independent and unofficial
Prince fan community
Welcome! Sign up or enter username and password to remember me
Forum jump
Forums > Prince: Music and More > The Sting/Ron Wood incident at Wembley
« Previous topic  Next topic »
  New topic   Printable     (Log in to 'subscribe' to this topic)
Author

Tweet     Share

Message
Thread started 10/10/09 10:07pm

FrankCapraMome
nt

avatar

The Sting/Ron Wood incident at Wembley

Can someone tell me exactly what happened? I haven't seen any footage of it (nor will I ever) but I heard the audio and there seems to be a moment where he says "Just the bass!" and then there's some fine but slightly messy bass playing. Was that Prince putting Sting on the spot? Sorry if this has been covered many times before, I've just never heard of this story and being a big Prince/Police/Stones fan I'm curious.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #1 posted 10/10/09 10:39pm

ernestsewell

Sting and Ron Wood had come on stage to play along. The Revolution did "Miss You". Prince said, "This used to belong to you, but tonight it belongs to me," or something very similar. Prince kept sending up hand signals to the band to do different fills. Sting didn't know them and couldn't follow along. He finally just gave up in frustration. Prince was just in a playful, but very cocky mood.

There are pics of Prince and Ron Wood on stage. I am not aware if footage exists. I wonder if the whole concert does on a boot (audio) somewhere.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #2 posted 10/10/09 10:47pm

FrankCapraMome
nt

avatar

ernestsewell said:

Sting and Ron Wood had come on stage to play along. The Revolution did "Miss You". Prince said, "This used to belong to you, but tonight it belongs to me," or something very similar. Prince kept sending up hand signals to the band to do different fills. Sting didn't know them and couldn't follow along. He finally just gave up in frustration. Prince was just in a playful, but very cocky mood.

There are pics of Prince and Ron Wood on stage. I am not aware if footage exists. I wonder if the whole concert does on a boot (audio) somewhere.


Thanks! Were they both playing bass or was it just Sting? Man he must've been pissed; was around the time he could still be real crabby. The audio I heard sounds awesome, I wish I could see some video footage because it's hard to tell who's playing exactly what parts from just the audio.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #3 posted 10/10/09 11:41pm

ernestsewell

FrankCapraMoment said:

ernestsewell said:

Sting and Ron Wood had come on stage to play along. The Revolution did "Miss You". Prince said, "This used to belong to you, but tonight it belongs to me," or something very similar. Prince kept sending up hand signals to the band to do different fills. Sting didn't know them and couldn't follow along. He finally just gave up in frustration. Prince was just in a playful, but very cocky mood.

There are pics of Prince and Ron Wood on stage. I am not aware if footage exists. I wonder if the whole concert does on a boot (audio) somewhere.


Thanks! Were they both playing bass or was it just Sting? Man he must've been pissed; was around the time he could still be real crabby. The audio I heard sounds awesome, I wish I could see some video footage because it's hard to tell who's playing exactly what parts from just the audio.


Sting and Ron both play guitar and bass. It's Sting's main instrument and it's what he was playing that night. Ron played guitar to my knowledge.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #4 posted 10/11/09 1:04am

langebleu

avatar

moderator

There's no video footage, just the audio of the concert.

Prince was simply singing and dancing during the song and calling out instructions. In common with the rest of the tour, he rarely played guitar (that night some noodling at the end of 'Head' and 'Purple Rain', for example), a smattering of organ early on, but no bass playing, which was all left to Mark, apart from when Sting came on.

As Ernest described, Prince was simply being playful but cocky, and it didn't look from where I was that there was any deliberate intent to make Sting look inept or foolish. It was the last night of the three might run at London Wembley Arena, opening the European tour, Prince could do no wrong (the press reception was unanimously celebratory in the UK) and everyone, - musicians and audience alike - were simply on fire that night.
ALT+PLS+RTN: Pure as a pane of ice. It's a gift.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #5 posted 10/12/09 6:00am

thebanishedone

avatar

there is a video footage
on youtube i seen prince documentary
with more then a minute high quality
snippet of that performance,Sting ,Ron Wood and Prince performing Miss you
in that same documentary there is a
video of Prince playing Just My imagination
but not small club version
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #6 posted 10/12/09 6:18am

alexandernever
mind1999

avatar

that was my first ever P concert, (i bunked off school 2 go !)

i may b wrong, but i think the documentary video footage referred 2 is from the aftershow, and not Wembley. (if it's the one where P is doing his Mick Jagger impersonation)

and yes, it was the awakening of MANY, critics, musicians and fans alike, of just what a freak of nature this guy was.

i have cassette version off all 3 shows, plus a double vinyl album (remember them ?) of the shows..ahhh memories.. (breaks out in2 Streisand vocal...)
[Edited 10/12/09 6:21am]
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #7 posted 10/12/09 6:44am

funkyhead

alexandernevermind1999 said:

that was my first ever P concert, (i bunked off school 2 go !)

i may b wrong, but i think the documentary video footage referred 2 is from the aftershow, and not Wembley. (if it's the one where P is doing his Mick Jagger impersonation)

and yes, it was the awakening of MANY, critics, musicians and fans alike, of just what a freak of nature this guy was.

i have cassette version off all 3 shows, plus a double vinyl album (remember them ?) of the shows..ahhh memories.. (breaks out in2 Streisand vocal...)
[Edited 10/12/09 6:21am]

did you get your cassettes off Camden market!
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #8 posted 10/12/09 7:17am

alexandernever
mind1999

avatar

funkyhead said:

alexandernevermind1999 said:

that was my first ever P concert, (i bunked off school 2 go !)

i may b wrong, but i think the documentary video footage referred 2 is from the aftershow, and not Wembley. (if it's the one where P is doing his Mick Jagger impersonation)

and yes, it was the awakening of MANY, critics, musicians and fans alike, of just what a freak of nature this guy was.

i have cassette version off all 3 shows, plus a double vinyl album (remember them ?) of the shows..ahhh memories.. (breaks out in2 Streisand vocal...)
[Edited 10/12/09 6:21am]

did you get your cassettes off Camden market!


LOL !
no, was a member of the 'Controversy' fan group from back in the day (b4 P & Paisley Park got involved), and we used 2 share around tapes 4 each other 2 listen/tape, so as not 2 get ripped off by the bootleggers ! (SAYING THAT, I STILL BOUGHT THE BLOODY BOOTLEG DOUBLE ALBUM, DIDN'T I !!)
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #9 posted 10/12/09 7:48am

Pentapus

avatar

The footage comes from a BBC documentary from circa 1990/91 (maybe 'Panorama') and is definitely an aftershow gig after one of the Lovesexy Wembley gigs in '88.
Prince has got a black low cut vest on with the 'eye' symbol on it in white. Ron Wood is playing the 'Blue Angel' guitar.
Later on Prince hands out the mic to Mica Paris who is in the crowd, and she sings 'Just my Imagination.'
The rest of the doc is made up of a recap of Prince's life up until the D & P era. There are interviews with journalists who've interviewed him, rehearsal footage from the Lovesexy tour (European legs), and a great interview with Eric Leeds about the recording of the Madhouse 8 album, where Prince kept ringing Eric up at 1am, and 3am, and so on, and saying can you come back to the studio, I've had another idea!
I think (and I could be wrong) that the whole doc is littered with footage from a shelved in-house Paisley Park project which was to show the workings of Paisley Park and how it was used as a business, using the Lovesexy tours as an example.
Why it wasn't released, I don't know.
It is around 50mins long, and ends with more concert rehearsal footage of Prince playing a solo version of 'The Ladder' on a blue piano, which is one of the most moving performances I've ever seen of Prince's.

Hope this is helpful.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #10 posted 10/12/09 8:20am

OnlyNDaUsa

avatar

Wasn't his shirt black with an exposed midirft with the 'eye' cut out and surged in white outline?

If so I have seen some of that too, BUT, it seems to have only been a few seconds of Prince singing "miss you." As far as I recall I do not have that performance on bootleg so I am thinking it was on the "lovesexy" mini-doc.
"Keep on shilling for Big Pharm!"
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #11 posted 10/12/09 8:26am

Llanishenlad

avatar

AUGUST 14TH WEMBLEY STADIUM, THERE'S ONE OR TWO PICS OF THE 2 OF EM ON STAGE....

POSSIBLY MY FAVE VERSION THAT PRINCE HAS DONE OF MISS YOU

THE ROOF! THE ROOF! THE ROOF IS ON FIRE WE DON'T NEED NO WATER LET THE FOTHER MUCKER BURN!!! biggrin lol
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #12 posted 10/12/09 4:41pm

SquirrelMeat

avatar

The pictures people are refering to are from the excellent aftershow at the Camden Palais.

At the Wembley Arena show Prince only played guitar on two songs that night; Purple Rain and a rare early performance on Sometimes it snows in april.

I was in the front row so I got a good sight of Sting and Ron on the left of the stage. they looked like they were enjoying themselves. Sting looked more nervous than anything else. Ron didn't have a care in the world. Prince worked the audience for almost the entire performance, barely registering his guests once he'd introduced them.
.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #13 posted 10/12/09 4:58pm

aarontj

SquirrelMeat said:

The pictures people are refering to are from the excellent aftershow at the Camden Palais.

At the Wembley Arena show Prince only played guitar on two songs that night; Purple Rain and a rare early performance on Sometimes it snows in april.

I was in the front row so I got a good sight of Sting and Ron on the left of the stage. they looked like they were enjoying themselves. Sting looked more nervous than anything else. Ron didn't have a care in the world. Prince worked the audience for almost the entire performance, barely registering his guests once he'd introduced them.



Wow! cool info, thanks.

I think this performance shows that Prince and Sting come from very diferent schools, you know, P type of jamming is more agresive and pretentious, Sting is more passive and calm. I have The Police cover of Rolling Stone magazine were Sting talks about Prince and his sexual revolution.
"I have so much love for Prince. But why don't they look at me that way"- MJ
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #14 posted 10/12/09 5:25pm

ernestsewell

Pentapus said:

The footage comes from a BBC documentary from circa 1990/91 (maybe 'Panorama') and is definitely an aftershow gig after one of the Lovesexy Wembley gigs in '88.
Prince has got a black low cut vest on with the 'eye' symbol on it in white. Ron Wood is playing the 'Blue Angel' guitar.


You're confusing two different gigs. Sting & Ron Wood was in 1986 w/ the Revolution. They did "Miss You". The Lovesexy gig is another whole show.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #15 posted 10/12/09 6:32pm

HonestMan13

avatar

ernestsewell said:

Sting and Ron Wood had come on stage to play along. The Revolution did "Miss You". Prince said, "This used to belong to you, but tonight it belongs to me," or something very similar. Prince kept sending up hand signals to the band to do different fills. Sting didn't know them and couldn't follow along. He finally just gave up in frustration. Prince was just in a playful, but very cocky mood.

There are pics of Prince and Ron Wood on stage. I am not aware if footage exists. I wonder if the whole concert does on a boot (audio) somewhere.


There was a vinyl boot out back in the late 80's. I have it.
When eye go 2 a Prince concert or related event it's all heart up in the house but when eye log onto this site and the miasma of bitchiness is completely overwhelming!
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #16 posted 10/13/09 1:23am

FrankCapraMome
nt

avatar

Hey thanks for the replies everybody! I'm really surprised at how many people were at this concert. I'm still pretty psyched when I meet someone who saw the man in his heyday, much less a pretty notable one like this. That's pretty cool. It must've been a trip to see.

Hope I can find that documentary footage one day. Prince and Sting are probably my two favorite frontmen from the '80s and while I agree that they may differ in style, they're very similar at the core. They're both mad talented multi-instrumentalists with amazing voices and very groove-oriented influences.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #17 posted 10/13/09 4:56am

RodeoSchro

ernestsewell said:

Sting and Ron Wood had come on stage to play along. The Revolution did "Miss You". Prince said, "This used to belong to you, but tonight it belongs to me," or something very similar. Prince kept sending up hand signals to the band to do different fills. Sting didn't know them and couldn't follow along. He finally just gave up in frustration. Prince was just in a playful, but very cocky mood.

There are pics of Prince and Ron Wood on stage. I am not aware if footage exists. I wonder if the whole concert does on a boot (audio) somewhere.


Yeah, I have the whole show on audio.

I would REALLY like to meet the audience member that thought just because they brought a whistle, that made them a member of the band!
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #18 posted 10/13/09 7:49am

Pentapus

avatar

ernestsewell said:

Pentapus said:

The footage comes from a BBC documentary from circa 1990/91 (maybe 'Panorama') and is definitely an aftershow gig after one of the Lovesexy Wembley gigs in '88.
Prince has got a black low cut vest on with the 'eye' symbol on it in white. Ron Wood is playing the 'Blue Angel' guitar.


You're confusing two different gigs. Sting & Ron Wood was in 1986 w/ the Revolution. They did "Miss You". The Lovesexy gig is another whole show.


I thought I couldn't see Sting!
But it was the only footage I'd seen of Prince & Ron Wood together. Oh well, you live and learn!
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #19 posted 10/13/09 10:38am

dothejump

avatar

SquirrelMeat said:

The pictures people are refering to are from the excellent aftershow at the Camden Palais.


There are also 4 or 5 pics from 1986. I have them somewhere but this one I still had on my PC.

Formerly known as Parade @ HQ and formerly proud owner of www.paradetour.com
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #20 posted 10/13/09 9:13pm

langebleu

avatar

moderator

SquirrelMeat said:

The pictures people are refering to are from the excellent aftershow at the Camden Palais.

At the Wembley Arena show Prince only played guitar on two songs that night; Purple Rain and a rare early performance on Sometimes it snows in april.

I was in the front row so I got a good sight of Sting and Ron on the left of the stage. they looked like they were enjoying themselves. Sting looked more nervous than anything else. Ron didn't have a care in the world. Prince worked the audience for almost the entire performance, barely registering his guests once he'd introduced them.

As I recall, he picked up the guitar at the end of Head that evening and played a very small bit of jazz styling?
ALT+PLS+RTN: Pure as a pane of ice. It's a gift.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #21 posted 10/13/09 9:28pm

CJBabyDaddy

avatar

<<<<< Overcome by bootleg catalog envy and fear of exposure of less than encyclopedic level of Prince concert detail knowledge, quietly reads thread and returns to rearranging sock drawer. boxed
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #22 posted 10/14/09 3:27am

purpledoveuk

ernestsewell said:

Sting and Ron Wood had come on stage to play along. The Revolution did "Miss You". Prince said, "This used to belong to you, but tonight it belongs to me," or something very similar. Prince kept sending up hand signals to the band to do different fills. Sting didn't know them and couldn't follow along. He finally just gave up in frustration. Prince was just in a playful, but very cocky mood.

There are pics of Prince and Ron Wood on stage. I am not aware if footage exists. I wonder if the whole concert does on a boot (audio) somewhere.



Footage does exist. It was part of a BBC Omnibus documentary that I used to have on video but lost, it showed him in many playful behind-closed-doors scenarios too:

taking the piss out of his makeup artist by saying in a camille like voice " you're trying to jake me look stupid eh"

sat in an empty auditorium watching rehearsals, stopping everything and saying about Cat " phew, look at those shoes....spotlight on the shoes please"

it was an ace documentary with loads of rehearsal footage and had the Miss You aftershow, just my imagination aftershow with mica Paris and.....Daddy Pop video


Really wish I knew where I could see it again



.
[Edited 10/14/09 3:30am]
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #23 posted 10/14/09 4:47am

alexandernever
mind1999

avatar

purpledoveuk said:

ernestsewell said:

Sting and Ron Wood had come on stage to play along. The Revolution did "Miss You". Prince said, "This used to belong to you, but tonight it belongs to me," or something very similar. Prince kept sending up hand signals to the band to do different fills. Sting didn't know them and couldn't follow along. He finally just gave up in frustration. Prince was just in a playful, but very cocky mood.

There are pics of Prince and Ron Wood on stage. I am not aware if footage exists. I wonder if the whole concert does on a boot (audio) somewhere.



Footage does exist. It was part of a BBC Omnibus documentary that I used to have on video but lost, it showed him in many playful behind-closed-doors scenarios too:

taking the piss out of his makeup artist by saying in a camille like voice " you're trying to jake me look stupid eh"

sat in an empty auditorium watching rehearsals, stopping everything and saying about Cat " phew, look at those shoes....spotlight on the shoes please"

it was an ace documentary with loads of rehearsal footage and had the Miss You aftershow, just my imagination aftershow with mica Paris and.....Daddy Pop video


Really wish I knew where I could see it again



.
[Edited 10/14/09 3:30am]


the omnibus footage was/is from '88/lovesexy tour, aftershow performance, not '86/parade tour, wembley. (P has his hair long or tied back in a pony tail in all the footage, but it was still short in '86) (i was at wembley '86, and was filmed meeting P when he was filming the documentary footage in '88 that he let omnibus use a few years later)

ps the BBC omnibus show is out there in the ether.... wink
[Edited 10/14/09 4:50am]
[Edited 10/14/09 4:56am]
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #24 posted 10/14/09 4:57am

purpledoveuk

alexandernevermind1999 said:

purpledoveuk said:




Footage does exist. It was part of a BBC Omnibus documentary that I used to have on video but lost, it showed him in many playful behind-closed-doors scenarios too:

taking the piss out of his makeup artist by saying in a camille like voice " you're trying to jake me look stupid eh"

sat in an empty auditorium watching rehearsals, stopping everything and saying about Cat " phew, look at those shoes....spotlight on the shoes please"

it was an ace documentary with loads of rehearsal footage and had the Miss You aftershow, just my imagination aftershow with mica Paris and.....Daddy Pop video


Really wish I knew where I could see it again



.
[Edited 10/14/09 3:30am]


the omnibus footage was/is from '88/lovesexy tour, aftershow performance, not '86/parade tour, wembley. (P has his hair tied back in a pony tail in the footage, but it was still short in '86) (i was at wembley '86, and was filmed meeting P when he was filming the documentary footage in '88 that he let omnibus use a few years later)

ps the BBC omnibus show is out there in the ether.... wink
[Edited 10/14/09 4:50am]



I was going to say that I don't remember seeing Sting.

I imagine if somebody were to search the ether they should perhaps start with a website that sounds like it should be about watershoots for female sheep?
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #25 posted 10/14/09 6:52am

mattj

My first Concert ..remember very clearly Ron Wood and Sting on stage... Still got my bootleg that I bought from Camden ..also a Controvesy member...ah the good old days
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #26 posted 10/14/09 7:08am

purpledoveuk

mattj said:

My first Concert ..remember very clearly Ron Wood and Sting on stage... Still got my bootleg that I bought from Camden ..also a Controvesy member...ah the good old days



I know....how novel having a reliable fan club that not only delivered what you paid for but often exeeded expectations.

I remember, even after it had been shut down and replaced by that shitty NPG fanzine(...I recieved just 2 issues of it) Eileen Murton (?)still arranged priority tickets through her contacts...what a gem.

What do we get now? Shell out $70 - $100 and youight or might not get what you signed up for and it may close after just a few months....somebody say RICO smile

the irony is that I got more priority tickets from Controversy AFTER itclosed than I did in all if the NPGMC years



.
[Edited 10/14/09 7:10am]
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #27 posted 10/14/09 7:52am

alexandernever
mind1999

avatar

purpledoveuk said:

mattj said:

My first Concert ..remember very clearly Ron Wood and Sting on stage... Still got my bootleg that I bought from Camden ..also a Controvesy member...ah the good old days



I know....how novel having a reliable fan club that not only delivered what you paid for but often exeeded expectations.

I remember, even after it had been shut down and replaced by that shitty NPG fanzine(...I recieved just 2 issues of it) Eileen Murton (?)still arranged priority tickets through her contacts...what a gem.

What do we get now? Shell out $70 - $100 and youight or might not get what you signed up for and it may close after just a few months....somebody say RICO smile

the irony is that I got more priority tickets from Controversy AFTER itclosed than I did in all if the NPGMC years



.
[Edited 10/14/09 7:10am]


Eileen Murton...what a little wonder she was !!
worship worship worship worship worship
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #28 posted 10/14/09 8:59am

ernestsewell

purpledoveuk said:

Footage does exist. It was part of a BBC Omnibus documentary that I used to have on video but lost, it showed him in many playful behind-closed-doors scenarios too:


That's not the same thing, as I stated before. The Revolution gig with Sting and Ron Wood is only available in audio form. The footage you speak of is from 2 years later during the Lovesexy period.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #29 posted 10/15/09 8:38am

Shyra

CJBabyDaddy said:

<<<<< Overcome by bootleg catalog envy and fear of exposure of less than encyclopedic level of Prince concert detail knowledge, quietly reads thread and returns to rearranging sock drawer. boxed


lol Likewise!
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
  New topic   Printable     (Log in to 'subscribe' to this topic)
« Previous topic  Next topic »
Forums > Prince: Music and More > The Sting/Ron Wood incident at Wembley