I've been on here for flippin' ages now and was a member of Housequake way before that, and there have always been those who defend Prince no matter what, and those who are a little more critical.

Obviously the moral at the org is at an all time low due to the recent shinanigans of our Purple Pal... And this seems to have created a bigger divide; almost every thread I've read recently crumbles into a 'Them' Vs. 'Us' senario - to some the $77 was the final straw causing them to achieve critical mass (no pun intended), pack their purple bags and leave, while others have grown an even thicker skin - denying it was ever his fault and grabbing at whatever crumbs they are offered.

So, do you agree that the divide has become a chasm and can anyone remember a time in Prince history when feelings were so passionate - either positive or negative?

Please do not make this into a hater Vs. Fam thread... Thank you

I honestly don't think this is any different in scale to any time before. Crystal Ball fiasco, Web Lawsuits, NPGMC closing down, Croke Park cancellation, O2 ticket buying lottery, no shows at aftershows etc... all of these things polarise us into groups depending on how we see things or whether we were directly affected or not.

Prince is probably more mainstream now (or recently from 2004-2007) that at any other time since the Purple Rain era but probably has lost a lot of his once loyal fanbase. I think fansites possibly give an inaccurate picture of Prince's public perception.
[Edited 3/31/10 2:16am]

KeithyT said:

Maybe it's more to do with the loyal/long-term fans being burned too many times then... I ordered the Crystal Ball set and when it did eventually arrive the Karmasutra disc was faulty (some may say this was fortunate), have whitnessed Web Sherrif and the closure of fan sites due to increased pressure and was stung when I bought VIP O2 tickets for the first night and we were not allowed early entry, did not have better seating and the buffet/drinks were rushed - even though they were advertised otherwise. Because of all of this I decided not to bother with LF, though the recent news has still left me feeling angry that he did not make more effort to appologies, like at all!

So, for those who continue to defend Prince over his recent actions - are any of you long-term fans who have experienced the bad in the past and just shrugged it off, or are you relatively new and haven't been tainted by too many negative experiences yet?