Thank you Prince, Candy, and the entire funkalicious NPG band for stopping in KC and showing folks here how real music should be performed, and shaking the arena like our own personal housequake! You all were F-U-N-K-Y!!! I loved every note and enjoyed groovin’ to your primal beats. The band is phenomenal. Each one of you rules your musical domain, yet together you all are a musical and spiritual tour-de-force that rivals no one. You all blazed the place with your sizzlin’ guitar licks and thundering bass riffs, a horn section that blows the roof off and is well choreographed and fun to watch, keys that mesmerize, and a drumbeat so fierce they could probably feel it in St. Louis as a preview for tonight’s gig!

Another awesome show as expected from the man and his awesome NPG band!!! And thanks to the NPG fanclub for the opportunity to get the best seats again, our seats were front row right in front of the horn section which was awesome, as I wanted to be close to Candy as I’m a long-time loyal fan of hers and have seen her many times in her homeland with her band Funky Stuff. She is one incredible and happenin’ Dutch girl that knows how to move and groove, and can play the sax with so much feeling and funkiness while looking good and flashing a beautiful smile at you Love2UCandy!!! SeeU@NSJF!!!

Prince was phenomenal as always, his guitar playing is so above everyone, it always reminds me of witnessing someone who is playing at a level Hendrix would be at today if he were still with us, and I truly believe that both Jimi and Miles are channeling their musical energies through Prince in every way, especially when he lets loose on the purple guitar and lays down some licks that are soooo hot and fluid, like a raw primal scream that is rarely heard or achieved by anyone. Prince U-THE-MAN!!! Loved the acoustic set too, certainly shows your true talent at being able to not only play the axe so well, but also your singing is incredible and your song-writing poetic.

Rhonda is by far the baddest bass player I’ve ever seen! And I’ve seen Stanley, Marcus and Victor and Entwistle before, and Rhonda seems to be all of them rolled into one, and she does it while smiling like she is loving every note and funky fret she lays down on you with such a h-e-a-v-y thundering sound. Believe me, I was front row right in front of the bass amps on the floor and when the show started I thought I was going to be blown back several rows!!! And of course John Blackwell is undoubtedly the toughest MF I’ve ever seen beat a drumkit like that, he’s like the Muhammad Ali of drumming, some rope-a-dope and then WHAM-BAM!!! Next thing you know you’re practically on the floor from the non-stop in-your-face barrage of beats coming at ya. Loved it and again this band is like no other anywhere in the world, definitely best of the best!!!

Loved the entire horn section performance, couldn’t believe there were 4 horns at this show, and I really enjoyed watching Candy who as always played the sax @ 120% reaching stratospheric levels with every note, and her vocal additions were equally as impressive, and Maceo and Greg were right on every note and looking like they were havin’ fun and blowing the roof down. The keyboards were funky and trippin’ as always, enjoyed the solos and space-like sound effects my the master Renato Neto especially. Overall the tightest funkiest gig that will ever stop in this town I guarantee!!! It was definitely an evening of spiritual vibes and a level of funkiness no one will ever achieve until NPG is back in KC again for the next show. I could see this band every time and would always be impressed. C’mon back soon y’all please!!!

So many great tunes played yet there were still many left unplayed, but that will be for the next time I hope. Would have enjoyed an after-party but with their schedule I fully understand. Sure wish I would have been at the Blue Room the night before the big show though, as it must have been quite a sight to see Prince and the band walking in to the club, during a night with an open jazz jam, and the Blue Room is a very historic and hip jazz club. Must have been very special for Candy and the horn section to play in a room that Bird once played back in the days. Glad the band had a great time in KC this year, and managed to enjoy a night off at a very cool jazz club!

To Prince and Candy – thanks so much for sharing your grooves with us here in KC, we needed it and I’m grateful that you chose KC as a stop as you blaze the trails of funk, jazz, fusion and soul. More power to you and the mighty band, and I look forward to more great music in the future from you all! Hope2SeeU at the North Sea Jazz Festival in July, I’ll be ready to get down and get funky with you all at the greatest jazz festival in the world!!! Thanks for the awesome new tunes to enjoy on Musicology as well as the Hendrix tribute CD which I now have, and I especially dig NEWS man, that CD is to Prince what ‘B*tches Brew’ is to Miles. It’s all over the place and chaos is the constant in each song, and I love it like that. Keep it up thanks so very much again for livening up my world here in KC!!! HopeUgot the flowers b4 the show too!

Peace/Luv2NPG and the NPG Fams,
S2DoggyDog
05/05/2004

My quick KC review. I have now seen three shows: Omaha, Ames and KC. So inevitably I will compare the three.

KC was the shortest. It started out top notch, though. Prince was rested and dancing like a MUG during the first 3-4 numbers. Lots of cool new additions to the show and new performance bits. He "froze" the band twice during MUSICOLOGY, for instance. Very cool.

Also there were some new theatrical additions. A hydrolic platform in the middle of the stage that raised and lowered him most notably. Also some "purple rain" streamer/curtain things that where white and came down for the finale. Lots of smoke machine, too. This was all new since Ames for sure.

Musically- playing-wise- this was the best show of the three. The band TORE IT UP. Maceo was a welcome return and Blackwell and Rhonda killed. DMSR was awesome and lasted forever as he directed solo after solo. They were tight and fonky and kicked major ass.

Now the bad things.

The show was SHORT SHORT SHORT. Lots of stuff missing. No NOTHING COMPARES 2 U, THE RIDE, THE ONE, QUESTION OF U, NO BEAUTIFUL ONES!! There were more things missing... it will come to me.

That's right he did NOT do TBO w/ the pearl curtain!! They lowered it for the encore and then lifted it up when he came onstage. WTF?!

And he did not do the acoustic bit for the encore. It was after Renato's solo, in the middle of the set. It was really cool as he played for a long time and did lots of songs I hadn't seen him do before acoustic like CREAM and GLAMOROUS LIFE. Even a bit of JAILHOUSE ROCK (yes by Elvis) just to mess with us. He was clearly having a blast.

So getting what is usually the "encore" in the middle of the show combined w/ the new stage elements and theatricality really whet my appetite for the new encore! I was ready to be amazed. I was very disappointed when he game out and just did PR. I couldn't believe it when he said "good night". It was sooo premature. Both the Ames and Omaha shows were much longer and there was lots of material he had not yet played.

My seats were good again. 7 rows back and behind Blackwell. Whom I met after the show!! He was just in the arena talking to some people (he must have had friends there). No one was round him so I walked up and as quickly and unobstrusively as I could got his autograph. It will go on my Prince wall w/ Bobby Z's signature (I met him last summer). I guess I'm collecting Prince's drummers' autographs!!

Thanks to all the orger's that I met. If I didn't run into you- sorry! I tried and I gave out all the CDs I had. If any of you are still interested in one org note me and we'll work something out.

Oh and super congrats to the girl in the black and white dress who sang KISS this time. She did great! It was cool to watch someone else do it and watch Prince and his reactions. That must be something like it was when it was me. I really enjoyed it and if anyone knows her tell her to orgnote me so we can swap stories!!

Peace and B Wild,
Richard/krebsne

Yep the show was short but people got there money worth.

Shit was funkay!! Maceo and Greg brought in some famialiar Parliament/Funkadelic horn riffs from there P-Funk era. Prince was on fire best i've seen him since the 80's Controversy Tour.

This tour is highly recommended!

anyone got a better setlist than this one?

someone posted this on npgmc...but i know it's missing adore-acoustic
and let's work after the acoustic set. so there may be more omissions....

Intro (Alicia Keys speech)
Musicology
Let's Go Crazy
I Would Die 4 U
When Doves Cry
Baby I'm a Star
Shhh
DMSR/Beyonce tune/I Like the Way You Move
I Feel for U
Controversy
God (Instrumental)
- Acoustic set
Little Red Corvette
Cream
Raspberry Beret/Jailhouse Rock
Sweet Thing
Telemarketer Blues
On the Couch
The Glamorous Life
Alphabet St.
Sometimes It Snows in April
- Band returns:
7
Sign O' the Times
Dear Mr. Man
U Got the Look
Life O' the Party <-what's the jb riff they use during this?
Soul Man
Kiss
Take Me With U
- Encore
Purple Rain

thanks...
-m@

nakedpianoplayer said:

I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one!

LittlePill said:

sorry i didnt get to meet you there, i was hoping to run into ya -- glad you enjoyed the show as much as i did

nakedpianoplayer said:

I stood by the rail and was looking for you but I wasn't sure exactly what you looked like. I probably saw you but didn't know it!

LittlePill said:

yeah, maybe, i was the hottest, sexiest woman there, does that help any ?