Is anyone surprised that the Purple Prick didn't show up? I'm not.

To Chambers Stevens,

a very good review. Thanks a lot.

I think all of us that couldn't make it to the show really missed something big. The return of the "old Prince feeling" without Prince.

Prince can't win.
If he had shown up and was on stage all night, he would have been accused of hogging the show.
If he had shown up and was on stage only part of the night, he would have been accused of not being there enough.
If he had just showed up and only waved to the crowd, he'd be an asshole for not performing.
I'm glad Sheila raised money and awareness for her organization.

P.S. For selfish reasons I hope Prince doesn't have the flu. I'm going to his shows this week.

Wow, the Family Jamm sounds like a gig straight from a dream! Thanks everybody for your great reports. I just hope to be able to hear or watch the show some day.

It makes me sad to hear the venom that folks here have for Prince. He didn't go, so what? He created the music and the environment for a lot of those performers in the first place, and who knows how much he gave to the charity himself? As for being surprised he didn't show, he made it quite clear he didn't intend to (in the latest tour book). As ShyGirl said, Prince can't win. Some folks will hate him whatever he does.

I thought Sheila was great, & u could definately feel the love coming from the stage. The performers feed off the crowd.
The funniest part was when Sheila E. came out impersonating Morris.
Also noticed alot of people took cameras into the show. Does anyone have pics??

ok.. so i FINALLY made it home after my 7 and a half hour flight back to New York..:: anyway, the night was great.. it had some amazing highs, but also some lows.. first off, i wanna say that it was great meeting so many nice people from all over the world who really wanted to be at the show and have a fun time.. since i flew in alone, it was really nice to have some company beforehand and during the show (you all know who you are). ok, so before i give my review of the show, let me just say that my biggest gripe of the night was that i wasn't able to "meet" or "greet" ANY of the artists performing despite the fact that i had a VIP seat. For some unknown reason, all of the VIP's were forced to wait outside the venue for 2 straight hours from 530 to almost 730. By the time they let us in, the show was just about to go on, and there was no time to even mutter a single word to any of them as they were rushed out of the VIP room.. oh well, what can you do.. but for $300, i really felt that wasnt right.. EVERYONE should have had an opportunity to at least say "hello" to them.

The concert itself was pretty great. The Family imo stole the show.. you could tell they were really excited to be up there after all these years. Susannah was really energetic dancing all over the stage and singing her heart out. Sheila E was amazing as usual. She performed throughout the night in various forms (with Madhouse, with her band, and in The Time). She played great and really worked up the crowd over and over again. Jill Jones looked HOT. she has such a nice body, beautiful face, and a great voice. Too bad she only sang one song, would have liked to have seen more. Apollonia did "Take Me With You" pretty good. But she broke my heart when she started crying during "Purple Rain". You could tell she really got caught up in the moment. I'm sure she has a lot of memories of the whole "Purple Rain" time period and i think she was probably feeling sentimental. Then there was of course, The Revolution. I really liked their set alot. They did all the songs i really wanted them to do. I thought "another lover" was awesome, and "mountains" is one of my favorite all time songs. I thought Wendy really held her own as the frontwoman of the band. She sounded really good and smiled alot. She was definately happy to be there. Although, i was a little surprised to see them do "Purple Rain". I heard some people say things like "thats not right" and "they shouldnt be doing that song without him". But you know what ? "Purple Rain" is a 'Prince and The Revolution' song, so i think they had every right to do so.

Overall, it was a fun night. I was hoping Prince would show up at some point, but he didnt. I was a little sad to see The Revolution perform without him being there, but I'm still hopeful for a reunion one day. we'll see what happens..
Anyway, time for bed..

ciao, Brian

shygirl said:

Are you kidding me? Surely you aren't saying that his fans would have been BITCHING if he had stayed on-stage all night?

uglybrowneyes said:

STRANGE BUT TRUE !!!

LeGrinde said:

Teehee...great post!! Right on the money, too! It's the same reason he'll never release any of the great outtakes - because it makes his current work seem as uninspired as it is...

I personally would have a hard time being in the same room with a bunch of people I had slept with.

If the rumors were true, that is.

Just a thought. I was in the same room with only two ex-girlfiends once and I was buggin big time!

theblueangel said:

---
Put down your crack pipe. None of the people on the show have done anything music that equals to Prince's weakest output. He would have blown everyone off the stage.

It is not so bad to sink to selling out venues in the states and overseas at $100.00 to $150.00 a ticket with no radio airplay and little promotion. I bet the artist at Family Jam would like to sink to that level (LOL)

I don't want to repeat what a lot of people said, but MAN! The Family was funky! My favorite part, by far.

There's an old adage in show business - "Always leave them wanting more". I'd say the Family Jamm did that. The show was almost three hours long, and I swear I was ready for another 3 hours.

The Revolution was TIGHT. I know P contributed $ to the show, but boy did he miss a helluva chance to rock out. Wendy is a much better singer than I ever knew. I wish Lisa had been given a solo or some props, but it was all good. I could have listened to the Revolution play all night long.

Jill Jones - just to see her do "Mia Bocca" live was worth the trip. Sure could have listened to her all night, too (and yeah - she looked great).

Speaking of trips, a shout-out to Eric, who came all the way from Paris to see the show. I hope you had fun!

There weren't many tickets sold. The floor was sold out, and there were probably a couple hundred people in the mezzanine. I don't know if this show was promoted, or if that was everyone who was interested. If they do this next year (and Sheila kept saying they were), I bet it's at a smaller venue. And it will sound even better.

I give the show an A+. Historical. I saw a few people filming it (obviously with Sheila's permission, as they were onstage a few times). If anyone knows how to get a copy, I'd appreciate an org note.

I am very disappointed that Prince didn't show, but anyway...
Did Jesse Johnson perform any of his solo stuff???

Congratulations to Sheila for taking on Child abuse issues...

Sometimes things happen once in a lifetime... It is such a shame to miss out on the fun times... Egos are a bitch.

Taurus said:

Jesse did not perform at all.

Must admit, this show really took me back! When the announcer said that Revolution had not all been on stage since 17 years ago, I almost cried, where has all the time gone?

All in all, if you missed it, you missed the love!

Nicole Ari Parker, of Soul Food, read a heartbreaking tale of a little boy called 'The Road from Fear to Faith'. It told of the broken home a young boy came from and the abuse that he faced. Abuse, group homes, and bad experiences. Eventually, the young boy was transferred to another foster home that was possitive and by the Grace of God he world was changed. He got into music and becam a professional Gospel singer, Dwaun Roberson. He came out, briefly and greeted us.

Jill Jones looked good. She was taller than the other girls. She sang Mia Bocca. She was wearing a black silk slip dress.

Here is a pic of her and Wendy:

http://davidhonlphoto.com/jilljones/

Apollonia, was wearing a glittery short skirt and red top tied under. She looked good too. She is going to be launching her own cosmetics line in 2004.

Jesse Johnson did not show up.

Jerome Benton was funny as ever playing the valet.

Susannah looked good, I still like her hair long and dark.

Eric Leeds sounded great.

St Paul looked good and was having a great time.

Bobby Z, held his own!

I missed Dr Fink, it was so much fun to see him again

Carmen was so cute and looked so happy

Wendy and Lisa rocked. I miss those girls. I bet Prince does too. They really came up with great melodies.

BrownMark, wow good to see him there too

Chaka only sang one song. Everyone kept saying she was flashing. lol

Patti La Belle was having a ball, especially during the last song, Purple Rain. Dang, during that song that was the only time I will P would have come out. Oh well. His loss.

Shelia E is the bomb, and such a mom. She made everything feel like home. I hope see finds he one she is looking for soon. I loved her filling in for Morris when they did the numbers for the Time.

In the program, they list Love 4 One Another Charites as a Donor, so maybe Prince was involved as some level.

Steven Parke did the cover design for the program. Didnt he do previous Prince stuff?

The House Band:
Raymond McKinley bass
Kat Dyson Guitar
Gordon Campbell drums
Mano hanes keys
Dewayne Swan keys
Bridgett bryant vocals
debra parson vocals
randy ellis sax
garret smith trombone
raymond monteiro trumpet

Web Design - Andrea!

Wayne Brady Show
Sheila E. will be appearing with Apollonia and Wendy & Lisa on the Wayne Brady Show on her birthday December 12, 2003. Please check the Wayne Brady Show website for air times and station information in your area.


17 YEARS!!! Wow!
[This message was edited Mon Dec 15 11:06:42 PST 2003 by anudha]

Hmmm...maybe JW's don't do charity work?
I really can't believe "The Purple One" didn't show.
Poo Poo on him.

ThunderCer

wishuhvn said:

You explained my life to the "T"! His music was my escape too!
Hugs and Kisses to you Wishuhvn!
[This message was edited Mon Dec 15 12:39:03 PST 2003 by betweenthesheets]

I forgot to mention that there was no kind of security check for the VIP people. People were videotaping like crazy. I was upset by being good and not bringing a camera. My cell phone photos look grainy. Somebody hook me up with a copy of the show!

Highlight: Paul Peterson talking to me in the VIP room. He was cool. Everyone was cool. I let my little brother sit in my seat on the front row for the first three acts. I also got him into the VIP room and lounge after the show and told him to network since he is a drummer. He did well and I hope positive things will come out of Saturday night for him.

In the parking lot around 1 a.m. This girl was taking pictures and my girl, Carla said that's Jill Jones as we were getting in the car. I grabbed my prgram book and she grabbed her camera. Jill took pictures with me and little brother (he's 34 but I'm older). She was so nice and beautiful. I told her I was hoping she sang For Love and Baby, You're A Trip. She wanted to sing more as well. She does have a second CD available on her web site www.jilljones.net. My little brothe and I were telling her how I chased Prince's bus onto the highway, November 19, 1982 screaming for him to take me with him. She laughed so hard at my story. But Jill was on stage during the 1999 Tour.

Meeting Jill was the bomb. Sheila gave me a big hug. She's so cool and put on those gym shoes right after she took pictures. I would love to get video of her parodying Morris Day on the stage. That was so classic. Imagine the do rag Morris had on in the beginning of purple rain, but pink and with a gold suit. She even had on some gold and tan Stacy Adams that she kicked off her feet. I think they were too big.

I can't wait to see those pics on the Internet because I'm inbetween Sheila and Wendy and Dawnn Lewis (A Different World - she's on the LABF board) is standing behind me. I had to stoop down not to block peoples heads.

December 13, 2003 was a beautiful night. No egos were in the house. I think I will email LABF and thank them again for that amazing experience.

incognito, thanks so much for sharing your report with us!! sounds like a magical evening for all involved.

shygirl said:

THANK YOU SHYGIRL!!! It is not like Prince was a no show! He never claimed that he was going to be there!!! Don't get me wrong, I was one of the ones that went with high hopes of him (my baby's daddy) showing up. However, the show was excellent and I agree with the others that said, it was the best Prince preformance without Prince!!! I left with an uplifted spirit and a warm feeling in my heart knowing that I had a great time and helped children that are really in need. Prince did contribute to the foundation (the main reason for the concert) and before all of you knocking him speak, DID YOU???
[This message was edited Mon Dec 15 12:42:02 PST 2003 by betweenthesheets]
[This message was edited Fri Dec 19 15:31:21 PST 2003 by betweenthesheets]

I was there, too, and am still in awe. Flew from MPLS to LA for the event and would do it all over again tomorrow or next year (keep your fingers crossed)!

My boyfriend and I were in Section B, Row 8, seats 4&5. Was anyone from the org sitting nearby?

I did take pictures all through the show. Haven't gotten them developed yet, but will soon and I can't wait to see how they turn out. I would love to see the video that was shot - please drop me a message if you were filming!

I felt strongly that Price would not be there and I think that there were definite benefits to him being absent. I think that we got a rare and wonderful opportunity to have the focus be on 1) the kids being helped by the lil' angel bunny foundation - God bless them every one! - and 2) the wonderful musicians who performed. Prince's presence would have taken the night to a different level. He would have come with security personnel, cameras would have been banned, the mood would have totally shifted. Instead, we got something rare. The mood was intimate, relaxed, friendly. We heard Sheila calling us "family" from the stage. She wanted contact, even saying, "I said it's ok, Mr. Security Man." And, although I didn't meet them, I feel like I finally got to know Sheila, Jerome, Susannah, Eric, Miko, and the rest of the performers Saturday night. They all shone in their own right. Personalities really had an opportunity to come out. Wendy seems rock solid, musically and personally. It seemed right that she sang lead on the Revolution tunes; she put the right amount of feeling into Purple Rain. And Eric Leeds - those horns pack such feeling - I could NOT imagine Parade or SOTT without him. Did anyone see how HAPPY Miko looked? I thought he was going to bounce right off the stage! And Jerome, I wanted to steal him and take him home - he was hilarious. Then there's Sheila - a one-woman party! Her sense of humor, her talent, her heart, her warmth. She's absolutely amazing. I'm sure she's going to get a few marriage proposals out of this concert.

They played their asses off for us. They were emotional and joyful and even vulnerable, and they shared it all with us. And we came from all over to support Lil' Angel Bunny Foundation and this beautiful reunion. We fed them and they fed us. That's Family!

laurarichardson said:

EXACTLY! Amen laurarichardson!!!
[This message was edited Mon Dec 15 12:26:42 PST 2003 by betweenthesheets]

From all I've read so far of the Family Jamm and the atmosphere there at the show, and the interaction between the artists and the fans, Sheila & crew seem to understand the real meaning of word "family". (vs the lame and hollow "FAM" label thrown around by *cough cough* someone ELSE)

It sounds like there was a lot of SINCERE love, real emotion, and happiness and joy (and no bigass egos getting int the way) at the Family Jamm and I wish I could've been there to experience it myself. I appreciate very much the reports here on the Org written about it and thank the people who took the time to type them up.

I feel sorry for Prince that he hasn't yet reached a point in his life or emotional growth where he felt he could attend the Family Jamm. He missed out.

Good Lord! I don't care that Prince can still make money!! Did I say that in my post? Yeah he can still sell out an arena. So can Micheal Jackson and so can Madonna. I was talking about that fact that he sucks now. And that "NEWS" is a joke and "The Rainbow Children" is offensive garbage and that he used to think for himself instead of letting Larry and Jehovah do it for him. In fact he used to be so damned creative that he created The Time, The Family, Vanity 6 and all the others at this show because he couldn't contain the inspriration that flowed through him in just his own output.
Who the hell cares if he can still make money selling over-priced concert tickets??? I want him to still be able to make MUSIC!
And somebady thinks he can't win??? Please!! If Prince would have walked out on stage and done a set with the Revolution, you think people would have complained?!!? Really!?
Face it, Prince may be great again someday (I hope) but right now he can't compare with what he was like in '84-90. And being onstage with the Revolution would intimidate him. The fact is, it probably would have inspired him, but God forbid Prince let himself be inspired by anything other than Larry Graham and Jehovah. Prince could have won, easily.
And horray that he can make money selling tickets. Great. He's in the same catagory as 'nsync then. Swell.

KingOfNYC said:

Yeah, and the hospital built with the L4OA $ is beautiful. Even better is how greatful he was with the purple house, the fuckers demolished.

i think its sad that some people on this thread feel that they must take this as an oppurtunity to further prove their FAMDOME!!

create another freaken thread to defend prince...let people be dissapointed in him...your not his fucking momma...

keep the subject on topic please!!!

Was anyone else as surprised as I was that the Forum was three-quarters empty? I guess the show did not receive any promotion. I don't think I would have heard about it if I did not check the org on a regular basis. If they do it again, they really need to promote it properly.

Other than that, it was a great show and atmosphere. I thought the Family kicked ass. My other favorite moments were Madhouse and Sheila E. Of course, the Revolution was cool as well, but they do not have the virtuosity of Madhouse and Sheila E (also part of Madhouse) and the Family had funkier songs and better vocals.

Naturally, I was a little disappointed Prince did not show up, but I was just as disappointed Chaka did just one song (what a cruel tease!) and that not only did the Time not show up, but Jesse Johnson was not there even though he was introduced! A nice special treat was seeing Lyn Mabry, one of the original Brides of Funkenstein, who sang a couple of refrains of the Funkadelic classic "One Nation Under a Groove."

Overall, I am very glad I went and had a blast. Thank you Sheila E and everyone who made it possible! I still have the Madhouse grooves banging in my head!

Peace,
Scott

i couldn't agree with you more, LeGrinde. For quite some time now, I've been thinking that Larry Graham was the worst thing to happen to Prince.

Sounds like the show was off the chain this weekend. Kudos to Sheila and to those who chose to participate.