One of my favorites. Shelia E. and her band were the opener with the Glamorous Life material. For the first time Prince added horns to his sound with Eric Leeds and Eddie M. Sheila E. and part of her band, Apollonia 6 and The Time member Jerome Benton and Greg Brooks and Wally Safford joined in on "Baby I'm A Star." The Purple Rain movie and album was huge with lots of guitar heavy material, Prince played both the Hohner guitar and the white cloud guitar during the tour. New psychedelic look with lots of paisley outfits and psychedelic sound as he debuted some Around The World in A Day tracks during the tour, too. Even a purple bathtub on stage. Post pics, please...also, if you attended the tour tell us about it.













[Edited 4/29/09 0:24am]

Gawd I loved his hair style then and I still do now

Some very cool pics. Yeah, I went to 3 shows at The Forum in L.A. and one show at Long Beach Arena. All great shows. The show at Long Beach, he played "America" as an encore. Everybody was like "Damn, what song is this?!" It was more than a concert though. It was an event. Everybody came dressed up as their favorite member or who they could look the most like. It was fun for me because all the girls/women came dressed in lingerie ala Vanity/Apples/Sheila E. I had seen P on the Controversy and 1999 tours so I knew to expect great shows. The opening to Let's Go Crazy, when the house lights went off, out of all the rock concerts that I have been to, the audiences were no where near as loud as the ones at The PR shows. When the lights went off, it was deafening. And then when Prince spoke "Hello Los Angeles...My name is Prince...And I have come to play with u", it was soooo loud that you couldn't hear yourself think. All this was before all this light and smoke came from below the stage. And then u could see P rising up from below the stage. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here..." I can't describe how LOUD the screams were at this point and the show was just starting. People were hyped in the audience to see P on the Controversy and especially the 1999 shows BUT this was on a more frenzied level. People were flipping out, especially the girls.
[Edited 4/28/09 22:39pm]

At two shows at The Forum, right before P started with "Dearly beloved", at the corner of the stage was a Prince mannequin but a bright light flashed across it so fast that u couldn't tell it wasn't really Prince. And in the bedlam of all the screaming, it just looked crazy. People were hollering at that because they thought P was standing there and then a few seconds later, there he was rising from the smoke and light, holding his guitar and doing the intro to Let's Go Crazy. When all the flowers petals fell from the roof when the band fully launched into Let's Go Crazy, between what u saw and heard and the flowers, it was truly something to witness.

.......6 nights in houston! My bud worked at the Summit!


Mo tickets, Mo tickets Mo TICKETS! ! !

...backstage like i was important... saw that guitar and nearly passed the heckout!

He was like.....Take it.....


climbing down the stairs, wavin toward the stage, legs shaking, i'm looking up and down so i dont tumble on the concrete steps... trying to catch his attention in that hot pink coat i bought from north beach leather..HottDERN!!! .....ah memories


i got a long pause but he's like.. what the heck you gonna do if i actually stop and look at you, girl..... ...so i had a moment

and dont you remember doing the OOOOO's from purple rain before you came out on stage???






OMG! ! ! ! ! OMG!!!

blackguitaristz said:

Thank U, Chris.
Memories of a witness are always good to read and listen to.
Prince at his best.

Oh man are you starting something
Sign o the Times, Parade, Lovesexy, Rave & Purple Rain are my favorite eras of Prince looks

The Purple Rain time can truly be summed up as "Possessed"







Possessed

Oh yeah!

Something's the matter baby, I'm going insane
Something inside of me keeps talkin' 2 my brain
Why can't I stop this satanic lust?
I know I shouldn't hold U, but my body says I must

I'm possessed, ooh
And I don't know what 2 do
Ooh, I'm possessed, yes, ooh
I'm stone crazy in love with U

Something's the matter baby, U're all I see
Your voice is all I hear beggin' 2 me
I wish I didn't need U, wish I didn't care
I've got 2 make some love 2 U cuz it much 2 much 2 bare

I'm possessed, yes I am
And I don't know what 2 do
Ooh, I'm possessed, oh
I'm stone crazy in love with U

I'm possessed
Don't know what 2 do
I'm possessed
I'm stone crazy, ooh

Something's the matter baby, my mind's in a daze
I'm trippin' on your love, it's so hard 4 me 2 lay
Can't stop this yearnin', Lord knows I've tried
Free me from dispair, I'm much 2 young 2 die

I'm possessed, ooh
And I don't know what I'm gonna do
I'm possessed, ooh (I'm)
I'm stone crazy in love with U

I'm possessed, ooh (Yes I am)
And I don't know what I'm gonna do
I'm possessed, yeah!
I'm stone crazy in love with U, ooh
Yeah ooh {x3}
Yeah!

Possessed
Stoned up, up in the head, baby
Said I'm possessed, mm mm
All I wanna do is lay U down in my bed
I'm possessed, oh
Yes I am
How's about me not knowin' what 2 do?
I'm possessed
Yes, oh yeah
I'm, I'm stone crazy in love with U, yeah yeah
Pussy sugar... yeah yeah

Possessed
Well, I'm goin' insane
Hey, I'm possessed
I only wanna do things, baby
Only wanna do things growin' inside a negro's brain, yeah
Yeah yeah..oh oh yeah
U're leaving me no choice
I'm gonna hit U with my guitar, baby

Oh yes
Mm, oh yes
Bobby Z, step on it
Step on it
Mm, step on it
Mm, step on it now
Step down on my head now, baby

Yeah, I'm possessed
I'm possessed, baby
Fucked up in my head
I wanna use U in my bed, yeah
I'm possessed
Well, oh
Oh, I got this lust
Baby U know I got this lust, yeah
I don't wanna hold ya {x3}
But my body says I must!
I must, yeah
Oh, oh baby, I must!
Do U mean "yeah"? (Yeah!) ([Give it 2 me])
Baby, if I don't
Cuz baby, if I don't {x2}
U know your pussy puts up quite an awful fuss
Yes it does
Puts up a fuss, yeah
U know what that means
U're gonna get wet
Pussy get wet, mm mm

Something's the matter baby, I'm goin' insane
Something inside of me keeps talkin' 2 my brain
Why can't I stop this satanic lust?
I don't wanna hold U but my body says I must

I'm possessd, yeah!
I'm possessed
Stone in love with U (Stone in love with U, baby)
Stone in love with U, baby
Stone crazy in love with U, baby

Me and the boys, we like 2 jam

Possessed!








[Edited 4/29/09 11:11am]

Wow, after years of suits and ties, a little JOLT of

Guess I'm officially donning my "hater" hat for a second here.

GREAT LORD ALMIGHTY!!

ABSOLUTE AND UTTER HOTNESS!

Just looking at these pictures you can see the trinity of, Visual Plenty, Musical Superiority and Surreal Energy,.

HOT DAMN!!!

OldFriends4Sale said:

Damn, these are great shots of Sheila. She was fine as HELL back then. I remember seeing her when I was at the premire of the film being interviewed by Mark Goodman. I was like "Damn!" Out of everyone in the P camp, she was the one who TOTALLY embodied the "Prince" persona. I mean, she COMPLETELY morphed into Prince. I used to think back in 82-83 that Vanity was the perfect female counterpart for P. Visually and her mannerisms complimented P for what he was doing, image wise. How P was in 82, I still believe that. But when Sheila came on the scene as a solo artist, starting from her video "Glam Life", she was soooo much like Prince, it was scary. She had the same "thing" that P had. As much as Vanity seemed "spiritually connected" to P during 82, she always came across as her own person. As much as I think Vanity got from P, I also think P took a few things from Vanity. In Sheila's case, it was total morph-ism! Sheila, at that stage, reminded me of one of the Family members. (And I'm not refering to the group who sung "Screams of Passion"). Totally committed to Prince, mind, body and soul. She was fiercely protective of Prince. She would have knocked Mark Goodman down and beat his ass to death with Mark's microphone if he didn't be cool! Eddie Murphy would have started laughing and ran the hell out of there. Only Little Richard would have stopped Sheila by popping her upside the head with his Bible that he was trying to give to Prince.
[Edited 4/29/09 11:07am]

Nothinbutjoy said:

I know what U mean, I miss the look
I miss the ruffled shirts and lace
Every once in a while you'll see a picture of him with something sheer or lacey and I just go "Come on Prince just a little more just a little more..."

blackguitaristz said:[quote]

OldFriends4Sale said:

I know what your saying
She was Princess, I do think that's how Prince invisioned her
Vanity was a different side of Prince, and they sure did have complimentary mannerisms and vibe, Morris was another side as well.
2 me the Revolution members really had Prince's vision too, they were his extensions.
Sheila said in an interview that she would study his music/song to learn how to play the music (and any Prince fan should know Prince has a unique style of music, beyond just the Minneapols vibe) It's one thing to play drums to Prince's music but it's another to Play Prince music on the drums, it sounds like the drumming on the album.

Didn't Sheila have as segment in the concert where she would call up a man from the audience and seat him and begin to tease him? Janet Jackson copied that during her Velvet Rope tour during Rope Burn.
[Edited 5/28/09 5:51am]

OldFriends4Sale said:

These pictures look so cool because , even though I have seen them before , Prince playing drums or the Warwick bass guitar during the Purple Rain heyday are still kind of shocking and surprising in a good way.
Of course we all knew back then that he was capable of playing so many instruments but you never really saw him play anything besides his guitars and that electric piano.

KoolEaze said:

Does anyone here know which songs he played that night with the bass and the drums ? These are from an aftershow, right ?

OldFriends4Sale said:

Thing is, it wasn't just the look!!! As I said it was the trinity.

Thank you for this thread!

I was graduating high school in '84 and this was a Purple High year for me. The record, the movie, the concert and all the freaks gettin their leather and lace on. That was such a cool time in my life that I'll never forget. Had so many friends in to this and met some wonderful girls. Dated one that looked like Vanity and married one that looked like Apollonia and still married.

Loved this time.

Apart from the fact that I would have LOVED to have witnessed this era first-hand , I can't tell you how much I'd love to know what it was like to be in the eye ofthe storm during this period. :wosrship: The intensity of it all and how life-changing it was - not just for P, but for everyone concerned. Can you imagine being in The Revolution and watching it all unfurl??

Lisa's recent comment really, really intrigues me:

"We became a number one selling band. We won Grammys, People's Choice Awards, and even an OSCAR. We stood on the shoulders of giants, AND our own experiences. It was an indescribable feeling."

SANSKER7 said:

People today have their trends and looks

But I think the 80's generations were the last to be able to dress outrageous or like their favorite singer/musician and it be understood. Especially since most of the artist had looks and styles that stood out. Girls were dressing like Madonna, fans dressed like Michael Jackson and I knew a lot of people especially High School and up who had their Prince look. I even knew twins who sang in their church choir with ruffled shirts of course they had curls too

onenitealone said:

the way the music industry is now, with so many bands/singers/dancer-entertainers many who are wanna be's or copy cats, it's hard for even great entertainers like Michael Janet Madonna Prince or rock bands to really move the pop culture like they did in the 70's and 80's

People have become really critical of anything that comes out music or movies

Prince did Purple Rain at the right time.
I still remember it like yesterday, the energy was electric
His music was everywhere, and Bside music was hot and received just as much air play as the albums 17 Days Erotic City Another Lonely Christmas
I still remember going to the magazine isles and going thru as many as I could to for Prince pictures. I didn't get to the Purple Rain concerts but as soon as it came out of video I had it. A buddy of mine throws it in my face that he was at the Syracuse show that was filmed.

I loved the clothing the Prince the Revolution, Sheila E Apollonia/Vanit 6 wore
Like he said in his recent Tavis interview, he had to create his own world

Erotic City Come Alive

Oh well.....yes I was there and it was really something else. I will just mention a few things. First of all that was back in the day when he was just all over the stage ....., up and down the poles and the risers, he was just so athletic and so hyper! I was much younger of course and he was making me tired still.

I was over at the side of the stage on the front row, and he was very close. I kept calling to him and he came over to me and stuck his tongue thru his fingers at me and wiggled it at me. That was so cool and so funny at the same time.

The good old days!

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

Do you know what I mean about the trinity? (See my first post on this thread)

KoolEaze said:

prince didn't start doing aftershows until the parade tour hit europe in 1986

Nothinbutjoy said:

Oh yes indeed I do! And I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiment because I was witness to it. I lived it. I breathed it. Just by looking at these pictures...I can still feel it! There are those that for whatever their reasons don't want us to remember it...but I for one...shall NEVER forget it!

Gotta love that "world tour" ad. lol