Just a few thoughts on the Penn State Show...

1. I was quite excited when I got my tickets from will call and saw second row. However, upon finding my seats, The so-called "second row" had two rows in front of it, but none-the-less we were close so I though the view would be good. Much to my chagrin, once the show started most of our view was blocked by the metal NPG horn section stage prop. Prince did move around a bit but he spent most of his time facing directly opposite from where we stood. So in a nut shell - my seats sucked.

2. All the dancers who got called on stage were preselected before the show and most of them were from the seats near the "back" of the stage. Back meaning opposite of where Prince spent most of his time. I guess it was some redemption for crappy seats.

3. The acoustics where horrendous, lots of bass, lots of treble, but the mid-range was very thin to the point where you actually had to strain to hear the vocals at times.

4. What's the deal with Candy? When she wasn't playing her horn, she was acting like some kind of cheerleader, singing along to everysong and making these poorly choreographed hand jestures. I don't know why but I found it quite bizzarre. I came to see prince, not some sax player acting as a pep-rally leader.

5. Rhonda spent much of her time sitting on the floor playing her bass.

6. Not to steal any thunder from "Krebsne," who got to sing part of Kiss in Omaha I think itas now part of the show. Some chick did a little sing along with P during Kiss at this show also...sad woman didn't know the words...

7. No after anything. If there was, it wasn't official because no announcement was made after the show. Not that I expected one after such a lame concert.

And no, I'm not a hater or complainer. I've seen countless shows and aftershows in my meager 33 years. If this was your first show, you'll probably enjoy it because you don't have a reference point. If you've seen some of the other tours go to this tour with low expectations...maybe you'll be surprised.

Although my experience wasn't quite as bad, I did also have something bad happen.

Before the show, John was tossing drumsticks out to the crowd....he gets to our side of the stage (actually opposite of where you were....we were behind Renaldo, 3rd row)....and he tosses one towards my girlfriend....she reaches up to grab it, and the guy in front of us deflected it and it struck her directly in the eye....so not only did she not get the stick, but she had to spend part of the concert in the medical lounge. I think ultimately she'll be ok, but that part really kind of sucked.

alexandernevermind said:

Renaldo .....

as in Renato???

alexandernevermind said:

Oh, you were the couple sitting in front of me. I thought it showed terrible form for people to practically wrestle for that drumstick. I could tell that something was wrong with her from your body language, but I didn't know what. I'm sorry to hear that she was injured.

As for the seats, I was behind Renaldo, row 4. (with an extra seat, because I couldn't sell my extra ticket--my friends kept cancelling one by one--what kind of friends....nevermind.) I thought the seats were great, we had good sound quality, were close to one of the wings, and he spent a lot of time on our side.

At one point during Cream, he stopped and said--that woman just sang "A'int nobody betta" and imitated a head swerve and finger wag" That was me! I was certainly doing that, and he was close to our side. But I might be crazy.

I thought that the crowd seemed a bit sedate. There weren't many people dancing a lot--just a few. Sometimes I felt out of place dancing at my seat, but I was having too much fun to stop. The on stage dancers were 99% thin, young (>25) girls in tight clothes--not hoochie, but not anything that I wanted to look at, no variety of style. And as mentioned, he let one girls sing, and she didn't know the words to Kiss--give me a break. Why not deliberately pick some npgmc family?

As for an aftershow, the npgmcers sitting behind me were congregating and planning to hang out, but the couple that I rode with (from Baltimore) had to go back that night. I had a great time, and I'm looking forward to the philly show.

I would just like to remind everyone that the Penn State show was not done in big city Philly. You all have to remember you were in the middle of farm country. I was at the show. Second row- a dream for me- as it's too difficult to travel to big arenas. I thought it was the best show I've ever seen. And no- the crowd didn't dance a lot- but we're not used to doing that at concerts. Farm country- what can I say. Another thing- a lot of kids go to shows there. I thought it was very tasteful considering the number of children in the audience. I have never been to a Prince concert before. I have been listening to Prince since the 80's- and as a fan who would never have the opportunity to see him- I thought this show was awesome. If you're looking for flash and flair- you better stick to the big city venues. All of us in Central Pennsylvania were quite happy with what we got. And by the way- my dad works there. No after show anything. They whisked him out to a car and took him to the airport where there was a plane waiting for him. Again- not a big city- after ahow affairs just don't happen around here- for anybody.
[This message was edited Mon Apr 19 8:40:05 2004 by cesca]

cesca said:

I agree with you totally cesca... I hesitantly drove 3 hours from Philly, expecting a lame,reserved crowd, and that Prince would get perturbed and shorten the set as he used to do in years-past, and I thought the crowd was great.

I was in the third row, and everybody was dancin' where I was, most importantly I WAS!!! The origintor of this post seemed too preoccupied with peripheral stuff. Prince and the band were tight as baby booty last night, he was as playful and chaismatic as ever, and I thought Rhonda and Candy, and the rest of the musicians did a great job of playing to the house. I think the musicianship and vibe of this tour are fantastic. It's a celebration of the man's music - and that's what I saw people doin' last night.

If anybody wants to sell tickets to East Coast shows - I'll take em' all!!!

jpav said:

Why is it that when you say anything even remotely negative about a concert, some feel compelled to make it a personal attack. I wasn't preoccupied with anything, it was what it was. Compared to other shows it was lame. Those of us who have seen more than one or two shows know that there is such a thing as a lame show.

Furthermore, the location of the show shouldn't be an issue. State College is not some bumble-witch, backwards town in the middle of nowhere. Ok, its in the middle of nowhere, but its home to one the largets universities in the country, plently of nighlife, lots of energy..."Flash and Flair" was mentioned...that has nothing to do with the location, I've seen better shows in smaller towns...don't make excuses for lousy concerts

Like I ended my original post, if your were a prince concert virgin, you probably thought it was awesome, if you live in the disillusioned world of the "prince-can-do-no-wrong", then it was awesome...If anyone thinks that the musical performance of last night was the best work prince has ever done,see a few more shows.

Finally, the band was as loose as a five dollar hooker...for christ sake, even blackwell lost the beat a few times...during kiss...if you noticed he slowed and then came back to speed in the the first minute or so.



I stand fast...the show blew...very-sub par for Prince.

The band was most definitely not tight. It sounded like Blackwell's tom mics popped during Shhh, and never fully recovered. Anyone also catch the off stage person dropping the mic? THUD! I thought that was pretty funny. Set time was a little under Cleveland's 130 minutes. Purple Rain and out for the encore, this crowd didn't deserve more. Also he's got 2 days off until next show. They need to rest up.

I drove 4.5 hours from Buffalo for this. I was also at the Cleveland show. I knew the crowd would be lame and asking for the Cleveland energy was too much to ask. I enjoyed the show definietly, but I'll never see a show there again.

i drove in from NYC for this show...

our seats were amazing, even thought we were behind john blackwell

the show was INSANE!!! the band was SOOO on... they played a few extra tunes from the LA simulcast.. like rasberry baret, CREAM, alphabet street... infact during cream he stoped at the "everything you do is success part.. and said " i wrote this one while lookin in the mirror... ya'll think i'm kiddin"

i really wonder what show this person was at...

but while there bitchin about it i'll be at the WEBSTER HALL party tomorrow night for my 3rd prince concert of the year.

I don't understand. I thought Prince said the show was in-the-round and "there wasn't a bad seat in the house"???

Thanks for reminding me why this is the first Prince tour that I am skipping.

My biggest problem is that those of us that were behind the drums basically had terrible seats. My daughter did get on stage though. Someone please let me know if you have pictures from the show so she can treasure the moment.

donnyenglish said:

Truly, the best seats in the house for this tour are 5-20 rows up on the sides of the stage. From there, you have a clear view of the entire stage. I have seen 4 straight shows (Pittsburgh, Columbus, Cleveland, and State College) and State College was the most sedate crowd of the bunch. The arena didn't even sell out...I'm guessing a 1,000-2000 empty seats (the upper deck on each was blacked out by a curtain).

An "in the round" stage makes for more good seats visually, but it doesn't mean the acoustics will be great everywhere. This is particularly true for people sitting very close to the speakers and amps. A lot of time, it sounds better at mid-arena.

I really didn't think the show was that bad.

This was my first Arena show for this Tour. I got 2nd row in the W2 section right in front of the
catwalk. I would have liked if Prince came to our side more often, but I could see him just fine. (If I wanted to look at his shoes the whole show then I would have been really disappointed) But I saw EVERYTHING I wanted to see.

The sound was a bit off IMHO, but I'm not a sound Tech, but I've definitely heard better.

And the crowd as a bit sedate as someone said, but look where we were. Sorry for those of you and not meaning to belittle anyone, We were in Hick Town. I had Prince blasting all the way from NJ on the only looks I got were while I was driving through Cow town. Literally, from the Cows. (Just joking)

However, I did notice that the people from my side were pre-selected.

To the couple who was injured, I'm so sorry. Prince Fans can be some of the worst, rowdy people out there. I hope your girl's ok. I would have taken that stick and beat whoever that
was over the head with it, John Blackwell style. Did they even apologize?

So far as Candy was concerned, you already said it. The crowd was a little "slow" last night. I don't remember seeing her do that in the simulcast. Did she do it at any other shows?

Renato needs just a little more credit, the man is MAD talented and Mike Phillips is a good addition to the NPG.

I have no complaints about this show. We'll see what happens the next time around.

Peace Yall,

I was there....row 2, section E1, near the cat walk. He touched my hand, made me smile.

I understand that not everyone had a good time and I did hear about the women who got stuck in the eye with the drum stick(section W1, wasn't it?). I had a great time though...sorry for those of you who felt miserable. My only question to you is that if you hated your seats so much (near the horn section), then why didn't you just move to an empty seat? I'm sure if you told an usher that you wanted to move to a vacant seat they would have allowed you to move further away from the stage. Why sit thru a concert being so damn unhappy? I also don't understand why one would go to a concert only to critique every little thing that they possibly can. Why not go only to enjoy yourself? If you feel unhappy during the show with anything that you have the power to change, why not change it? It makes no sense to me, is all I'm saying.

I enjoyed the show, the music, the sound (I'm not an expert on this though ) and the scenery to say the least! Any of you that were sitting in Section W1, did you guys see the package when the spot light shown thru Prince's white pants? I heard tale of that...makes me wish i had been on the other side For me, a concert is about enjoying every moment (as long as it's not a drum stick in the eye), not about moaning and being unhappy. I wish the experience wasn't like that for those of you that said it was. Maybe next time, instead of being miserable, you can come up with a way of solving the problem. (?)
All of you that went to the Grille for drinks n' such: thanks for coming! I am so glad I had the opportunity to meet you all! I had fun at Zeno's and Players as well...hope you did too. I wish the concert had been on a Saturday though because Players would have been more crowded and the music would have been different. But, nonetheless, I had a great time!

There's nothing wrong with an honest - insightful and critical review. This tour seems to be good but it is formatted and will get tiring for the die hards (who see multiple shows) and even for the band. I hope he introduces this "second" set list. As far as Candy is concerned - she was getting carried away in 2002 with all of that - so she must out of control now. She should stick to the fine playin' and let Prince do the gestures?

I have to agree with the orginal post - the show did not live up to my expectations. Point of reference - the 2nd HOB show in Vegas, which played many of the same songs Prince is palying on tour, but that show rocked! I drove in from NYC for the show and would do it again, but ...

As for the seats, if I wasn't next to you I was at least nearby (E1, Row 2, 1 & 2) and the seats were disappointing. It wasn't bad enough to have the Horns blocking the view, but also the keyboards. The best sightlines were during the acoustic set, which I did enjoy tremendoulsy!

Fillmore & HOB Vegas seem to be the choice ones so far....

donnyenglish said:

I hear you totally...I spent most of last week at the Ohio shows behind the drums or keyboards...luckily I was sort of at the edge of both of those "obstructions," so if I moved as far to the left or right as possible and craned my neck I could catch glimpses of brilliance.

The seats are equally "terrible" behind the keyboards and behind the horn section with the other NPG sign. They should not be selling floor seats behind the drums, keyboards, or horns. The view is awful, and at the concerts I went to I saw more than a few short girls who looked like someone pissed one their paisley parade.

If anyone reading this hasn't bought tickets yet, be VERY VERY VERY forewarned if you buy tickets from the club...they really shouldn't be selling those seats...Ticketmaster wouldn't sell them (or if they did they'd be discounted, or the LAST tickets to sell), so they fob 'em off on the die-hards. Crappy.

Colbert said:

my friend and I were in section E1, row 2, seats 9-10. I know where you were sitting and I think that if i would have paid close to 70 bux for a ticket for any show, I would have taken my ass to a better seat and those ushers had better allow it! I'm sorry you were sitting there....I would have done everything in my power to move, no if ands or buts about that. I am a stickler for getting what I paid for. See, I have only gone to this show so far. I'm going to Philly, but I think I will still be happy with it. I'm just like that...If I get stuck with seats like yours, u bet my ass is movin' if it can

how would you have liked being the woman who got a drum stick rammed into her eye? that happened on the other side, W1. Poor woman. I think it was a fellow orger's wife.

Aerogram said:

Very true. I think the sound that people hear has a lot to do with exactly where they are sitting. In general though, I think it's much harder to get the acoustics just right in a large arena. That is one major drawback to large venues
[This message was edited Mon Apr 19 18:29:00 2004 by FutureShock]

The Jordan Center sux as far as sound quality goes. I've seen other shows there and people feel the same about the sound at those shows as well. NO need to bitch and blame it on the band.

uptown1 said:

My row 10 (floor section E) ticket in Reno was perfect: pretty close, but not so close that any on-stage equipment interfered with my view. When Prince was on the other side of the stage (or when all the fans up on stage blocked my view of him), I could look up at the big screen. I agree, anything closer than about row 5 might be too close (unless your priority is to get on stage).

It was not just a concert for me. It was great meeting everyone b4 the show, chillin', listening to prince, good food, good drinks, great people. I did not decide that I was going to the state college show until after the presale was over , but I did manage to get first row off the floor behind John B and everything was great. It is a live performance so the slight imperfections are expected and sometimes needed. I will be at both Philly shows in member seats & you will not hear a complaint from me. Remember its about the music. Also I view any prince concert I can attend to be a reward for 25 years of great music and the happiness he has brought me. After the concert, it was cool to chat with Chance a bit, I would have had his autograph but I couldn't get the cellophane off of my cd fast enough. I also missed a chance of getting a guitar pick off of princes guitar because i was polite and asked for it, rather than just taking it. I guess I asked the wrong person because my friend who I coerced into going asked another stage hand and he gladly gave it to him. Oh well theres always the philly shows. Also, the unofficial meeting places after the show were cool as well. I can only hope that the philly shows will bring us together again. One final note, funny I haven't heard anyone complaining about receiving "free" music at his shows. Where else can you go to see a rock n roll hall of fame performer, get floor seats at a reasonable price, meet others, dance,sing, laugh, and then have numerous avenues to discuss it afterwards.

ticktickbang said:

Boy ticktickbang, do you get what some of these people are missing!

For a while I started to think I was a Pink Floyd fansite, with all the overanalyzing, negativity, and focusing on extraneous issues.

I think there are many fans, especially long-timers, who need a serious examination of both their FUNNY and FUNKY bones! I had a blast last night meeting people, watching a two-hour show packed with great songs and superb musicianship, and I danced my rear off (Please let me know if you found it)!

I'm not sure what people are looking for anymore...

welcum2thedawn... To say that the only people ejnoying these shows are "virgin prince concert goers" who don't know any better, or "Prince-can-do-no-wrong" fanatics, reflects an elitist attitude that clearly is missing the point of music as fun and celebration. (It ain't a term paper on the effects of preservatives on rectal function)
It's as if thousands of people who aren't as "in-the-know" as you, don't have ears, or a sense of rhythm. It's sad that you can't just have a good time and enjoy yourself.

Ronthe2and4P, talking about "This crowd didn't deserve more"... Do you realize how pompous that sounds? Nice that YOU can pigeonhole an entire erena because they aren't up to YOUR standards. I'm GLAD you are able to go from city to city to compare shows, to compare how many spins he did during KISS in Cleveland than in Buffalo... some people actually will see only one Prince show this year... They probably don't even deserve that! Next time, let's ask Prince to ban State College, and every other crowd YOU deem unworthy!

As I said, I will take any tickets you unstatisfied customers want to provide!

RupertZ said:

You're skipping the tour because of THAT? I'm glad I don't place so much importance on other people's opinions and reviews. They're fun to read, and that's about it.

wow so many complaints coming from this Penn State show... it's pretty ironic.

My biggest "rant" of the whole evening was the fact that the club after gathering we went to was hosting "alternative lifestyles" nite which was waycool but I was slightly perturbed that the D.J felt the need to edit Erotic City. I'm sorry but I didnt know that the word funk was dirty. Oh well, thats about as much negativity as I could come up with from my experience. Oh wait, come to think of it.....The A.C didn't seem to be on inside the arena. Is there a Bryce Jordan Center org that I can post a thread to? ( That's sarcasm! ). Much love & positivity !!
[This message was edited Mon Apr 19 21:31:07 2004 by ticktickbang]

murphdrag said:

Ironic? why is it ironic? I'm missing the point here...

ever notice that the complaining is ALWAYS done by the same people?? Take note: See a negative comment or thread about something so trivial as the seats you had and how many seats were left..blah, blah, blah....check that person's post history and you will see that that's all they do....complain about everything and anything they can. what a miserable life to have! I feel sorry for them, actually.