So, here's what I thought about the Grammy performance, and pardon me if my comments are a bit scrambled.

Well, once again, we get a hits medley. Same ol', same ol', right?

WRONG.

For me, anyway.

I looked at the performance through a different filter - maybe other people did, too.

Check it out:

Let's leave the usual suspects at the door for one moment.
Tonight it wasn't about the usual complaints and controversies.
It wasn't about "fams" vs. "fans". It wasn't about club vs. org.
It wasn't about religious interpretations and bodyguards and cease and desist orders.
It wasn't about releasing more music or this, that, or the other.

Tonight, for a few minutes, at least under my roof, I was transported back to the first time I saw Prince & the Revolution play the Grammys and the AMAs, waaay back in the day, when nothing mattered for those few blissful moments except for a man whose talent and charisma and sheer sense of presence are unparalleled.

Someone turned his star sign on extra hot tonight, and I'm still blinded by it.

Tonight was about showing the world why Prince is an icon - a timeless classic genius - an entertainer who does things nobody else can come near - and tonight, I am beyond proud of the man, and proud to be a longtime fan.

The people in the world who don't log on to clubs and orgs every day have been reminded of someone they better never have forgotten. In those few short moments and with those tired old songs, the man delivered on so many levels - as an entertainer, as a musician, as an icon. His chemistry with Beyonce was delicious, and really - for the first time in a live television broadcast performance - he came off like a true elder statesman of popular music.

And "Purple Rain" with full orchestra accompaniment? Dang.

Listen - we can bicker over vaults and chocolate invasions and cease and desist orders and all that tomorrow - I might agree with some of ya, and then again, maybe I won't. For tonight, I just gotta say - if just for a few minutes - The Kid Came Back.

Go figure, but for me it was AMAs/Grammys 1985 again. It was MTV debuting the live "I Would Die 4 U/Baby I'm A Star" video again. It was the live video of "America" for the first time, all over again. It was seeing the words PRINCE SPEAKS on the cover of Rolling Stone all over again. There was no weirdness, no bitterness, no "agenda", none of the usual Prince nonsense of the past ten or so years.

It was exciting and enthusiastic and JOYOUS and FUN.

It was the feeling of remembering why I've bothered all these years.

And to me, that feeling is all that will ever matter.

Bravo.

So, here's what I thought about the Grammy performance, and pardon me if my comments are a bit scrambled.

Well, once again, we get a hits medley. Same ol', same ol', right?

WRONG.

For me, anyway.

I looked at the performance through a different filter - maybe other people did, too.

Check it out:

Let's leave the usual suspects at the door for one moment.
Tonight it wasn't about the usual complaints and controversies.
It wasn't about "fams" vs. "fans". It wasn't about club vs. org.
It wasn't about religious interpretations and bodyguards and cease and desist orders.
It wasn't about releasing more music or this, that, or the other.

Tonight, for a few minutes, at least under my roof, I was transported back to the first time I saw Prince & the Revolution play the Grammys and the AMAs, waaay back in the day, when nothing mattered for those few blissful moments except for a man whose talent and charisma and sheer sense of presence are unparalleled.

Someone turned his star sign on extra hot tonight, and I'm still blinded by it.

Tonight was about showing the world why Prince is an icon - a timeless classic genius - an entertainer who does things nobody else can come near - and tonight, I am beyond proud of the man, and proud to be a longtime fan.

The people in the world who don't log on to clubs and orgs every day have been reminded of someone they better never have forgotten. In those few short moments and with those tired old songs, the man delivered on so many levels - as an entertainer, as a musician, as an icon. His chemistry with Beyonce was delicious, and really - for the first time in a live television broadcast performance - he came off like a true elder statesman of popular music.

And "Purple Rain" with full orchestra accompaniment? Dang.

Listen - we can bicker over vaults and chocolate invasions and cease and desist orders and all that tomorrow - I might agree with some of ya, and then again, maybe I won't. For tonight, I just gotta say - if just for a few minutes - The Kid Came Back.

Go figure, but for me it was AMAs/Grammys 1985 again. It was MTV debuting the live "I Would Die 4 U/Baby I'm A Star" video again. It was the live video of "America" for the first time, all over again. It was seeing the words PRINCE SPEAKS on the cover of Rolling Stone all over again. There was no weirdness, no bitterness, no "agenda", none of the usual Prince nonsense of the past ten or so years.

It was exciting and enthusiastic and JOYOUS and FUN.

It was the feeling of remembering why I've bothered all these years.

And to me, that feeling is all that will ever matter.

Bravo.

fun time.. I really enjoyed it.. the more you see it you notice allot of fun parts even though they were only on for 5 minutes.

yeah he might have said that..

BUT I caught " Dont you hate us because we are fabulous" then made that face and dropped the guitar ..or something like that I dont have it in front of me.

jazzvibrator said:

- I gotta agree with you. I think Prince improved as a guitar player lately but his guitar playing lacks some surprises most of the time. I didnt see WS performance yet, but I heard that Jack is very unique. Prince was very unique in the 80s. His playing on When doves cry was fresh. I hope he brings back that energy someday. But I am happy that he at least played the guitar! ONA tour had some of his best playing in yeears

Like it or don't, Prince completely desecrated the memories, of such a fine era as Purple Rain. Beyonce is such a talentless hag, she had no reason being near the same stage as him. Together they made Prince look more stupid than he ever could by rehashing these PRECIOUS songs from that era. I am losing more and more respect for him as an artist everyday, and tonight he lowered his own standards by putting on such an pathetic display. He embarrased himself, his band and his fams, by this.

It may make you mad, or sad, but it is the truth.

Peace and I'm out.

GustavoRibas said:

I'm sorry guys but some of you like raw guitar which is fine. But it does not make a better guitar player because you play loud and raw.

I prefer classy and sophisticated guitarists like Montgomery.

What Prince showed again his musicianship as well. And for those who were at the Bataclan last year all this bullshit about Prince not kicking butt on guitar makes me laugh out loud.

Personnally I fell asleep after 45 minutes when I saw the white stripes live. At the beginning you think wow these two guys are great. After the third tune you think mmmh do they play different styles cuz it's getting boring.

Seemed to me that the end was supposed to parody the Timberlake / Jackson "moment" from last Sunday? And perhaps that's also why they cut to Timberlake at the end? Some of y'all should give Timberlake a break -- the kid can sing his butt off -- his only fault being that he was in a boy band? -- whatever -- maybe if he were of a different color he'd get more respect from some of y'all -- sorry to say, but i fear, true.
[This message was edited Sun Feb 8 22:38:53 PST 2004 by Jasziah]

althom said:

...this is my favorite too!

i dug this performance.
i dug the Funk expo (where was Buckethead-he was on the pre-show w/Bootsy)
i dug 'Hey Ya'
not a fan of Christina...but even she sounded good.


but, ShitGawdDamnGetOffYerAss&Jam...the white stripes done run away with best performance.
raw
real
a stripped-down-electric-ride

they hit with a medley too, but hammered down a raw-loose-real performance, as only these 2 D-Troit cats can do.

how they can make a voice/guitar/drum sound more forward thinking than the most complex stage show with 20-30 various peeps on stage is f'n amazing!!!

jacks solo is where P needs to go if he is ever gonna get the props he deserves as a guitarist.

i truly love P's guitar-

but i am rarely taken aback/SURPRISED by his guitar as of late.

on the otherhand, Jack White kills it anew everytime i see him rip into his instrument.

i am lucky enough to live in detroit, and have seen him perform since his early days, and he still blows me away with how he reinvents what the guitar can do.

he never leaves you feeling that his licks have been rehearsed 1001 times. he truly takes a journey with each performance and especially each solo.

i love his idea in this interview about new artists only being able to record with 4 tracks. think how that would truly seperate the real artists from the Brittneys. how cool would this be? what a newly exciting music industry it could be. not just a few artists---but a whole new raw-real top 40 it could be.