Prince and the NPG were ABSOLUTELY PHENONMENAL in San Diego's Cox Arena. NPGMC Premium members were upfront and representin'. NPGMC transmission #3 was being played before and between sets. They even had a DJ scratchin' it up before the first act. The crowd at Cox was diverse; young (6, 7 yr. olds) and old, nice mix of nationalities; just a beautiful site to see and be apart of.



The acoustics were pretty decent for NPG's set (sadly not the case for the first two groups, extremely unfortunate for the Funky BaldHeads' set as them dudes were off the hook. They were workin' it, but poor acoustics distracted from their set…a major boner because they had it going on. The girl group (millennium???) were cool. The definitely have beautiful voices…just again,poor acoustics prevented me from enjoying them fully. )



The NPG played their butts off; Geneva was a PERFECT visualization of their music in bodily form. Prince performed/played his butt off. We got to hear pieces of Controversy, Mutiny, When Doves Cry, Computer Blue (w/ Najee playing the lead), UMMSS (after hearing it live, I really like it now.) The Work-Part 1 (well received by the crowd), I Wanna Be Your Lover, a song by Donny Hathaway (powerful song that the crowd was feelin'), Housequake (this was what got the party started), The Ballard of Dorothy Parker, and many more.



His comments were short and to the point; he spoke about parents needing to be GOD fearing, men and women in relationship needing to respect each other. There was more, yet most personable being the last words he said for the night about GOD being the ONLY salvation.



It just was really refreshing to see Prince and the NPG doing as they ALWAYS do and the San Diego crowd being totally receptive and appreciative. It's also refreshing to watch Prince being pleased with the performance of his band AND from the reaction/ participation of the crowd. He really gets hyped when the crowd is into it, huh? Duh, I know. This was my first Prince concert in San Diego, and I was very surprised yet very happy that everyone was having a great time partying w/ the NPG.



The highlights for me were ANYTIME Prince broke off on a solo. In particular, his solo on "I Could Never Take the Place Of Your Man' gave me TOTAL goose bumps. House lights were on and Prince was standing at the foot of stage right. (Section AAA. what a view, huh???) The climax of this solo was an extended, complex arrangement of chords (crazy finger movements) riding on loads of controlled distortion and feedback. Folks, Prince hit every single lick with pinpoint accuracy. He absolutely NAILED that solo. His solo on Purple Reign was blazing too.



The San Diego show was no different from most shows in that he made us feel special; like he was giving his BEST especially for US. Like we were all that mattered and he was going to do his level best to insure we all had a great time. My only wish is that EVERYONE could witness a Prince concert up close and personal so they could see his facial expression, his emotions while he is singing and performing…his skill and ability on any instrument he plays.



THANK you, Prince so very much for yet another opportunity to see you and the NPG LIVE. I count the days till I can see you again.


LOVE4ONEANOTHER,

Jtea4P