has already said the hell with them! He knows he can never please them anymore. So he just collects his million dollar checks and caters to his casual fans mostly now. He saves the rest for smaller gig shows. Anybody that's a long term old school fan should already know this.
has asked peeps b4 to take out their phones & hold em up. This isnt new. He did it in 2011 @ his 21 nights @ The forum in 2011. Just put them back up when the purple police come. will ALWAYS think of like a "ACT OF GOD"! N another realm. mean of all people who might of been aliens or angels.if found out that wasn't of this earth, would not have been that surprised. R.I.P. | |
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....."MANNNNN I saw so many Ipads and phones out recording the ENTIRE CONCERT it was hilarious!"....
KCOOLMUZIQ, That is not normal for him, he usually don't allow this! | |
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Astasheiks, Common sense should tell U, that demanding a 50,000 plus 90% ethnic, culture, audience not to bring your cell phone to the ESSENCE FESTIVAL! Is a kiss of death!! It would have caused a RIOT.. [Edited 7/9/14 9:32am] will ALWAYS think of like a "ACT OF GOD"! N another realm. mean of all people who might of been aliens or angels.if found out that wasn't of this earth, would not have been that surprised. R.I.P. | |
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They had a big thing on the screen before Prince's set saying no audio or video recording. Of course they didn't inforce it and everybody was recording it. | |
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Never learned this until going to Essencefest. It's always been NC shows, and they are truly always amazing. duly noted! | |
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- this type of show is not the highest and best use of 3rdeyegirl.
- prince made the same mistake lionel richie made by playing lots of pop hits rather than the r&b hits. Let's work, dmsr, if i was your girlfriend, etc would have kept the crowd into it. Starting the show with lets go crazy, take me with you and rasberry beret was a mistake because black folks are not as into those songs. Literally 50% of the crowd left when Lionel did running with the night. Lionel ended up playing to a virtually empty stadium. Lots of people left when Prince did Act of God, which had no funk. - it was a mistake not to show his talents on the keys and guitar. - charlie wilson was the best performer of the weekend by far. He was better than prince. - it was refreshing to see badu keep her identity. She did her and was not worried about pleasing the crowd. I wish prince had done the same. - prince needs to stop playing songs by the time. He cannot pull it off. His band aint funky like the time and he aint cool like morris. - the aftershow was a disappointment. Warfield was great. But it quickly turned into amateur night with a bunch of annoying singers that did not know how to stop. [Edited 7/9/14 22:17pm] | |
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Charlie Wilson was better than Prince, come on now, was that really true or just your opinion?
Did Prince sing all the verses and do the solo when he did Purple Rain? | |
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charlie wilson was the best performer of the weekend by far.
Charile is a great performer but I have watched a lot of his live performances on T.V and on the internet. Unless he underwent an amazing transformation over the weekend he is not at P's level.
If you want to compare P to a Springsteen then your good because at this point only Prince and Springsteen bring it live. | |
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Put is this way. Out of all the performers over the weekend, the audience liked Charlie Wilson the best and Prince next. I have to admit that Charlie's performance had me more interested than Prince. My wife felt the same way and she is not a Charlie Wilson fan. The crowd was into Prince but not as energetic as they were for Charlie. 40,000 people cannot be wrong.
Prince is way better of a live performer than Charlie. Prince is the greatest of all time. Just not that weekend. Of the more recent performances, I am a big fan of what he did in Montreaux in 2009, I loved the One Nite Alone Tour, Musicology and the 2013 west coast 3rdeyegirl tour. This current configuration does not do him justice. Do not get me wrong, the show was very good but just not great. [Edited 7/10/14 6:04am] | |
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On the 3rd Eye Girl shows, he seems to sing many more songs in full. For hits shows, he holds the mic out to the crowd like a Diva refusing to be "willing to do the work." He also shortened the lyrics to many songs. Maybe 8 total songs were sung in full. Essence was a good show, but could have been a great show with more singing, and a few more songs that fit the audience. I was the only one within 20 feet of me standing up during Act of God, everybody else had no clue what song it was. | |
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If he sang 22 full length songs, there would not be too many complaints from me. Rock show/ Funk Show, Pop show, whatever. Yes, I did expect more R&B/funk....it WAS the ESSENCE Festival...It wasn't Glatsonbury, it wasn't Woodstock 94 , it wasn't Coachella. The crowd was probably closer to 40,000 than the 50,000 some are reporting. Maybe even 35,000, as I was on the lower level, and saw one row with 20 empty seats.
But since he was not really singing full length songs, it was like he was not "Willing To Do The Work." This was a huge show, a huge opportunity to add to his legend, and he was a little flat. Some of it was awesome. I may be a little sick of "Take Me With U," but it was awesome! Purple Rain, Nothing Compares 2 U, Let's Go Crazy, were all great...1999 was awesome.
Controversy was HORRIBLE...just him playing crowd flunky.
Had he done 15 full length hits, it would've been fine with me, but he only sung all the lyrics to maybe 8 songs. For such an expensive ticket, to a show that was a few minutes short of two hours, that is not going to get a great review from me. I think it was a good show, but I'm not gonna lie and call it perfect like Kook Moe Musico would, and I'm not gonna call it HORRIBLE, like Bart Van Halen would...
I'm gonna have my own opinion, which is my own clear thought...I could never have an automatic PERFECT or AWFUL review. It had some great moments, it's not like Tony M was rapping about Manure all night. Quick...find another rapper who rapped about Manure like Tony did....you can't. | |
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I never said it was an awful show, I never said it was a bad show, I said it was just a good show, but it could have been legendary. Some of ya'll read one or two critical comments, and can't deal with the fact that everything can't be PERFECT. Some of ya'll operate under the influence that everything in life has to either be 100% or 0%. There is the IN BETWEEN....it's called opinion...some of ya'll have no clue. I'd give the show about a 75 to an 80. But Prince's show at Birmingham on 5/15/14 was more like a 85-90, a better show. He's capable...he was lazy friday night. | |
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Well 80% is a B and his B shows are better than most artist A shows. | |
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And there are some people who would not complain if their food was burned black and overcharged $100 on their bill. Some people just think everything is rosy and perfect. I can't be that. | |
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Yes it was better than most other artist's shows...but he was lazy with the singing, which was annoying...but hey...NOT ONCE did Shelby shout "Put Your Hands Up." This had to be a record. I have never been to a show where Shelby wasn't screaming this at the top of her lungs at least 30 times or more! | |
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donnyenglish and stillwaiting, thanks for the continuing rational discussion of this show. "..free to change your mind" | |
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Well now that i've had a few days to think about the show and recover from my New Orleans um shall we say "experience" i'd like to give my review of the Essence Festival show and the Essence Festival in general. Let me start by saying that Prince is the best live performer that has ever lived and I usually love his shows. I can only think of one that was kind of boring Denver Hit & Run around 2001 at Magness Arena. Too much Larry Graham and Maceo Parker. Seeing Prince live always gives me a great feeling. He truly gives all he's got and his music flows effortlessly through him. The venue for Essence is not good. It is too big and echoey. The sound was terrible for every artist I saw perform on the main stage. Prince kept making requests to the sound and lighting man but to no avail. Mics were too low. Stage sound was too high. Donna's guitar was too low. The setlist was obviously created to engage the casual fan with familiar songs. Prince was working hard to engage the crowd but had a lot of trouble doing this throughout the show as did just about every artist that performed on the main stage. The crowd was 90% black and I do not consider Prince a "black/urban artist" although he does have plenty of "black/urban songs that he didn't play. Charlie Wilson on the other hand killed it on Sunday night. But his music is "black/urban music" that the crowd easily related to. He was the only artist that I thought truly connected with the Essnce crowd. Prince had his moments but the crowd was the laziest I have ever seen at a Prince concert which threw me off a bit and maybe even shook Prince a bit. I'm sure he was recalling his lyrics from FIXURELIFEUP-"Don't worry about the crowd..." The show overall was pretty good but not outstanding. I expected more with Janelle Monae and Niles. 2 minute appearances during their sets was not nearly enough. Why no guitar playing? That is what sets him apart from other artists no matter their color. My take aways: The Super Dome is a terrible concert venue. Liv Warfield and her band were excellent. Her drummer looks like an up and coming badass. Prince should not play black music festivals if he's not going to play Adore, I wanna Be Your Lover, If I was your Girlfriend & The Beautiful Ones. Shoot I would have even appreciated Play That Funky Music which he has been playing. Prince's band is in a bit of a transition period. 3rd Eye Girl is a good rock band and I loved the intimate show I saw in Denver but they do not bring the funk like the recent NPG bands of 2004 & 2011. This show really exposed this, especially since Prince did not have a guitar in his hand hardly at all which was a downer for me as well. 30 horns players, 1 guitar, 1 bass, 1 drummer and 1 keyboard didn't provide enough funk for this type of show. Prince seems to be about developing young musicians these days and less about surrounding himself with really good established musicians which shows up in larger venues. Let me know when the next show is. [Edited 7/10/14 15:18pm] [Edited 7/10/14 15:22pm] | |
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Yes this-And considering the crowd at the Essence festival...complete versions of The Beautiful Ones, Do Me Baby, I Wanna Be Your Lover, perhaps Uptown and/or Delirious, and Adore would have been much appreciated. | |
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freakdogg said: Well now that i've had a few days to think about the show and recover from my New Orleans um shall we say "experience" i'd like to give my review of the Essence Festival show and the Essence Festival in general. Let me start by saying that Prince is the best live performer that has ever lived and I usually love his shows. I can only think of one that was kind of boring Denver Hit & Run around 2001 at Magness Arena. Too much Larry Graham and Maceo Parker. Seeing Prince live always gives me a great feeling. He truly gives all he's got and his music flows effortlessly through him. The venue for Essence is not good. It is too big and echoey. The sound was terrible for every artist I saw perform on the main stage. Prince kept making requests to the sound and lighting man but to no avail. Mics were too low. Stage sound was too high. Donna's guitar was too low. The setlist was obviously created to engage the casual fan with familiar songs. Prince was working hard to engage the crowd but had a lot of trouble doing this throughout the show as did just about every artist that performed on the main stage. The crowd was 90% black and I do not consider Prince a "black/urban artist" although he does have plenty of "black/urban songs that he didn't play. Charlie Wilson on the other hand killed it on Sunday night. But his music is "black/urban music" that the crowd easily related to. He was the only artist that I thought truly connected with the Essnce crowd. Prince had his moments but the crowd was the laziest I have ever seen at a Prince concert which threw me off a bit and maybe even shook Prince a bit. I'm sure he was recalling his lyrics from FIXURELIFEUP-"Don't worry about the crowd..." The show overall was pretty good but not outstanding. I expected more with Janelle Monae and Niles. 2 minute appearances during their sets was not nearly enough. Why no guitar playing? That is what sets him apart from other artists no matter their color. My take aways: The Super Dome is a terrible concert venue. Liv Warfield and her band were excellent. Her drummer looks like an up and coming badass. Prince should not play black music festivals if he's not going to play Adore, I wanna Be Your Lover, If I was your Girlfriend & The Beautiful Ones. Shoot I would have even appreciated Play That Funky Music which he has been playing. Prince's band is in a bit of a transition period. 3rd Eye Girl is a good rock band and I loved the intimate show I saw in Denver but they do not bring the funk like the recent NPG bands of 2004 & 2011. This show really exposed this, especially since Prince did not have a guitar in his hand hardly at all which was a downer for me as well. 30 horns players, 1 guitar, 1 bass, 1 drummer and 1 keyboard didn't provide enough funk for this type of show. Prince seems to be about developing young musicians these days and less about surrounding himself with really good established musicians which shows up in larger venues. Let me know when the next show is. [Edited 7/10/14 15:18pm] [Edited 7/10/14 15:22pm] Thx for this... Refreshing to read some balance and not extremes [Edited 7/11/14 9:02am] Dance... Let me see you dance | |
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awesome report! see my prince inept band post in prince music and more section
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But.......
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Thanks for the laugh, thats the hardest I've laughed in a long time. What? ..... It wasn't a MASTERPIECE!!!! | |
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Thanks. I was probably trying to be funny, which isn't always funny | |
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It seems that crtiques of Prince's set set list ignore that he was continuing his celebration of the 30th Anniversary of Purple rain, and that's why he sang the songs he sang. I was there. I would have loved to hear "Adore," but I understood that it did not fit with the show he was putting on. So, he was great for his intent, and he seemed overwhelmed at times by the love the crowd showed for him. As for Uncle Charlie, he was also excellent, but comparing Prince to Charlie is comparing apples to oranges: diffent styles, different kind of music. Charlie's show was much more Vegas-y, and I'd glady see him again because he throws his heart on the stage. Prince's show was, well, Prince-y, because there can be only one. If I could, I would gladly buy a plane ticket, book a hotel room, and get front-row seats to his next concert. Finally, yes, the sound in the Superdome could be better, but that doesn't change the truth that we had a funky-good time.
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Nothing wrong with celebrating those Purple Rain songs but 19 out 22 songs from the 80's is too much! He's got plenty of jamming songs from the 90's, 00's, 10's that could have replaced a few of those 80's songs!!! [Edited 7/13/14 8:39am] | |
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I loved his set at ESSENCE!!! | |
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KatSkrizzle said:
But.....
I did not need to be there to know that Charlie is no Prince | |
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donnyenglish said: Put is this way. Out of all the performers over the weekend, the audience liked Charlie Wilson the best and Prince next. I have to admit that Charlie's performance had me more interested than Prince. My wife felt the same way and she is not a Charlie Wilson fan. The crowd was into Prince but not as energetic as they were for Charlie. 40,000 people cannot be wrong. Prince is way better of a live performer than Charlie. Prince is the greatest of all time. Just not that weekend. Of the more recent performances, I am a big fan of what he did in Montreaux in 2009, I loved the One Nite Alone Tour, Musicology and the 2013 west coast 3rdeyegirl tour. This current configuration does not do him justice. Do not get me wrong, the show was very good but just not great. [Edited 7/10/14 6:04am] Well how did you talk to all of those people. | |
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You had a previous argument in which you leaned on media and blog posts for your assertions...
"This sound like ORG B.S. I have checked out a lot of urban blogs and urban stations and the reviews are steller [sic]."
Although donny was there, and is sharing their feelings on the show, you are asking for personal resources; while you have none for your argument for this particular show.
At the end of the day, Prince doesn't pay my bills or yours, it was a show, and I still had a great time. I don't regret going.
For me,
[img:$uid]http://i128.pho.../img:$uid]
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Did he play Purple Rain in its entirety, doing all the verses and the solo? | |
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