Vendetta1 said:

smoothcriminal12 said:

?

No he wasn't.

Please tell me he sent the hobbitches in his place.

Vendetta1 said:

smoothcriminal12 said:

?

No he wasn't.

I was gonna say.

Vendetta1 said:

2elijah said:

That's the thing. Had he shown up, all the attention would have been on him, and the focus off the reason for the charity and Bobby Z. I think some are just using this opportunity to vent, because they went with the expectations he may show up, when there was never any guarantee or advertisement in the first place, that he ld he was going to be a part of the event.

[Edited 2/20/12 8:18am]

I agree C.

So with that being said....did you have a good time?

Yes I agree with the person that said earlier it wasn't a Prince event, it was the Regolution's stage that night and it was awesome. With ten times more the price of admission.

Oh and I was the one who talked to Wendy during her 'thanking people' segue she was like who else did she need to thank and I screamed Roy Bennett, the lighting director. She was like ooohhhhh yeah. Lol I felt like the top of the mountain right there. Forever engrained in the Prince/Revolution videos now Great great great experience!!! I'll never forget my first time seeing the Revolution last night. And congrats to my man Gene for making the article!

smoothcriminal12 said:

Mong said:

Prince was there.

?

When I listened to the Controversy video Dr Funkenberry posted on his FB, I thought there was someone who sounded kind of like Prince (or maybe I was ) Anyone know if it was one of the band members imitating him or maybe that 'Gary' guy who sang on Uptown?

eta link: https://www.facebook.com/...mp;theater

Prince was at the afterparty - from Questlove's twitter:

RT @tricious: Amazing. @questlove plays an entire Prince tribute set@Firstavenue... while Prince hangs out in the crowd.

I wondered if Q would play some 'unofficial' stuff: (Q's response is the 'Ha!')

Ha! RT @Baron3121: @questlove Please Tell Me Where U got that#Live Version of "Baby I'm A Star" w #BobbyZ Drum Solo!! So #Funky#MustHave

[Edited 2/20/12 9:48am]

southmpls said:

Dude Never showed for sheila e and the lil bunny foundation, why would you think bobbyz heart would change his mind

I don't get why people dog him for not performing at these things, it then becomes all about him and not the 'cause' or the other performers. If you truly support those other people/causes, it shouldn't even matter that he's not there.

He was one of the Lil Bunny founders, so it's not like he didn't help at all.

smoothcriminal12 said:

SoulAlive said:

I agree Here's a rule of thumb: Never expect Prince to do the "right thing".....the things that we really want him to do....the things that would get us all excited and make us lose our minds.If we don't expect these things,we won't be disappointed.

Really though. We should know him by now.

Yes, this is so true. Since 2005 I've expected nothing substantial from Prince. And he's exceeded my expectations.

Adisa said:

smoothcriminal12 said:

Really though. We should know him by now.

Yes, this is so true. Since 2005 I've expected nothing substantial from Prince. And he's exceeded my expectations.

With Prince, we should all lower our expectations. Then we'll always get more than we thought we would.

2elijah said:

electricberet said:

I just got back. ?uestlove was still DJing when I left but all the equipment was gone. I'd like to thank all the members of the Revolution and everyone else who worked to make this happen. It was an amazing, terrific, unforgettable concert. It gave me chills to see Wendy up there leading the group, and I also particularly enjoyed seeing the interaction between her and Dez. Unfortunately I didn't always have such a great view, so I hope the rumored DVD does actually come out.

As for Prince, what can you say? I assumed he wouldn't come until rumors started flying a few days ago that he might be here. All I can say is that if I were in Prince's current touring band, and I watched that concert, I would be nervous about my job security right now. Prince may not want to play with the Revolution for whatever reason, but if I had a choice between seeing another Revolution concert tomorrow and seeing Prince with his current flunkies, I'd defintely go see the Revolution. So there.

The charity from the beginning never stated nor advertised Prince being a part of it. It was about Bobby Z's intention to do a benefit for the AHA and show appreciation for those who supported him. The charity never required Prince's presence in orde for it to be successful. No one knows what type of monetary contribution Prince may have made to this charity, if any, regardless if he chose to not participate in the performance. He did meet with Bobby Z on a personal basis before the event, but there was never any statement from any of the Revolution members during the interview, that Prince would actually be there, although an invitation was extended to him.

On another note, I think at times, many fans compare Prince's music talent/skills with his former band members with this impression he can't make it without them, when he already has, long after the Revolution band members separated from him. I also don't see how any of them could be 'threatening' to him, music talents, when he has always been aware of their talents, and that never stopped him from pursuing his own music career in the past or in present day.

I honestly wonder if some fans just don't like to see him performing with new band members, if it's not the members of the Revolution, whereas they were never meant to be permanent band members in the first place. When he performed with them, his name stood apart from the band as "Prince and the Revolution". That right there spoke for itself. Also, he has invited Wendy & Lisa to perform on stage with him not too long ago, so if he felt threatened by their music talents, I doubt he would have invited them on stage to perform with him, years later.

I think it has to do with the success of Purple Rain. 20+ million copies sold. The avg Prince release sells on avg 500k units these days. That's like 2.5% of what Purple Rain sold. You have numbers like that and core fans will tend to question the musicial integrity and ability of the current lineups. Happens with all the super groups. I go with it being unfair. I tend to like his new music as well.

I also believe Prince likely gave to the charity quietly. Given his track record.

2elijah said:

I had an amazing time.

Watch Prince next year reunite w/ the original NPG including Tommy B, Levi,Mike,Sonny w/out Game Boys. This place would be a purple inferno.

I've always got the impresson that NPG is the band/name/brand he attempted to make more memorable than Revolution. It is pretty amazing that New Power Generation still exists as a name. Of all the places he has appeared, he couldn't even tell Bobby "I don't really want to go back to the Revolution"

The Revolution should do another show and this time have D'angelo front the show.

Genesia said:

at some (some, not all, esp Ven because I know she can give a damn and keith dont care either) of yall clapping to the tune that he didnt show up. Because if he had, even for one song, yall would be all giving mad compliments about it.

But he sent his enforcer/emissary, Larry instead. That lil cricket is a trip

.

[Edited 2/20/12 11:01am]

rdhull said:

at some (some, not all) of yall clapping to the tune that he didnt show up. Because if he had, even for one song, yall would be all giving mad compliments about it.

But he sent his enforcer/emissary, Larry instead. That lil cricket is a trip

He went to the afterparty at least. He just can't utter the words "I dont want to be on stage w/ you. No offense" I think of it like this: He dances w/ Purple Rain era but he doesn't want to get remarried to it again. Prince is in another "relationship" w/ a new era. :hums Beatles Let it Be:

[Edited 2/20/12 11:02am]

rdhull said:

Well it would have been incredible had Prince did even a song with the Revolution but I never expected that he would and I evena hung out for a while to see if he would show. But I also bought a ticket without Prince's name attached. So thankfully I had no expectations.

I can't believe you called Larry his emissary. Lmao!

Trickology said:

rdhull said:

at some (some, not all) of yall clapping to the tune that he didnt show up. Because if he had, even for one song, yall would be all giving mad compliments about it.

But he sent his enforcer/emissary, Larry instead. That lil cricket is a trip

He went to the afterparty at least. He just can't utter the words "I dont want to be on stage w/ you. No offense" I think of it like this: He dances w/ Purple Rain era but he doesn't want to get remarried to it again. Prince is in another "relationship" w/ a new era. :hums Beatles Let it Be:

Sure he can - as long as someone else writes the script...

Can't you get off it? I mean...like...can't you just leave it alone?

Trickology said:

rdhull said:

at some (some, not all) of yall clapping to the tune that he didnt show up. Because if he had, even for one song, yall would be all giving mad compliments about it.

But he sent his enforcer/emissary, Larry instead. That lil cricket is a trip

He went to the afterparty at least. He just can't utter the words "I dont want to be on stage w/ you. No offense" I think of it like this: He dances w/ Purple Rain era but he doesn't want to get remarried to it again. Prince is in another "relationship" w/ a new era. :hums Beatles Let it Be:

[Edited 2/20/12 11:02am]

Maybe it IS a power and control thing. See I relate it to Van Halen reunion (the grandaddy of them all for reasons Ill tell ya why). See when Van Halen were in tact (not that Van Hagar bullshit), you had Roth being the driving force so to speak and his in concert control of song set up, song intermissions for his stage banter etc was part n parcel of a Van Halen concert. Now when they split up, Edward grew, got sober, and had success on his own terms. I always thought a reunion would never happen because they Van Halen brothers would not let Dave exactly be 'Dave' in song makeup, concert presence, and control. Ed had that himself after 1984. I said it will never work. But it did. They did a tour in 2007. Dave tamed it down a bit (I mean he had too..he's 70) but they still had the concert magic by letting Dave hold some concert frontman reigns and Ed letting him riff. These recent preview shows with Van Halen showed Dave in full Roth regalia of old. Not doing the splits or drum riser/karate kicks, but taking reign of the sound of the new record, and the most important factor: the live show. He is telling his stories, stopping the band etc...and the band stops and lets him be Dave ..again! Just like old times but with more comraderie and appreciation for THEIR CLASSIC FORMULA. I mean, who exactly wants a neutered David Lee Roth anyways?

Now how this pertains to the Revolution? I see all of the members have grown in successes and personality. Saw it at The Family Jamm and through the years prior and after. Im not sure he (Prince) is in a proper place to attempt to be their bandleader again. Sure he doesn't exactly have to be the authoritarian, but thats the thing I meant in maybe it being a power and control factor. Is it he is only comfortable in the 'authoritarian' role, where the others cant be a bit aggressive in their stage presence etc? Not that they even would be because Im sure they have let band mishaps from old be bygones...but he cant get to that point? I mean I dont think he could be kicking any members into the drum risers or yelling for folks to put their damn "cigarette down and play your part! gawd!' But it doesnt even have to be like that anymore and nobody is tripping on that. It could be just a reuniting of good friends and playing. Yes he maybe didnt want to take anything away from them..thats a given ..its just getting up stage with old important friends. Word is he was getting ready to get onstage but "he saw they didnt need him (his help etc)"..but it wasn't isnt about that..at least not to "me".

.

[Edited 2/20/12 12:01pm]

Vendetta1 said:

rdhull said:

at some (some, not all) of yall clapping to the tune that he didnt show up. Because if he had, even for one song, yall would be all giving mad compliments about it.

But he sent his enforcer/emissary, Larry instead. That lil cricket is a trip

Well it would have been incredible had Prince did even a song with the Revolution but I never expected that he would and I evena hung out for a while to see if he would show. But I also bought a ticket without Prince's name attached. So thankfully I had no expectations. I can't believe you called Larry his emissary. Lmao!

I expected it. What with the W2A tour posters in rememberance of The Revolution members and such. I mean I should have expected it but I thought this time things were different. Not saying he hasn't made peace and had heartily times with them in private (because I know he has)..Im talking about doing it onstage. I think it also has to do with him being a perfectionist. If he wasnt in control of what was going to happen, the lighting etc etc..he is tiotally uncomfortable. Private times (and the whole 9-Al B Sure) is a different beast and appropriate as well..Im just sayin' lol.

Letting go of stuff and relinquishing control can be so freeing. I wonder how it would change or enhance the music.

And yeah Larry is his emissary (sp?). Sending him as his representative to check things out etc lol. Geez!

.

[Edited 2/20/12 11:35am]

SuperFurryAnimal said:

2elijah said:

The charity from the beginning never stated nor advertised Prince being a part of it. It was about Bobby Z's intention to do a benefit for the AHA and show appreciation for those who supported him. The charity never required Prince's presence in orde for it to be successful. No one knows what type of monetary contribution Prince may have made to this charity, if any, regardless if he chose to not participate in the performance. He did meet with Bobby Z on a personal basis before the event, but there was never any statement from any of the Revolution members during the interview, that Prince would actually be there, although an invitation was extended to him.

On another note, I think at times, many fans compare Prince's music talent/skills with his former band members with this impression he can't make it without them, when he already has, long after the Revolution band members separated from him. I also don't see how any of them could be 'threatening' to him, music talents, when he has always been aware of their talents, and that never stopped him from pursuing his own music career in the past or in present day.

I honestly wonder if some fans just don't like to see him performing with new band members, if it's not the members of the Revolution, whereas they were never meant to be permanent band members in the first place. When he performed with them, his name stood apart from the band as "Prince and the Revolution". That right there spoke for itself. Also, he has invited Wendy & Lisa to perform on stage with him not too long ago, so if he felt threatened by their music talents, I doubt he would have invited them on stage to perform with him, years later.

I think it has to do with the success of Purple Rain. 20+ million copies sold. The avg Prince release sells on avg 500k units these days. That's like 2.5% of what Purple Rain sold. You have numbers like that and core fans will tend to question the musicial integrity and ability of the current lineups. Happens with all the super groups. I go with it being unfair. I tend to like his new music as well.

I also believe Prince likely gave to the charity quietly. Given his track record.

Good points. I also agree that the Revolution members, out of all the other Prince-associated band members, will always be the most, well known among Prince fans, because they were the ones who just happened to be in the "Purple Rain" movie, and benefit from the popularity and success of that movie. That goes for the band members who were around during the "Lovesexy/Sign of the Times" eras. Those band members/associates will always be the ones 'remembered' by many Prince fans, and it depends what era was favorable to the individual fan, just llike with his current lineup.

I have no problem with his current lineup, and since he's already reached that level of stardom, one isn't sure if he's as concerned about album sales as he was in the past. Not to say, he doesn't care if anymoney is coming in from releasing any current albums, post-Revolution/Lovesexy/Sign of the Times eras, but as far as the level he's reached as an international musician/artist, he's already achieved that, not without help of course, but I don't feel any musician/artist has to maintain the same or original band members, forever to remain 'popular'.

Vendetta1 said:

2elijah said:

So with that being said....did you have a good time?

I had an amazing time.

Good.

I'm not so sure I agree with the sentiment that it would have detracted from the event to have Prince play. I can see why it would be inappropriate for Prince to show up and play with Mazarati or something, but Prince is part of the line-up of Prince and the Revolution.

What are people saying? That having Prince there would take the focus away from the Revolution? There'd be plenty of room for each member to be in the spotlight. It wouldn't be just another Prince gig, it would be Prince and THE REVOLUTION - the revolution would definitely still be the important part and the focus of the night.

I dunno. Looks like the band and everyone there had fun, and I bet Prince handed a large cheque to the charity, so it's all good.

What rd is describing is empathy people. There is no way we can ever know what goes on in Prince's mind, but I would place money on it being sooooo close to what rd just posted.

The few of you over-reacting and being "sickened" by Prince's non performance need to grow up. He's not some evil genius, He is just "this one guy", yes he is an amazing performer and it might be hard to imagine him as lacking confidence due to his cocky stage persona but he ain't perfect. He has similar foibles, clumsiness, shyness, weird sense of humour, kindness, selfishness, self-doubt, cock-sureness, and perfect imperfections that we all have.

Honestly, sometimes Prince disappoints me and even makes me cringe a little but his "no-show" last night was not one of those times. We are all too old for this Prince let us down nonsense.

KeithyT said:

What rd is describing is empathy people. There is no way we can ever know what goes on in Prince's mind, but I would place money on it being sooooo close to what rd just posted. The few of you over-reacting and being "sickened" by Prince's non performance need to grow up. He's not some evil genius, He is just "this one guy", yes he is an amazing performer and it might be hard to imagine him as lacking confidence due to his cocky stage persona but he ain't perfect. He has similar foibles, clumsiness, shyness, weird sense of humour, kindness, selfishness, self-doubt, cock-sureness, and perfect imperfections that we all have. Honestly, sometimes Prince disappoints me and even makes me cringe a little but his "no-show" last night was not one of those times. We are all too old for this Prince let us down nonsense.

Money quote, right there.

KeithyT said:

Oh Keithy if you weren't married I'd so make love to you down by the fire.

fusk said:

I'm not so sure I agree with the sentiment that it would have detracted from the event to have Prince play. I can see why it would be inappropriate for Prince to show up and play with Mazarati or something, but Prince is part of the line-up of Prince and the Revolution.

What are people saying? That having Prince there would take the focus away from the Revolution? There'd be plenty of room for each member to be in the spotlight. It wouldn't be just another Prince gig, it would be Prince and THE REVOLUTION - the revolution would definitely still be the important part and the focus of the night.

I dunno. Looks like the band and everyone there had fun, and I bet Prince handed a large cheque to the charity, so it's all good.

Not if Prince showed up. All the focus would have been on Prince, and the focus of the event would have been lost, and this thread would have been drowning in "OMG... Prince showed up!" Hey, look at it this way, at least they were able to use the original name of the band.

KeithyT said:

What rd is describing is empathy people. There is no way we can ever know what goes on in Prince's mind, but I would place money on it being sooooo close to what rd just posted. The few of you over-reacting and being "sickened" by Prince's non performance need to grow up. He's not some evil genius, He is just "this one guy", yes he is an amazing performer and it might be hard to imagine him as lacking confidence due to his cocky stage persona but he ain't perfect. He has similar foibles, clumsiness, shyness, weird sense of humour, kindness, selfishness, self-doubt, cock-sureness, and perfect imperfections that we all have. Honestly, sometimes Prince disappoints me and even makes me cringe a little but his "no-show" last night was not one of those times. We are all too old for this Prince let us down nonsense.

Well said...

2elijah said:

fusk said:

I'm not so sure I agree with the sentiment that it would have detracted from the event to have Prince play. I can see why it would be inappropriate for Prince to show up and play with Mazarati or something, but Prince is part of the line-up of Prince and the Revolution.

What are people saying? That having Prince there would take the focus away from the Revolution? There'd be plenty of room for each member to be in the spotlight. It wouldn't be just another Prince gig, it would be Prince and THE REVOLUTION - the revolution would definitely still be the important part and the focus of the night.

I dunno. Looks like the band and everyone there had fun, and I bet Prince handed a large cheque to the charity, so it's all good.

Not if Prince showed up. All the focus would have been on Prince, and the focus of the event would have been lost, and this thread would have been drowning in "OMG... Prince showed up!" Hey, look at it this way, at least they were able to use the original name of the band.

I really don't think so. Why would it be special that Prince showed up? Because he'd be playing with the Revolution! Wowzers! He could go on stage and spend 15 minutes introducing the band, giving them spotlight solos or whatever, and people would love it, because they'd be genuinely thrilled to see the Revolution on stage. Nobody would say, 'Prince, I don't care about these guys, just play a guitar solo already...'

fusk said:

2elijah said:

Not if Prince showed up. All the focus would have been on Prince, and the focus of the event would have been lost, and this thread would have been drowning in "OMG... Prince showed up!" Hey, look at it this way, at least they were able to use the original name of the band.

I really don't think so. Why would it be special that Prince showed up? Because he'd be playing with the Revolution! Wowzers! He could go on stage and spend 15 minutes introducing the band, giving them spotlight solos or whatever, and people would love it, because they'd be genuinely thrilled to see the Revolution on stage. Nobody would say, 'Prince, I don't care about these guys, just play a guitar solo already...'

How much you want to bet, many who attended that charity, had the hopes of Prince showing up at that charity event, even some of the Revolution members? I do think much of the attention would have been taken off the reason for the event, based on the excitement of fans seeing him show up, if he did. But you're entitled to your opinion.

fusk said:

2elijah said:

Not if Prince showed up. All the focus would have been on Prince, and the focus of the event would have been lost, and this thread would have been drowning in "OMG... Prince showed up!" Hey, look at it this way, at least they were able to use the original name of the band.

I really don't think so. Why would it be special that Prince showed up? Because he'd be playing with the Revolution! Wowzers! He could go on stage and spend 15 minutes introducing the band, giving them spotlight solos or whatever, and people would love it, because they'd be genuinely thrilled to see the Revolution on stage. Nobody would say, 'Prince, I don't care about these guys, just play a guitar solo already...'

People can downplay it and pretend all they want, but if Prince were to jump on stage last night the place would've went wild. Its not to say the Revolution did not hold their own, but with PRince yes I do believe he would have been the focus. I just honestly believe that.