I am worried that the NPG as we know it is gone. Prince considers anyone expendable, but the Musicology NPG was by far the tightest band he ever had. Regardless of the "sound" (perhaps you didn't like the heavy horns), the band was on their cues, in sync, prepared for anything.

This owes a lot to RHONDA SMITH and JOHN BLACKWELL. Bass & Drums are the backbone and Rhonda and John are two musicians at the top of their profession AND they play their best TOGETHER. These are two to hold on to.

But now I see Rhonda Smith is scheduled to appear with SHEILA E in LA the day before SNL. Same for WENDY and LISA. This leads to the conclusion:
- Rhonda Smith = Not in the band
- Wendy and Lisa = Not in the band (well it was a longshot)
- Sheila E = Not in the band (you never know, but now we do)

Did he even keep John Blackwell? That man is one of the three best drummers I've heard. He has grown more than anyone could have expected since he joined the NPG, that is for sure.

Renato Neto was pretty great too. I could see maybe replacing him, but not with someone like Morris Hayes (who was playing the keys offstage for Ta'mar). Morris is a good player, and I liked some of his synth sounds better (although I think Prince has most of the say in that- and Prince's style was different then). But Morris has missed more cues and had a lot more mistake than Renato, that is for sure. But this one is kind of a mystery for now.

I also know that Prince is not using the same sound engineer from the Musicology tour (and some previous tours). The Musicology tour had QUALITY sound for Arena settings. That engineer also knew what, when and how Prince wanted things done. Now Prince is using some sound man from the LA clubs.

So, Prince spent the last few years building and refining the ultimate band and staff. For the new album it is not unreasonable to expiriment with other musicians and sounds. For the new tour it is not unreasonable to change and refine some members and aspects of the band, while keeping his solid foundation. But at a VERY crucial time in his career, Prince *seems* to have thrown it all out to start over AGAIN. That could mean a messy tour, where Prince is not comfortable with the band (or maybe its the band that is not comfortable with Prince). Perhaps the first Arena tour for much of the band? The jams could many times run astray instead of the inevitable yet spontaneous brilliance that occured nightly. Tension instead of celebration.

I hope for none of that of course. I suppose we will see soon enough...

And who is this Celestina woman?! I hope she's a dancer and not another band member replacement. A dancer WOULD be quite welcomed.

*Discuss*

[Afterthought: Does anyone get the feeling that 2005 was a rough year for Prince and interpersonal relationships? Maybe this all has to do with Prince burning some bridges]

Well, I'd be shocked if Prince toured with a band that he wasn't comfortable with. Thankfully, he has very little patience for that. Hopefully he hasn't been sitting on his ass for the past year and is comfortable with whomever he has in mind.

TheAStarr said:

I think your observation is lacking.

Everyday people may not thing about the ability to hop a plane and be in two places at one time (time being a 24hour period), but for most entertainers this is just a fact of life. Besides, with prince you never know what's going on. The SNL stage isn't that big. Prince might just put an accoustic set on it so not to let the lurkers in on what's up. Do not limit your conclusions, especally not when prince is involved in the equastion.

Of course this is all speculation until we actually see the band (assumedly on SNL next week), but I also think Prince has abandoned the ONA/Musicology NPG indefinately.

However I don't think it's something to be worried about. No doubt the musicians will be first rate.

Prince can't stand still. Even if he had the best band ever assembled, he would still change it up after a few years. He likes the challenge of finding something new.

Look at his track record:
-He abandoned The Revolution just two years after Purple Rain...
-He abandoned the awesome SOTT/Lovesexy band after only two tours...
-He spent the majority of '95 promoting the Gold album only to abandon the core band in early '96...

As much as I loved the ONA/Musicology NPG, I'm actually looking forward to hearing Prince in a new musical setting.

MickG said:

That's why I'm only pointing out that "this leads to the conclusion"... I don't know really. But I can't help but speculate and discuss.

Prince will be with a full band on SNL however. While band members can certainly hop on a plane overnight, the SNL rehearsal schedule dictates that the band rehearses on Friday and Saturday multiple times. This has to do with camera setup and running times. The SNL folk are over-strict about seeing how long something runs with their own eyes, and they make it a point not to change rehearsal protocol for any guest.

However, I did some more digging around and there are a couple things. It turns out that Renato Neto has been playing in a latin music band all this month at the same venue the Sheila E concert will be at. Also, the Sheila E concert is 2 Days before SNL, not the night before. This does indeed leave Friday and Saturday available to everyone involved. Wendy and Lisa are playing some other shows this month as well. It does seem like everyone happens to be in LA right now.

I do get the sense that there are definite NPG lineup changes, but thats cool if the core remains in tact.

Universaluv said:

I agree, but at the same time until ONA, things were really sketchy.

Gold Tour/Ultimate Live Experience - Prince can be heard in most of the bootlegs shouting some profanity at his band for screwing up.

NPS Tour - Lots of technical and sampling misfires

Hit N Run 2000/2001 - Within the first few songs something inevitably goes wrong and Prince then says (reluctantly) that this is a "rehearsal".

But then he found a band that meshed. Still lots of players have changed in the last 4 years, but its Prince/John/Rhonda/Renato that GEL. Not that they don't make mistakes, but they clearly are on a higher level. Prince SHOULD change the sound without messing up a good thing.

TheAStarr said:

- Hmm...can u give me some examples? I heard some bootlegs, but I didnt notice it...
Well, I think in this case, Prince is responsible also...he had such great musicians and buried them under samples, loops and pre-recorded stuff (like his multi-layered vocals).

One of the greatest things of the recent tours is that he relied on the band members only, and not in the electronic stuff.

Whoever he has, I hope he doesn't refer to them as the NPG anymore. To me, that name died when Sonny, Tommy and Micheal left.

I would KEEP Blackwell and Neto and get rid of the Rest....Wonder if he would Recruit a NEWBass Player? Wonder what a Band with Larry on Bass and Blackwell and Neto or Hayes would sound like. Rhonda wasn't feeling me nor Shelia so I would say Out...I don't like Jealous bitchy Women....No Matter How Talented...Especially when ya Foolish when ya Talk....Carmen Electra Rules Shelia . I would Definately WORk with WENDY and LISA and SUSANNA. All DOWN 2 EARTH...Mayte is a Liar bout living in Germany and her Age... Makes No Sense plus she would even Smell Tommy is a DISGRACE....Prince Rules Mayte you a Vanity Ho...Sorry,,,Nobody should go after SECONDS on DRUGS or DRINK...PLEASE!!!!
[Edited 1/24/06 18:35pm]

TheAStarr said:

I am sure SNL would bend their rules for Prince.

TMPletz said:

- I agree

GustavoRibas said:

Me too.

Maybe it's not just a matter of when Prince is ready for a new band, but instead in some cases, perhaps the bandmates are ready to move on and do something different.

Renato is fantastic, and I hope he sticks around a little longer. I remember seeing him live for the first time at the ONA tour, when just before the show he was strumming around on the keyboards, and it sounded incredible.

John Blackwell is great as well, but I will always miss seeing Sheila E up there. There's just something unconventional and cool about having a female drummer in your band, especially someone as good as her.