Hello, everybody. This is my first post on here, and I've already tried three times, but apparently it 'times out' or something, so hopefully I'll get it this time.

Although it's true that I'm a new member to this site, I'm not a new Prince fan. I'm only 30 years old, but I've been listening to Prince for probably about 22 years or so. My two cousins (both female, of course) turned me onto Prince at an early age. One of them is my age, and the other one is a few years older. I would go over to thier house, and they'd be spinning 'Controversy', '1999', and then later on, of course, 'Purple Rain'. They may have had 'For you' and 'Dirty Mind' too, but I don't remember them playing those. Even at age 8 or 9, I was mesmirized by the music. It was different than the standard fare playing on the radio, and it captured me. I was 12 or 13, when Prince was in Detroit, in 1985 or '86, and he called The Electrifying Mojo on the air, and gave him a surprise interview. I HEARD that interview, and even though I was too young (and maybe a little sheltered) to be keeping a close eye on the media, I knew that Prince giving that interview was a BIG deal, and so I sat there, my ears glued to the radio, hanging on every word that he was saying. I'm thankful to have that memory.

So, throughout the years, yes, I listen to other music, and admittedly, some of what I actually like, and listen to, is not really that 'good', as far as musical talent. Shame, shame on me. My tastes go across the board, from hard rock/heavy metal, to pop, jazz, blues, reggae, disco (did I say disco?!), FUNK, of course, and so on. But, I inevitably ALWAYS come back to Prince, he's the one artist who has never let me down, throughout all my listening phases.

I heard several months back that Prince was coming to Chicago. Of course I was very excited, because I hadn't had a chance to see Prince yet. But my excitement quickly turned to deflation, because the initial shows that were booked sold out REAL fast!!! So, I thought that I had once again missed an opportunity, got depressed about it, and moved on. I finally grabbed a pair of tickets for the June 30th show, and I was very much excited to see him and the NPG. After the shows got rescheduled, it was a little bit of a let down, but I think the fans in general were very understanding, due to the circumstances. I knew he'd be back, and I would be there when he was. So, I saw the rescheduled show on July 24th. That was my first Prince concert, and I was absolutely floored! It was everything I had imagined and hoped it would be, and more. But it wasn't the best concert I had ever seen. It was the second best. Up until yesterday, it was the best concert I had ever seen. I had such a great time, and the fans.....us.....YOU....there was such a vibe in that place, such a feeling of...for lack of a better word, 'oneness' in there, I had never experienced that feeling at a concert. There was love in the air, and I don't mean that in a sexual way. All you Prince fans.....you're awesome!!!! I had never seen such a diverse crowd, from age, ethnicity, fashion, and culture. It's well known that Prince's fan base is diverse, but it was pretty cool to actually experience it.

When I found out that the August 3rd show still had a couple seats left, I grabbed one. I didn't find any pairs of tickets, so I just bought the one.....and you know what?? That show eclipsed the July 24h show in several ways. Morris Day and the Time were fantastic!!!! What an unexpected treat!!!! That was GREAT!!!! But, even if they had not opened for him, the show still would have eclipsed the July 24th show. Everyone was so dead on it last night, and Prince was showing some emotion toward the end.....and it WAS emotional.....being his last night in Chicago for who-knows-how-long. It was sad.....because it was such a great performance, I don't think anyone in the whole arena wanted it to end. I know I didn't. But, those two shows will be burned in my memory for quite a long time. I know I missed out on all his previous tours, and I was too young to ride the Purple wave in '83/'84, but....last nights show, really made me feel like I made up for all that lost time.....it was THAT good.

Please continue reading, because this is what I really wanted to tell all of you....Prince is part of my life, as he is many of yours. Somewhere between buying that first pair of tickets on June 4th, and now (pre-August 3rd), I had an epiphany. Between getting pumped up for that first concert, watching the Live in Las Vegas at the Aladdin DVD, seeing the concert, and doing some hardcore thinking, along with dealing with some things in my personal life, I came to the concrete conclusion that I love music.....something that I've known since I was about 12 years old, and started playing guitar and drums. People, I don't claim to be 'good', or that I can give anyone any competition, but what I do claim, is that I have a burning passion for music, and if any of you know what I mean, please write me, I'd love to talk with you....but, whether you play an instrument, or sing, or.....you just love to listen to good music, you KNOW what I'm talking about. This Musicology tour HAS took me to school....and it's helped me realize, once again, what good music really is. Have you HEARD his band?? Just kidding. To quote Prince from last night, "My band is tight. Tight like a mosquito's behind. Tight." And, yes, they ARE! Rhonda, Candy, John, Renato, Chance, Greg, Mike.....THANK YOU, y'all are the BOMB!!!! So, throughout these last couple months, since I bought those first tickets, I've made the decision to go back to school, and get a degree in music education. It's what I love to do, and I don't know why I've let my SELF stand in the way of my goals for so long.

There really IS a battle going on, on the airwaves right now, people.....and it really IS up to us to decide what truly is good music, and what.....quite simply.....ain't. Good live music is becoming lost.....with all the pro-tooling and splicing and dicing and effects and other methods of 'fixing' things that are available out there to record an album with. Real talent is becoming masked by technology and commercialism. Music is a gift, and it's for all of us, even if you can just listen and be moved by it. I'm thankful to God for blessing Prince with all that He's blessed him with, and that Prince and his band mates have shared that with the world. I am not delusional in thinking that I'll ever play a sold out arena, or have a following and legacy like Prince has attained, and he's EARNED it.....but that isn't what it's about, it's about the love of music. So, Prince, thank you for taking me to school, and continuing to do so, and for doing so all these years. I'm ready to take the next step. Unlocking the mysteries behind what you're hearing in your head, and being able to share it with other people, is perhaps one of the greatest things there is in life. I'm a Prince fan, and I'm a music fan. Long live 'real music, played by real people'. Thank you. God bless.

Chris

...welcome to the org.

and thank you for posting your entry without puttin it into one single, long paragraph.

folks, please don't scare the newbie.

Somebody Erased our responses..Guess too dirty..Sorry.Lol.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

ludichris said:

Nicely done, Chris. Plan to work. Work the plan. And the plan will work.