From the NPGMC Board:

"Prince and the NPG would like 2 4mally apologize 4 the late start 2 the Concert at Summerfest. As this being the tour's first concert not in the round, soundcheck was very xtensive which pushed back the start time 4 an interview Prince was 2 have. The interview could not b re-scehduled. Neverthless, Milwaukee rocked and showed Prince and the Band what it means 2 b loved. Thanx again."

He started one of the St Paul shows later than that one and we didnt get an apology!

well the late start added to the hype of the concert. it was incredible thanks prince.

i always figure, if its a prince related event.....its bound to be late in some fashion.....whether its late getting started...or late ending thats just prince

i have a few freinds like that too...they just operate on their own time....and thats just how they are. i accept it...its part of the package

but it is nice to get an apology i gotta admit that.

I've seen Prince many times, and he damn sure rocked Summerfest...but something was missing...I didn't sense a connection between Prince and the crowd...I've seen Prince at shows where the crowd is bonkers, folks screaming and crying, completely in the palm of Prince's hand..but that didn't happen at Summerfest because it wasn't a Princely crowd.

Prince seemed like he was working overtime to impress the music festival type crowd. It was pretty obvious that the audience was not a total Prince crowd. Not much diversity...in fact, some of those fools looked like they stumbled in from a Grateful Dead show. It looked very much like a music festival crowd, with thousands of folks who were not really Prince fans but who bought a ticket just to see the big event of the fest that night...There was a whole lot of drinking going on....and I mean a WHOLE lot of beer was being brought back from the concession stands. I saw people carrying two 4-packs of brew back to their seats...

The long 2-hour wait didn't help matters because folks kept going back to the concession stands and buying more and more beer and wine and getting drunker and drunker while waiting for the show to start. Once the show started, drunken folks from the back kept trying to get to the front.

Prince was in "Music Festival Act" mode, working hard to impress, heavy on the screaming guitars and he was very impressive. But, like I said, he wasn't reaching the crowd emotionally. He impressed them, but he didn't reach them. He didn't do the types of songs that Prince does that really have a powerful impact on Princely crowds, like "Question of U," "Nothing Compares 2 U," or "The Beautiful Ones." I've been at Prince shows and seen Prince fams scream and damn near piss their pants when Prince does "The Beautiful Ones." That's one of his songs that gets the audience into the palm of his hand. But Prince didn't seem to want to get the Milwaukee crowd into the palm of his hand.

He was pulling all of his Hendrix rock star guitar tricks out, and kicked ass doing it...but like I said, something was missing....the emotion was missing...it was a show that had the potential to become one of those legendary shows that everyone wants a boot of, but it didn't reach those heights, it only made it half-way there...

Batdance said:

you see, i was wondering if that was gonna happen...i'm curious about the set-list then, considering that he might have been in a different mode, as you say. once i heard that the show was two hours late, i thought, day-um, the wisconsinsites probably got really blasted on their beer (not all of them, of course...). i just never liked that ampitheater, and really wondered how he would be for this type of non-round show in moo-waukee. some of my family went to that show -- their first, for all of them (and they probably looked like those damn grateful dead peoples you mentioned...ugh -- "take a bath, hippies!") -- but none of them has called me to tell me what they thought.

Has a Prince show ever started on time???

P.S. I don't mind waiting!!

violett said:

I agree, Prince is known to start late for his concerts (his Cleveland show was a little late too). But like someone said on this thread, it is worth waiting for, since he always brings the funk!

CandaceS said:

Actually, for anyone who has tickets to upcoming Musicology shows and is reading this, make sure your ass is in your seat at the starting time on the ticket...you might have to wait a half hour, but for a couple of the shows I saw, the concert started right on time. Once, it was raining and there was tons of traffic in downtown Cincinnati, and the parking garages filled up due to sporting events going on at the same time, and I walked in 20 minutes after the published start time (okay, RAN in is more like it!) and he was already on the chorus-less version of When Doves Cry that he does a few songs in. I was bummed.

Check out this article in Milwaukee Sunday paper, a newspaper writer calls Summerfest organizers "incompetent" and lashes out at Prince for his "tardiness."

http://www.jsonline.com/n...239525.asp

RavedIn2 said:

This must b the 1st time that this dude has seen P live. Most of P's shows are all call and response,even the PR concerts. Now i do agree a 2hr waite will pissu off and drain your energy!

Of course Prince couldn't make an emotional connections with this crowd - Dah it's Milwaukee!!! Only players of the (GAG) Packers or an employee with a brewery make a connection with Milwaukee residents.

Prince is WAY too funky for Milwaukee!

The wait was worth it. For the show that he and the NPG gave there was no need for an apology. The show was electric. I have never seen a band work so well off of each other. I have also never seen anything as remarkable as the way that Prince blew away the crowd with his guitar during his rendition of Zeppelin's whole lotta love. Page and Plant would have been proud. Prince summed it up best that night after a Mr. Blackwell solo saying,"My band is tight, don't U agree?"

I have to agree with bambi99--the show was great. The band was unbelievable, and I have never been so proud to call myself a Prince fan!!! I do, however, disagree with the comments about the Milwaukee crowd. I think it is great that people who may not have been so familiar with Prince got to come out and see what it is about him (and his band) that makes us all crazy! I myself brought my boyfriend that is one of those Grateful Dead heads, as he has never seen Prince live. He LOVED the show, and we actually listened to Musicology the whole way to Phish on Friday night! I personally would have loved to have heard the likes of "Question of U", but I think the sets we heard were great, and I am so lucky to have been there! The world can always use more Prince fans--they have to start somewhere! It may as well have been at Summerfest, because it was a ROCKIN' show!

my home town where we get down wooo

I agree the wait was worth it. It also was not the first show I waited for the show to start. I really think they waited for the sun to go down. Becuse as soon as it was dark enough and we could see the video screens the show started.
One thing about the negative hits on the milwaukee crowd. From my angle it was all good. A few people drank to much and a few crazy ass people tried to get on stage by rushing the stage, but it is a concert and these things happen. It has nothing to do with location. About why Prince even plays Milwaukee. Well this why. Back in the day. Before Prince was well known. He toured all over Wisconsin and from what I remember he hit Milwaukee quite a bit. So I am sure that has a little to do with it. One of my friends heard that in a interview that he liked to play milwaukee. It's not just another stop for him. I think it all goes back the day when he would just do small club tours, before he made it big. He knows Milwaukee. They say don't forget where you came from. This is Princes old playground. This is were he opened the doors of his music to the word. the Midwest will always be a area he feels at home.

Why didn't Prince perform his new single "Call My Name" in Milwaukee?

i dont really kno why he didnt i really wish he woulda because it is such a great and original song.

RavedIn2 said:

The show was great - I was disappointed that he did not do The Question of U - I don't think he did A million Days or Sweet Thing either - but I think that the show was off the hook.

I think that he has a wonderful stage presents - but I think the change in venue - was something that they had not done yet this year - after do the in the round and then changing to the Milwaukee set up - it was a change and even thought everything was on with Prince and NPG - it still did make a difference in how things happened.

I was disappointed with my seat - to far on the side even though I was only 22 rows back - but the sound was great. I just went home and booked member tickets to Detriot to make up for what I wanted - closer seats.

I live in Milwaukee and went to the show at Summerfest. I wasn't too happy about the late start, but Prince is worth the wait. This was my fourth Prince concert and I've really enjoyed every one of them.
I don't like the negative comments about the people of Milwaukee. Were not all beer drinking Packer fans, so please don't generalize. Prince has been my favorite artist for over 20 years now, and I know many other people here who feel the same way also. There may have been some people there who weren't big fans, but after seeing him in concert that could of changed. Prince puts on a great show.

thank u jillibean for clearing up the milwaukee stereotype...

Your Welcome

Musicology2004 said:

look friends, i ain't trying to throw out a wisconsin stereotype -- for lawd's sake -- i still have a wisconsin driver's license and license plates after all these years of living in new york. i'm super-glad the show was tight for you, and for anyone else around you, or surrounding you, i just remember so many tough shows at summerfest many years ago -- performers that i liked so much less than the kid.

yes, people drink anywhere -- and to be simply honest -- i drink almost everywhere (yet not to excess, or leaving any part of a prince show just to get another "cold one..."). the mpls shows were tuff (or soon to be soon, the nyc shows) for all the people that were coming and going for more miller/yuengling/stella artois or whatever...but to be super honest...i don't care that they drink...i drink, so i cannot make a gripe...my only point was, if you like -- even if only moderately the person that you paid a pretty penny for -- WHY do you need to jump out of your seat (especially during the acoustic set; even during the goddamned finale!) for another 6buck beer that don't matter as much as, um, jesus, cream? i could never take the place, 7...?, et cetera.

i love wisconsin. i love prince. i hope, and from what i've read, his show at summerfest was tight. but i still gotta say -- no matter how much he did shows way back in the day in wisconsin -- that wisconsin (even if it is prince's midwest!) is still a tough place to play...especially considering (no matter how well he played an amphitheater) that his band wasn't able to perform in the round like 99 percent of the other shows from this tour.

seriously...i'm super glad you enjoyed the show...peace...
[This message was edited Tue Jul 6 0:47:05 2004 by ninarockets]

No problem Nina, I agree with what you said about the amphitheater. When I heard that Prince was coming to town I was hoping it wouldn't be there, but then they announced that he would be opening summerfest. Even though I don't like outdoor concerts I still had to go since it was Prince, and I did have a great time.

It's all good nina. I agree with the drinking. I like to drink my self and I have been to a few shows and drank way to much. But with the Prince show the thought never crossed my mind. I wanted to focus and enjoy every single note that was played. I am so glad I did because a enjoyed the show so much. The only thing that got to me was this one lady was so drunk she kept trying to get on stage during the show. She was making such a fool of herself. I think she was kicked out because I seen security leading her out after she rushed the stage. The sad thing is that I drink allot and was able to my surprise control my self and their were other ADULTS that had no control. All I know now is I must look like a Ass when I drink to much. The way I see it is I am to old to be acting like this and that as long as I have control I can still have fun. I guess some people out there never grow up and fear loosing their youth, but we all have to grow up someday. Look at Prince he has matured so much. I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in on this.

"May you live 2 C the Dawn"
Magma

How can you formally apologize for something and spell it '4mally'?

magma18 said:

yep and yup -- i drink. and there have been many times at 1st avenue back in the day when someone should have dragged me outta there, but i just never get blasted or even think about it when i see p. i don't even smoke when i'm at paisley -- just something about it that puts me in check. i just remember being at the shows in mpls a couple of weeks ago, and people kept getting up chasing down more booze -- or getting a quick cigarette in -- during any part of the show. it just blew me away -- so my thought regarding wisconsin was, jesus, they're this bad in mpls, at a fest like summerfest -- it would be tuff to concentrate on a show when big daddy and big momma are pounding beers, smoking up, and screaming, "play gett off, yeah muthfucka!" somewhat similar to the line getting into paisley a couple of weeks ago: some people kept bugging the doorguyz/bouncers, 'hey, do you think he'll play darlin' nikki...is it true that he don't swear...can't you get him to play sexy mf...et cetera et cetera.' i just wanted to quote the kid from purple rain: "can't we just leave it alone...i'm not gonna play your stupid music!"