1. Montreux 2009

2. Montreux 2013

3. Lovesexy Dortmund

4. Parade Detroit

5. Controversy DC

6. 1999 Houston

7. For Those of U on Valium

8. Nude Rio

9. Purple Rain Syracuse

10. Musicology L.A.

Any other pro shots worthy of being on the list?

Houston 1981. New York 1980. 1999 tour homecoming.

duh..8/3/83

luvsexy4all said:

duh..8/3/83

#1 in my book.

luvsexy4all said:

duh..8/3/83

Oh yea. How could I forget that one.

Hilarious that the officially released One Nite Alone Vegas show has no chance of making this list.

leecaldon said:

Hilarious that the officially released One Nite Alone Vegas show has no chance of making this list.

The thing is that the One Nite Alone tour is in my top 3 tours for him, but the Vegas DVD just didn't capture it. That is too bad.

Tokyo90 is a much better representation of the Nude shows than Rio. Make sure you get the Love or Money version, it's the best.

Miles in the Park (NYE 1987)

donnyenglish said:

leecaldon said:

Hilarious that the officially released One Nite Alone Vegas show has no chance of making this list.

The thing is that the One Nite Alone tour is in my top 3 tours for him, but the Vegas DVD just didn't capture it. That is too bad.

Yes, indeed. A superb tour.

I was really struck when I watched that D&P pro-shot, I think it was London, to see how tense Prince was on it by compariuson to any other concert video I'd seen. He really was depressed at that time! He just didn't seem to enjoy it at all. I wonder whether he was like this on every show and that led him not to release any video from that tour, because obviously at the time the market could have sustained the video collection AND a live video album, and D&P was arguably his most spectacular tour in terms of how much of a "show" it was (beyong just playing the music), so it was somewhat surprising not to see a live show released back then.

sonshine said:

donnyenglish said:

sonshine said:

Welcome To America - Charlotte, NC - Mar 24 2011

Is that a pro shot?

One song is, I've never heard of the full show being in circulation.

donnyenglish said:

1. Montreux 2009

2. Montreux 2013

3. Lovesexy Dortmund

4. Parade Detroit

5. Controversy DC

6. 1999 Houston

7. For Those of U on Valium

8. Nude Rio

9. Purple Rain Syracuse

10. Musicology L.A.

Any other pro shots worthy of being on the list?

Lovesexy is number 1.


Parade + Purple Rain are classics as well.

Where is the Sign "O" The Times movie? Superb.



I never liked the jazzy shows in Montreux.

Very strange to put these on numer 1 & 2, imho.

Nude in Rio is weak, Nude in Tokyo is a lot better.

thedance said:

donnyenglish said:

1. Montreux 2009

2. Montreux 2013

3. Lovesexy Dortmund

4. Parade Detroit

5. Controversy DC

6. 1999 Houston

7. For Those of U on Valium

8. Nude Rio

9. Purple Rain Syracuse

10. Musicology L.A.

Any other pro shots worthy of being on the list?

Lovesexy is number 1.


Parade + Purple Rain are classics as well.

Where is the Sign "O" The Times movie? Superb.



I never liked the jazzy shows in Montreux.

Very strange to put these on numer 1 & 2, imho.

Nude in Rio is weak, Nude in Tokyo is a lot better.

I haven't watched the 2013 shows yet, have listened to them though, not a huge fan of that "broadway" configuration of the NPG. The 2009 shows however are among my fave Prince shows ever.

Rio wasn't Nude Tour. It's an interesting show because it shows the transition between Nude and D+P, though.

^ oh yes of course - you are right databank.

Rio was not a "Nude tour concert", but called "Rock in Rio" (II), despite very little rock from Prince, much more it was experimental with some hiphop material like Horny Pony and others from the D&P era.

But, it wasn't a good live concert imho, when I watched the VHS tape in the 90s I got very disappointed. Such a large crown of people in the audience - and Prince was experimental, not time for that, imho he should have played more known and more "safe" songs.

thedance said:

^ oh yes of course - you are right databank.

Rio was not a "Nude tour concert", but called "Rock in Rio" (II), despite very little rock from Prince, much more it was experimental with some hiphop material like Horny Pony and others from the D&P era.

But, it wasn't a good live concert imho, when I watched the VHS tape in the 90s I got very disappointed. Such a large crown of people in the audience - and Prince was experimental, not time for that, imho he should have played more known and more "safe" songs.

I think he didn't gave a fuck because it was his first (and last AFAIK, save maybe Dubai once?) shows in the third world, so to him it was probably less risky than an aftershow that could still get reviews in the local American or European press.

However there was the MTV deal that he canceled, so I wonder if he really was considering the show to be aired in the US at some point. If so, the setlist was a daring move and he was, well, being Prince by making a daring move as he ususally did. However the fact that he bought the rights back shows thet he most likely realized that the content would do him disservice.

As a fan, I find those South American shows super interesting though, because they're quite unique. And it's the only time he plays Something Funky and Shake!, and Shake! is my jam I also dig some versions of songs he did there (I think Alphabet St. and/or Kiss are quite unique to those shows in that exact form?). Now I wouldn't rate them among my favorite shows ever, but a proper HD reissue of the RIR show (that is now on the official YT channel of the Argentinian National Archives, but in relatively low quality) would be cool IMHO

[Edited 1/25/17 1:43am]

databank said:

databank said:

sonshine said:

databank said:

One song is, I've never heard of the full show being in circulation.

It may have gotten taken down already? It had just been put up the very day I found it but it was in at least four "parts" that were definitely more than one song. And yes it was pro shot at the warner cable arena or something like that it showed at the befinning with the opening credits and such. [Edited 1/25/17 1:55am]

IDK I don't find any such thing on YT. If it was there I would assume it's a new leak because it wasn't in the 2013 pro-shot collection, whcih I would assume as as comprehensive as could be at that time. I'm a little surprised there was no thread about it, unless I've missed it of course.

I have to go with 2013 Montreux. This thing is incredible I have watched the shows multiple times already! Night 3 is by far the best to me because the jammming with 3Rd Eye girl is so tight and insane, Prince totally was digging these jams more than anything I had seen in years. I like 2009 but 2013 is just a bit better because of that all out rock and jamming feel that I did not get from 2009 that much. I dig Prince more on the ROCK vibe and with 3rd eye Girl he was at his best and they were incredible, TO ME, better than the rock jams with Sonny T and Michael B, I just think that the ladies are a bit better playing wise.

lastdecember said:

I have to go with 2013 Montreux. This thing is incredible I have watched the shows multiple times already! Night 3 is by far the best to me because the jammming with 3Rd Eye girl is so tight and insane, Prince totally was digging these jams more than anything I had seen in years. I like 2009 but 2013 is just a bit better because of that all out rock and jamming feel that I did not get from 2009 that much. I dig Prince more on the ROCK vibe and with 3rd eye Girl he was at his best and they were incredible, TO ME, better than the rock jams with Sonny T and Michael B, I just think that the ladies are a bit better playing wise.

I'm not sure I could pick between either 2009 show or Show 3 from 2013. The Love We Make performance probably tips the scales to 2013, but then I think about Large Room with No Light and Lay My Hands on U. It is a toss up. I also think Shows 1 and 2 are very underrated. Neither of those shows compares with the above, but I would put them ahead of many of the other pro shots from other eras. Just like Piano & Microphone, Prince as a bandleader is an aspect of Prince that should be appreciated just as much as Prince the great guitarist.

databank said:

databank said:

Superconductor said:

What about the Club Nokia one night three venues from 2009? I've seen video of the second show where he calls out AEG, don't know if it was pro shot. Looked like it.

I should imagine that more or less every show at which Prince performed was pro-shot - he made sure of it! However, whether we'll ever get to see them all remains to be seen - that would be a HELLUVA lot of tape (and probably explains why P had several vaults, lol)!

TheDigitalGardener said:

why are all the full monteux 2013 shows pulled from youtube???