Here is another review of the Louisville show…

Sound check:
The venue staff let us in around 4:30pm. Billy Sparks was there to greet us and hand out the VIP passes which were supposed to be for NPGMC members only. It turned out that if you were early enough for the show, you were allowed access to the sound check. At 6pm, we were allowed to enter the theater. As I made my way down the aisle, Prince was standing center stage with the Horner guitar. The band was just jamming to Sly and the Family Stone’s “Thank You for Letting Me Be Myself Again.” The stage setup was very simple, but I did want to point out that attached to the front of Prince’s keyboard stand was a grill and hood ornament from a Mercedes Benz, and Renalto’s was that of a Lexus. For the ladies, Prince was wearing black pants, and black and blue sweater/coat, blue shoes, and a white skull cap. He was also growing his beard back to the way he had it during “The Gold Experience” days. He looked surprised at the “number” of NPGMC members taking their seats for the sound check, and his first words were, “All of U aint NPG Music Club Members????” I’ll agree that not everyone was, but that didn’t seem to ruin the mood. I took my seat, front row, center stage, and Prince was basically three feet away. Someone asked about the cancellation of the Cincinnati show by asking, “What about Cincinnati,” and Prince responded humorously, “What about Cincinnati…it’s still there, isn’t it?” He surveyed the room, acknowledged the two Italian girls (the ones that have seen him over 300 times), and then asked if there were any guitar players. Three guys, one at a time, went up and played the Horner. All three did very well, and when the second guy played, Prince changed the sound by using the foot pedals. Prince commented that the third player (I think) played better than Tekumi. There were only two guitars visibly set up, the Horner and a Gibson. Prince then played an awesome jazz version of “Other Side of the Pillow,” and I was shocked by how crystal clear his voice was. He then toyed around with “The Cross”, but then stopped and invited any “singers” up on stage, and although I can’t, I went right up. About 40 people got on stage, I took the open mike by Rhonda, and Prince began “Last December.” It was a bit slower than the version on TRC, but it was very beautifully done. The NPGMC sang the chorus, and although we couldn’t sing, we at least new the words! Once the song was over, we began to exit the stage, and Prince asked if we had good seats. I was standing right next to him, and said, “Not really, Ticketmaster can’t spell.” He asked what I meant, and a few people shared with him how they misspelled the password. He did seem legitimately concerned, and stated that he had two weeks off after Indianapolis, and he would do his best to work out the bugs. The last guy to leave the stage was a Pastor (he was not in a Pin-Stripped Suit, but did he drive a Lexus, I wonder???), who asked if Prince would stop by his church. Prince asked him to stay on stage and lead a discussion. I must say, I was disappointed that the sound check was now “over,” but Prince did ask a very good question. He asked if there was singing and dancing in this Pastor’s church, and the Pastor said yes. Prince asked, “If I spoke German, and didn’t understand the words, what was the difference between a Church and a Disco?” I felt bad for this Pastor, Prince put him on the spot, but this man held his own. Someone from the crowd yelled out, “The cover charge at the church is higher!” Prince was humored by this, and had one of the security guards give the pastor a mike. I can’t remember the entire conversation, but it was based on the problems with organized religion, and what is the truth. Prince moved about the crowd freely, and seemed to be very conversational with the people he sat next to. At one point, the Preacher asked Prince for a comment, and Prince was chatting away that he didn’t even hear the question. Eventually, Prince made his way back to the stairs that led up to the stage, and sat there. While he was talking, a woman’s cell phone went off, and everyone looked at her like, “Answer it, or shut it off.” She asked Prince if she wanted to speak with her ex-husband, and he took the phone. Holding the mike to the phone so that we could all hear he said, “Hello….She’s busy right now discussing hers and yours future…..He hung up…..” I found out later that it was actually the woman’s daughter that called. To make a point, Prince pointed how he gives each member of the band the same music, and there would be a problem if Rhonda didn’t play it in “harmony” with the rest of the band. Prince said if Rhonda wasn’t in harmony, he had the right to fire her, because he is the creator of the music. Someone yelled out not to “fire the bass player, because she’s hot.” It was worth a chuckle. Someone else asked if the music to the Rainbow Children came first, or if the meaning did. Prince responded with, “I am Music.” The sound check ended at 7, with Prince saying that this was the best discussion that they had, and invited us to come to the Celebration if we would like to talk some more (on a personal note, I sat in one of them at the Celebration last year, and it was amazing to have such an intimate conversation with Prince). As Prince went to leave, this woman kept trying to get him to sign her TRC cd, and he respectfully declined. He shook some hands (including mine), and made his way backstage. John Blackwell came out, and continued to live up to his reputation of being the nicest guy on the planet. He shook some hands, etc.

The Show:
The concert started shortly after 8. As the curtains were still drawn, the music that was used during the “vamp” changed to a piano. I wasn’t sure at first if it was live or not, but as the curtain opened, there was Prince sitting at his keyboard. He was in black pants, and black dress shirt, and a four button single breasted sports coat. Once again, his voice was perfect. In the past, Prince has had some sound problems, but his new soundman “Scotty” was a true professional. The sound was perfect all night.

Here is the compete set list…there have been some discrepancies posted:

Piano medley:
One night alone
The beautiful ones
Venus de Milo
Adore
Girls and boys
Under the cherry moon
Nothing compares 2 u
Purple rain

The rainbow children
Muse 2 the pharaoh
Xenophobia
A case of u
Mellow
1+1+1=3
Love rollercoaster
Strange relationship
Sing a simple song
La la la means I love you
Didn’t you know?
When u were mine
Avalanche
Family name
Take me with u (full version)
Raspberry beret (full version)
Soul sacrifice (for clarification, this is the true name of what is known as “The Santana Medley.”

1rst encore:
Last December

2nd encore, Piano medley #2:
Free
Starfish and coffee
Sometimes it snows in April
I love u but I don't trust u anymore
How come you don't call me anymore?
Anna stesia

Some quick notes:
-During “Avalanche” Prince took a personal cell phone call. I was sitting by the left side door towards the pit, where you could go to the “green room” right backstage. Prince’s head of security came running out the door with a cell phone towards the stage, Prince looked at him as he was walking off stage, and the security guard stopped dead in his tracks, turned around, and went right back into the green room.
-Dudley D. (DJ for the Funky Bald Heads) was there as well. He was walking around the theater during parts of the show.
-Prince commented that he wished he had his own Radio Show. He said that he “was old school, and proud of it.” When he went into “Love Rollercoaster,” he asked why we were applauding this song, because “we were showing our age.”
-I can’t remember which song, but Prince asked if we were “leaders” or “followers.” He picked out an NPGMC member that said “follower,” and said, “You are a follower, than come with me.” He sat her down on stage for two songs or so, but asked her humorously, “Can I bring you anything? Coffee, tea, merchandise????”
-The funniest moment of the evening came during “How Come U Don’t Call Me, Anymore?” Prince was doing his falsetto, and made a comment that John Blackwell use to talk to the same girl Prince was singing about, and Prince gave John the mike. Blackwell belted out his best “Prince falsetto impression” that was just too funny.
-At the end of “HCUDCMA,” Prince threw his black hat into the lights on the left side of the stage, very clearly not into the crowd. Some guy basically climbed on stage and took it. It was funny to see him after the show wearing it; the hat was so small on his head with all those braids!
-When Prince came out for the second encore, he challenged the audience to see who had more energy. He said he wasn’t tired, and he could keep going.
-Prince only played Habibi for two songs, Last December, and Anna Stesia. There were no Cloud Guitars anywhere to be seen, except for that guy in the lobby walking around with a Blue Schecter Cloud strapped to his body.

In review, this show is a MUST SEE. Someone made a comment about an earlier show that Prince was acting more “grown up, he even wore a suit.” I don’t think this show is Prince showcasing that fact that he is growing as a person, but I think that for the first time in a while, he is reminding people that he is the greatest MUSICIAN on the planet.

The group from Atlanta (Heather, James, Tony C, and I) had no regrets driving those 7 hours each way. April 12th in Hotlanta can’t come soon enough!

We’ll see you all in Jacksonville!!!!

Thank you for the great review!

very good review, my friend. you missed your calling as a preeminant rock and roll journalist

Great review and it definitely brings back some fun memories from the show. If you ever begin to doubt Prince's musical prowess, just go see him in concert and you will quickly be reminded what made you such a big fan in the first place.