So it's been almost 10 years since this concert happened, and was eventually released on DVD, after the PPV. (I still have my bootleg VHS copy too of the actual PPV.)

I recently ripped the DVD to my AppleTV (wonder if Prince will sue me for that). There are some strong points to the DVD. I put "*" next to things I would CUT.

-Let's Go Crazy (could have been a bit longer)
-She's Always In My Hair - great
-U Got The Look - Really good
-Kiss - too long of a weird intro and the audience participation broke the mood
-*The Time - always fun to see them, but it seemed rushed
-*Lenny Kravtiz stuff wasn't too great for me
-Gett Off - Dug this in both styles
-*BREAKDOWN - this portion with the "BREAK DOWN!" and splits was really killing the mood. But it gets moving with
-Alright - always loved this GCS song
-Everyday People - decent, sans Larry's "EVERYDAY" chant
-Higher - Pretty good!
-*Purple rain went on a bit too long and was disjointed. Little tired already (at that point) of his "time is a trick" speeches. Man wasn't supposed to die, you're correct Prince, but sin entered the world, and here we have our copies of Dirty Mind to remember that by. Thank you anyway. THIS is how we count time, so we are not in the 3rd millennium, nor in 1492. I'd leave this in except for the speech. I feel like he forgot some of the words and adlibbed them.
-*The Christ - UGH. Nuff said.
-*Blues Medley - B O R I N G
-Nothing Compares 2 U - I wish he'd sang more of it, but glad it was in there
-Take Me With U/Raspberry Beret - we all know how folks feel about the medley
-*The Greatest Romance Ever Sold - we all know how folks feel about this song
-Baby Knows - Fun
-Baby I'm A Star - a bit too punctuated and accented, but otherwise good
-1999 - he milked it, but it got to be almost a train wreck at times.

The dancers were a real UNnecessary item at times, but other times they worked well w/ a song.

Overall I don't think it's a BAD DVD per se, but it's lacking in some good editing (the slow motion cuts are annoying after the first time). The stage lacked any decent and memorable design, and I still don't know why there was cardboard over the right side stage lifter, but not on the left. A few screens on the wall with video images would have worked quite well. I liked the piano out in the audience. He should have stayed out there and did a short medley of songs like he usually does. Just gather folks around and let them sing along.

And for some reason, Prince messing on the Moog before "Baby I'm A Star" was pretty damn cool. Very trippy. Unlike the bass battle with Larry before "Kiss", which was a bit uninspired and indulgent.

ernestsewell said:

The entire thing is a train wreck. It's a lazy, uninspired, insipid show and only serves to show what a mess he was at that period in his career.
It's shameful that he chose this to be pressed on DVD, yet the majority of tours which do showcase the man as a phenomenal live performer are reduced to the vault, or some crappy VHS with zero chance of a DVD upgrade.

Actually She's Always In My Hair is always a treat live, but I'd rather watch a crappy, shaky, piss-poor audience filmed video recording of it than sit through the Rave DVD ever again in my life.

Awful, just awful. And to think folks paid money to watch that on PPV.

Sorry, call me lunnie, butI like the duet with Lenny and the Purple House number.

As with the first time i watched the DVD, She's Always In My Hair is my favourite part even tho it's quite short.

thebumpsquad said:

Any show released by Prince is a treat like the Bagleys show ( which i was at) cant remember the name of the relaeased version. I only seen it once sober and cant even watch it drunk!!!

oldpurple said:

This show is a case in point that "any show released by Prince is a treat" isn't true.
As is the terrible Cafe De Paris and the mess that is One Nite Alone Live.

Bagley's is on The Sacrifice Of Victor btw - also available to view with Japanese subtitles on the fabulous lotuflow3r.com for the sum of $77, even though you already own it.

thebumpsquad said:

Its been ages since i seen it, and they played around with the order (for the video) and i think they edited. what I remember of teh show apart from being a blinding one was it started so late and I had sore feet as I stood by the fire exit and peeps where treading on my feet!


btw is The Sacrifice Of Victor available on DVD?

The problem with the show is that he filmed most of the songs in segments(I was there for most of them) and the audience was very tired(and hungry) after 30-45 minute intervals between takes for editing.
I would have loved it if he pulled segments out of real concerts and pieced them together. Even if he yelled "Mpls" in one then "Oakland" in another I wouldn't have cared, but the feel of it is staged, because it was.

I'd cut out Lenny Kravitz,The Time,GCS,and those dancerz....it'z perfect then.

XNY said:

I agree. Hell, even if he did something like SOTT again, it would have been loads better than how this turned out. Listening isn't so bad, but the visual sometimes leaves a lot to the imagination.

mzsadii said:

You don't have to be loony to like those. Diff'rent strokes rule the world.

I have trouble watching this dvd, very bad show imo.

I even have 2 versions of it,

both the and Prince version:

Good show, especially for a last minute trip. Being right there w/ that much funk was a trip. Me and some friends looked at it recently and I found myself in the crowd. They were genuinely surprised. They thought I had been lying all these years. Goofballs

The interviews are really cool too.
[Edited 5/22/09 21:10pm]

JonnyApplesauce said:

Tell us where you are, And we're gonna need proof it's you. Like another pic of you outside PP. LOL cool that you went though. You should post some thoughts on it, the process, what happened, etc.

Since I watched the DVD the first time I loved it, I use to watch it ... my fav She´s always in my hair