First, before I get to my *minor* complaint, let me say that I LOVED last night's show. Prince and the band were on fire, and it was a delight to see Morris Day and the Time. I was in (7th row) member floor seats, which was a thrill--I was ideally located, far enough away to see the entirety of the stage, and 180 degrees across the stage from Mr. Blackwell, so I had a fantastic opportunity to watch him play all night. He's really astounding.

I also dragged two naysayer friends of mine (I pretty much forced the tickets on them) who had a fantastic time. They were seated in the nosebleed seats (section 317) and said everyone around them was rocking out; they were really impressed with the show. They're also big Kevin Smith fans, so they were really excited about, and I'm quoting them, "Morris Day and the motherfucking Time."

Anyway, here's my question/complaint: was the sound mix a little off last night, or is that just the way large arena shows sound? This is my first arena show, period; I've only seen Prince at smaller venues (the Fox, and the ONA Atlanta show, which was at a smaller venue I can't remember the name of), and the sound was always a lot clearer. Many times last night, I had trouble understanding what he was saying/singing over the music, and my friends in the nosebleeds said they couldn't make out any of the lyrics all night.

It got a lot better during the acoustic set, but there were still moments I was straining to hear.

So--is that just the way it is at arena shows, or was Prince's soundmix off? Is there anything I can do to make it sound better at the show I see in August--would earplugs help? I put my hands over my ears a couple of times last night, just to see if it sounded better, and it did sound much less distorted. I'd feel a little funny showing up to a concert with earplugs, but I'd like to be able to understand what he's saying.

Oh--does anyone know the name of the blues song he does during the acoustic set? The guy next to me mentioned that it was a Robert Johnson song, and I'd like to find it on CD if I can.
[This message was edited Sat May 1 14:33:15 2004 by Jessica]

You should have seen it in an older arena that isn't so modern. It's even worse. Arenas are notoriously bad places to see a show. Sound echos and all kinds of other problems are the price you pay for a larger crowd and typically a better stage show. Philips Arena has actually been voted "The Best Arena Venue to See A Consert" by some group. I don't remember whom did the ratings, but I read the article last week.

The blues song he sang at the concert is called "On The Couch", which is a cut on Musicology. I remember the words from the concert and when I listened to the CD I realized that it was the same song.

Peace.

No, I meant the "Pharaoh's concubine" song he plays before "On the Couch." AKA "12:01" or "After Midnight"--the one with the line about potato chips.