I know it was 21 years ago, but can you still remember how amazing it was? If it wasn't amazing then there must be something wrong with you. I've never seen it but I've seen a couple of concerts on video, and to this day they still kick my ass!!

Prince has always commanded my attention, but this particular tour was one of the few times where he was just abso-freakin-lutely phenomonal! The music was funky, the band never sounded tighter or more creative, and it was the biggest tribute to James Brown anyone could've paid. Seriously, I'm sure JB was in awe of his little purple disciple.

I remember my mother telling me that when she saw this concert she said "we partied that night". I'm sure she had a wonderful time.

Man, I was too young, but I really wish I could've seen him then. I knew that would've been a life-changing experience.

I guess we'll just hold on to the videos to reminisce.

NWF said:

The parade concert will kick the ass of any show today live! back in the day my brother used used to play this concert on video over and over again, i was not a prince fan at the time, and every morning i'd wake up to the blasting sounds of POP LIFE, LIVE DETROIT (THE PARADE,) with my brother dancing in front on the Tv with a knife and a carrot stuck on the end of the knife ( to imitate a microphone) i wanted to rip my hair out i hated prince. Then 1 day after hearing the concert 70 million times i got hooked just like that i was a prince junkie! Ive got the version on DVD now, its still mind blowing! and in my book, the best concert he ever did

That's right! Anyone who says that the Revolution was an inferior band compared to the other bands he's played with are the ones who haven't seen this tour. This was the Revolution at its very peak if you ask me. Funky when it wants to be, jazzy when they wanted to be, rockin' when they wanted to be. They did it all. Their versatility was one of the reasons why the Revolution kicked so much ass!!

NWF said:

The band were tight, no props no gimics, just sheer Funk

I saw the Parade Tour... My first prince gig in the UK!

Here's what I remember...

The ticket cost around £12 I think... there were people outside the venue (Wembley Arena) offering me £150... Of course I didn't take any of these offers up... mainly because I thought Prince would probably never return to the UK after all the "taking the piss stories" from the UK press...

Yep the gig was hot... the band was tight and prince was of course on fire...

Black and white balloons were tied to every seat and I have never had such a great time at a gig.... except for the following 3 years at the Sign O The Times, Lovesexy & Nude gigs...(I have missed every tour since 1990 due to family commitments etc of one kind or another)

Let's hope the Earth Tour is as good as the above... I have a sneaky feeling it will be even better!!!!

See you all at the O2 arena...

I wish! I was only a year old in 1986, so I missed all the fun.

jess555ja said:

ahh bless

jess555ja said:

I had a chance to go and for some unknown reason, I did not go.

That is one of my bigger regrets in my life

NWF said:

to Prince and the Revolution and the Parade Tour

babooshleeky said:

Thanks. I just wish that I had been born earlier so that I could have experienced those great tours of the 80s. It alright though 'cause I could always watch them on dvd . . .

I didn't either.

I was too young to go.

I saw him at the laundromat all the time during that tour, but I never caught any shows.

CJBabyDaddy said:

Yeah right

14th August 1986, 3rd night of a 3 night tour (21 yrs later he still tours and coincidently is doing 21 nights - Wow maybe thats the irony) Anyway....I would agree with everyone...an absolutely fantastic concert, the revolution were tight as....it didn't get better as far as being funky was concerned, yes I've loved every tour I've seen in the uk but there was something 'raw' about this night. Prince didn't play an instrument apart from a few notes on a keyboard early on and the guitar for Purple Rain right at the very end, ( I missed 'one night alone' but have seen the others). I was 15 yrs old, living in North Wales and 4 of us travelled down that morning, 4 Hours by Car, saw him arrive, listened to the sound check outside, god I could go on and on...I think Wembley Arena held 10-12,000 at the time, I consider myself 1 of 35,000 odd VERY lucky people, I too was offered a fortune for my ticket even by touts...and they only cost £10.00.

14th august 1986, wembley arena. incredible.i think it was at these shows that the british music press reailised that behind the tabloid rubbish, here was a talent that only comes along once in a generation, and to their credit for the next few years he was worshipped by the likes of NME and Melody Maker. he got ron wood and sting on stage for "miss you" the rolling stones track, while he did his mick jagger impersination ! (sting and ron looked completely lost onstage!). the revolution were sooo tight as a band.the horn section of eric leeds and atlanta bliss gave it that jazz review feel that is still with him now. prince played guitar only on "head" and "purple rain",beautiful acoustic "sometimes it snows in april" with wendy on guitar, lisa on piano, and prince in chequered full length raincoat with hands in pocket. at one point prince stood atop part of the soundsystem and threw dozens of red roses that were sitting in a giant bucket into the royal box seats. (it emerged years later in a'kiss and tell' interview with a page 3 model called jackie st. clair that she was prince's 'companion' during his stay in london and he was throwing them at her). also noteworthy is that jackie was a girlfriend of simon cowell and remains a friend of his, possibly explaining simon's less than complimentary views on prince?

I did. It was called the Hit & Run tour out here in L.A. I saw him at The Wiltern.

August 14 was also my very first concert!!! It's like a reunion!

I travelled down by coach from Manchester, also standing outside to listen to the soundcheck. I've told the story before of how he played Starfish and Coffee before its release.

BTW he played one other small bit of guitar midway through the concert: Head - Electric Man - humping the microphone and then 'discovering' his guitar on the stage floor, he played a few jazz improvised runs before the fade out.

It was a very special night.


.

21 years ago, I'm lucky I remembered he played the guitar at all....I was 14 lol. I used to have (Whispered quitely) a bootleg of the show, god knows where that got to over the years, probably sold it when a skint 18 yr old! I remember the start blew my mind, and if I remember rightly Mountains really got the place jumping, as did Kiss which he hadn't played the previous night!!! The roof was on fire that night!!

If only we'd all known each other then!

August 18 in Rotterdam Ahoy' ... oh dear still get goosebumps when I listen to that show.

3 times ... august 17 / 18 / 19 Rotterdam

This was my first time seeing him live. I was 17, just graduated HS and me a 3 friends were huge fans since Purple Rain (and I count theses guys as still among my best friends).


I remember it like a dream. I can remember him doing Around the world mostly off stage and I think I remember Sometimes is Snows in April.


This was such a great time. There was so much beauty in his work.

I just wish I would have been alive to go and see the birthday performance of Head.

I was 16 and it was my first ever gig - apart from Lovesexy in '88 it remains the best.

I travelled over from Dublin by ferry to Holyhead and then onto a coach journey to London for what seemed like an eternity. I was only 16!!! My parents let me go to England with my 17 year old cousin when I was 16!! It was the Wednesday night gig. Although we were quite far back I can still remember the whole damn thing, stunning! I am so proud to say I saw prince & the revolution at the Peak of their powers. A wonderful memory.
[Edited 5/18/07 1:16am]

My First concert. Aug 12th 1986, The Hit and Run Tour.

I was in the 13th row, but in the scramble when everyone rushed forward, I ended up right in front of Prince against the camera man boarding. It was wierd because I was so close I could smell him!

Because he had been taking a hammering in the british press, even when Around the World In A Day started, I wasn't convince he would actually be on stage.

Then the courtain opened at "I Think I wanna Dance!" and I though, wow, he's tiny!!!!!

I went all three nights (12th,13th,14th) in the expensive seats (£12.50, as opposed to £10.00). This left me broke for a month as I was only just turned 16.

My highlights:

HEAD!
The best rendition of When Doves Cry yet
17 Days
Paisley Park
Sting coming on stage to join him!

I also was there on August 14th. It was my first concert, not just of Prince, but of anyone. I'd wanted to go to LiveAid but my parents had forbidden it as I was too young (15), but nothing was going to stop me seeing Prince. Before the concert I was scared that it'd be an anticlimax and I'd get disillusioned, everyone knew me as the Prince kid. Man he tore it up. The crowd was electric, every time there was a flutter in the curtain the place erupted. I was up the side and we got twice as close to the stage in the rush when ATWIAD started.

Awesome night, like the pyramids and the Taj Mahal you're blown away when you actually get there. And yes that band was tight, I didn't think he could better it, but the SoT and Lovesexy tours were awesome too!
[Edited 5/18/07 1:48am]