First of all, the ticketing arrangement for club members went REALLY smooth. I had been worried about how it would be handled. I went to will call and gave my ID, and was handed my 2 tickets with no hassle at all. As I walked outside I looked down at the tickets and did a double take. I showed them to my friend and said "What do you think of these?"

They were front row. Damn, this was going to be cool.

We were admitted to the theater around 6:30 and given the Musicology CD. THe first thing I noticed it that the cover does not show Prince's photo, just that same background and logo. My friend and I were lead to our seats and we were front row, right next to John Blackwell's setup. For a moment I thought the seats were going to be lame since we were pretty much behind the stage. As the show started, I quickly learned that this wasn't the case.

I'll give a quick rundown of the setlist, which I've already seen posted elsewhere.

Musicology
Let's Go Crazy
When Doves Cry
I Would Die 4 U
DMSR
Insatiable
The Question of U/The One
Let's Work
Soul Man/Kiss
I Feel For You
Take Me With U

Acoustic guitar medley:
Forever in my Life
Little Red Corvette
7
Peach
A new blues song that ends with Prince saying his name is "12:01"
A new song that's been mentioned before about seeing twins in his bed

Purple Rain

I know I'm missing some songs, and there were some outstanding jam sessions by the band. A standout was during I would die 4 U. The acoustic portion was a real highlight for me, and the crowd really showed Prince a lot of love.

I've been to many Prince shows, but never this close. Prince has the stage set up with different catwalks that come out over the crowd and he makes great use of them. There were many moments during the show when Prince was either playing guitar or singing less than 5 feet away from me, which was a trip.

The thing that was even cooler was that my vantage point gave me not only an incredible seat to the show, but also felt like I was backstage. I was able to truly appreciate seeing John Blackwell's skills up close. I could see how intricate his playing was and how flawlessly he combines his acoustic drumming with triggering samples. Nearly all of the band left the stage at different parts of the show and would stand pretty much next to me and just watch whoever was soloing. The vibe was really cool, and there were a couple times where the person standing almost next to me was Prince. Of course people were screaming for him, but he handled it well and smiled before he'd get back up on stage and do his thing.

This show is a total crowd pleaser, and extremely satisfying. Prince is performing his best known songs with an outstanding band. I've seen Prince many times before live, but nothing compared to this experience. He is combining his musicianship that was showcased on the ONA tour as well as his amazing performing abilities and is seriously at the top of his game.

I think I may have lost a little hearing from all the screaming, but it was worth it!

Thanks for the review, it seems like you've been to a very good show. I must say I hope he will come to Europe soon, I'd really love to experience this!

Okay now that you have rested, please tell us more, much more!!! Which other songs did he play, did he play piano, did he change outfits during the show, how long did he play, were there any guests musicians etc. etc. elaborate on this man, all the details - I'm dying to know ... especially since I'm in fuckin' Europe

Anyway, thx for sharing.

What's your last name (or what letter does it start with) because on a different thread someone suggested that's how they are passing out tickets.

lovemachine said:

My last name starts with W. Now before any strange accusations are made, I seriously doubt that the fact that my initials are JW had anything to do with my great seats.

SunDance said:

Ok SunDance, here's some elaboration...

He also played an amazing version of the Beautiful Ones. I remembered that just now since I could see John Blackwell playing an absolutely faithful version on his drum kit. He used a sample pad for the tom fill that you hear on the record. The version is very dynamic, and they do pretty much the whole song, including Prince's intense screams at the end.

Here's what Prince didn't do..he didn't play piano. He seemed to replace his solo piano portion with acoustic guitar, and it was beautiful. He sat on a stool and would move himself around as he sang, making sure eveyone got a chance to see him. He also did not have a speak about God, instead he just sang and partied. Of course, there are many references to God in his music, but I noticed that there was no mention.

As for his outfits, he changed into 3 different ones. The first is identical to his recent Jay Leno performance, but with a red jacket. He then had what looked like a white shirt with small red polkadots (Lovesexy flashback) with white slacks, and ended with a black muscle shirt and matching pants. Prince would climb down under the stage to change.

There is a little room under the stage that band members would go to for a break and some water. As I mentioned before, it was really cool to stand there and enjoy the show, and suddenly notice that the person in front of me was grooving to it too, and at points that was either Greg Boyer, Candy, JB, the new sax player (sorry I forgot his name, but he is EXTREMELY talented), or Prince. I couldn't see the other side, but I assume Rhonda and Mike Scott were doing the same thing on the other side of the stage.

The lightshow was great, and the lighting setup above the stage reminded me of a sentinel from the Matrix. There was a metal archway on the stage that was used just as a prop for Prince to lean on during certain playful moments of the show.

Prince seemed to be having a blast, in spite of a couple technical difficulties. He joked with the crowd, smiled constantly and had a lot of funny dances to show off. The show was pretty much a 2 1/2 hour party, and it was everything I hoped and more.

There were no guest musicians at this show, and no opening act. In both cases, none were needed. Don't worry about being in Europe, think of it this way, by the time the band gets there, they'll be even better. That's hard to imagine, but I know it's true. They're worth the wait.

He started the Show with the song Shhh.

He also did a lil' Outkast sing along saying "I like the way u move" repeatedly after Shhh.he also did Sign O'the Times too.

Safireseven said:

Yes! Both were incredible, how could I forget? Prince sat in a small chair behind JB when he started Sign O' the Times, which was used by Rhonda at one point earlier in the show.

Was "Sign o the Times" the same awesome arrangement as the RRHOF version?

Man, I can't wait for this show!!!

Thanks for the great review!
[This message was edited Sun Mar 28 20:12:09 2004 by bkw]

jtgillia said:

Yes, it was, and yes, it rocked big time!

NOTE

Get you tickets from the will call early!!!!!
Some members missed the entire first set waiting in line!
You have been warned.

popgodazipa said:

strange... i was at will call and didnt see any lines whatsoever.... I did show up at 7 - 7:15 o'clock though so cant vouch for the people that show up 15 minutes before showtime.....

the whole will-call thing is actually extremely well organized taking into account the amount of people involved and all that.... props to the whole paisley park or npg or whatever staff...

popgodazipa said:

I agree with this, and I was suprised that many people didn't show up for their front row seats until way into the show. If it helps at all, I picked up my tickets at willcall at 5pm. The show didn't start until 8, but I was there hanging out since around six PM.

I know some people like to be fashionably late to concerts, but this is NOT one of those concerts you want to do that with. I would have hated to miss a single moment.

Thanks for the review - I'm still not convinced about this 'in the round' format but I will have to wait and see!

I would actually love to hear a review from someone further back in the crowd - we always hear from hardcore fans right at the front, but rarely from fans with standard tickets - when you're surrounded by hardcore fans it is easy to think everybody is totally into the experience, further back with the more casual fans the crowd is often a bit more subdued.

Like, I hope the video screens are good - in past Prince concerts I've seen they sucked, really too dark, I reckon it was to stop bootleggers pointing cameras up at the screens and getting a fully edited show!

metalorange said:

Frankly I don't care about the lesser seats, ooh how selfish I know , anyway if and when this guy comes to Europe in my country 5 times all I know is that I will be there 5 times with the best seats in the house staring at the awesome band with a huge smile on my pretty face dancing my sexy butt off!

Oh and thanks for the extra details NightGod!

Couple of pics from the last row, nose-bleed seats:







Click here for a (larger) image
[This message was edited Mon Mar 29 7:26:23 2004 by youngworld]

I, too, enjoyed this concert very much! It was much more a party time with Prince being less of the "bad boy" than I remembered from the Lovesexy and Purple Rain tours, but ohhhh so awesome! I would like to tell you of the BEST thing that happened on Sat Morning. My daughter and I were at the Reno airport. We had checked our luggage in and went outside for a final smoke. We were standing there when a huge black and gold limo pulled up. They just sat there for a few minutes with a security man at the back of the limo and one on the side. We assumed they were waiting for someone, and wondered who it was. Suddenly the door opened and Prince got out! He was so beautiful dressed in a black suit, purple tie and purple boots! My daughter and I just started screaming OH MY GOD!! Then as they hurried Prince into the airport I yelled "WE LOVE YOU!!" and he turned to us and smiled his sexy little grin and waved at us! It was such a thrill! Prince still has "the look" and the talent that made him a legend. We were given free CD's at the show too, did everyone get one?

popgodazipa said:

Funny - I didn't read one post on NPG's boards indicating that the will call lines were really long. Everyone said it was a snap. What "members" are you referring to that missed the ENTIRE first set? Did they arrive at the venue an hour late?

mchotsie said:

We got there a couple minutes past 8:00 because the traffic and parking were INSANE. The will call line was really long. Luckily, we picked our ickets up earlier at around 5:00. We missed the first song. Those poeple in line must have missed a lot. I felt bad for them, they probably didn't predict how bad the traffic and parking would be. We were on the floor 3rd row - awesome.

I almost miss the mysterious asshole Prince of the 80's. What was the point? lol

The people in the nose bleed seats are usually casual listeners, who like some Prince music--mainly the hits--but aren't completely blown away by him. They usually like good music, so they go, like you would to a movie; taking a chance to see if it is good or not.

I had my Prince sighting, so I only care to be close enough to get good sound, and enjoy the stage--fuck Prince. lol.

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness... oh..... my..... goodness.

Thank you.