ONA Live made it to the San Antonio, Texas area today. Mine was left on the doorstep sometime after 3:00pm (the last time I was outside). Around 9:00pm, I stepped outside for a bit of fresh air and stumbled over the package. I didn't have to look down, I just totally knew (hoped!!!) what I had just stumbled on.

I came back in the house, immediately opened it and was TOTALLY blown away. LOVE4ONEANOTHER jumped out all over me when I got it out of the mailing package. I am absolutely impressed w/ what the NPGMC put together here. They totally thought "out of the box" w/ this.

Having this in my hands, everything makes total sense. We got WAY more then just the 3 CD's remaining for this year of the Music Club. Sign me up for Year 3. I'll handle the not knowing what to expect because when Prince delivers, he buries the 3; nothing but net.

I'm listening to Disc 1 as I type this so I won't comment on the music other then to say when I first learned that the ONA tour was going to be released LIVE, I wasn't thrilled about it. I had been fortunate to see the tour a few times and I didn't think a LIVE CD set of the tour would be as enjoyable to me as the remaining 3
CD's promised by the Music Club. It seemed the 3 remaining CD's were going to be fresh new music I hadn't heard before. I was looking forward to that.

Too, the fact that this was not the traditional LIVE type CD where all songs are recorded on one specific night; made me almost want to laugh at Prince for even thinking he could cut and paste songs from different venues and call it a LIVE recording.

HOWEVER, listening to this, hearing the versions of songs played at other venues then the ones I attended has turned out to be TRUELY awesome. Hearing this CD is like hearing the tour for the first time; over and over again. Example; I wasn't in Portland, but I get to hear a bit of what Portland folks heard.

This is a trip how I feel as I listen to this CD. I feel like I'm hearing each song for the first time and at the same time, I feel like I'm right there in these different venues shoulder to shoulder w/ the folks of those venues; all of us together getting off on Prince and The NPG. If I was thinking about laughing before, I certainly haven't the thought now. In fact, I actually feel silly for thinking "inside the box."

This LIVE concept makes me feel I am experiencing the ONA tour w/ ALOT more people then I actually did. And, it's a great feeling cause I know what I felt as I watched and listened at the venues I attended. Its' totally cool to know what I experienced, yet to be hearing someone else's concert, experiencing it for the first time as they did and imagining what they are feeling as they listen to this CD. That's a trip!

Actually, the trip is, normally I'm listening to a Prince CD and it's just me. This time out, it's his CD, me and all the people who saw him perform these songs on the CD I am listening to. Knowing what I experienced at the concert and knowing that I'm listening to what other people had an experience over. I can't help but feel part of their experience ESPECIALLY since I am hearing a lot that was different from the concerts I attended.

Well, I'm can't quite get it out what I am trying to say, so I'll say this, As I listen to this CD, I feel like it's the first time I'm hearing the ONA tour and I feel like you folks are right here in my family room listening to it w/ me and we are having one big party vibing off each other as we all vibe off Prince and The NPG. I feel like we are TOGETHER jammin' instead of individually jammin' to a CD we got in the mail. I had been picking my brain on why Prince would cut and paste songs together and call it LIVE. Well, it worked for me.

So anyway, since this CD enables me to experience other versions of the same song in different venues, I AM hearing something fresh, "new" and exciting. Some songs on this CD he didn't play where I was able to attend... those that he did play, a lot are arranged very differently then how it was when I was in attendance. The Anna Stesia version on this CD is way different then the one I heard in Dallas. I'm clapping my hands right now. LOL!!!

In my opinion, this box set fulfills (sp?) NPGMC's promise of at least 4 CD's for this year. Actually, it's way more then just 3 CD's. It's LOVE4ONEANOTHER in the best way. Prince, Prince, Prince...I tell you that man just trips me out. He is just so boldly, yet humbly out there beyond my wildest imagination. I'm just glad I'm one of ones who can (tries to) relate to the lil' somethin' somethin' he offers the world.

Hearing John, Renato, Rhonda, Maceo, Najee, Candy and Greg do their thing again is TOTAL icing on the cake. I'm always on Princes' tip, but the NPG; they rock too.

Man o' man...thank you Prince and the NPG Thank you God for giving me another day to work at getting my act together AND to hear the latest from Prince and the Band.
Life is GOOD!!!

Peace in the Middle East,
and wishing everyone a safe holiday season!!!