Does any other artist have their live setlists put under such scrutiny as Prince does??

I realise he's not like other artists and has a much more extensive back catalogue than most, but to pick his shows apart while he's still on stage performing it.....I think it's a bit much.

At the moment, Mutiny is relaying the setlist back to us in the Concert section. I live that to be honest because I like to see what he's playing, but one comment annoyed me.

"The setlists are becoming predictable" someone said.

Now, 1st August was my first ever Prince show. I'm 30 and have been a fan for 20 years. I thought the set was amazing, even though he didn;t play some of my favourite songs. With such an extensive catalogue, he can't play them all, so I get over it.

I, personally, wasn't as keen on the 3rd August setlist, but I wasn't there, so can't really judge it.

I'm going on Tuesday 7th and all I hope is that he starts with Purple Rain again. Other than that, I'll take whatever he gives us and have a bloody great time.

Lets enjoy the time he's here in the UK rather that scrutinise every move he makes on stage. Lets be thankfull we're not watching Bon Jove or some such crap band for 21 nights.

Cheers

Does any other artist have their live setlists put under such scrutiny as Prince does??

I realise he's not like other artists and has a much more extensive back catalogue than most, but to pick his shows apart while he's still on stage performing it.....I think it's a bit much.

At the moment, Mutiny is relaying the setlist back to us in the Concert section. I live that to be honest because I like to see what he's playing, but one comment annoyed me.

"The setlists are becoming predictable" someone said.

Now, 1st August was my first ever Prince show. I'm 30 and have been a fan for 20 years. I thought the set was amazing, even though he didn;t play some of my favourite songs. With such an extensive catalogue, he can't play them all, so I get over it.

I, personally, wasn't as keen on the 3rd August setlist, but I wasn't there, so can't really judge it.

I'm going on Tuesday 7th and all I hope is that he starts with Purple Rain again. Other than that, I'll take whatever he gives us and have a bloody great time.

Lets enjoy the time he's here in the UK rather that scrutinise every move he makes on stage. Lets be thankfull we're not watching Bon Jove or some such crap band for 21 nights.

Cheers

These setlists are totally different from Vegas...

You say a lot of really good things here.

But remember, what Prince -- or any longterm extremely successful artist has to deal with -- is everybody.

He always has thousands of first timers. He also has thousands that have seen him before. And he has at least hundreds of people who have seen him almost endlessly.

How the hell do you please that kind of diversity?

You really can't, which would be at least part of the reason why you have after shows.

And I'm still one of those fools that hope that someday he'll tour an album again (including a huge dose of hits for the majority).

I know this takes a great deal of courage in a large setting, but I thought he was brave like that.

I normally couldn't care less, but for once I'm enamored beyond all reason with his latest; perhaps even more so than he is.

Prince has admitted that he doesn't listen to his own music, so sometimes the only way to hear something for what it is (outside of course of the album's creation) is to produce it and play it live; over and over, just like some of these hits that he'll never retire.

So some are frustrated that this so far seems more of a "3121" or "Purple Rain" tour than anything else. First timers wouldn't and shouldn't possibly care about such trivialities. They're finally seeing him and that's all that should really matter!! He can't help but play something new for these people.

Now Prince could make the tremendous argument that Londoners didn't hear "3121", and so he's just reciprocating.

But he hasn't hopped the pond previously with a lot of his albums.

And ignoring an album that you just gave away to nearly 3 million people, doesn't trick time, it just looks really weak. I don't think everyone has thrown it away with the paper yet, especially those who bother to buy tickets to a Prince concert.

Anyway, he may never tour another record again (no matter how awesome I might believe it is). That may be his new standard, at least until he tours smaller venues again.

And, who knows, if "3121" is any indication, maybe Prince won't will be promoting his new one for months or even years.

The guy is wonderfully talented, but I would think it quite hard to speak any view to him outside his own.

His own site is promising that 6 out of the 10 new tracks are being rehearsed, so things will likely change. And maybe they put that up there both as fact and because they knew most would be surprised to see him partially turning this into a "3121" tour.

And, then again, perhaps it's just me spitting in the wind.

I thought he produced brilliance with "Fury" on SNL (so apparently did thousands of others who couldn't care less about Prince), yet that isn't one of the tracks that he plays much live.

This man is either a Contrarian and/or he listens to almost no one.

I know that I'm crazy, but I'm not that crazy.

== Screw my Editor's parents ==
[Edited 8/4/07 18:55pm]

The thing is, most other acts don't make a point of saying they can play 150 songs, but never venture beyond the safe 35.