EvilWhiteMale said:

I agree w/you 100% Evil Baby. Afterall, vareity is the spice of life.

EWM, I love ur sig, I might have to use that sometime. And I agree, it gets on my fucking nerves the way some people go into stalker mode, and defend whoever they like to a T. It's fucking pathetic, I ADORE Prince dearly, but not enough to kiss his, or anyone's for that matter, ass. It's not happnin'....

Scrapluv said:

Look, i'm just saying what I feel, and what I want and expect from him. I'm entitled to my opinion just like you are. If i want to see him do splits and twists and spins, then thats what the hell i want to see. you have nothing to do with it.

I was just NOT feeling this performance at all!!! Way too sedate for my taste!! What was up with the 2 or 3 slow numbers (with an almost Vegas-style band), immediately bringing down the already lackluster energy there was from "D.M.S.R."? Too many horns make things sound "schmaltzy" and makes it lack that raw, gritty type feel. I've always felt he only needs 2-3 horn players on stage TOPS (yes, the Hornheads were sometimes overkill!). I guess Prince does too much standing around and posing for my taste these days. "Housequake" should've been an absolutely funky ass performance, but instead it was just there. He barely even did the actual Housequake dance, and when he did, it lacked energy. Too much Frankie (& that other lady whose name escapes me right now), as well. Prince could've easily slapped in a few lines of "International Lover" or something (since they wanted to slow it down) in that slot (hey, I can dream, can't I?)! Sheila was more animated and, for my money, more exciting than Prince tonight. She stole the show from him yet again, just like before when they performed "Everlasting Now" on Leno a couple of years ago. It was good seeing Morris & Jerome again, I will say. I would've preferred "Jungle Love" to "The Bird", but that's just me. "Glamorous Life" rocked though, but that's Sheila for ya!!

I'm guessing he was going with a Minneapolis Sound tribute/grooves-or-older-artists-that-inspired-me type performance (it WAS nice to hear JB's "I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothin'...", but it suffered from the same thing "Housequake" and "D.M.S.R." did; being too damn Vegas-y) but there were just too many players on that stage for it to have been executed well. The band left even die-hards wondering who the fuck were these people. And, if that song about "Foreplay starts with the mind" is his new song "3121" (or whatever it's called), then there goes my enthusiasm for the new album. He's still stuck in the slow to mid-tempo wanna-be jazz/soul rut that lacks any type of punch.

Sorry if this posts sounds so negative, but after being hyped all week long and hearing that "Housequake" was being performed with Sheila in tow and how funky it was all supposed to be, this didn't even come close to what I envisioned. That seems to be a recurring theme these days with Prince for me, I see. He's too polished these days...the hunger's just not there anymore today, regardless of what anyone says. His music lacks the passion and energy it once had, back when he probably felt he had things to prove and new paths to tread.
[Edited 3/25/05 22:52pm]

alexnvrmnd said:

Sooner or later he'll perform again or release another tune that you'll enjoy and sure as shootin' someone will be on here trying to tell you you're crazy for liking it.

alexnvrmnd said:

I still believe the performance was targeted for the audience not Prince fans or even music fans. It was a performance for the NAACP awards and I was entertained. I didn't expect booty bouncing and all of that. I'm sorry but that would have been inappropriate where as having Beyonce bouncing her ass around like at the grammys was appropriate. Also, this wasn't to be a showcase for what is next to come.

I just think Prince was respectful of the award show. Shaking his ass in front of Julian Bond would have seem....something Michael Jackson would do...LOL...j/k


I was entertained and that's all I wanted. I guess my expectations were not as high as others.


another thing....I think some of ya'l think Prince is 25 years old. He is not and will not be sliding across the stage people. Hell the man can barely stand to wear the heels anymore. He had to design some high wedged kicks for the feet. I'm just going to enjoy the stage he's in now.

I was just NOT feeling this performance at all!!! Way too sedate for my taste!! What was up with the 2 or 3 slow numbers (with an almost Vegas-style band), immediately bringing down the already lackluster energy there was from "D.M.S.R."? Too many horns make things sound "schmaltzy" and makes it lack that raw, gritty type feel. I've always felt he only needs 2-3 horn players on stage TOPS (yes, the Hornheads were sometimes overkill!). I guess Prince does too much standing around and posing for my taste these days. "Housequake" should've been an absolutely funky ass performance, but instead it was just there. He barely even did the actual Housequake dance, and when he did, it lacked energy. Too much Frankie (& that other lady whose name escapes me right now), as well. Prince could've easily slapped in a few lines of "International Lover" or something (since they wanted to slow it down) in that slot (hey, I can dream, can't I?)! Sheila was more animated and, for my money, more exciting than Prince tonight. She stole the show from him yet again, just like before when they performed "Everlasting Now" on Leno a couple of years ago. It was good seeing Morris & Jerome again, I will say. I would've preferred "Jungle Love" to "The Bird", but that's just me. "Glamorous Life" rocked though, but that's Sheila for ya!!

I'm guessing he was going with a Minneapolis Sound tribute/grooves-or-older-artists-that-inspired-me type performance (it WAS nice to hear JB's "I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothin'...", but it suffered from the same thing "Housequake" and "D.M.S.R." did; being too damn Vegas-y) but there were just too many players on that stage for it to have been executed well. The band left even die-hards wondering who the fuck were these people. And, if that song about "Foreplay starts with the mind" is his new song "3121" (or whatever it's called), then there goes my enthusiasm for the new album. He's still stuck in the slow to mid-tempo wanna-be jazz/soul rut that lacks any type of punch.

Sorry if this posts sounds so negative, but after being hyped all week long and hearing that "Housequake" was being performed with Sheila in tow and how funky it was all supposed to be, this didn't even come close to what I envisioned. That seems to be a recurring theme these days with Prince for me, I see. He's too polished these days...the hunger's just not there anymore today, regardless of what anyone says. His music lacks the passion and energy it once had, back when he probably felt he had things to prove and new paths to tread.
[Edited 3/25/05 22:52pm]

Wow, I'm kinda hurt that I didn't like it.

Is this 2005 or 1985?
How long is he going to travel with this nostalgic revue?

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 3 (for Prince performance ... of course he was the best thing on the show).


I didn't fall in love with the new song, and he seemed rather pedestrian singing dmsr and the other songs ... just walking through familiar territory. No thrills. Some kind of spark was missing ... maybe it's just cuz i'm sleepy.

Did everyone actually think that rocked?


That made me sad more than anything. I'd been reading all these hyped reports and waiting all week ... so maybe my expectations were blown out of proportion.


But there's something very scary about seeing prince, sheila, and morris day sing their biggest hits -- and realizing that their best hits were from a decade or more ago. Especially Prince. He keeps making music but he can't hit.

I'm pulling for him but he can't hit. That new song isn't magic.

I like the old songs, don't get me wrong. I used to cringe when he threatened to retire them.

But he needs to retire them.
They are eating up this new revival period.

If all he can do with this new found attention is play the old hits then something is wrong.

Look.Prince is functionally married, semi-born again, has grown up a bit,, and the TRC tour and The One Night Alone piano CD were his last original projects. Musicology made him a half a million bucks a night so he could party with his rich ass friends and feed his ego.He rolled out the media machine,included the CD with the concert ticket price because he knew it wouldn't sell otherwise. It was strictly business, not musical passion. He's tired of the fanatics (of which I was one for many years) who lick his butt when he takes a shit, but he can't help catering to 'em because they make him feel worthy. I find it pathetic that the same sheep who wanted him to do the fucking splits and wear assless pants 'till he was 100 years old say he's now living in the 80's. He's riding the gravy train, he could write a song in 15 minutes if he chose to, but the masses don't have any goddam interest in old school funk, ballads, guitar jams and could care less if he can play 10 instruments.Life isn't about sex and partying,wearing makeup every minute of the day,and looking down at people worshipping you at an afterparty. Maybe, Just MAYBE, people should look at THEIR lives instead of living thru someone else's and talking about how hot looking or beautiful he is. You're all Prince's favorite voodoo dolls who he can sticky post and moderate any time he wants, and it's kinda sad that you can't see it.

I Just want to know one thing. Where in the hell does the guitar go when he throws it up in the air?
They panned the camera out after he threw it and I didn't see anything above him where someone could catch it.

alexnvrmnd said:

I agree. if I was a 13 yr old hearing Prince for thr first time, Id think he was way old shool and belongs in Vegas. Hes a great musician, but so is Elton John, and now Elton's in Vegas full time..

Tish4 said:

I think it's a sickness when people defend him so hard that they actually flip out and attack those who have something non-ass kissing to say about him. It's as if a member of their FAMily was dissed.

People think I only have negative things to say about Prince, but those who know me understand that I give Prince props when I feel he deserves them. Sometimes it happens, and sometimes not.

EvilWhiteMale said:

I agree w/you 100% Evil Baby. Afterall, vareity is the spice of life.

A few quotes from casual fans, mostly in their early 20's, about the performance:

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

hey, thats what fans are for....its our job to rejoice when he performs, praise it if he is hot, and call it out when his performance could have been better than it was. Don't shoot us for doing our job, after all, if it weren't for us, he wouldn't be "the royal badness" that he is today.

FYI ya'll...it was an award show performance. Lawd...he wasn't in concert.

I thought it was enjoyable but I guess I was watching it to be enjoyed and not to pick a part every little thing. Damn, ya'll even talked about the damn background singers who could actually sing. I think Prince was catering to the audience at hand. It was an older crowd and so he did an older vibe.

and I like the horns.....


I enjoyed it but above it all, I cried on Oprah's speech. It demonstrated the purpose of the show in the first place. And lastly, I'mma smack Melt for calling cornel west, "grady".


[Edited 3/26/05 3:56am]

missfee said:

no you look, i didnt ask how you felt because i really dont care. im just asking when was the last time you saw prince do splits, twists and 45 mph spins?if you really want to see him do splits, twists and spins, you can always watch past footage. the man is damn near 50, i really dont think he can still do all those moves effectively. if he could, i think he'd still be doing it being the showman he is. just trying to bring reality into the convo. if you wouldve said something like him soloing more, i would agree. but youre asking for too much
[Edited 3/26/05 22:02pm]

DMSR said:

-----
Do you think there were a lot 13 year olds in the audience? Do you think P should be cathering his music to a 13 year old ? I hope you know the answer to these questions is no.

Anybody on this board who cares about what 13 years old are listening to needs to jump off the Prince train now.

I half expect someone to complain they had to delay a bathroom break because Prince chose to talk less and play more.

It was a great performance reminescent of those r n b revues they used to have in the sixties, but also of some aspects of Prince's past tours (when Bonnie Boyer or Rosie Gaines would sing covers). It's amazing how much Prince packed in those few minutes : non-hit dance anthems (DMSR and Housequake), new material, covers and protégés hits, and picking up damn near every instrument he plays. I believe it was one of his longest performance on network tv. It's obvious the mini-set list was geared toward a black audience with the emphasis on non-hit dance classics like DMSR and Housequake, who were both made popular as album tracks by black radio. It was another celebration of Prince's musical roots,something he's been doing for a while, but that was very appropriate on that occasion. It was a real treat for the audience at the show, that much you can tell.
[Edited 3/26/05 8:37am]

gosh, some of ya'll are treating this performance like "it was the best you have ever seen in your life" give me a freakin' break. Some people think it was good, some think it wasn't his best, so what, freak it. Have a and a smile and get over it....

he seemed rather pedestrian singing dmsr and the other songs ... just walking through familiar territory. No thrills.

Scrapluv said:

i'm asking too much? says who...you? CAN YOU DO SPLITS, TWISTS AND SPINS? ummm no didn't think so...so why don't you just...

Okay, now that the trash has been taken out, lets keep the conversation going...
[Edited 3/27/05 9:26am]

missfee said:

no you look, i didnt ask how you felt because i really dont care. im just asking when was the last time you saw prince do splits, twists and 45 mph spins?if you really want to see him do splits, twists and spins, you can always watch past footage. the man is damn near 50, i really dont think he can still do all those moves effectively. if he could, i think he'd still be doing it being the showman he is. just trying to bring reality into the convo. if you wouldve said something like him soloing more, i would agree. but youre asking for too much
[Edited 3/26/05 22:02pm]