I hear this so often from fans:

"Prince plays the same stuff all the time".

It seems there's this accepted 'fact' among some fans that Prince does indeed play the "same stuff" over and over. Well, the purpose of this post is to try and refute that claim, or at least, give people the facts...

I've done some research. Went over to princevault.com and looked through all the setlists from the Welcome 2 America main shows and compiled this list of the songs he has played thus far (from 15/12/2010 to 26/5/2011). I think it might surprise some of you just how many different songs he has played.

I've tried not to include songs that were played while Prince was off stage, nor snippets/interpolations of songs. To my best knowledge, these are the songs that have been played as proper 'songs', so-to-speak. I have included songs from the piano set, but have not included songs from the sample set, rather, I've just included the whole sample set as one 'song' (if that makes sense). I have also not included songs performed at aftershows or one-off shows/appearances as the point of this was to show just how varied his main shows are (or aren't, depending on your p.o.v).

As always with a list this big, there will probably be some errors and grey-area ones that I've included or excluded incorrectly. But I think you get the idea.

In total there are 92 songs. And given that the main shows normally consist of somewhere between 20-30 songs, at the very least that means he has 3 shows worth of material up his sleeve on this tour. Now, take into account all the improv/jam sections, interpolations, snippets, aftershows etc. and I think it's fair to say that...

... "Prince doens't play the same stuff all the time"

THE LIST:

1999
17 Days
A Love Bizarre
Adore
All The Critics Love U In NY
Anotherloverholenyohead
Baby I'm A Star
Bambi
The Beautiful Ones
The Bird
Beginning Endlessly
Condition Of The Heart
Controversy
Cool
Crazy*
Cream
Crimson & Clover*
D.M.S.R.
Dance (Disco Heat)*
Delirious
Diamonds & Pearls
Do Me, Baby
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough*
Dreamer
Elixer
Endorphinmachine
Everyday People*
Extraordinary
Future Soul Song

Gingerbread Man

The Glamorous Life
Guitar
How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?
I Feel For You
I Love U, But I Don't Trust U Anymore
I Wanna Be Your Lover
I Want To Be Free*
I Want To Take You Higher*
If I Was Your Girlfriend
I'll Never B Another Fool
Inglewood Swinging*
Insatiable

The Jam*
Joy In Repetition
Jungle Love
Kiss
Laydown
Let's Go Crazy
Let's Work
Little Red Corvette
Love Rollercoaster*

The Love We Make

More Than This*
Mountains
Musicology
Nothing Compares 2 U
Partyman
Peach
Play The Funky Music*
Pop Life
Prince & The Band
Purple Rain

The Question Of U - The One
Raspberry Beret
Rude Boy*

Sample Set

Santana Medley*
Say You'll Go*
Scandalous
Sexy Dancer - Le Freak
She's Always In My Hair
Shhh
So Far, So Pleased
Something In The Water (Does Not Compute)
Sometimes It Snows In April
Somewhere Here On Earth
Strange Relationship
Stratus*
Superstition*
Sweet Thing*
Take Me With U
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)*
U Go The Look
Under The Cherry Moon
Uptown
Welcome 2 America
What Have You Done For Me Lately?*
When Doves Cry
When Eye Lay My Hands On U
Which Way Is Up?*
Whole Lotta Love*
You're The One For Me*

* = cover song

[Edited 5/27/11 19:56pm]

I saw a bit of his set-lists and he definitely doesn't play the same stuff all the time.

when did he last play endorphinmachine? I love that song so much

I agree that he doesnt play the same stuff all the time, and once in a while he does give a surprise. Like a few years ago when he played "when eye lay my hands on u" and "all day all night". I just wish he varied stuff a little more

Song's i'd like to hear from him played live:

Endorphinmachine

Open Book

Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad

I could never take the place of your man

Sticky Like Glue

Somebody's Somebody

and many others

I know he cant change playing the hits, however he could play more stuff from his back catalogue IMO.

That is an impressive list, but it would be interesting to addall the songs from the last five years and see how little or how much this list grows. The core songs remain the same.

hhhhdmt said:

when did he last play endorphinmachine? I love that song so much

He played it at a few one-off shows earlier in the year, and then I think the first main show one was the first LA show, 14th May.

AhPook said:

it would be interesting to addall the songs from the last five years and see how little or how much this list grows. The core songs remain the same.

That's a good point. I think the "core" songs (the big hits) are pretty much given. "Purple Rain", "Kiss", "Let's Go Crazy" etc. have pretty much been setlist guarantees at his main shows since the late 1980s (give or take a couple of smaller tours).

hhhhdmt said:

Song's i'd like to hear from him played live:

Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad

I could never take the place of your man

Sticky Like Glue

These have been performed in recent years, just not on this tour yet. It wouldn't surprise me if they make an appearance sooner rather than later.

prince has never tried doing other songs in his catalog. the current setlist is the same mess he's been doing fo a while now. he is also doing the same arrangments.

If you're bored, get off the ship.

jackson35 said:

prince has never tried doing other songs in his catalog. the current setlist is the same mess he's been doing fo a while now. he is also doing the same arrangments.

What exactly do you mean by "other songs"? I mean, in this list, I could easily find 10 or so that he'd never done prior to 2010, and probably another handful of ones that he hasn't done for ages. That's a pretty good ratio!

Same arrangements? I dunno about that:

"Little Red Corvette" has gone through several configurations in recent years: acoustically on the Musicology tour, then the 2007 arrangement, and now the the (what I call) the 'Montreux' version since 2009...

The "Let's Go Crazy - Delirious" mashup that he's been doing is different to prior tours...

The version of "Kiss" is different to prior tours...

"1999" has only made a comeback in recent years after him saying he'd never do it again...

Don't get me wrong, I know some songs he's been doing the same arrangement for a while, but you can't expect him to change everything every single year.

Timmy84 said:

If you're bored, get off the ship.

i agree but contructive criticism is fine IMO. i think he can vary hit set lists a bit more.

hhhhdmt said:

Timmy84 said:

If you're bored, get off the ship.

i agree but contructive criticism is fine IMO. i think he can vary hit set lists a bit more.

True.

hhhhdmt said:

Timmy84 said:

If you're bored, get off the ship.

i agree but contructive criticism is fine IMO. i think he can vary hit set lists a bit more.

Yeah, it's OK to constructively criticise... I mean, if it were up to me, Prince would be touring Australia as we speak playing only songs he'd never done before! Or more constructively, if I were given the job of coming up with setlists to try and keep everyone happy, I'd also have a few suggestion... But I'm not. So yeah, it's OK to have an opinion, but I do find this mentality that some have that he's "never" tried changing the setlist and that he only plays the "same stuff" extremely exhausted...

toejam said:

hhhhdmt said:

i agree but contructive criticism is fine IMO. i think he can vary hit set lists a bit more.

Yeah, it's OK to constructively criticise... I mean, if it were up to me, Prince would be touring Australia as we speak playing only songs he'd never done before! Or more constructively, if I were given the job of coming up with setlists to try and keep everyone happy, I'd also have a few suggestion... But I'm not. So yeah, it's OK to have an opinion, but I do find this mentality that some have that he's "never" tried changing the setlist and that he only plays the "same stuff" extremely exhausted...

Right.

What would Bart think of this thread.

...dont stop till you get enough?

prince singing mj? o_O

dyvrdown said:

...dont stop till you get enough?

prince singing mj? o_O

No, the ladies singing the lyrics over the music to "Cool".

The list is misleading as it includes one off performances.

Everyone that has attended the regular live shows in the last 5 years knows that the core set list has become very stale and samey. The exact opposite of what Prince used to be about.

He should try dropping for 5 years: Lets go crazy, Raspberry beret, Take me with U and all the damn cover versions.

He should try Purple Rain and Kiss as an acoustic set. Bring in SOTT, Doves, Most Beautiful Girl, Gold.

So many hits, so little time. More like t0o lazy to change.

Timmy84 said:

If you're bored, get off the ship.

Already have!!

This looks an impresive list, till you notice that over 20 songs are cover versions.

And i'm interested in hearing how many of his own songs are played in full, and not given over to 30second-1min snippets or chants.

It's a long list, but some songs (e.g. 17 Days, Beginning Endlessly, etc.) have only been performed once. Every now and then he might throw in a few random tracks, but for the most part the setlists are pretty similar.

TheDigitalGardener said:

i'm interested in hearing how many of his own songs are played in full, and not given over to 30second-1min snippets or chants.

Well, like I said in the original post, I got the info from princevault.com and only counted the songs they listed as 'proper' songs - not the interpolations and snippets (which they also list). So, yeah, there may be some grey-area ones that I've included or excluded incorrectly, but I think it's a pretty good list having not heard the shows myself to verify...

toejam said:

TheDigitalGardener said:

i'm interested in hearing how many of his own songs are played in full, and not given over to 30second-1min snippets or chants.

Well, like I said in the original post, I got the info from princevault.com and only counted the songs they listed as 'proper' songs - not the interpolations and snippets (which they also list).

I see, understood.

In his defense, can you imagine trying to make one of these setlists? You have to make it enough of a hitlist to appeal to the casual fairweather fan and pack in enough surprises to satisfy the fussy longtime fans. A lot of people know Prince songs but don't know they're Prince songs. Realistically, shouldn't the ratio be something like 2/3-3/4 greatest hits, 1/3-1/4 overlooked album songs & surprises?

What tires me out are the cover songs and the back-up singer showcase. When he has so many recognized hits and so many fantastic songs, there's no need to do covers. And fans pay the ticket price to see Prince, not hear a Bob Dylan cover sung by the band (not The Band).

Anyone else suprised by the amout of covers?

andykeen said:

Anyone else suprised by the amout of covers?

Not really.

thanks, that's an impressive list but last night (27th May) he did just play the 'same stuff'

it's a list of 92 songs but shelby says they practice 150 songs so there are a lot of that he's holding back, he must be getting huge blue ballage!! hope he unleashes an explosion of new delights when he visits europe, that would be nice

I think it would be interesting to know how many of these songs appear in virtually every show. I'm guessing that there is a solid core of 10-15 songs that he has played on every tour since Musicology. That's fine but it would be great if he did a tour for the fans where he really mixes up the setlists and where you could see him play multiple shows over the course of a week without too much repetition. He has been tailoring his shows to the casual fan since 2004, I think it's time that he did a tour where he treats us to more than the hits and a bunch of covers. Play some of the new material (new meaning anything post WB) and give it a chance to grow and develop in the live setting.

OnlyNDaUsa said:

It is not so much that he plays the same songs, but that prince has sad for years the each show is different. Oh and dang that is way too many covers for a man so mad when people cover him.

i don't have a prob with covers but don't wanna hear same/numerous covers at every bleeding show!!!

the only one i'm excited about at the moment is 'more than this' which i hope he will do in europe & more than this i wish him to unladen his blue songballs & add to that list big timee

rialb said:

I think it would be interesting to know how many of these songs appear in virtually every show. I'm guessing that there is a solid core of 10-15 songs that he has played on every tour since Musicology. That's fine but it would be great if he did a tour for the fans where he really mixes up the setlists and where you could see him play multiple shows over the course of a week without too much repetition. He has been tailoring his shows to the casual fan since 2004, I think it's time that he did a tour where he treats us to more than the hits and a bunch of covers. Play some of the new material (new meaning anything post WB) and give it a chance to grow and develop in the live setting.

If he played them, people would get behind them.

If you look back over history, there are certain Prince songs that didn't appear in any fan poll top 20, but when Prince added them to the live set, they became classics. She's Always in my hair, Dorothy Parker, Joy In Repetition, I love U in Me, Vicki Waiting etc.

These only shot up the fan charts after they made it onto a tour set schedule, years after their actual releases.

Its not hard, Prince could simply drop 5 covers a night and replace them with 5 new songs.