CandaceS said:

dodger said:

Most threads now descend into this petty bickering

THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and to think; no Bart

djThunderfunk said:

Remember when this thread was about the Montreux shows?

Good times...

Am I the only one cracking up during NC2U when the audience interrupts P cuz they're singing "all the flowers that you planted in the backyard, they all died when you went away" so enthusiactically and he gives the a stunned look before letting them finish?

Too funny?

Lol

[Edited 12/25/16 14:08pm]

So awesome, just downloaded full 1st day show

purplerabbithole said:

Kara said:

purplerabbithole said:

One can't see tears because the lighting is not right and it is not close up enough. However, I agree with Laura that he was crying. Watch his breathing while he is changing the settings on his keyboard all this while telling the audience to give their love to the horn players. To me, it looks like he is trying to keep his shit together. It doesn't sound like he was setting up an emotional scene (if he was, he would give an emotional speech about the song or something.) Yes, he sometimes gets sweat in his eyes and uses a kleenex to wipe it in other clips. But here, he wipes his eyes two or three times while breathing heavy. He wasn't dancing or anything so breathing heavy wouldn't make sense for that reason. the dude was getting emotional. It doesn't necessarily mean it was because he thought he was dying. It could be because he felt humbled by pain, God, Andy Allo or whatever..Who knows. Its an emotional song that he gave his all to.

I completely agree. It's obvious that he was struggling to keep his composure. I wonder what that was about?

rosylo said:

laurarichardson said:

rosylo said:

So awesome, just downloaded full 1st day show

--/ Saw show 2. Does anyone know the set list for 1 and 3.

I really wish there was a Prince website that contained set-lists, unreleased song titles and other great recources. It would make life so much more easier.

Alright, weighing in here...

Not too sure about these shows, personally. There are some great moments no doubt, and some of those horn arrangements are are real slick, but the shows seemed generally kinda tame and lackluster compared to the Prince I'm used to.. even of recent years. Nowhere near as "flat" as the 3EG shows (that SNL performance? Ugh) but definitely dull compared to the NPG shows of 2010/2011.

Did anyone else spot the sloppiness?! The start of Old Friends 4 Sale was weak (Prince shot the hornz a look) and the intro to Mutiny in Show 2 was just a complete shambles, as the 3EG and the hornz started playing completely different things. There were also a number of moments where P had to give the band multiple cues before he got what he wanted (Let's Work, notably) - and what was Donna playing in Cool?! Sounded completely wrong.

I know this sounds really nitpicky but it's the first time I've ever noticed such glaringly obvious horrible mistakes from any of Prince's bands.



Also, you guys arguing about whether P cried during The Breakdown? Just because it looked like he did doesn't mean he was actually crying. Prince is a consummate performer. His performances of the more "powerful" ballad type songs always lean heavily towards the theatrical/acting. His voice breaking, breath faltering, and him wiping under his eye is proof of nothing. This is what he's always done, it's all part of the show.

SETLIST

DAY 1

Strays of the World

Days of Wild

Big Fun

Ain't Nobody 
(Rufus & Chaka Khan cover)

Don't Stop the Music 
(Yarbrough & Peoples cover)

Family Affair 
(Sly & The Family Stone cover)

Big City

Superconductor 
(Andy Allo cover)

1999

Mutiny 
(The Family cover) (contains The Time's "Ice… more )

Old Friends 4 Sale

People Pleaser 
(Andy Allo cover)

Ain't Gonna Miss U When U're Gone

F.U.N.K.

Dark

Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)

Courtin' Time

Get on the Boat

We're a Winner 
(The Impressions cover)

I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) 
(Aretha Franklin cover)

Satisfied

I Don't Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door, I'll Get It Myself) 
(James Brown cover)

Housequake

The Jam 
(Graham Central Station cover)

The Bird 
(The Time cover)

Encore:

Musicology

Tighten Up 
(Archie Bell & The Drells cover)

Mama Feelgood 
(Lyn Collins cover)

Extraloveable

Encore 2:

Purple Rain

DAY 2

Act of God

What Have You Done for Me Lately 
(Janet Jackson cover)

Northside 
(The New Power Generation cover)

Theme From "Which Way Is Up" 
(Stargard cover)

Dancing Machine 
(The Jackson 5 cover)

Partyman

It's Alright 
(Graham Central Station cover)

Take Me With U

Raspberry Beret

Cool 
(The Time cover)

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough 
(Michael Jackson cover) (contains interpolations of… more )

Encore:

Let's Work

U Got the Look

Shade of Umber

Days of Wild

Big Fun

Ain't Nobody 
(Rufus & Chaka Khan cover)

Don't Stop the Music 
(Yarbrough & Peoples cover)

Family Affair 
(Sly & The Family Stone cover)

Encore 2:

Nothing Compares 2 U

Mutiny 
(The Family cover)

Encore 3:

Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)

Encore 4:

Big City

Superconductor 
(Andy Allo cover)

1999

Musicology

Tighten Up 
(Archie Bell & The Drells cover)

Mama Feelgood 
(Lyn Collins cover)

Partyup 
(mostly instrumental)

DAY 3

Let's Go Crazy

Frankenstein 
(The Edgar Winter Group cover)

Endorphinmachine

Screwdriver

She's Always in My Hair

The Love We Make

I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man

Guitar

Plectrum Electrum

FixUrLifeUp

Bambi

Sometimes It Snows in April

The Max

Cause and Effect

Encore:

When We're Dancing Close and Slow

Play That Funky Music 
(Wild Cherry cover)

Dreamer

Encore 2:

Breakdown

Sampler set

When Doves Cry

Nasty Girl 
(Vanity 6 cover) (instrumental)

Alphabet St. 
(instrumental)

Sign “☮” the Times

Hot Thing

A Love Bizarre 
(Sheila E. cover)

Love

A Love Bizarre 
(Sheila E. cover) (instrumental reprise)

Housequake

[Edited 12/26/16 21:22pm]

bluegangsta said:

laurarichardson said:

rosylo said: --/ Saw show 2. Does anyone know the set list for 1 and 3.

I really wish there was a Prince website that contained set-lists, unreleased song titles and other great recources. It would make life so much more easier.

Wanted to get the information quickly without having to look it up and I only saw a small portion of the other two shows and wanted to put a number to them but thanks for adding nothing to the conversation. Continue on

EuanH91 said:

Alright, weighing in here...

Not too sure about these shows, personally. There are some great moments no doubt, and some of those horn arrangements are are real slick, but the shows seemed generally kinda tame and lackluster compared to the Prince I'm used to.. even of recent years. Nowhere near as "flat" as the 3EG shows (that SNL performance? Ugh) but definitely dull compared to the NPG shows of 2010/2011.

Did anyone else spot the sloppiness?! The start of Old Friends 4 Sale was weak (Prince shot the hornz a look) and the intro to Mutiny in Show 2 was just a complete shambles, as the 3EG and the hornz started playing completely different things. There were also a number of moments where P had to give the band multiple cues before he got what he wanted (Let's Work, notably) - and what was Donna playing in Cool?! Sounded completely wrong.

I know this sounds really nitpicky but it's the first time I've ever noticed such glaringly obvious horrible mistakes from any of Prince's bands.



Also, you guys arguing about whether P cried during The Breakdown? Just because it looked like he did doesn't mean he was actually crying. Prince is a consummate performer. His performances of the more "powerful" ballad type songs always lean heavily towards the theatrical/acting. His voice breaking, breath faltering, and him wiping under his eye is proof of nothing. This is what he's always done, it's all part of the show.

Never mind that whole hoards of people on other boards are seeing that he is crying and emotional. In addtion, to seeing this they are also commenting. No so sure why this is upsetting to people on this board. He was a human and he got emotional over the song. I also think you are nitpicking about the band. It is not Wendy and Lisa time.

rosylo said:

SETLIST

DAY 1

Strays of the World

Days of Wild

Big Fun

Ain't Nobody 
(Rufus & Chaka Khan cover)

Don't Stop the Music 
(Yarbrough & Peoples cover)

Family Affair 
(Sly & The Family Stone cover)

Big City

Superconductor 
(Andy Allo cover)

1999

Mutiny 
(The Family cover) (contains The Time's "Ice… more )

Old Friends 4 Sale

People Pleaser 
(Andy Allo cover)

Ain't Gonna Miss U When U're Gone

F.U.N.K.

Dark

Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)

Courtin' Time

Get on the Boat

We're a Winner 
(The Impressions cover)

I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) 
(Aretha Franklin cover)

Satisfied

I Don't Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door, I'll Get It Myself) 
(James Brown cover)

Housequake

The Jam 
(Graham Central Station cover)

The Bird 
(The Time cover)

Encore:

Musicology

Tighten Up 
(Archie Bell & The Drells cover)

Mama Feelgood 
(Lyn Collins cover)

Extraloveable

Encore 2:

Purple Rain

DAY 2

Act of God

What Have You Done for Me Lately 
(Janet Jackson cover)

Northside 
(The New Power Generation cover)

Theme From "Which Way Is Up" 
(Stargard cover)

Dancing Machine 
(The Jackson 5 cover)

Partyman

It's Alright 
(Graham Central Station cover)

Take Me With U

Raspberry Beret

Cool 
(The Time cover)

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough 
(Michael Jackson cover) (contains interpolations of… more )

Encore:

Let's Work

U Got the Look

Shade of Umber

Days of Wild

Big Fun

Ain't Nobody 
(Rufus & Chaka Khan cover)

Don't Stop the Music 
(Yarbrough & Peoples cover)

Family Affair 
(Sly & The Family Stone cover)

Encore 2:

Nothing Compares 2 U

Mutiny 
(The Family cover)

Encore 3:

Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)

Encore 4:

Big City

Superconductor 
(Andy Allo cover)

1999

Musicology

Tighten Up 
(Archie Bell & The Drells cover)

Mama Feelgood 
(Lyn Collins cover)

Partyup 
(mostly instrumental)

DAY 3

Let's Go Crazy

Frankenstein 
(The Edgar Winter Group cover)

Endorphinmachine

Screwdriver

She's Always in My Hair

The Love We Make

I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man

Guitar

Plectrum Electrum

FixUrLifeUp

Bambi

Sometimes It Snows in April

The Max

Cause and Effect

Encore:

When We're Dancing Close and Slow

Play That Funky Music 
(Wild Cherry cover)

Dreamer

Encore 2:

Breakdown

Sampler set

When Doves Cry

Nasty Girl 
(Vanity 6 cover) (instrumental)

Alphabet St. 
(instrumental)

Sign “☮” the Times

Hot Thing

A Love Bizarre 
(Sheila E. cover)

Love

A Love Bizarre 
(Sheila E. cover) (instrumental reprise)

Housequake

[Edited 12/26/16 21:22pm]

Thank you

I have mixed feelings about the MOntreux concert. All three nights had their sloppy moments and their very strong moments. there were quite a few highs but some alarming lows. It felt like a really good jam season but not like a tight concert in the first two nights. Prince's dancing was virtually non-existent in the first two nights when it was probably needed the most, he played no instruments the first two nights and let his background singers carry the weight a bit too much. But he also had stunning vocals in "Dark" and a few other songs, seemed happy, and showed his humor. The horn playing was tight but felt redundant at times.

The third night (despite some people's dislike of 3rd Eye Girl--which I don't understand) showed Prince's brilliance as a musican. The guitar playing at times was raw but most of the time he shined (and yes, he is a better guitarist than Donna, but she ain't bad either),, his vocals were more aggressive (although his falsetto at times showed strain, it was emotional and impactful throughout, his lower register singing seemed quite strong throughout), he occasionally forgot lyrics but also made some wonderful improvizations and new vocal interpretations, his keyboard playing during the Max pleasantly surprised me (The Max actually a pleasant surprise all around). I think it was his best night. However, after the doing the Breakdown, his mood shifted from a vulnerability to an anger at his lighting guy. He covered his face with his hat, wanted the lights down, covered the camera with his hand when it came around the other side of keyboard. Something shifted. i know people could argue that it was all theatrics during the Breakdown and the mood shift was just on the professional side. An employee dropping the ball pissed him off. However, it felt like something more because he really seemed to want to hide at the end like a dj in the dark behind a booth. Artistically and personally, I am not sure why he went that route.

My theories -- Prince was exhaused in more ways than one (3 days of MOntreux with no dancing but many shots of him breathing heavy), he probably was having some pain (thus the lack of dancing) and maybe was trying to stay off pain pills causing obvious mood shifts. He might have known that by the end of the night that he would be tired so planned for a bit of a reprieve with a dance party in the dark but the tech guy got confused, causing P to lose his patience. I know P could be rough on techs but he usually was a bit more discrete about it. The first time the lighting guy got it wrong, Prince was polite (probably because it wasn't the guy's fault). The second time he was obviously upset (like that guy hadn't followed earlier directions---and he was completely insistent it get fixed before he moved on, but then he even hid his face behind his hat and seemed almost nervous) but oddly when he addressed the lighting guy (Dante) for the last time he called him "Huggie" and was kinder again. The show ended on a fun note but also on a distant one (a dance party jam in which Prince stayed mostly in the dark.)

This concert to me showed that Prince was still a master musican with immense charisma but it also showed he could get tired. I do think he had some physical pain throughout the performance. It showed. He should have done one or two nights.Not three. That being said, the highlights of these shows are some of my favorite moments but they need an editor (kind of like P sometimes did.)

[Edited 12/27/16 7:52am]

[Edited 12/27/16 8:05am]

laurarichardson said:

Never mind that whole hoards of people on other boards are seeing that he is crying and emotional. In addtion, to seeing this they are also commenting. No so sure why this is upsetting to people on this board. He was a human and he got emotional over the song. I also think you are nitpicking about the band. It is not Wendy and Lisa time.

Yeah, I'm not saying he wasn't crying or upset.. just that none of us have any clue what he was feeling right then, and him "wiping under his eye" is not proof that he was crying. He's a performer, that's what he does.

Every band Prince has had up until 3EG has been impeccably tight.. NPG w/ John Blackwell on Drums is one of my favourites he's ever had (Montreux 2009 I felt was a far stronger show, musically) - Like I said, I've never seen as many obviously sloppy mistakes from any of his bands. Maybe they were just a few off nights that unfortunately happened to be the nights they were being filmed. It can happen.

EuanH91 said:

laurarichardson said:

Never mind that whole hoards of people on other boards are seeing that he is crying and emotional. In addtion, to seeing this they are also commenting. No so sure why this is upsetting to people on this board. He was a human and he got emotional over the song. I also think you are nitpicking about the band. It is not Wendy and Lisa time.

Yeah, I'm not saying he wasn't crying or upset.. just that none of us have any clue what he was feeling right then, and him "wiping under his eye" is not proof that he was crying. He's a performer, that's what he does.

Every band Prince has had up until 3EG has been impeccably tight.. NPG w/ John Blackwell on Drums is one of my favourites he's ever had (Montreux 2009 I felt was a far stronger show, musically) - Like I said, I've never seen as many obviously sloppy mistakes from any of his bands. Maybe they were just a few off nights that unfortunately happened to be the nights they were being filmed. It can happen.

I care less about some sloppiness here and there. After all, the band during the first two nights was enormous and cumbersome which is actually Prince's fault. I was irritated at times with the first two nights because Prince himself was more of a bandleader and more interested getting the audience to party than communicating his talents. I disagree about 3rdeyegirl. Maybe,you are not a rock fan, but the third night to me was the strongest because it was more stripped down. It had raw moments but Prince was able to shine more (that is until the end when he hid behind his keyboard in the dark during a funky and somewhat distant jam)

EuanH91 said:

laurarichardson said:

Never mind that whole hoards of people on other boards are seeing that he is crying and emotional. In addtion, to seeing this they are also commenting. No so sure why this is upsetting to people on this board. He was a human and he got emotional over the song. I also think you are nitpicking about the band. It is not Wendy and Lisa time.

Yeah, I'm not saying he wasn't crying or upset.. just that none of us have any clue what he was feeling right then, and him "wiping under his eye" is not proof that he was crying. He's a performer, that's what he does.

Every band Prince has had up until 3EG has been impeccably tight.. NPG w/ John Blackwell on Drums is one of my favourites he's ever had (Montreux 2009 I felt was a far stronger show, musically) - Like I said, I've never seen as many obviously sloppy mistakes from any of his bands. Maybe they were just a few off nights that unfortunately happened to be the nights they were being filmed. It can happen.

[Edited 12/27/16 8:20am]

To address the crying, I have rarely seen him cry during emotional songs or seem out of breath. He is threatical in his love ballads but not in that particular way. I just watched a wonderful 2014 clip of Beautiful Ones and he sang with feeling but kept his composure throughout. Even the emotional clips of him doing Case of You and Electric Intercourse don't have that kind of emotion. This, to me, was different. What he was feeling, I don't know. I think he was feeling something.

EuanH91 said:

laurarichardson said:

Never mind that whole hoards of people on other boards are seeing that he is crying and emotional. In addtion, to seeing this they are also commenting. No so sure why this is upsetting to people on this board. He was a human and he got emotional over the song. I also think you are nitpicking about the band. It is not Wendy and Lisa time.

Yeah, I'm not saying he wasn't crying or upset.. just that none of us have any clue what he was feeling right then, and him "wiping under his eye" is not proof that he was crying. He's a performer, that's what he does.

Every band Prince has had up until 3EG has been impeccably tight.. NPG w/ John Blackwell on Drums is one of my favourites he's ever had (Montreux 2009 I felt was a far stronger show, musically) - Like I said, I've never seen as many obviously sloppy mistakes from any of his bands. Maybe they were just a few off nights that unfortunately happened to be the nights they were being filmed. It can happen.

purplerabbithole said:

I have mixed feelings about the MOntreux concert. All three nights had their sloppy moments and their very strong moments. there were quite a few highs but some alarming lows. It felt like a really good jam season but not like a tight concert in the first two nights. Prince's dancing was virtually non-existent in the first two nights when it was probably needed the most, he played no instruments the first two nights and let his background singers carry the weight a bit too much. But he also had stunning vocals in "Dark" and a few other songs, seemed happy, and showed his humor. The horn playing was tight but felt redundant at times.

The third night (despite some people's dislike of 3rd Eye Girl--which I don't understand) showed Prince's brilliance as a musican. The guitar playing at times was raw but most of the time he shined (and yes, he is a better guitarist than Donna, but she ain't bad either),, his vocals were more aggressive (although his falsetto at times showed strain, it was emotional and impactful throughout, his lower register singing seemed quite strong throughout), he occasionally forgot lyrics but also made some wonderful improvizations and new vocal interpretations, his keyboard playing during the Max pleasantly surprised me (The Max actually a pleasant surprise all around). I think it was his best night. However, after the doing the Breakdown, his mood shifted from a vulnerability to an anger at his lighting guy. He covered his face with his hat, wanted the lights down, covered the camera with his hand when it came around the other side of keyboard. Something shifted. i know people could argue that it was all theatrics during the Breakdown and the mood shift was just on the professional side. An employee dropping the ball pissed him off. However, it felt like something more because he really seemed to want to hide at the end like a dj in the dark behind a booth. Artistically and personally, I am not sure why he went that route.

My theories -- Prince was exhaused in more ways than one (3 days of MOntreux with no dancing but many shots of him breathing heavy), he probably was having some pain (thus the lack of dancing) and maybe was trying to stay off pain pills causing obvious mood shifts. He might have known that by the end of the night that he would be tired so planned for a bit of a reprieve with a dance party in the dark but the tech guy got confused, causing P to lose his patience. I know P could be rough on techs but he usually was a bit more discrete about it. The first time the lighting guy got it wrong, Prince was polite (probably because it wasn't the guy's fault). The second time he was obviously upset (like that guy hadn't followed earlier directions---and he was completely insistent it get fixed before he moved on, but then he even hid his face behind his hat and seemed almost nervous) but oddly when he addressed the lighting guy (Dante) for the last time he called him "Huggie" and was kinder again. The show ended on a fun note but also on a distant one (a dance party jam in which Prince stayed mostly in the dark.)

This concert to me showed that Prince was still a master musican with immense charisma but it also showed he could get tired. I do think he had some physical pain throughout the performance. It showed. He should have done one or two nights.Not three. That being said, the highlights of these shows are some of my favorite moments but they need an editor (kind of like P sometimes did.)

[Edited 12/27/16 7:52am]

[Edited 12/27/16 8:05am]

"Prince's dancing was virtually non-existent in the first two nights when it was probably needed the most, he played no instruments the first two nights and let his background singers carry the weight a bit too much. But he also had stunning vocals in "Dark" and a few other songs, seemed happy, and showed his humor. The horn playing was tight but felt redundant at times."

He was in his 50s and this was probaly the way his shows were going to be going if he had lived. He really pushed himself for too long and should have dropped back to band leader position sometime ago and cut back on the number of shows like one apperance at this festival should have been enough.

That being said I think the band and the horns were great and for him to be his age and obviousoly tired he did better than most performers half his age.

I have been watching a lot of his performances from 2004 and on and you really start to see a change in 2013.

Not sure what you mean by editor since he did not even authorize these filmed concerts for public viewing. I am sure if they are ever put out officially they will be edited down.

purplerabbithole said:

I care less about some sloppiness here and there. After all, the band during the first two nights was enormous and cumbersome which is actually Prince's fault. I was irritated at times with the first two nights because Prince himself was more of a bandleader and more interested getting the audience to party than communicating his talents. I disagree about 3rdeyegirl. Maybe,you are not a rock fan, but the third night to me was the strongest because it was more stripped down. It had raw moments but Prince was able to shine more (that is until the end when he hid behind his keyboard in the dark during a funky and somewhat distant jam)

[Edited 12/27/16 8:20am]

Yeah, I agree with you about the band being cumbersome. I love the horn section, and some of the arrangements they've added to the classics are killer.. but I'm sure it's more difficult to lead and control than his standard lineups, leading to a certain amount of sloppiness.

I also agree that the third show was where Prince really shined as a musician (guitar player, especially) - I'm a huge rock fan, but I think that's my problem. 3rdEyeGirl always seemed tame and lame to me. Bambi, Peach, EndorphinMachine, that awesome performance of Motherless Child in '99, even Let's Go Crazy - Those are all killer rock performances showcasing Prince's guitar prowess, but the 3rdEyeGirl stuff I always thought was weak. It was more like a teenage girl band with guitars than an actual rock band. The album sucks.. I mean, Boy Trouble? Really? You're 55, Prince.

Anyway, all shows are good, don't get me wrong.. show 3 having more balls than the other two. I was just disappointed by the sloppiness that I think comes from the NPG having 3rdEyeGirl as the core. Hannah and Donna just aren't up to the level of John Blackwell and Mike Scott, for example.

I like about half the songs in the PlectrumElectrum album (presumably prince's songs..I have a weak spot for the song WOW).. The other half I don't have any time for. That being said, people have insulted Prince for not being collaborative and when he does collaborate as he so obviously did with 3rdeyegirl, these are sometimes the result. As a backing band, I do like them because he was able to just rock out and have fun. Being a less tight band can lead to Prince pulling his weight more..which as a Prince fan works for me. The heavier versions of Something in the Water, I could never take the place of your man, Endorphinemachine, Let's Go Crazy ....love,love, love.

He should have just used them as an efficient backing band...I think that is the reason the live performances are better than the album. But trying to blend the NPG horns with a rock band during shows 1 and 2 was probably a bit too much to carry. Its funny how Prince went from too big to quite small in his last concert.

I disagree about SNL but do think he could have kept it to one or two songs. It was a bit of a mess, but that the Manchester concert footage with 3rdeyegirl was impressive to me. And his Chaos and Disorder performance from Shepherd's Bush...love. The Paris concert clips were also great. 3rdeyegirl were a young band. I think they needed time to tighten up. Because they did improve by 2014 (despite the SNL performane)

EuanH91 said:

purplerabbithole said:

I care less about some sloppiness here and there. After all, the band during the first two nights was enormous and cumbersome which is actually Prince's fault. I was irritated at times with the first two nights because Prince himself was more of a bandleader and more interested getting the audience to party than communicating his talents. I disagree about 3rdeyegirl. Maybe,you are not a rock fan, but the third night to me was the strongest because it was more stripped down. It had raw moments but Prince was able to shine more (that is until the end when he hid behind his keyboard in the dark during a funky and somewhat distant jam)

[Edited 12/27/16 8:20am]

Yeah, I agree with you about the band being cumbersome. I love the horn section, and some of the arrangements they've added to the classics are killer.. but I'm sure it's more difficult to lead and control than his standard lineups, leading to a certain amount of sloppiness.

I also agree that the third show was where Prince really shined as a musician (guitar player, especially) - I'm a huge rock fan, but I think that's my problem. 3rdEyeGirl always seemed tame and lame to me. Bambi, Peach, EndorphinMachine, that awesome performance of Motherless Child in '99, even Let's Go Crazy - Those are all killer rock performances showcasing Prince's guitar prowess, but the 3rdEyeGirl stuff I always thought was weak. It was more like a teenage girl band with guitars than an actual rock band. The album sucks.. I mean, Boy Trouble? Really? You're 55, Prince.

Anyway, all shows are good, don't get me wrong.. show 3 having more balls than the other two. I was just disappointed by the sloppiness that I think comes from the NPG having 3rdEyeGirl as the core. Hannah and Donna just aren't up to the level of John Blackwell and Mike Scott, for example.

[Edited 12/27/16 8:56am]

What I am saying it that if he was unable to dance anymore, he should have let his other strengths shine. I don't want to see a bandleader who sings a bit and doesn't dance at all (especially when musical arrangements like these in the past were accompanied by great Prince dancing in the past). I want to see Prince on a guitar or piano singing and communicating with the audience. The first two shows were more NPG with Prince arrangements. He was a ringmaster in a way. They weren't bad shows but they felt like he was just a member of the band.

The third show was more of a Prince show with a backing band. Even the funky stuff in the third show (The Max) was more impressive because Prince was the funky one. This is why I think the Piano and Microphone tour was so brilliant. He couldn't dance much anymore so he sat at a piano singing intimately, funkifying the piano and communicating with his audience. Less is so much more sometimes. This is what I mean by editing--picking your strengths and letting them shine.

laurarichardson said:

purplerabbithole said:

I have mixed feelings about the MOntreux concert. All three nights had their sloppy moments and their very strong moments. there were quite a few highs but some alarming lows. It felt like a really good jam season but not like a tight concert in the first two nights. Prince's dancing was virtually non-existent in the first two nights when it was probably needed the most, he played no instruments the first two nights and let his background singers carry the weight a bit too much. But he also had stunning vocals in "Dark" and a few other songs, seemed happy, and showed his humor. The horn playing was tight but felt redundant at times.

The third night (despite some people's dislike of 3rd Eye Girl--which I don't understand) showed Prince's brilliance as a musican. The guitar playing at times was raw but most of the time he shined (and yes, he is a better guitarist than Donna, but she ain't bad either),, his vocals were more aggressive (although his falsetto at times showed strain, it was emotional and impactful throughout, his lower register singing seemed quite strong throughout), he occasionally forgot lyrics but also made some wonderful improvizations and new vocal interpretations, his keyboard playing during the Max pleasantly surprised me (The Max actually a pleasant surprise all around). I think it was his best night. However, after the doing the Breakdown, his mood shifted from a vulnerability to an anger at his lighting guy. He covered his face with his hat, wanted the lights down, covered the camera with his hand when it came around the other side of keyboard. Something shifted. i know people could argue that it was all theatrics during the Breakdown and the mood shift was just on the professional side. An employee dropping the ball pissed him off. However, it felt like something more because he really seemed to want to hide at the end like a dj in the dark behind a booth. Artistically and personally, I am not sure why he went that route.

My theories -- Prince was exhaused in more ways than one (3 days of MOntreux with no dancing but many shots of him breathing heavy), he probably was having some pain (thus the lack of dancing) and maybe was trying to stay off pain pills causing obvious mood shifts. He might have known that by the end of the night that he would be tired so planned for a bit of a reprieve with a dance party in the dark but the tech guy got confused, causing P to lose his patience. I know P could be rough on techs but he usually was a bit more discrete about it. The first time the lighting guy got it wrong, Prince was polite (probably because it wasn't the guy's fault). The second time he was obviously upset (like that guy hadn't followed earlier directions---and he was completely insistent it get fixed before he moved on, but then he even hid his face behind his hat and seemed almost nervous) but oddly when he addressed the lighting guy (Dante) for the last time he called him "Huggie" and was kinder again. The show ended on a fun note but also on a distant one (a dance party jam in which Prince stayed mostly in the dark.)

This concert to me showed that Prince was still a master musican with immense charisma but it also showed he could get tired. I do think he had some physical pain throughout the performance. It showed. He should have done one or two nights.Not three. That being said, the highlights of these shows are some of my favorite moments but they need an editor (kind of like P sometimes did.)

[Edited 12/27/16 7:52am]

[Edited 12/27/16 8:05am]

"Prince's dancing was virtually non-existent in the first two nights when it was probably needed the most, he played no instruments the first two nights and let his background singers carry the weight a bit too much. But he also had stunning vocals in "Dark" and a few other songs, seemed happy, and showed his humor. The horn playing was tight but felt redundant at times."

He was in his 50s and this was probaly the way his shows were going to be going if he had lived. He really pushed himself for too long and should have dropped back to band leader position sometime ago and cut back on the number of shows like one apperance at this festival should have been enough.

That being said I think the band and the horns were great and for him to be his age and obviousoly tired he did better than most performers half his age.

I have been watching a lot of his performances from 2004 and on and you really start to see a change in 2013.

Not sure what you mean by editor since he did not even authorize these filmed concerts for public viewing. I am sure if they are ever put out officially they will be edited down.

[Edited 12/27/16 9:06am]

"What I am saying it that if he was unable to dance anymore, he should have let his other strengths shine." I don't want to see a bandleader who sings a bit and doesn't dance at all (especially when musical arrangements like these in the past were accompanied by great Prince dancing in the past).

He did let his talents as a band leader shine just like he did on the Parade tour back in 86. He best days of dancing seemed to have ended around 2011 - 2012.

purplerabbithole said:

What I am saying it that if he was unable to dance anymore, he should have let his other strengths shine. I don't want to see a bandleader who sings a bit and doesn't dance at all (especially when musical arrangements like these in the past were accompanied by great Prince dancing in the past). I want to see Prince on a guitar or piano singing and communicating with the audience. The first two shows were more NPG with Prince arrangements. He was a ringmaster in a way. They weren't bad shows but they felt like he was just a member of the band.

The third show was more of a Prince show with a backing band. Even the funky stuff in the third show (The Max) was more impressive because Prince was the funky one. This is why I think the Piano and Microphone tour was so brilliant. He couldn't dance much anymore so he sat at a piano singing intimately, funkifying the piano and communicating with his audience. Less is so much more sometimes. This is what I mean by editing--picking your strengths and letting them shine.

laurarichardson said:

"Prince's dancing was virtually non-existent in the first two nights when it was probably needed the most, he played no instruments the first two nights and let his background singers carry the weight a bit too much. But he also had stunning vocals in "Dark" and a few other songs, seemed happy, and showed his humor. The horn playing was tight but felt redundant at times."

He was in his 50s and this was probaly the way his shows were going to be going if he had lived. He really pushed himself for too long and should have dropped back to band leader position sometime ago and cut back on the number of shows like one apperance at this festival should have been enough.

That being said I think the band and the horns were great and for him to be his age and obviousoly tired he did better than most performers half his age.

I have been watching a lot of his performances from 2004 and on and you really start to see a change in 2013.

Not sure what you mean by editor since he did not even authorize these filmed concerts for public viewing. I am sure if they are ever put out officially they will be edited down.

[Edited 12/27/16 9:06am]

rogifan said:

Y'all are nuts. These are some of my favorite shows because the band was so tight. And I have no problem with Prince giving the stage to his backing band...in fact it makes me admire him even more that he allowed those really talented musicians to shine those two nights. If I need a fix of Prince on the keys I'll listen to the P&M shows. If I need a guitar fix I'll listen to some of the London and Manchester shows from 2014 (or go back to night 2 of North Sea Jazz from 2011). I hope the Estate puts this out. I'd love to get audio from the Dakota Jazz shows too. The band was really great there and did an amazing version of Stratus. And Shelby killing it on Brown Skin was a treat too.

Co-sign not the mention the crowd is loving it.

That's my point. During Parade, he had dancing and vocals as well. In Montreux, he had some vocals and no dancing. Big difference.

laurarichardson said:

"What I am saying it that if he was unable to dance anymore, he should have let his other strengths shine." I don't want to see a bandleader who sings a bit and doesn't dance at all (especially when musical arrangements like these in the past were accompanied by great Prince dancing in the past).

He did let his talents as a band leader shine just like he did on the Parade tour back in 86. He best days of dancing seemed to have ended around 2011 - 2012.

purplerabbithole said:

What I am saying it that if he was unable to dance anymore, he should have let his other strengths shine. I don't want to see a bandleader who sings a bit and doesn't dance at all (especially when musical arrangements like these in the past were accompanied by great Prince dancing in the past). I want to see Prince on a guitar or piano singing and communicating with the audience. The first two shows were more NPG with Prince arrangements. He was a ringmaster in a way. They weren't bad shows but they felt like he was just a member of the band.

The third show was more of a Prince show with a backing band. Even the funky stuff in the third show (The Max) was more impressive because Prince was the funky one. This is why I think the Piano and Microphone tour was so brilliant. He couldn't dance much anymore so he sat at a piano singing intimately, funkifying the piano and communicating with his audience. Less is so much more sometimes. This is what I mean by editing--picking your strengths and letting them shine.

[Edited 12/27/16 9:06am]

purplerabbithole said:

That's my point. During Parade, he had dancing and vocals as well. In Montreux, he had some vocals and no dancing. Big difference.

laurarichardson said:

"What I am saying it that if he was unable to dance anymore, he should have let his other strengths shine." I don't want to see a bandleader who sings a bit and doesn't dance at all (especially when musical arrangements like these in the past were accompanied by great Prince dancing in the past).

He did let his talents as a band leader shine just like he did on the Parade tour back in 86. He best days of dancing seemed to have ended around 2011 - 2012.

Wrong he danced at the Montreux show just not as much as you would have liked and his dancing doing the Parade shows was toned down vastly from the Purple Rain era.

I have to admit, I skip the songs P sings by...other folks...Not only don't I like the songs themselves, I also don't enjoy them when sung by the folks they're known for. I also resent those songs taking up space in my head when there are so many P songs I'd rather hear instead.

If I wanted to hear P sing...those songs...Well, franky, I don't...Heck, I don't even want to hear the actual singers sing those songs.

Petty I know. So what.

kookooman73 said:

Does anyone still buy physical boots? I used to back in the day because i'm a sucker for the packaging. The boot covers & inlay booklets were much better than P's own releases. I fear the market is rapidly shrinking especially as 4ever has sold so poorly. I hope Purple Rain Deluxe is properly promoted. 💜

Purple Rain Deluxe? What is this of which you speak? I didn't know more was on the way...

teach49 said:

kookooman73 said:

I hope Purple Rain Deluxe is properly promoted. 💜

Purple Rain Deluxe? What is this of which you speak? I didn't know more was on the way...

NEW RELEASES : Hits compilation (+ Moonbeam Levels) in November, PR Deluxe in 2017


^ see the prince.org frontpage.

[Edited 12/28/16 0:51am]