Prior 2 'The Ultimate Live Experience Tour' in 95, I recall reading about a fire at Paisley where Prince's (supposedly HUGE, and expensive if I remember correctly) 'Endorphinmachine' stage set was destroyed, putting the tour in2 doubt.

As we know, a few months on the show we got was quite stripped-down ala 'Nude', but I just wondered if any other Orgers had any further info or could shed anymore light on this?

What did it look like? (I'm sure the article said it resembled a huge tree or sumthin!) How was it going 2 work in context of the show etc etc...

*Then again, this was in a tabloid, so it could've been complete BS!

I'm thinking this is the set that is pictured in the Gold Experience CD, right? (someone help me out here)

I think it resembled a penis, a vagina, and a uterus... all artistically.

They were HUGE... used to sit under the vagina all the time.

bananacologne said:

The endorphinmachine is on the inside back cover of the gold experience.It survived, i saw it on the TGE tour.

The 'Endorphinmachine' stage is pictured on the inside tray of the Gold Experience CD, and it WAS used on the tour in all it's glory (I know, I saw it). Though I believe that he didn't use the full set for some of the venues.

On a side note, as well as all the curvy stage set,(based on Gaudi architecture and male & female genetalia!) there was also a conveyer belt leading from the central red curtains to the front of the stage, and a dolly rail in the lighting rig so Mayte could 'fly' over the audience.

BorisFishpaw said:

Pretending to be Prince she strode across the stage singing 'My Name is Prince' with the chainveil hat.Fooled me @ the back of the arena anyway!

BorisFishpaw said:

That conveyer belt used to crack me up, lol! There was something cute about him riding it to the back of the stage.

Marrk said:

...That was the 'Act II' tour, not The Gold Experience tour.

Though yes, it was a great way to start the show
(If she'd worn Prince's style of boots it would have been more convincing)

But the look on the audience's face when at the end of the song 'Prince' ripped open 'his' jacket to reveal...a bright pink bra complete with tits! , then pulling off the pants (stripper style) to reveal bright pink panties, before finally taking off the hat to reveal Mayte, as Prince entered the stage from the back to the intro to Sexy MF!...fantastic.

BorisFishpaw said:

1st nite in, I did this: then I cracked-up. Fantastic show opener, but yeah - I was a little confused there 4 a min - I was like: 'What the fu...'???

Was even better the next nite when i took my cuz and was able 2 watch her expression along with loads of others - cracked me up.

As 4 the set info, yeah - I know the one u are talkin about - I saw that 2 - but im not CONVINCED it is the same one that the side-article in The Sun discussed. It was a fair few months before that tour hit here - I wish I still had that clipping here (it's currently residing in 'storage') im 99% sure that it decribed the set as a 'huge tree like structure'

The impression I got was that the endorphinmachine set WE got 2 see was a VERY basic, stripped-down version of the original...

I don't think the stage was set on fire as it was still in pieces at the back of the Soundstage until Prince cleaned it out to hold the Emancipation Day free concert.

bearing in mind this article dated between 94 and 95...

I remember it quite well, saw it two times in concert.
That conveyor belt thing was cool, Prince would slide
in and out, sort of mixing the sound.
As far as I know, there was some sort of Barbara Streisand
connection, guess it ws the same technician/designer or
whatever...it was really expensive...
Parts of it can also be seen in the Undertaker video.
He later dropped that "flying Mayte" thing, guess something
got damaged in England...cool tour, great show, great songs, a great phase...Prince was stressed, tense and wired, uncertain and angry, and full of energy...
I also like his recent tours/shows ( ONA/ Celebration).
Good to still see him alive, healthy and happy, doing what
he´s doing...

bananacologne said:

Exactly and I'm saying that the stage was still in existence in 1996.

lovemachine said:

I 'member seeing it at many of the early Paisley Parties...like when they had 'em on weeknights and we went in thru the front doors...wow, that was a LONG time ago!

endorphin74 said:

Yes... we never used to enter through the back door, back then... never, ever...

BorisFishpaw said:

They're all a blur to me.All the shows have kind of melted together in my head.There's a mad concert going on in there, i tell ya!

Marrk said:

So lovemachine, you're saying that u think this set that was mentioned was in actuality the very same set we ended up seeing anyway? (which wasnt the point of my previous post, but all the same)

It sux that i dont have the article 2 hand, as I could've transcribed it 4 a clearer picture. Still, this is all interesting stuff. Cheers peeps

bananacologne said:

As far as I know. If we are indeed talking about the vagina, penis, and anus set (the one from the cd) Damn was that thing ugly.


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[This message was edited Mon Apr 14 14:53:48 PDT 2003 by lovemachine]

The set pictured in the Gold Experience CD inlay
is definitely the 'Endorphinmachine' set. I'm sure
Prince himself refered to the set in this way in
interviews at the time, and possibly on stage as well.

Yup he cut down the stage set in a lot of his European shows... smaller venues etc. His two shows at the Point in Dublin (Ireland) had pretty small stage sets. And to be honest, I felt the stage set was a bit tacky and crap... he'd have been better off with nothing

Still I liked the audacity of the man to do his own mixing from behind the curtain on the stage... how the hell did that work!

lovemachine said:

Yeah Ian - as someone who spent 4 years at college learning how 2 work a desk and pa's etc - I was amazed!