Anyone go to this tour in 2004. I did and it was amazing. He toured in Cincinnati where I am from. I went with my friend, Beth. Our sears were 2 rows away from the ground floor. His microphone was in the shape of a pistol. He sung live. I can remember he let people up onto the stage and people were dancing. He shared a bit of a dance with a lady. It was so much fun. If you went, share your experiences.

[Edited 5/28/09 9:59am]

Let me start by telling you how improbable it was that I would be in the position to get my ass kicked in the first place. Because of $$$ issues, I was orignally going to go to the movie theater.....then unexpectedly my friend Krystina called with an extra ticket (Krystina I owe you big time!!! )

Unlike the other smaller venues where the first 15 rows were reserved for club members, this was more like a lotto situation. The seating was randomly selected and you really didn't know your seating until you got there. .We get to the will call area and our friends have their tickets and we ask about their seating. "Row 15"....."Row 10"....."Row 7". We thought that at least we knew we'd have pretty good seats. We get the tickets and it was like one of those scenes in a cartoon where the eyes come popping out of the head.....boiiioooiiiooooinggg!
Row 2!. We hit the lotto big time!!!!

Never having seen Prince in a large venue like Staples center (this is only my 4th concert: 1-Jam of The Year, 2-Hit & Run, 3-ONA, 4-Musicology). The energy was intoxicating. I Watched as the empty seats slowly but surely filled to the brim, and laughed to myself that some people couldn't believe Prince could still fill a large venue.

We kinda walked around looking for friends and I did see Byron, Pej, Luv4ThePurple1, Mauve, Ursulasgirl, freaks I know from the Bumpsquad (LA fangroup) and others I've seen out at other events. It was great connecting with these people who have become like family.

Then the show starts.....I won't go into reviewing each track, rather I wanted to just lay my feelings out about the experience. Thanks to Cusgibson for the tracklist

The first part of the show consisted of the following:
Musicology
Let's Go Crazy
I Would Die 4 U
When Doves Cry
Baby I'm A Star
Shhh...
DMSR
A Love Bizarre / I Feel 4 U
Controversy

Having missed Prince in his prime and the concerts that little beast put on back in his heyday I really missed out on so many incredible moments. Let's Go Crazy ANDWhen Doves Cry! And a beautiful rendition of I Feel 4 U in the vein of the original. Never in my life did I ever think I'd get to hear DMSR and Controversy live. Never!!!! And yet there I was dancing my fuckin ass off....."Oooh. Uhhh. Alright. Dance, Music, Sex, Romance"....."People call me Rude, I wish we all were nude, I wish there were no black and white, I wish there were no rules" OK, I was practically fainting in my hysteria. Anyone who knows me personally can just picture my glee. You can picture it can't ya?

There was a costume change right here:
Renato medley / God (piano instrumental)


Prince comes back out:
The Beautiful Ones
Nothing Compares 2 U
Insatiable
Sign 'O' The Times
The Question Of U
The One
Let's Work
U Got The Look
Life 'O' The Party **NEW SONG**
Soul Man (cover of classic by Sam & Dave)
Kiss
Take Me With U

OK, now I think this is an excellent lineup of songs to satisfy the cross-section of fans from the casual fan who only know Prince from his standards "Kiss, When Doves Cry and Little Red Corvette" to the fans who never left him in all the years he went through the symbol stage giving gems like Shhhh and the One. Like many fans, the ? of U holds such a special place in my heart. It was (and still is) a song that just touches way down to the core but it was spoiled for me.

Actually, 3 songs were spoiled for me. Shhhh, The ? of U and Sign O' The Times. And when I say spoiled, I don't mean I didn't like them. I did. However, Prince already popped my cherry with these 3. First cherry poppin was at the LA screening of the Vegas DVD. Upon leaving the screening we were shocked to learN that Prince was playing Bebe Kings right there at Universal City Walk. It was there (in a literal shoebox) that Prince and the NPG launched into Shhhh. I flipped, because this was a song I never thought I'd hear live. As I stood there, tears welling up in my eyes i felt a hand grab mine and I look to see who grabbed it and this girl (Ursulasgirl) , who obviously saw the wild look in my eyes, simply mouthed the words "I know". She had wild eyes too It was a moment beyond compare.

My 2nd cherry was popped at the recent LA press conference. He slammed me once again. He played Sign O' The Times and I was totally excited to hear it but honestly thought he was going to be played out on his old songs so I kinda didn't expect much. Then he just set out and proved that expectation to be completely wrong. He sang and played the guitar with as so much passion. Quite frankly it shocked me. Then he whips out ? of U into The One flawlessly back into the ? of U. Playing each with his whole heart. The fact that I got to hear these 3 gems in such intimate settings really were really just experiences I never thought I'd have.

Several things hit me as I listened to this collection of hits. I realized how much Prince really lost touch with this music and with himself during the Symbol years and into the time period where his name was freshly reclaimed. Like I said, JOTY was my first concert and he played the hits but they were medleys. Same with the Hit & Run Tour. As I watched him play the LA show it was as if I was seeing a resurrected man. One who woke up out of a spell or one who had simply been body snatched and replaced with an imposter years ago and was now unsnatched. Comparing the way he played the "hits" during the Hit & Run tour and how he played them Monday is like comparing the weather on Mercury and Pluto.

Another thing that hit me was the band. Now I haven't been blind to their ferociousness but damn!!! Each of these musicians is wicked on their instrument. This band is so tight and as much as Prince, they really helped to convey the amazingness of these songs.

And the thing that hit me the hardest was seeing/listening/singing/dancing to these songs and having distant memories conjured up as fresh as if they had just happened. Thinking back to the days when I first listened to DMSR. The age of 11, where my normal day consisted of waking up in the mornings and with every fiber of my being agonizing over the fact that I had to go to school where I was bullied and tortured and called names and having to be in the world where there was no respite from the horrors that men and boys took pleasure in creating for me. And in that average day I would come from school to my aunts house and literally lock myself in my cousins closet with her portable tape player and just play the 1999 tape over and over until my mom came to pick us up to go home. No matter the horrors that I faced that day, I had that music, THAT MUSIC!!!. In the years that followed where I became a teen and a young adult it was the music of such amazing albums like Around the World In a Day, Parade, Sign & Lovesexy that always made me happy. Always.

Other memories, like rediscovering the Controversy album as a young adult and connecting with the message in the title song as I set on the road to discover myself and take control of the reigns I never held before. The twin reigns of accepting myself as God created me and controlling my own destiny. I sat there with tears in my eyes watching Prince blaze the place with the glory of his gift and thinking about these memories and how his music has been the soundtrack of my life, always bringing me the best satisfaction one could have. Being fucked by a song and possessed with the power of music.


Then Prince comes out and does an acoustic set.
Forever In My Live
Real playas (???)
Nuthin' After Midnite (???)
Sleep On The Couch*
Little Red Corvette
Sometimes It Snows In April
Seven

In all honesty, I have never been a fan of "7". Never......

Then Prince steps up to the stage, dons a guitar and starts his accoustic set. Hearing "7" done accoustic style just floored me. I never really connected with the message before as the music always distracted me. But last night that accoustic version was inspirational. It was flowing with such truth. And I sang the chorus and cried... I did....

Prince is in the right place in his life. It's obvious. Regardless of the issues I have with organized religion, I felt so comfortable in the way he conveyed his love for God. It was simple and starkly truthful, full of humility and grace. No preaching....he didn't have to. He was able to give God the glory without being obnoxious about it. He really seemed so comfortable and it just felt like he really is on the right path and I'm very happy to see that for him.

the final song was:

Purple Rain

God, it just felt good to see him embracing all the music that made our life so rich. I felt so happy to see the anger of the symbol years completely gone and the passion of the man who God struck with the most amazing gift totally alive for all to experience and share. And when he began crying at the love his fans had for his gift, I just lost it.

This concert was simply an amazing experience and I can't wait for everyone else to have it too.

May 28th (5 years ago today!) - Staples Center, L.A.

purplecam said:

was this the very first concert???! If so, I was there! Wonder if we sat near each other

Besides the show..I saw it three times twice in Houston once in Reno...I remember how much discussion there was on this very site on how big a mistake it was for Prince to do an arena tour in the round without a major hit or album to his recent credit. LOL...proved 'em all wrong all the way to the bank. I thought it would be the beginning of a long run of tours by P but no real touring since.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

It was his 3rd show in L.A. but his 2nd of that week at Staples. The 1st one in L.A. and for the whole tour was on March 29th.

purplecam said:

I was at the first. second row

Went to the first Xcel Energy Center show in St. Paul. Club perks got us the best seats I've ever had at a large venue Prince show. About 3 rows from the stage. Whole Lotta Love was a highlight of that evening.

1 Alicia Keys R'R'HF Speech
2 Musicology
3 Let's Go Crazy
4 I Would Die 4 U
5 When Doves Cry
6 1999
7 Baby I'm A Star
8 Shhh
9 D.M.S.R.
10 A Love Bizarre
11 The Glamorous Life [Sheila E.]
12 I Feel For You
13 Controversy
14 Housequake
15 Renato Neto Piano Solo
16 God
17 Little Red Corvette
18 Cream
19 Telemarketeers Blues
20 12:01
21 Raspberry Beret
22 Sweet Thing [Rufus feat. Chaka Khan]
23 Smoke On The Water
24 Adore
25 Alphabet St.
26 You Can Make It If You Try
27 The Beverly Hillbillies Theme
28 Georgia On My Mind
29 What'd I Say
30 I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
31 7
32 Sign 'O' The Times
33 Whole Lotta Love [Led Zeppelin]
34 Call My Name
35 Let's Work
36 U Got The Look
37 Hotpants
38 Life 'O' The Party
39 Uptown Up
40 Knock On Wood
41 Kiss
42 Take Me With U
43 777-9311
44 Purple Rain


Set-list courtesy: http://www.prince-live.co...index.html

Oh my God, Don't get me started again. It's been 5 years and I still haven't gotten over the Musicology concert. It was indeed one of the most precious moments of my life, when he walked out on that stage and got the biggest applause and standing ovation that I've ever seen. He just stood there looking wonderful with tears in his eyes. Prince couldn't even start singing because the people were showing him so much love. Man oh man, the memories!

[Edited 5/28/09 4:59am]

Went to the first Xcel Energy Center show in St. Paul. Club perks got us the best seats I've ever had at a large venue Prince show. About 3 rows from the stage. Whole Lotta Love was a highlight of that evening.