the more i read the more i think i'll just wait for the free DL rather than buying the CD. I suspect I am not alone - 'reap what you sow' and all of that!

AlexandraNevermind said:

AlexandraNevermind said:

Stymie said:

Exactly. I full-on expect people to be bitching on a thread tomorrow if Prince doesn't do a set tonight.

So then explain this: http://www.suntimes.com/e...blues.html

Hence why people believe Prince will show up. I don't give a damn if he comes out and plays the jawharp for 1 minute. As long as I see him up close. But honestly I think the motherfucker is gonna tear the house down. Call me a crazy. And why are you so negative? Seriously.

First time I'm seeing this...I stand corrected then. Still, going by the ticketmaster listing, he is listed no where on there. I'd go by that. If Prince wanted, he would have had his name listed on the site where tickets are being sold (not just a press release or press announcement). The fact that his name was missing was a glaring absence to me. I still say it gives him a way out should he decide to do something minor rather than a full on aftershow like he used to do.

Still for the people who have paid, I do hope you get one!

Genesia said:

Y'all need to listen to Stymie and NuPwrSoul. They are absolutely, 100% right.

I thought you wanted to go to see Miss Allo too?

airbak said:

Thank you for posting this. People are killing me on this board saying that some of us need to "manage expectations." Prince KNOWS that people are paying good money to see him, not his sidekicks plain and simple. And I don't expect him to do a full on concert at these "jams," but I do expect that he should at least join the band for a couple of songs. Isn't this the purpose of a jam session anyway; to jam with other musicians on stage? I really don't find this to be unreasonable, especially for the kind of money involved here. I could see this if he was only charging $20-$35. And if it was all about showcasing Andy Allo and HER "music," why play Prince music there at all? Why not just focus on playing her music to establish her independence from Prince? Because Prince knows better. He must blur the lines or else many of us would not continue to be suckered in by these ever-changing "protegees."

I think the first after jam of W2Canada cost $50-$100 and didn't have any performances by anyone in the NPG...

[img:$uid]http://www.drfunkenberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ame11.jpg[/img:$uid]

^^^ that's how it was advertised... an afterjam definitely happened, but it's not listed on princevault, I guess because there was no show/setlist to report.

fusk said:

airbak said:

Thank you for posting this. People are killing me on this board saying that some of us need to "manage expectations." Prince KNOWS that people are paying good money to see him, not his sidekicks plain and simple. And I don't expect him to do a full on concert at these "jams," but I do expect that he should at least join the band for a couple of songs. Isn't this the purpose of a jam session anyway; to jam with other musicians on stage? I really don't find this to be unreasonable, especially for the kind of money involved here. I could see this if he was only charging $20-$35. And if it was all about showcasing Andy Allo and HER "music," why play Prince music there at all? Why not just focus on playing her music to establish her independence from Prince? Because Prince knows better. He must blur the lines or else many of us would not continue to be suckered in by these ever-changing "protegees."

I think the first after jam of W2Canada cost $50-$100 and didn't have any performances by anyone in the NPG...

[img:$uid]http://www.drfunkenberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/ame11.jpg[/img:$uid]

^^^ that's how it was advertised... an afterjam definitely happened, but it's not listed on princevault, I guess because there was no show/setlist to report.

^Exhibit A.

Unless it is billed as an aftershow performance by Prince, buyer beware. After"jams" & after"parties" are purposely ambiguous.

Prince a no-show at Andy Allo listening party | Photos

Posted in Audio File blog by Jake Malooley on Sep 24, 2012 at 3:51pm

http://timeoutchicago.com...rty-photos

A big purple question mark hung over the House of Blues last night. Preceding Prince's three-night "Welcome 2 Chicago" stand, which begins tonight at 8pm at the United Center, the evening was billed as a listening party for his protege Andy Allo. And to the chagrin of those expecting a glimpse of the the Purple One, if not a song or two as an amuse-bouche for the three "Purple After Jam" sessions at the HoB, it was just that—merely a promo event for the afro-sporting New Power Generation backup singer. After a DJ teased the audience with a short set of mostly Prince hits ("DMSR," "Sexy MF"), Allo introduced a spin of her new album Superconductor. A stage full of instruments sat untouched, and everyone imagined it was only a matter of time before Prince was doing the splits in between ripping solos on his phallic curlycue guitar. Fans had reason to expect an appearance. Tickets were $35—quite pricey for a mere listening party—and House of Blues staffers were wont to hint that a cameo was inevitable. One anxious audience member went so far as to boo Allo as she came onstage to intro a song. At last, around 11:30pm, the members of NPG got on their instruments to do a single song with Allo, who advised people to stay tuned for the full show on Monday night. The proficient 11-piece that is NPG jammed out a funkified version of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition," and its saxophonists impressively stretched out on Luther Vandross's "Never Too Much." But all that musicianship did little to break the crowd's purple fever. As people watched the band, all they seemed to notice was the absence of Prince.

Somewhere, Tamar is shaking her head, laughing, or both.

At this rate, I'd rather just pay to see and hear Maya Rudolph.

bellanoche said:

I must say that this is the most disappointed I have ever been following a Prince-related event. Unlike some, I initially had no hope of seeing Prince at this performance - and that was fine. I knew that I paid $35+$12 in convenience fees for a CD listening party for Andy Allo with special guests the New Power Generation Band. However, when all was said and done I felt extremely unappreciated and taken advantage of. I felt that I wasted more than four hours of my life and ruined what could have been an otherwise enjoyable Sunday night. The only thing that could have salvaged part of the night would have been a performance by Prince.

The problems

Someone needs to inform Prince of how a listening party works, especially one for what is basically a new artist. Yes, this is Ms. Allo's second album but how many people have heard let alone purchased her first? She is a relative unknown outside of the Prince fanbase. Tonight, some of Prince’s hardcore fans showed their support for an artist that he is pushing and he couldn’t have cared less about us.

Seriously, how many new artists wait until 3 and 1/2 hours after the door time on the ticket to appear at their own listening party?

Andy Allo appeared on stage at approximately 10:30 p.m. despite the door time on the tickets being listed as 7 p.m. and the showtime being listed as 8 p.m. I know that concerts sometimes start late, but seriously - she came on 2 and 1/2 hours after the scheduled showtime. I don't remember ever waiting that long for Prince.

Even when he is unbelievably late, Prince usually makes up for it with a killer performance. Ms. Allo showed up, announced that she was going to play her CD and come out to talk to us every now and then. The CD then began playing through the sound system as the audience stood listening in the dark - literally and figuratively. She barely intro'ed the songs, nor said anything about what they were about or who wrote them, etc.

After the CD finished playing in its entirety, the NPG came out and she sang ONE song live with the band - People Pleaser. That was it. She then said, "See you tomorrow night for the full show."

Really? If this was any indication of what the “Purple After Jams” will be like, I am really going to regret the 3-day pass that I bought.

I do not know how much more completely inconsiderate of the audience's time Prince and Andy Allo could have been. It was a Sunday night. Many people had to work in the morning. We paid for a listening party and performance that was supposed to begin at 8 p.m. and this is what we got?

Allo didn't apologize for the wait. Nor did she try to ingratiate herself to the audience with any real sense of gratitude or humility. Instead, she came out as if she were Prince. It is inexcusable for him to make fans wait as if our time means nothing. But Andy Allo? Are you kidding me?

Although there were probably only a few hundred people in attendance, we had to wait outside in the cold until about 8:45 p.m. when they finally started to let us enter the venue. What happened to doors at 7 p.m.?

Next, people stood for another 90 minutes and listened to a DJ play a really nice mix of Prince songs and random R&B and Pop hits from the 1970s-1990's until Andy finally came out. Why couldn't her CD have played during this time? This was supposed to be a “listening party” after all. Again, why the long wait? Was Ms. Allo still asleep at the hotel? Was she having dinner? Did she know that people were waiting for her? The long wait was completely inexcusable to me.

When she finally arrived, she played her CD for about an hour. During which she would just leave the stage for two or three songs at a time, and the CD only has about 9 or 10 tracks. Then around 11:30 the NPG came out and she joined them for People Pleaser. Afterward, the NPG did four random cover songs, which included Luther's "Never Too Much," Stevie's "Superstition" and E.U.'s "Da Butt." And that was it. THAT. WAS. IT.

The [somewhat] positives

Andy Allo's CD isn't bad. There were a few songs that were cool. However, given the length of time it took to hear it and the setting, it didn't go over well with any of the people I talked to. Most of them called it boring and were complaining about the wait. There were even some faint boos when the night was officially over.

The band is tight and sounded good, though the sax and guitar solos were a bit overdone. The bass player was putting it down. I prefer him to Ida.

Andy is a pretty girl with some stage presence, though she is becoming more and more a Prince mime. Her mannerisms mimic his in the way that Sheila did when she first came out as a solo artist under his tutelage. However, it is clear that Andy is not naturally funky.

Andy's fro, dress and boots were fierce, though she needs to toss that Parade-era hat.

The DJ’s choice of Prince songs was great because it was not limited to the standards. He played Hide the Bone, Sexual Suicide, Dirty Mind, Good Life, Freaks on this Side, 319 and other lesser-knowns.

I arrived at 8 p.m. so I only wasted about 4.5 hours of my time.

[Edited 9/24/12 1:18am]

Is any body really surprised by Andy's new attitude? The protege curse continues

PurpleChi said:

My Review of the Andy Allo Listening Party

Let me first say that bellanoche's initial review was pretty spot-on. She just beat me to it. I don't know how she drove home after that "experience" and found the energy and coherence to pen such a thoughtful account. I came home, washed my face and lights-out it was for me.

I shared with bellanoche last night that I do believe I have reached a new low for Prince fandom. It has always been comical to exchange war stories of the lengths we will go to hear just a snippet of Prince's genius, but this....I had re-evaluate the level of my commitment to Prince.

I know she's already shared the deets, but let me reiterate. WE STOOD OUTSIDE IN THE COLD UNTIL 8:45 P.M. FOR A 7 P.M. DOOR TIME. This in and of itself was particularly disturbing given that we were in a short line of no more than 100 to 150 people at that time. (I would estimate that another 100 or so people showed up once the doors were open, but make no mistake, you could literally do back-flips in there.) So keeping fans waiting in cold Chicago winds for a "sound check" was completely unnecessary.

Now that we are in the venue (and thankfully, I ran into my friend from high school who had secured a table in the front, so I was able to take little sitting breaks), we stand there for another 1.75 hours waiting for some indication that we were in the right place. As bellanoche stated, the dj was outstanding and you could tell that there were true Prince fans in the house because we were singing and dancing to some of his more obscure material. Thank God for him because he was our only form of life support during that dreadful period.

Miss Allo hits the stage at 10:30. Now this is Chicago folks and we don't play that, so her reception was lukewarm at best. She then plays the album, which honestly, I really liked. In fact, I found myself saying that I didn't understand why Prince couldn't produce an album like that for himself. The title track, however, was my least favorite. The best part of that song is the 16-min clip that was up on Andy's site for the last few months. What I found particularly disturbing was that she did not have the album there for sale. Instead there were t-shirts for sale as if someone would pay money for a t-shirt promoting an artist they know nothing about. She announced that we could place an order for the album on her website, which was the point where I realized that unless her album is available for immediate download, I won't be getting this one. I don't trust Prince to mail me anything. And if the album was not on sale during the week where Chicago Prince fans could at least get the album and post reviews that would spark interest in the masses to purchase the album, then that tells me that the cds aren't ready anyway.

At about 11:30, she did a memorable performance of People Pleaser and said good night. I'm sure she and Prince left and laughed all the way back to the hotel about what suckers we all were and how the fact that we endured such heinous treatment is indicative of the fact that she is a true superstar. I just can't.....

After her performance the NPG really jammed. As we all know, the band is phenomenal. However, I will note here that it will be interesting to hear the horn section play throughout Prince's songs at the concert. I agree with bellanoche that at times it was just a bit overdone.

Then we all went home. I think that the positives are that we danced to a great dj, her album was pretty listenable and the band was tight. However, the overshadowing negative is that none of it was worth standing in the cold 1.75 hours after the advertised door time only to have waited 2.5 hours after the advertised show time. Not to mention, the album was not available for sale, and from the sounds of it, will not be at all this week. No maam, Prince's current flavor-of-the-month was simply not worth it. And before anyone comments that it was my choice to subject myself to this madness, let me take you back to the beginning of this post where I admit that my willingness to endure this nonsense has made me reassess my own sanity when it comes to all things Prince.

My personal silver lining is that I did not purchase the 3-day pass to the aftershows. I am only attending Wednesday. Thus, I will not have to repeat this process all over again to hear Andy Allo perform tonight. I truly feel sorry for the fans that will.

This is flat out not cool.

WTH is wrong with Allo/Prince? Wow...............glad I've decided 2 back away slowly from this Prince train.

NuPwrSoul said:

bellanoche said:

it is clear that Andy is not naturally funky.

That's the impression I have gotten from all the live appearances I've seen of her, on stage with Prince and even in her solo work--the contrivance of her entire persona is transparent. It comes off as inauthentic and unconvincing. Prince music is NOT her genre. She's better suited to the coffeehouse circuit.

So not surprised. This is what some have been saying all along.

These posts remind me of Bootsy's song, The Pinnochio Theory:

Oh yes, this is the Pinnochio Theory

Don't fake the funk or your nose will grow

A Funkateer she is not. That was apparent from the French tv show last year. From the beginning she gave off an artsy fartsy, coffeehouse vibe, but suddenly turned into a princess of funk? Yeah okay. Clothes, posing and preening don't make funk.

MadamGoodnight said:

NuPwrSoul said:

That's the impression I have gotten from all the live appearances I've seen of her, on stage with Prince and even in her solo work--the contrivance of her entire persona is transparent. It comes off as inauthentic and unconvincing. Prince music is NOT her genre. She's better suited to the coffeehouse circuit.

So not surprised. This is what some have been saying all along.

These posts remind me of Bootsy's song, The Pinnochio Theory:

Oh yes, this is the Pinnochio Theory

Don't fake the funk or your nose will grow

A Funkateer she is not. That was apparent from the French tv show last year. From the beginning she gave off an artsy fartsy, coffeehouse vibe, but suddenly turned into a princess of funk? Yeah okay. Clothes, posing and preening don't make funk.

We will be critized again for telling the truth soon on the org!!!

She is brain washed now anyay. She thinks she is the funk goddess, it is a shame that she does not realize what is going on. Plus she is full of herself too, she has the Prince attitude. I cannot really remember, did the other Protegees have the same attitude?

Andy is the funk drag queen 4 everybody that has zero taste when it comes to funk!

OzlemUcucu said:

MadamGoodnight said:

So not surprised. This is what some have been saying all along.

These posts remind me of Bootsy's song, The Pinnochio Theory:

Oh yes, this is the Pinnochio Theory

Don't fake the funk or your nose will grow

A Funkateer she is not. That was apparent from the French tv show last year. From the beginning she gave off an artsy fartsy, coffeehouse vibe, but suddenly turned into a princess of funk? Yeah okay. Clothes, posing and preening don't make funk.

We will be critized again for telling the truth soon on the org!!!

She is brain washed now anyay. She thinks she is the funk goddess, it is a shame that she does not realize what is going on. Plus she is full of herself too, she has the Prince attitude. I cannot really remember, did the other Protegees have the same attitude?

Andy is the funk drag queen 4 everybody that has zero taste when it comes to funk! :lol:

Wow! That is harsh

luv4u said:

OzlemUcucu said:

We will be critized again for telling the truth soon on the org!!!

She is brain washed now anyay. She thinks she is the funk goddess, it is a shame that she does not realize what is going on. Plus she is full of herself too, she has the Prince attitude. I cannot really remember, did the other Protegees have the same attitude?

Andy is the funk drag queen 4 everybody that has zero taste when it comes to funk! :lol:

Wow! That is harsh

I gotta defend the genre funk somehow. She is distorting my understanding of it, and I dont like it AT ALL.

She can claim any other genre all she wants, but leave that funk alone!

luv4u said:

OzlemUcucu said:

We will be critized again for telling the truth soon on the org!!!

She is brain washed now anyay. She thinks she is the funk goddess, it is a shame that she does not realize what is going on. Plus she is full of herself too, she has the Prince attitude. I cannot really remember, did the other Protegees have the same attitude?

Andy is the funk drag queen 4 everybody that has zero taste when it comes to funk! :lol:

Wow! That is harsh

Harshly.................TRUE.

OzlemUcucu said:

luv4u said:

Wow! That is harsh

I gotta defend the genre funk somehow. She is distorting my understanding of it, and I dont like it AT ALL.

She can claim any other genre all she wants, but leave that funk alone!

You could also ignore her and spend the time you spend voicing your dislike for her doing something more rewarding...

reply deleted..

[Edited 9/26/12 11:53am]

So... I may have missed this, but when does this album drop? The 20th has come and gone, and the 25th (a Tuesday, when most new music is released) has passed us by, so anyone heard anything? Sorry if I missed an announcement!

MaddMaxx said:

Somewhere, Tamar is shaking her head, laughing, or both.

At this rate, I'd rather just pay to see and hear Maya Rudolph.

Maya Rudolph has a better singing voice

[Edited 9/26/12 16:39pm]