Let me start by telling you how improbable it was that I would be in the position to get my ass kicked in the first place. Because of $$$ issues, I was orignally going to go to the movie theater.....then unexpectedly my friend Krystina called with an extra ticket (Krystina I owe you big time!!! )

Unlike the other smaller venues where the first 15 rows were reserved for club members, this was more like a lotto situation. The seating was randomly selected and you really didn't know your seating until you got there. .We get to the will call area and our friends have their tickets and we ask about their seating. "Row 15"....."Row 10"....."Row 7". We thought that at least we knew we'd have pretty good seats. We get the tickets and it was like one of those scenes in a cartoon where the eyes come popping out of the head.....boiiioooiiiooooinggg!
Row 2!. We hit the lotto big time!!!!

Never having seen Prince in a large venue like Staples center (this is only my 4th concert: 1-Jam of The Year, 2-Hit & Run, 3-ONA, 4-Musicology). The energy was intoxicating. I Watched as the empty seats slowly but surely filled to the brim, and laughed to myself that some people couldn't believe Prince could still fill a large venue.

We kinda walked around looking for friends and I did see Byron, Pej, Luv4ThePurple1, Mauve, Ursulasgirl, freaks I know from the Bumpsquad (LA fangroup) and others I've seen out at other events. It was great connecting with these people who have become like family.

Then the show starts.....I won't go into reviewing each track, rather I wanted to just lay my feelings out about the experience. Thanks to Cusgibson for the tracklist

The first part of the show consisted of the following:
Musicology
Let's Go Crazy
I Would Die 4 U
When Doves Cry
Baby I'm A Star
Shhh...
DMSR
A Love Bizarre / I Feel 4 U
Controversy

Having missed Prince in his prime and the concerts that little beast put on back in his heyday I really missed out on so many incredible moments. Let's Go Crazy ANDWhen Doves Cry! And a beautiful rendition of I Feel 4 U in the vein of the original. Never in my life did I ever think I'd get to hear DMSR and Controversy live. Never!!!! And yet there I was dancing my fuckin ass off....."Oooh. Uhhh. Alright. Dance, Music, Sex, Romance"....."People call me Rude, I wish we all were nude, I wish there were no black and white, I wish there were no rules" OK, I was practically fainting in my hysteria. Anyone who knows me personally can just picture my glee. You can picture it can't ya?

There was a costume change right here:
Renato medley / God (piano instrumental)


Prince comes back out:
The Beautiful Ones
Nothing Compares 2 U
Insatiable
Sign 'O' The Times
The Question Of U
The One
Let's Work
U Got The Look
Life 'O' The Party **NEW SONG**
Soul Man (cover of classic by Sam & Dave)
Kiss
Take Me With U

OK, now I think this is an excellent lineup of songs to satisfy the cross-section of fans from the casual fan who only know Prince from his standards "Kiss, When Doves Cry and Little Red Corvette" to the fans who never left him in all the years he went through the symbol stage giving gems like Shhhh and the One. Like many fans, the ? of U holds such a special place in my heart. It was (and still is) a song that just touches way down to the core but it was spoiled for me.

Actually, 3 songs were spoiled for me. Shhhh, The ? of U and Sign O' The Times. And when I say spoiled, I don't mean I didn't like them. I did. However, Prince already popped my cherry with these 3. First cherry poppin was at the LA screening of the Vegas DVD. Upon leaving the screening we were shocked to learN that Prince was playing Bebe Kings right there at Universal City Walk. It was there (in a literal shoebox) that Prince and the NPG launched into Shhhh. I flipped, because this was a song I never thought I'd hear live. As I stood there, tears welling up in my eyes i felt a hand grab mine and I look to see who grabbed it and this girl (Ursulasgirl) , who obviously saw the wild look in my eyes, simply mouthed the words "I know". She had wild eyes too It was a moment beyond compare.

My 2nd cherry was popped at the recent LA press conference. He slammed me once again. He played Sign O' The Times and I was totally excited to hear it but honestly thought he was going to be played out on his old songs so I kinda didn't expect much. Then he just set out and proved that expectation to be completely wrong. He sang and played the guitar with as so much passion. Quite frankly it shocked me. Then he whips out ? of U into The One flawlessly back into the ? of U. Playing each with his whole heart. The fact that I got to hear these 3 gems in such intimate settings really were really just experiences I never thought I'd have.

Several things hit me as I listened to this collection of hits. I realized how much Prince really lost touch with this music and with himself during the Symbol years and into the time period where his name was freshly reclaimed. Like I said, JOTY was my first concert and he played the hits but they were medleys. Same with the Hit & Run Tour. As I watched him play the LA show it was as if I was seeing a resurrected man. One who woke up out of a spell or one who had simply been body snatched and replaced with an imposter years ago and was now unsnatched. Comparing the way he played the "hits" during the Hit & Run tour and how he played them Monday is like comparing the weather on Mercury and Pluto.

Another thing that hit me was the band. Now I haven't been blind to their ferociousness but damn!!! Each of these musicians is wicked on their instrument. This band is so tight and as much as Prince, they really helped to convey the amazingness of these songs.

And the thing that hit me the hardest was seeing/listening/singing/dancing to these songs and having distant memories conjured up as fresh as if they had just happened. Thinking back to the days when I first listened to DMSR. The age of 11, where my normal day consisted of waking up in the mornings and with every fiber of my being agonizing over the fact that I had to go to school where I was bullied and tortured and called names and having to be in the world where there was no respite from the horrors that men and boys took pleasure in creating for me. And in that average day I would come from school to my aunts house and literally lock myself in my cousins closet with her portable tape player and just play the 1999 tape over and over until my mom came to pick us up to go home. No matter the horrors that I faced that day, I had that music, THAT MUSIC!!!. In the years that followed where I became a teen and a young adult it was the music of such amazing albums like Around the World In a Day, Parade, Sign & Lovesexy that always made me happy. Always.

Other memories, like rediscovering the Controversy album as a young adult and connecting with the message in the title song as I set on the road to discover myself and take control of the reigns I never held before. The twin reigns of accepting myself as God created me and controlling my own destiny. I sat there with tears in my eyes watching Prince blaze the place with the glory of his gift and thinking about these memories and how his music has been the soundtrack of my life, always bringing me the best satisfaction one could have. Being fucked by a song and possessed with the power of music.


Then Prince comes out and does an acoustic set.
Forever In My Live
Real playas (???)
Nuthin' After Midnite (???)
Sleep On The Couch*
Little Red Corvette
Sometimes It Snows In April
Seven

In all honesty, I have never been a fan of "7". Never......

Then Prince steps up to the stage, dons a guitar and starts his accoustic set. Hearing "7" done accoustic style just floored me. I never really connected with the message before as the music always distracted me. But last night that accoustic version was inspirational. It was flowing with such truth. And I sang the chorus and cried... I did....

Prince is in the right place in his life. It's obvious. Regardless of the issues I have with organized religion, I felt so comfortable in the way he conveyed his love for God. It was simple and starkly truthful, full of humility and grace. No preaching....he didn't have to. He was able to give God the glory without being obnoxious about it. He really seemed so comfortable and it just felt like he really is on the right path and I'm very happy to see that for him.

the final song was:

Purple Rain

God, it just felt good to see him embracing all the music that made our life so rich. I felt so happy to see the anger of the symbol years completely gone and the passion of the man who God struck with the most amazing gift totally alive for all to experience and share. And when he began crying at the love his fans had for his gift, I just lost it.

This concert was simply an amazing experience and I can't wait for everyone else to have it too.

.
[This message was edited Sat Apr 3 12:23:53 2004 by SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy]

I've been anxious to read your review! Thanks for taking the time. U R Beautiful!
I wish I could have been there with you.

Thanks for the review, Supa. Glad to know I'm not the only one with an aching butt...and your posterior has got to be EXTRA kicked.

realy great review

I cried many times at his concerts

Thanks Supa

Great, honest report.

Nice report, Supa...

And by the way...I did imagine you freakin' out as both "DMSR" and "Controversy" were being played..lol...I didn't get a chance to sit with the music club members ...but I did get a chance to sit almost right next to Queen Latifah..lol She came in about 30 minutes into the show with about 4 other people, and sat in the row in front of mine, about 4 people down. While everyone else in Staples was standing and dancing, she and her "entourage" stayed seated at first...I looked over at her to make sure it really was her (she had on a baseball cap and huge hoop earrings), and while I was looking over at her, she turned and looked at me...I must have looked like a deer in the headlights, cuz we sat there staring at each other for a good 5 seconds or more..lol. She just stared at me, then smiled at me...I managed a weak smile and then pushed my eyes back up to the stage... ...Then, I made the horrendous mistake of looking back over at her again, only to have her almost immediately look back over at me, and smile at me again..lol I kept my eyes off her the rest of the night.


Also had the pleasure (if you wanna call it that) of having Bobby Brown and Eddie Murphy stand right stinkin' next to me as they each tried to get Queen Latifah's attention before heading back up/down the stairs to their seats or wherever...

i feel soo out of the loop right now..

but a great read supa!! thanks-o-bunch!!


-sos

LOL... Byron

I could totally see you from where I was sitting. I checked you out, lettin the head bob

Richard, I think you missed your calling...You're a WRITER, baby...You're officially hired to write my future reviews for me, my wedding vows, my eulogy, etc...You're just too damn eloquent for your own good. Your review brought tears to my eyes. It was like I was re-living that whole night again with you...I agree with EVERYTHING YOU SAID ...You're one hard act to follow...Below is my feeble attempt at a review... Proceed if U dare...


Class is in Session...

Oh Lawd...Where do I begin??? There’s so much I want to say, yet I feel SPEECHLESS... I didn’t think I could be impressed with yet another “hits” tour... But today, I stand corrected - or rather, I am FACE DOWN ON THE GROUND CORRECTED...because Prince just pulled the whole world out from under me!!! To quote the beautiful BlueAura, I GOT HIT BY THE FUNK BUS!!!

Some of the GREAT moments for me...

• Being able to take one of my dearest friends with me to the show... Richard (SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy) was going to opt out of this tour for various reasons...but I wasn’t about to let him do that...Richard, if you’re reading this, THANK YOU for sharing this experience with me. I was blessed to have you there by my side!!!

• Hearing the Alicia Keys’ Rock N Roll Hall of Fame induction speech for Prince as the introduction/beginning of the concert...

• WHEN DOVES CRY - I think the version of this song was the FUNKIEST I’ve ever heard!!!

• GOD (instrumental) - Done by Renatto & Mike Phillips - I think Mike may have an extra set of lungs hidden somewhere.

• INSATIABLE - Not a dry seat in the house!!!

• NUTHIN’ AFTER MIDNIGHT- “I smell somethin’ funky baby, is that your breath or mine??” LOL

• LITTLE RED CORVETTE - OMG this one blew me away - ACOUSTIC??? No Way!!!

• PURPLE RAIN - I thought I was tired of hearing this one in concert...I thought wrong.

Oh, who the hell am I kidding?? The WHOLE SHOW was OFF THE HOOK.

Some not so great moments...

• After becoming used to the more intimate setting of a standing-room-only show, and being surrounded and engulfed by friends, it felt a bit strange to go to an arena show and be separated from everyone I knew...I’d gotten used to looking overin any direction and seeing a familiar, smiling, shocked and excited face... But of course, one can never make too many friends...so I just tried meeting the people around me before the show.

• Watching a girl stand right next to a security guard and snap photos of Prince with her camera phone. The security guard didn’t stop her at all and she was even brash enough to show him the pictures she took. For some reason, that pissed me off ...but I kept my cool. I was torn between telling her to stop and giving her my email address for a copy of the photos... LOL...

This tour is definitely designed for the casual fan - not necessarily for the hardcore. But even the hardcore fans were “going crazy”... The "fresh," new feeling of an arena setting, the excitement of thousands of screaming fans, the MUSIC, seeing Prince receiving the praise, admiration, and glory that's rightfully his - ALL of it catapulted me into a wonderful, natural HIGH. It felt as good as the first time I ever saw him in concert...no, EVEN BETTER...And believe me, I don’t EVER want to come down!!!

It’s going to be a long 2 months...Is it MAY 24th yet????

Krystina (PARADISE7)
www.thebumpsquad.com
[This message was edited Wed Mar 31 14:44:34 2004 by PARADISE7]

Beautiful review.....I was literally brought to tears.

OMG!!! This review is awesome Supa I feel like I was right there w/ you! Thanks for posting - DAYUM!!

PARADISE7 said:

Krystina!!!!! I'm so bummed that I didn't get a chance to see you Monday night. My daughter and I were over in Section 8 -- front row!! Can u believe that?!? I still can't.

Supa, great job. Great review. The best I have read.

Thanks for the great review supa.....

Supa - that was a wonderful review! I'm SO glad you had an amazing time. You summed-up the passion, excitement, the sense of past & present embracing each other - I can't w a i t to see this...

Oh, my darlin'...your words brought tears to my eyes...because I know EXACTLY what you're talking about.
I remember those days...being 11-12 years old...Prince both BLOWING my mind...and comforting me because he told me that what I believed in (a better world) was possible...and that HE believed it too.
I thought about that a lot while watching that show...and I thought about how many times in my life that his music has been there for me...in the lowest points...he has reminded me that hope and love was just around the corner...and to hold on...because it was coming...in the happiest moments he has reminded me to enjoy it to the nines and count my blessings and to share my love and hope with others who needed it. When I've felt like a second-class citizen because of being born a woman...he reminded me what an extraordinary being I am because of being female and thanked me for that...I could go on and on...
The concert also reminded me of all of the friends and family I have met because of his music...and the beauty in that.
...I can't wait 'til he comes back home to Detroit...

It was great to see ya there Supa, true friends like Krystina are hard to find, she is a treasure!

Great review, Supa! I'm so glad I got to see this show, even if it was from a movie theater in Texas! To get to share this experience with all the wonderful people on the Org is great! I really feel like we all went to the same show! This was, hands down, the best arena show I had seen since "Lovesexy 88" (and I mean of any artist, period!)