I have to admit. I didn’t watch the SuperBowl live. Flying back from a weekend trip to New Mexico, I knew I had it Tivo’d and waiting for me when I got home. It didn’t stop me from asking people in the airport who were watching “So, who’s winning?” “The Bears.” “Is it raining?” “Yes, it’s really coming down.” “Hmmm. Has Prince performed yet?” “Prince is performing? No. Not yet.” All day Sunday I kept thinking “How sad that it had to rain during Prince’s half-time show. I just kept imagining all the terrible things that could happen: people hiding in the rain, electrical malfunctions, people slipping on stage, Prince frying with microphone in hand. Ugh.

I needn’t have worried. The extra challenge of the rain only added to the greatness. Like a sword, tempered by fire into a lethal killing machine, Prince sliced his way through crowd-pleasing guitar anthems, both his own and others’.

I knew as soon as I heard the drums and chanting of “We Will Rock You” filling the auditoreum I knew tonight was gonna be special. Electricity coursing through my veins as lightning filled the Florida sky. My heart began to race in my tiny little bedroom. I can’t imagine the thrills the people who were actually watching the show live were feeling.

Then the border lights on the stage began to light. Boom-boom-boom. The stage is Prince’s symbol, 0(+> for anyone not in the know, and as soon as the border lights fill in, a huge explosion of light and fireworks. BOOM! We hear “Dearly Beloved...” and the sounds of “Let’s Go Crazy” as Prince rips into the classic with manic intensity, giving it an updated sound and feel. Fans are allowed into the space surrounding the stage, and they’re running at top speed, crazed looks on their faces, rushing to get close to it, to be a part of it.

Next we are treated to the addition of a marching band storming the football field. Is that the chorus of “1999” they’re playing? I can’t get my bearing on it, but it doesn’t matter because now the band is accompanying Prince on “Baby I’m a Star.” I’m thinking to myself, maybe that’s his secret. Maybe he really is a Star. That would explain how he looks dry when I know rain is falling all around him. Maybe it’s evaporating as soon as it hits his body. White-hot. Supernova. Drip, drop, tsSSS!

Prince leads the marching band into a quick riff of “Proud Mary” and the dancing Twinz have never looked more together or sexy, doing their best Tina Turner impressions. As the band whirls into a dervish, Prince blows a kiss. “Count it.”

It gets very quiet for a split second as the first notes of “All Along the Watchtower” fill the night sky. It takes the crowd a moment to realize what is happening, but when Prince opens with the vocals of the Jimi Hendrix classic, you can hear it! Loud screams from the crowd, certainly the older members in the audience remember Hendrix’s significance, accepting voices calling out in unison.

Then without missing a beat, Prince tumbles into Foo Fighter’s “Best of You” and we hear another cry from the crowd, this time certainly striking a chord with the younger members of the audience. A scan of the audience shows them all “getting it”, singing along, pogo-ing up and down and screaming. To all of these twenty-somethings there is something I’d like to tell you. His name is Prince. He is funky. Be very good to him. He’ll be good to you.

Finally we get to my favorite moment. As Prince brings “Best of You” to a close, he utters the final line “I’ve got another confession to make, my friend.” He closes his eyes and lowers his guitar, pauses for a moment, then reopens them. He looks around slyly, a hint of a smile on his lips and says, “I aint no fool.” Then it’s magic. As “Purple Rain” begins the audience is bathed in purple lights, flying doves take to the air, and hundreds of people in the audience lift their lit cell phones together, hands swaying back and forth. A curtain rises against the end of the stage and it billows with Prince behind it, his silhouette reaching tall, so tall into the night sky, and he plays his guitar with unbridled fury. It’s a beautiful moment. I don’t mind saying I shed a tear or two. It makes me happy to admit that. The show closes with the crowd singing in unison, the sound, so beautiful. And at the center of it stands one man, our Prince, beaming from ear to ear, bowing like a modern Mozart.

Yes, all day Sunday I kept thinking “How sad that it had to rain duing Prince’s half-time show.” I needn’t have worried. It only added to the greatness.

As hardcore fans, we're quite spoiled. We all know how brilliant Prince is, and what an amazing live performer he is, so we tend to be incredibly picky when he takes the stage. Sure, I've seen him do better performances than this one, but that isn't the point. Prince was playing to a huge audience, the majority of which aren't fans, so his set-list had to include some of the big hits to keep those people interested. Still, his medley of "All Along The Watchtower" and "Best Of You" was a surprise to non-fans, and got everyone talking. It was a daring move that could have fallen flat, but paid off in the end. The local alternative station's morning show was raving about P this morning, and the general consensus was that the "Best Of You" cover was incredible.

I've had several people at work come up to me and give "my boy" props, and talk about how they now see why I'm such a huge fan. Prince's halftime show is, overall, being praised as one of the best ever, so he obviously knew what he was doing. Sure, we would have all loved to hear him do some obscure b-side or something, but that wasn't the right move for a performance like this. WE may know better, but we also have had all these years to soak up the man's music. The average joes (especially some of the younger folks) were being exposed to Prince live for the first time, and he chose a great set to do that with.

Okay guys. I just came back from volunteering with the stage crew and it was one of the greatest experience I've ever had.

The volunteers that came together to pull this off was so cool. Everyone worked as a team and had such high spirits. Ofcourse, to myself, I had uncertainty as I watched the rain come down and down, but the minute we got the go ahead, everything went off without a hitch and folks were cheering us going back in and coming from the field. It was such a great feeling watching my musical icon take the stage and knock it out in the rain.

I'm dying to see the video of the actual show because the view from the field next to the stage, you can't see the overall view but ofcourse we can see Prince pretty close.

I'm sooo glad I did this. It was an awesome experience, even as i drove home soaking wet from the rain.

Once again, I am sooooo proud of my musical hero. I had like a dozen voicemail and text messages from family and friends saying how Prince tore it up on stage.

Thanks for rocking the world at half-time Prince. Thanks for showing folks around the globe how its really done. I'm on such a purple high right now. I LOVE YOU PRINCE!!!!!

Okay guys. I just came back from volunteering with the stage crew and it was one of the greatest experience I've ever had.

The volunteers that came together to pull this off was so cool. Everyone worked as a team and had such high spirits. Ofcourse, to myself, I had uncertainty as I watched the rain come down and down, but the minute we got the go ahead, everything went off without a hitch and folks were cheering us going back in and coming from the field. It was such a great feeling watching my musical icon take the stage and knock it out in the rain.

I'm dying to see the video of the actual show because the view from the field next to the stage, you can't see the overall view but ofcourse we can see Prince pretty close.

I'm sooo glad I did this. It was an awesome experience, even as i drove home soaking wet from the rain.

Once again, I am sooooo proud of my musical hero. I had like a dozen voicemail and text messages from family and friends saying how Prince tore it up on stage.

Thanks for rocking the world at half-time Prince. Thanks for showing folks around the globe how its really done. I'm on such a purple high right now. I LOVE YOU PRINCE!!!!!

As hardcore fans, we're quite spoiled.

Yes, all day Sunday I kept thinking “How sad that it had to rain duing Prince’s half-time show.” I needn’t have worried. It only added to the greatness.

Haha! It seems like people are ALWAYS looking for a scandal.


Newest Super Bowl "Scandal": Prince's 'Phallic' Solo
By Staff
Feb 5, 2007

This year's Super Bowl was supposed to be devoid of anything resembling crude. There was no Timberlake-ish exposing of anyone's nipple this year.
It was clean as a whistle without any overt sexual overtones. Except for an unsubtle allusion to what Prince usually hides behind his guitar (for the complete effect, check out this YouTube clip.)


That event now has some network execs wondering if they've been had this morning.

During his electric half-time set, the purple pop icon performed in hormone raged convulsions. During Purple Rain, he ducked behind a screen and started playing what looked like, as Us eludes, 'Lil Prince.

Ok, everyone knew it was a guitar. But backlit against that shimmering bed sheet, with Prince's wrist twisting in a feverish frenzy, it sure could have been mistaken for his 'Little Red Corvette.'



http://www.postchronicle....2545.shtml

that sheet/shadow pic is my new desktop wallpaper...it's one of the coolest prince pics i believe i've ever seen.

Yay, now I get to hear a bunch of newbies say that they have been fans all along. I also love when they only know songs from Purple Rain. Say any other songs and you get a funny look, like you are trying to make things up.

Haha! It seems like people are ALWAYS looking for a scandal.


Newest Super Bowl "Scandal": Prince's 'Phallic' Solo
By Staff
Feb 5, 2007

This year's Super Bowl was supposed to be devoid of anything resembling crude. There was no Timberlake-ish exposing of anyone's nipple this year.
It was clean as a whistle without any overt sexual overtones. Except for an unsubtle allusion to what Prince usually hides behind his guitar (for the complete effect, check out this YouTube clip.)


That event now has some network execs wondering if they've been had this morning.

During his electric half-time set, the purple pop icon performed in hormone raged convulsions. During Purple Rain, he ducked behind a screen and started playing what looked like, as Us eludes, 'Lil Prince.

Ok, everyone knew it was a guitar. But backlit against that shimmering bed sheet, with Prince's wrist twisting in a feverish frenzy, it sure could have been mistaken for his 'Little Red Corvette.'



http://www.postchronicle....2545.shtml

All Along the Watchtower--Tribute to Jimi, or religious obligation?

NDRU said:

It's Dylan's song

LOOK:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Princ...dZViewItem

abierman said:

but from the intro, it was clear he was doing Jimi's version

LOOK:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Princ...dZViewItem

abierman said:

you know it's his because it's drenched in Get Wild cologne

Everyone in Princeland knows it's not a "hankerchief." It's a "doo rag!"

xpsiter said:

Nickelback? WTF? I just died laughing and choking on my own vomit. And if I see another one of those damn homophobic remarks, I will hunt mofos down and kick some ass.