Prince was a great live performer even during the Dirty Mind era, I mean, all the moves with the mic, splitts, and dancing were perfected even at that time.
Ive watched some shows of the Dirty Mind Tour and Prince was superstar waiting to happen in 1981.

I didn't know about this until i was grown. I was kind of shock that it happened. i wouldn't have booed him. I mean, he was wearing drawers on stage for pete's sake.

Onekeen, I understand where u are coming from and I dig the sentiment. I appluad u for standing up for something like this. Many folks run away from topics regarding race. BUT at the same time, u don't have to justify folks being racist and u certainly don't have to justify Prince's abilities and talents to people who are racist minded. Of course Prince was a good performer during Controversy and before. Truth be told, Prince was the most talented cat to step foot on that stage that entire evening. For someone to suggest anything else is covering up what and why it all went down.

blackguitaristz said:

Or I should state Onekeen, u don't have to justify ANYTHING to racists.

blackguitaristz said:

Thank You very much for the compliment. I have been a huge fan for a very long time now and I am not bias when it comes to his music.

or homophobia.


Let's face it, most rolling stones fans think he's gay even now.

i've always accepted it as common knowledge and find it funny when people try to explain it away as a restless crowd waiting for the headliner. Bowie loved him at that time as much as Mick and i'll bet Bowies crowd would not have done that to him. But, Just like rappers cant be responsible for every thug that comes to their gigs ( trust me, i managed a rap group that opened for comptons most wanted) the stones cant babysit their crowd. The stones had a fringe hell angels following on the westcoast at that time, the same angels who killed a black man at a stones gig in 1969.I cant imagine prince nor his management having the historical insight to pass on the gig or it least wait until the tour went back east.
[Edited 4/2/08 9:49am]

I don't believe you can justify it being limited to just racism.
There was likely prejudice of many other kinds too.
Y'all have heard of "Shortassobia", right?

dreamshaman32 said:

Good points that u made. First off, it was Mick who was a fan of Prince's. He made it his business to go see P while he was in New York on the Dirty Mind tour. Mick was the one who made that happen. Getting Prince on the bill. P was to also open up OTHER dates on this Stones tour as well. It was more than just this one L.A. show. Keith, on the other hand, who has been known to have made "racist" comments in the past. (His favorite being refering to blacks as "coloured". In the 70's and 80's, NOBODY used that term without knowing it was improper. And if they STILL chose to use it, then it was a knowingly choice. That's one reason Chuck Berry, ironically Keith's hero, chewed Keith's ass out once because Keith had a bad way with words and the way he refered to blacks). Keith wasn't a fan of Prince's then and probably still isn't. Keith, who admired Hendrix as a musician, also had a problem with Jimi. Probably because he knew Jimi was sleeping with his woman, Linda Keith, and she was the one who actually helped Jimi get discovered by Chas Chandler, who took Hendrix to England. I don't doubt that Keith didn't see something in Prince that didn't flare up the same shit that bothered him about Hendrix. Keith's most famous line regarding this booing incident was some shit like "Well, Prince thought he was a King already...". Anyway, I don't doubt that many of the Stones fans went on to become Prince fans during Purple Rain. And as far as Meridith Hunter, the black kid who got stabbed to death at Altamont during a Stones concert, I think P and his management thought because it was 1981, enough things had changed. But Dez, could have begged to differ. Because Dez had waaay more experience in gigging and he traveled, playing in bars, fronting his own bands. BEFORE hooking up with P. He had seen this type of shit before.

Anji said:

Yes, I have. And it was DEFINATELY prejudice of other kinds involved. Although there is a difference between prejudice and racism, the two usually do find themselves on the same road.

I'm sure its nothing to do with the fact that rock fans would not take to some guy prancing around in underwear, high heels and stockings, delivering non rock, whilst telling them he wants them to "be their lover..."

Nope...has to be racism...again...

I personally wouldn't downplay the fact that there were RACIST MUTHAFUCKAS in that crowd.

admittedly, it was prolly the most wrong gig for him. Most music fans wouldn't be used to any hairy short guy walking out in briefs singing a song like 'Sister'.
Even today it would be a bit of a shock.

Anji said:

There are at every concert. I'm downplaying nothing, but to go the other way and suggest their is a large racist element at a Rolling Stones concert, with no evidence to back it up is naive at best.

Milty said:

Exactly. His management were tying to expose him to a white rock audience but picked the wrong place to start. A Stones crowd in 81 is more likely to want nostalgic rock than a genre fusion in a thong.

SquirrelMeat said:

U go ahead with that proccess of thinking. It just shows how uninformed u are about previous rock performers. If Iggy Pop or Johnny Thunders of the New York Dolls, both of who P was emulating at that time, went out on that stage, they would have NOT been booed. Iggy could have EASILY went out in his drawers, like he had so many times before, and nothing would have happened. Why? Because Iggy is a white performer. He's granted that PASS to be as outrageous as he wants to be. Prince, being a black performer, doing the same shit as Iggy had done, was NOT accepted. Like I stated, not only was P biting off of Iggy and Johnny Thunders but he was also borrowing from Mick Jagger. P's prancing and pointing at that time was straight Mick. Mick wore more eyeshadow and lip gloss than P has ever worn. But the underwear thing was Iggy's and it was accepted by white fans. Some whites feels that blacks should "stay in their place." And that was a major problem that they had with Prince. Then and NOW. I don't doubt that u have some orgers on this very site that has this problem with Prince. Don't be led astray because they visit a black man's site that they in truth, don't have a problem with him.

SquirrelMeat said:

NOBODY has posted that everybody at a Stones concert is racist. It's well documented that many folks in the audience didn't participate in the booing. But because over 100,000 people were in attendence, it is still going to be noticed. Dez and Prince both have stated that it was a select few up front that got it going. And then others joined in, basically for fun. That's already known.

cue the music: You're My Love by Kenny Rogers
(written by Joey Coco)

Anji said:

Haha! I can certainly dig it....

blackguitaristz said:

I don't disagree with some of the point you make, but its a leap to assume that the reason Prince was booed off at a stones concert was because he was black. Especially considering the type of music he was delivering and what he was wearing.

Couple that with the fact that Black rock has supported The Stones successfully many times in the form of Living Colour. They were never booed off. In fact, their sales soared.

Why? The music and image was more in keeping with what the audience wanted. If Vernon of Living Colour had worn stockings and sung Jack U Off I think things would have been different. But not because of the colour of his skin.

What if Prince played to a Metallica audience? the same thing would happen...for me its more about musical tastes and the expectation of the crowd who are pumped up to see their band, so anyone outside of their box surely are open for ridicule.

SquirrelMeat said:

Man, please....I'm hip to all of that. I was at that concert with Living Colour, Guns N' Roses and the Stones. I've met Vernon by me and my band being members of the Black Rock Coalition. But you're talking about years later when Living Colour performed than when P did in 81. Things have a way of "appearing" to be accepted more now than then. And some racist shit jumped off at this concert with GnR and Living Colour cuz Vernon called out Axel's racist ass by ussing the word nigger while all the while, Slash is for all intents and purposes, black. Just like Lenny Kravitz is. I understand your points Squirrel, but I'm not going to EVER sugar coat some racist shit. If it is, then it IS. I'm not about going around and around with somebody cuz I don't give a shit about trying to change somebody's mind. U think what u think, fine. Whatever,...I'm sure you're not hardly alone. But I AM and will always speak out on racists and will gladly call out some racist bullshit if I detect it. Otherwise, I can give a shit about a cat's opinion. I'm just not about someone trying to be racist on the "sly".

SquirrelMeat said:

Man, please....I'm hip to all of that. I was at that concert with Living Colour, Guns N' Roses and the Stones. I've met Vernon by me and my band being members of the Black Rock Coalition. But you're talking about years later when Living Colour performed than when P did in 81. Things have a way of "appearing" to be accepted more now than then. And some racist shit jumped off at this concert with GnR and Living Colour cuz Vernon called out Axel's racist ass by ussing the word nigger while all the while, Slash is for all intents and purposes, black. Just like Lenny Kravitz is. I understand your points Squirrel, but I'm not going to EVER sugar coat some racist shit. If it is, then it IS. I'm not about going around and around with somebody cuz I don't give a shit about trying to change somebody's mind. U think what u think, fine. Whatever,...I'm sure you're not hardly alone. But I AM and will always speak out on racists and will gladly call out some racist bullshit if I detect it. Otherwise, I can give a shit about a cat's opinion. I'm just not about someone trying to be racist on the "sly".

Ooops, sorry for the double post.

blackguitaristz said:

But you are coming from the angle that you are already correct, and that anyone who thinks differently either doesn't understand, is is afraid to call out racism, or is in fact racist.

When I pointed out a perfectly good example of Stones fans accepting a black support act, you dismissed it because times had changed. Yet in your previous post, you said Prince wouldn't be acepted then or now, suggesting nothing has changed over time. You can't have it both ways.

Call out whatever you want, but its only your opinion. The fact is, none of us know if there was a racist overtone at that show and you have not produced a single bit of evidence to prove there was.

I think to dismiss any other point of view, particularly in light of no evidence to support your theory is reckless and irresponsible.

SquirrelMeat said:

I didn't "dimiss" it because times had changed. I only stated the obvious...times had changed. P wasn't excepted for doing what he was doing because he was black. I see u didn't address anything about the fact that Iggy, who has dressed the same way, WOULD have been accepted. THAT was the point, among other things, that I was making. And one that u conviently chose to overlook....Again, this is my belief. I expect u to think what u think. I'm the one who stated that it was Mick who WANTED P to open. Hell, it was Mick who wanted Stevie Wonder to open for the Stones in the past. So your "perfect" example of Living Colour opening means nothing with how Prince was accepted in 81.

I sure have noticed a lot of new accounts lately.

why do you think it was a racist incident?

what reason have you to believe that, other than that prince was black, and the audience was probably predominantly white?

have you some real reason to believe that the concert was racially charged?

you do seem to sounds a bit like you've got a big chip on your shoulder....

Rolling Stones crowds are notorious for booing opening acts. Didn't they boo Justin Timberlake in Canada and there was the "I'm a bitch, I'm a lover" singer (forgot her name).

Dylan said you ain't anybody if you haven't been booed off the stage. Prince should wear it as a badge of honour.

I always thought it was cool that Jagger had the foresight to put him on, I mean he'd only had one minor hit at the time.

Not racism at all ... People were not ready for his Dirty Mind album or that style of music or its delivery black or white. I remember I had the poster from that album and I caught so much shit for it. Society in general was not digging it ....

It was the times ....Eventually he came out with Controversy and became a bit more mainstream ...but not that much ... 1999 broke him thru ..