25 years ago...
I was 13 then and the phenomenon Prince was alive and kicking in the Dutch charts. I was caught by this music, when Purple Rain (album and movie) came out so the addiction was started there.

I remember very clearly, a German TV station would broadcast the Syracuse concert live (or with delay, I can't remember). It would be around 1 o'clock in the night on TV so we'd programmed the VHS recorder. Bummer, the next day when we watched it, it was not complete. The show probably started later or whatever reason, but for years My First Prince Concert I Saw existed of: Sheila E with The Bell Of St Marc, then a German tv host announcing "Prince und The Revolusion" from Let's go crazy until the repeating snare drum of Baby I'm A Star. I never heard the end of that song. Moreover, I never heard the finaling Purple Rain. Until several years later, when the commercial VHS surfaced in The Free Recordshop (nothing free at all), but I got my copy the day it came out.

Man! What a killer finale was that Purple Rain. The whole show was energising, inspiring, kick ass show and as I concluded later in the nineties, this was by far one of the best and longest 1984-1985 Purple Rain shows. Boy he knew that he was on air throughout the world!

HOW DO YOU REMEMBER THIS SHOW? Please tell.

I was 19 and I had just moved to my own small appartment and watched this on my small black & white tv set, in the middle of the night / early in the morning direct broadcast from Syracuse, New York.

Other artists that night was Paul Young among others, can't remember who exactly, only Prince was in my interest.

I was playing this loud with headphones on. And I was completely amazed and excited.

I watched it the other day, it's still a brilliant show. I love it.

I remember being 5 years old and finding this VHS at the video store for rent. I remember loving Prince's vocals,guitar playing,crazy faces,and the performances of Possessed,Irresistable bitch,and When Doves Cry. I remember finding the vhs for sale at the mall and ofcourse i got it. Now,i have no idea where its at.

That was the same day my mom and I got evicted from our house and had to move in with my grandparents. Never got to see it live (grandparents didn't have cable anyway) but rented it and bought it a few years later. Wathced it a few weeks ago and still love it.

I wish for an official DVD from Warner Video.

i was 15...and all

it was broadcast live to Australia, no split screen when doves cry like they did in the video release

and i taped over my tv copy

i watched, enthralled...danced around the living room a bit

Loved it

cryndove said:

I saw the Purple Rain tour on April 1, 1985 and remember walking into a local record store a couple months later and finding this video sitting on the shelf. I was ecstatic! I must have watched it a million times over that summer. Anyone know the actual release date? Wikipedia says March 6, 1985 and that's obviously not correct. I love this show, although I wish there would have been some more rarities that were performed on the tour, i.e opening with Controversy with the curtain still up, Raspberry Beret, Condition of the Heart, America, A Case of U, When U Were Mine, Free, 4 The Tears In Your Eyes, Dirty Mind, When U Were Mine, Head, Brenda singing Blue Limousine. I have found them all on audio, but video would be cool.

prb said:

The split screen of When Doves Cry really pissed me off! Also when he starts singing Purple Rain and the sound gets fucked up.

85 was a bit before my time. So this concert was broadcasted on cable? wat channel? and was it free or pay per view?

i was still newish to Princey, of course id done PR...movie, singles, album...and just purchased 1999....

so when i heard possessed/irresitable bitch

i think im in love

motherfunka said:

it was a concert vid FFS!!!! dont put in effects that werent there in the first place

okay, rant over

motherfunka said:

The Vault just says December of 1985.

It was meant to be broadcast to other countries as he says "hello Syracuse and the world, My name is prince and I've come to play with you'

OnlyNDaUsa said:

oh yeah and i went all

dance4me3121 said:

It was not broadcast in the US, but I believe it was elsewhere. I don't even think pay per view existed back then.

CuddlyBear said:

Thanks, but that isn't correct either.

motherfunka said:

You sure?

CuddlyBear said:

Positive. It was sometime early summer 1985.

motherfunka said:

That's What I thought too. I remember reading somewhere that it was in June or July.

CuddlyBear said:

Found this ad for a promo pin on ebay for the release (the item was sold, but no pic).

This is a Prince and the Revolution PROMO pin from P.R.N. Productions marked "Not For Sale" on side. Used to promote the release of thie "Live" video on July 29, 1985.

I was at the show. I think the date was March 30, 1985. We knew it was going to be broadcast live via satellite to Germany on "Rockpalast". The show was not sold out, believe it or not, but it was packed. I was so happy to have the video later on because it helped me re-live the concert and catch a lot of details that I didn't notice live. That night, I do remember seeing the little kid that danced up on stage near the end of the show, and Sheila E's set with her lighted drumsticks. Overall, it was a great show and incredible to also have on VHS.

I remember seeing the ad for its release on VHS in the Calander section of the times and was shoked at the band photo. I was unaware of the show being released. We were at the drive in to see Rambo First Blood Pt 2 (not my choice it was a group of folks). I and my nerdy self was reading the Calendar before it got dark lol.

Prince should not have worn see thru lac epants. Thats just plain fuckin' nasty.

I was about 16 and right in the depths of my Prince madness. I initially had a radio recording of this, from Radio 2 in the UK. It was amazing even just to listen to, and then I saved up and paid £24.95 for the double VHS box set which I'm looking over at right now as it rests in my bookcase. The video box was a thing of absolute beauty in my eyes...hang on, let me go and pick it up. Ah yes, just beautiful, the purple tones all over the box, the great picture of the Revolution, the image of Wendy with her head flipped back playing her Rickenbacker. I watched this SOOOO many times it caused major meltodwns at home as my mum was being driven crazy by it after a while, I still think it is an absolutely fabulous performance, raw and energetc, arrogant, all the stuff Prince was at the time. We're really lucky it was ever released when you consider how few Prince live performances are released. This tape lived with me at boarding school and has never been far from my side though I very rarely watch it these days. It needs a proper DVD/PurpleRay release!!! and without the When Doves Cry mirror image camera trickery (the only downside! Well that and some of it is just a tad too dark). The performance of Purple Rain is stellar.

machinegun said:

True!

Thank you for all experiences.

March 30? I heard that before... don't really care if it's 30 or 31 March. Killer show.

Great show, indeed

I remember well that the imported copy of this VHS was on the shelf at the local record store in late summer of 1985 here in Japan. I wanted it so badly but it's not affordable for me. In addition, I didn't have VCR for VHS at the time. I had betamax, then it was just after I bought betamax copy of Purple Rain movie.

I saved my money while waiting for the release of betamax edition. It was December when I finally watched the live performance on it.

I was 11 years old and fully aware that Prince was the greatest thing since the microwave oven. Didnt see it live, but rented the video almost every frakkin weekend!

I took my old boombox, pressed it right against the TV and recorded the show on a cassette. Yeah it sounded pretty crappy, but turned up to the max and eq'd a bit...it was fine thru my headphones!

I guess u could say this was my first bootleg!

StonedImmaculate said:[quote]...and recorded the show on a cassette. Yeah it sounded pretty crappy, but turned up to the max and eq'd a bit...it was fine thru my headphones![quote]

I recognise this. Our VHS system had those jacks that I could connect with a tape deck, but it forwarded only 1 channel. So if it was stereo, both signals were both put through 1 wire/channel. So my b**tleg tape had one channel, but clear sound. Man I must have listened to that more times a week.