Prince Promotes Peace at Baltimore Show: 'The System Is Broken'

Career-spanning concert included a passionate speech and cameos from Miguel, Doug E. Fresh and State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby

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Two weeks after protests in Baltimore brought national attention to the death of Freddie Gray while he was in police custody, Prince came to town for a "Rally 4 Peace" – a surprise concert that turned into an epic two-and-a-half-hour jam session with a dream set list and appearances by Doug E. Fresh, Estelle, Miguel and State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby.

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thekidsgirl said:

thedance said:

Sampler set,


11. When Doves Cry
12. Nasty Girl
13. Sign "☮" The Times
14. Hot Thing
15. I Would Die 4 U (cutting off)

WHAT HAPPENDED THEN, ANYONE KNOW..

what followed after "I Would Die 4 U"??

WHEN DID THE CONCERT END?

16. Kiss (w/ Doug E Fresh)
17. Darling Nikki tease/If If was Ur Girlfriend tease
18. How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore
19. Diamonds and Pearls
20. The Beautiful Ones
21. Do Me Baby
22. Forever In My Life/ When Will We Be Paid (w/ Miguel)
23. Alphabet St.
24. (Judith Hill's song)
25. Purple Rain (w/ Estelle)
26. Don't Stop Til You Get Enough

27. Cool
28. Mountains
29. The Dance Electric

To all my fellow Prince fans. The girl next to me was able to get to official set. Lucky for all of us , Prince was inspired to play so many more hits and Gett Off Script. Great concert!

starkitty said:

Estelle opening purple rain was a mistake. you don't tweak gospel. why didn't bey & jay go onstage?!

becuase they were to promote tidal it was pure a money thing for them as tidal is loosing a ton

feeluupp said:

Was the attendance strong?

I was there (yay!!) and thought that the energy of the crowd was awesome. Everyone seemed in a positive mood, and I'd say the vast majority of the seats were filled. Actually, my husband's and my seats weren't far off from where the Baltimore mayor and a local congressman were. It was HOT and sweaty in the arena! People in our section kept needing to open the doors or go outside for a minute because we were all dancing, clapping, and singing. It just might have been my experience, but I thought it was great vibe overall ~

paperposter said:

starkitty said:

Estelle opening purple rain was a mistake. you don't tweak gospel. why didn't bey & jay go onstage?!

becuase they were to promote tidal it was pure a money thing for them as tidal is loosing a ton

I agree the Purple Rain hand off from Estelle doing the first half and Prince doing second, didnt' work. It was probably an experiment. The song was not the same, no wow factor.

It would have been more exciting to bring her out during U Got the Look and sing Sheena's parts or Nothing compares to u.

OldFriends4Sale said:

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That video report here: http://www.abc2news.com/n...ly-4-peace

didn't you love Prince's silent (or not so silent) protest with the songs he chose to play over the PA? I know he has a deejay but something tells me he mixed that and 'made' his deejay play it

Pretty decent list of the 7 most inspiring moments at last night's show. I got it from Funkenberry's twitter feed:

http://entertainthis.usat...lly4peace/

The vibe in the room was definitely something I won't ever forget. If you are a part of the city of Baltimore, it was especially moving. It was more of an experience than a real Prince concert, in my opinion. I waited until the last minute and snagged half price seats. Then I walked down to the lower level and suddenly was in the front row, near the side of the stage. I said hello to Josh, Liv, Judith and a few members of the horn section. Van Jones as well. I also said hello to Marilyn Mosby and her husband. When Freddie Gray's family walked right in front of me I was speechless. Some of the highlights for me were:

1. Doug E Fresh beatbox and Prince on bass (not sure if this was improvised but it kicked ass)

2. Question of U/The One (gave me chills)

3. Do Me Baby (he proved that he can hit the high notes.........audience went nuts when he did it)

4. How Come U Don't Call Me (was a really long version)

5. Mountains (I lost my shit when they played this)

6. Dance Electric (final song where there were like 60 people on stage)

7. COOL (personal favorite)

8. 3rdeyegirl (Ida is solid. Donna took a solo and I thought it was Prince. And if you could have seen her play guitar on Kiss, you would be a fan. Hannah did some awesome fills on SignOTheTimes that the audience went nuts over.....this band is going to be with him for a while because they just keep getting better and better)

[Edited 5/11/15 18:29pm]

Make up for 3rdeyegirl and special guests by Kashbarb:

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https://instagram.com/kashbarb/

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Ida Nielsen & Judith Hill

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Hannah Welton

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Eryn Allen Kane

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inspireof said:

Can anybody remember what song he is playing here while on keys?

Well, at least he gave the song a proper guitar solo live. And I liked the extended outro.

Pentacle said:

Well, at least he gave the song a proper guitar solo live. And I liked the extended outro.

Yes the live version is really good

Has any1 mentioned about how the pit area was filled for the rally?

Folks from the way up seats were asked to join the rally on the floor. It turns out that maybe 100 ppl were provided with the opportunity to dance and sparkle in the pit and were able to experience the show right up front and were the closest ppl to the rally on-stage.

It seemed to show that everybody mattered - their presence at the show was acknowledged - new energies were commingled with all of us upfront. It sure brought a freshness and comm-union.

Hopefully, every1 to be able to fully immerse their soul in the show - beyond individuality.

was everyone who bought a $22 seat brought to the front?

starkitty said:

was everyone who bought a $22 seat brought to the front?

No, the upper concourse was all $22 seats, about 100 people were selected. I was in the 4th row and everyone around us seemed to be pretty cool with the decision.

starkitty said:

was everyone who bought a $22 seat brought to the front?

I don't think so but the stars were definately shining on some of the $22 seats because they were provided with the best of the best.

Astasheiks said:

inspireof said:

Can anybody remember what song he is playing here while on keys?

Hot Thing, he played that keyboard. But that picture was after wardrobe change. So it was either Alphabet St. or As Trains Go By. Doug E. Fresh is behind him so I think it was As Trains Go By

bonnie184 said:

starkitty said:

was everyone who bought a $22 seat brought to the front?

No, the upper concourse was all $22 seats, about 100 people were selected. I was in the 4th row and everyone around us seemed to be pretty cool with the decision.

seems pretty righteous but of course i'm a little green with envy. when i was trying for tickets online, i was offered $22 tix but the section they were offered in was greyed out, so i didn't pursue it (and it was probably too good to be true). (i hope.)

my date was a big, broad man and when we got to our seats, the woman next to me was already on the armrest, leaning over that boundary into my seat. so i was cramped, to say the least. and sweating my ladyballs off.

i don't think i can see P again unless i'm on the floor.

And the official private afterparty was at...

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https://twitter.com/nayra...0910458881

i finally got my thoughts together on the experience.

http://just-jennies.blogspot.com/2015/05/and-my-heart-was-full.html

starkitty said:

i finally got my thoughts together on the experience.

http://just-jennies.blogspot.com/2015/05/and-my-heart-was-full.html

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Thanks for posting, nice to read about your "life with Prince" experiences

starkitty said:

I left at the end of purple rain. sad I missed mountains.

Aww That's why I didn't leave after purple rain..I knew he was coming back. I stayed until they turned the lights back on. I can't believe I got to see prince live, I will never forget it.

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https://instagram.com/p/2mxOkUL38Y/

babybugz said:

starkitty said:

I left at the end of purple rain. sad I missed mountains.

Aww That's why I didn't leave after purple rain..I knew he was coming back. I stayed until they turned the lights back on. I can't believe I got to see prince live, I will never forget it.

no, you won't. these are the experiences that shape us.

I'm glad people enjoyed the concert but that set list was uninspiring. Same old same old. I wish he'd done some numbers that reflected the occasion.

Also, what's with this "I'll wear a picture of myself/album cover as my outfit" thing? That's weird. I hated it with 2010 and hate it with TEG/AOA.

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I'm also suprised that Rush/FoxNews, etc. haven't made Prince their new boogey man after the "take all the guns away" stuff. If you search FOX NEws website for "Prince Baltimore" you don't even find a match, at least as of 2 or 3 days ago. I expected more right wing outrage and more of a backlash since Prince is A. Black, B. Famous, C. Non-conformist and D. An entertainer.

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Seemed like this would be right in the wheelhouse of the right wing faux outrage machine.

[Edited 5/13/15 10:51am]