He knows when to turn it on, and even if you're unfamiliar with the material, he takes you along for the ride...I'm thinking about Hop Farm now...hard not to get nostalgic. That was very crowd friendly with a lot of hits, and despite hearing them loads, him having so much fun on stage made them feel fresh as if it was the first time - well maybe not the first time, but you get what I mean!

He remains one of the most entertaining live acts of any generation, I can't wait to read your thoughts after the gig...if the first word isn't 'Wow' I'll be very surprised!!!

unkleg said:

Difficult situation I suppose but I'd be happy not to have the 'usual' hits like purple rain, let's go crazy but instead just a few that eve not hear for a whike like the beautiful ones, little red corvette.

You get worked up like nothing else on earth.

Afterwards can be real depressing though

Cork 1990 my first a looong time ago

My first:

Rotterdam - August 17, 1986 / Ahoy, Rotterdam. Still the best opening ever!

(the dvd-boot, Ahoy Rotterdam/EP, wich feature pro-shot material was from that night. I was at that concert)

The forthcoming on May 25th will be my 13th.

Best concert: August 19, 1988 / Stadion Feijenoord, Rotterdam (although SOTT is the best album)

Worst: June 2, 1990 / Stadion Feijenoord, Rotterdam. Not only P quit within an hour because of the rain, The Nude Tour is his worst. An extra show was added on August 5, Thialf IceStadium, because for the debacle on June 2nd.

I'm not very fond with the changing line-up's, over the years. Neither with medleys or small snippets from great songs, who actually must be played full-length. With different line-up's, the sound is different too. Yes, i'm old-school, i prefer the sound as it was recorded in the studio.

The fact remains, a Prince concert is a experience you'll never forget. You will witness one of the greatest performers ever, in front of you.

Mysterymum are you one of Prince's ex band members or his agent in disguise? Perhaps you're gauging current excitement levels about the tour! ;o)

Joking aside, prepare to have your mind (and ears) blown!

My most recent gigs seem to have wound up with me standing next to "first-timers"...which is a great feeling, as you know it's going to be an electric experience for them.

Have seen the man approx 40 times, and although some of the hardcore get a bit numb to it, you'll experience an emotional high and electricity at every show.

Prince is something special, and everyone feels something when he appears onstage, an energy, call it what you will...but am sure you won't be disappointed.

T

Tokyo said:

That numb thing is true....I think it's hard to sometimes get your head around the fact that it's THE Prince your seeing because he's there in front of you in 3 dimensions....THE Prince you've seen on all the concert DVDs and films, the same one you've seen live before and heard many many times,THE Prince with all of his history....They don't have spares you know

Plus when he's there a few ft away there's an element if 'he's real'

Agree with that, have considered on several occasions whether he's of this earth!

I remember you, mysterymum! You've posted several times over the past couple of years about being a Prince concert "virgin."

So happy for you - now that you've started this thread, you MUST report back to us after the concert!

Looking forward to sharing in the excitement...

Right, where to even begin???

I'll start with where I am now, which is in bed!! Exhausted but so so happy

My husband and I had a 2 an a half hour journey to Birmingham from Wales, mega traffic, so we literally dumped our stuff at the hotel and left for the arena.

We arrived at the LG at around 7pm and the atmosphere even walking from the car to the arena with lots of fans around was electric.

Bought some merchandise and took our seats, which at the back of block 16 were rubbish. The extreme right of the stage and at a cost of £100 each, was hoping for a better view.

Anyway, by 8:30pm I was literally biting my nails with excitement.

What followed has left my body wrecked and face and throat aching from smiling and screaming.

At around 8:45, a small figure dressed in white carrying white and purple balloons took to the stage and I never stopped moving for the whole concert!

It was loud and in your face and I loved it.

I am shocked to see how well Prince still moves, how good his voice is and how effortless he makes everything look.

It was hit heavy with also some of my personal favourites such as Forever in my life and The Beautiful Ones.

The only disappointment of my evening was that I was surrounded by casual fans who only stood up when something very popular came up so I felt like I was a bit extreme for them as I was screaming and dancing and whooping all night.

I think it's safe to say I loved it and if I had the cash I would follow Prince around like a lost puppy.

Wow, just wow. Love you Prince xxx

Love that you thoroughly enjoyed yourself, despite being surrounded by casual fans, are you going to go to another one now?
[Edited 5/16/14 3:48am]

naffi said:

Love that you thoroughly enjoyed yourself, despite being surrounded by casual fans, are you going to go to another one now? [Edited 5/16/14 3:48am]

I'd love too but not got the cash

mysterymum said:

Right, where to even begin???

I'll start with where I am now, which is in bed!! Exhausted but so so happy

My husband and I had a 2 an a half hour journey to Birmingham from Wales, mega traffic, so we literally dumped our stuff at the hotel and left for the arena.

We arrived at the LG at around 7pm and the atmosphere even walking from the car to the arena with lots of fans around was electric.

Bought some merchandise and took our seats, which at the back of block 16 were rubbish. The extreme right of the stage and at a cost of £100 each, was hoping for a better view.

Anyway, by 8:30pm I was literally biting my nails with excitement.

What followed has left my body wrecked and face and throat aching from smiling and screaming.

At around 8:45, a small figure dressed in white carrying white and purple balloons took to the stage and I never stopped moving for the whole concert!

It was loud and in your face and I loved it.

I am shocked to see how well Prince still moves, how good his voice is and how effortless he makes everything look.

It was hit heavy with also some of my personal favourites such as Forever in my life and The Beautiful Ones.

The only disappointment of my evening was that I was surrounded by casual fans who only stood up when something very popular came up so I felt like I was a bit extreme for them as I was screaming and dancing and whooping all night.

I think it's safe to say I loved it and if I had the cash I would follow Prince around like a lost puppy.

Wow, just wow. Love you Prince xxx

Sounds like you were sitting a few rows back from me. Seats were crap. After the first song I spotted some empty seats down in G over nearer Block 15 so I moved there. Much better view.

Glad you had a good time.

mysterymum said:

Right, where to even begin???

I'll start with where I am now, which is in bed!! Exhausted but so so happy

My husband and I had a 2 an a half hour journey to Birmingham from Wales, mega traffic, so we literally dumped our stuff at the hotel and left for the arena.

We arrived at the LG at around 7pm and the atmosphere even walking from the car to the arena with lots of fans around was electric.

Bought some merchandise and took our seats, which at the back of block 16 were rubbish. The extreme right of the stage and at a cost of £100 each, was hoping for a better view.

Anyway, by 8:30pm I was literally biting my nails with excitement.

What followed has left my body wrecked and face and throat aching from smiling and screaming.

At around 8:45, a small figure dressed in white carrying white and purple balloons took to the stage and I never stopped moving for the whole concert!

It was loud and in your face and I loved it.

I am shocked to see how well Prince still moves, how good his voice is and how effortless he makes everything look.

It was hit heavy with also some of my personal favourites such as Forever in my life and The Beautiful Ones.

The only disappointment of my evening was that I was surrounded by casual fans who only stood up when something very popular came up so I felt like I was a bit extreme for them as I was screaming and dancing and whooping all night.

I think it's safe to say I loved it and if I had the cash I would follow Prince around like a lost puppy.

Wow, just wow. Love you Prince xxx

Heaven forbid they let casual fans in let alone seating them next to you..perhaps pop in a request next time to be moved *sarcasm*

dayzofwyld said:

I sort of feel her pain though....the final night at the O2 I was sat next to somebody who said they hoped he played When Doves Cry as it was the only song he knew. All through the show he was saying "what's this one, what's this one". Eventually the first few bars of Doves was played in the sampler and the guy stood up and punched me with excitement

agoose said:

You get worked up like nothing else on earth.

Afterwards can be real depressing though

Cork 1990 my first a looong time ago

Cork 1990 was my first too - I was so excited to finally get to see him live, it was electric!!! We were right up the front in a very roomy pit, so that helped alot too... ahhh the memories!