Shouldn't he have been higher than #10? he put more asses on seats than anyone else in the US this year. Right?

That's an honest photograph. I like it a lot. Prince's feline beauty in the 80s detracted casual listners (not hearers) from the greatest popular music ever made, but he's disappointed me in the Naughties with his obsession for Photoshop.
I want o see him old. I want to see the bags and lines. Show us who you are, you wee genius bastard. Stop faking the truth.

''It's the first time I've ever been alone on stage for that long,'' says Prince. ''It was truly a challenge to keep the audience engaged with only a spotlight and a microphone.'' He adds as an aside, ''You have to make sure that at all times, your mind doesn't wander off into doing the grocery list for the next day.''

That's an honest photograph. I like it a lot. Prince's feline beauty in the 80s detracted casual listners (not hearers) from the greatest popular music ever made, but he's disappointed me in the Naughties with his obsession for Photoshop.
I want o see him old. I want to see the bags and lines. Show us who you are, you wee genius bastard. Stop faking the truth.

Number23 said:

I'd have to agree with you about this being an honest photograph. There's a combination of relief mixed with yearning. Relief, because he finally got to do an album and tour just exactly the way he wanted, and yearning, because maybe he's wanting to do something new. Not that he's wanting to retire, but maybe he's wanting to take a few more years off and maybe have a family.

There's also definitely some air-brushing going on in this photo. He looks a little too pretty, there.

Truly a fantastic piece of journalism. Thanks for the great photo and a nice and sweet commentary.

It's nice to grow old with the man as well...


(Hey, Prince... let's all do this again in '05!!!)

Number23 said:

I'd have to agree with you about this being an honest photograph. There's a combination of relief mixed with yearning. Relief, because he finally got to do an album and tour just exactly the way he wanted, and yearning, because maybe he's wanting to do something new. Not that he's wanting to retire, but maybe he's wanting to take a few more years off and maybe have a family.

There's also definitely some air-brushing going on in this photo. He looks a little too pretty, there.

And I agree that the pic looks more "honest" than others. When you see Prince in concert, you can see that he is only human and is aging like the rest of us. Wisely, most of his published photos are heavily photoshopped like every other public figure out there who is trying to sell their image and product to the world. But it's still nice to see a more "real" photo of him.

poetbear68 said:

Nope. He's saying "Prince to Earth...come in Earth"

He's still rocking that concealer under his eyes a little too much. Prince! - Blend, blend, blend!!!

I wish we would all stop pretending in our culture that celebrities are superhuman, ageless, flawless beings. It hurts us.

...his favorite moment in each of the concerts during his sold-out, only-the-hits tour: an intimate acoustic mini-set, featuring stripped-down versions of ''Little Red Corvette''...

... ''It surpasses the Purple Rain tour. This was self-generated hype: no movie, no major radio airplay or support from the video channels...."

Now please: Stay.

Want to know the secret to Prince's return to pop-culture grace in 2004? Listen to him talk. Listen as he ruminates about his favorite moment in each of the concerts during his sold-out, only-the-hits tour: an intimate acoustic mini-set, featuring stripped-down versions of ''Little Red Corvette'' and ''On the Couch,'' the latter a bluesy ballad from his Grammy-nominated album Musicology. ''It's the first time I've ever been alone on stage for that long,'' says Prince. ''It was truly a challenge to keep the audience engaged with only a spotlight and a microphone.'' He adds as an aside, ''You have to make sure that at all times, your mind doesn't wander off into doing the grocery list for the next day.''


It's charming to hear that a certifiable genius like Prince actually struggles, let alone shops for his own Windex (even if we're not completely buying it). But there you have it: Everything that's been missing from Prince during the long decade he spent off the relevancy radar, warring with his record label and releasing albums saddled with anger and self-indulgence: Humility. Humor. And, at last, joy.

With Musicology, a winning exultation filled with old-school soul and old-fashioned monogamy, the artist staked out a flattering new identity: the mature master. On tour, his opening salvo of Purple Rain-era hits — including ''Let's Go Crazy,'' ''When Doves Cry,'' and ''I Would Die 4 U'' — left crowds delirious. Yes, for some it was just a nostalgia rush. But that falsetto, that guitar, that jammin' command of his well-drilled band — the 46-year-old sonic savant left no doubt that he's still got chops.

For Prince, the best part of his '04 triumph was that it was all about the music, not about marketing or his celebrity. ''It surpasses the Purple Rain tour. This was self-generated hype: no movie, no major radio airplay or support from the video channels. It was really a testament to live music,'' he says. ''This is what we do for a living. Every night was a stone gas, baby!''

It was for us, too. Welcome back, Prince. Now please: Stay.

--by Jeff Jensen

http://www.ew.com/ew/arti...0_,00.html
[Edited 12/23/04 14:40pm]