LaurenceNoonan said:

TheEnglishGent said:

I'd have to go with the 21 Nights in London. Not for the main shows, which were great, but for all those lovely aftershows. A fantastic summer.

21 Nights was awesome, did u see them live?

I did, saw 12 main shows and saw Prince perform at 7 of the 9 after shows I attended.

I never had the chance to see him life, but I really dig the bits I saw from musicology. He seems really happy and as another User already stated, the accoustic Guitar performances are great. It's really a shame not to be able to see him live. :/

Hit And Run tour / piano and microphone tour

^ As someone who believes P's later career is underrated, I'm very pleased to see that not everyone picks a tour from the 80's

jaawwnn said:

RJOrion said:

without a doubt, Dirty Mind

Yeah, word. The club tour especially.

After that the Parade tour for me, if that counts.

I'm not a big fan of the tours with huge elaborate stage sets and the like, although I'd imagine they were a lot better live than on tape.

[Edited 11/29/17 8:28am]

SOTT was extraordinaire.
The big production of PR and the spontaneousness of Parade.
The movie does its best to get close, but it's not the real thing.

LaurenceNoonan said:

Out of all his tours which would you pick as his best ?

I honestly would have to pick Controversy, LoveSexy, Jam of the Year, Musicology/21 Nights and Piano & Microphone.

Look wise I would have to pick Controversy and 1999.

Band wise is a mix between The Revolution, LoveSexy 88 or The Musicology NPG.

[Edited 11/28/17 2:06am]

[Edited 11/28/17 2:11am]

[Edited 11/28/17 2:14am]

[Edited 11/28/17 2:16am]

[Edited 11/29/17 8:14am]

[Edited 11/29/17 8:15am]

[Edited 11/29/17 8:15am]

[Edited 11/29/17 8:20am]

LOL, did you really change your mind 8 times?!? I can understand if you did; it seems impossible to pick a favorite Prince tour!

Just kidding, I edit stuff too. And to answer your question - which I can only include tours that appeared here in Houston, TX and that I attended - I would probably go with:

1. Musicology
2. Lovesexy
3. Purple Rain
4. One Night Alone
5. Jam of the Year

Actually, I'd put the Tamar tour eith #1 or #2 but that wasn't a "Prince" tour. It was, however, the greatest display of guitar shredding that I've ever seen!

Parade tour...I was 16 and couldn't believe I was getting to see him play the UK at last! My mum came with me. Also, Lovesexy tour. How can anyone top that?! I wished I'd seen the SOTT tour. I did have a ticket but he cancelled the UK leg of the tour due to tax reasons, I believe. Shame, because I missed out on my only chance to see Madhouse. Sniff....

SonnyDJP said:

Aside from the aftershows I was able to see, I liked Musicology the best. The band was really good and organic sounding. Nice set list of hits and lesser known numbers, plus the acoustic set. Not too much piano balladry and it felt lest packaged and stiff than PR or Lovesexy.

Lovesexy was good but overrated.

itsjustaroundthecorner said:

LOVESEXY hands down for me.

maybe SOTT if he didn't screw us royally and deny us the chance to see it live (STILL BITTER AFTER ALL THESE YEARS).

Who's "us"?

TheEnglishGent said:

I'd have to go with the 21 Nights in London. Not for the main shows, which were great, but for all those lovely aftershows. A fantastic summer.

You can say that again!

TheEnglishGent said:

Noone would ever dare to call it his best, but I think his various 1998 New Power Soul tours are tremendous fun.

If you're the kind of person that likes fun jamming and getting lost in the music to the point where you don't even know what song is still playing, this is the year for you.

Special props to the December shows.

warewolf95 said:

Noone would ever dare to call it his best, but I think his various 1998 New Power Soul tours are tremendous fun.

If you're the kind of person that likes fun jamming and getting lost in the music to the point where you don't even know what song is still playing, this is the year for you.

Special props to the December shows.

I saw that Cafe De Paris show or whatever it was called and, yeah. looked like a lot of fun

RodeoSchro said:

herb4 said:

warewolf95 said:

Noone would ever dare to call it his best, but I think his various 1998 New Power Soul tours are tremendous fun.

If you're the kind of person that likes fun jamming and getting lost in the music to the point where you don't even know what song is still playing, this is the year for you.

Special props to the December shows.

I saw that Cafe De Paris show or whatever it was called and, yeah. looked like a lot of fun

The way i'd put it is that the shows, even the structured ones, are still just really loose and fun and non-serious. Like it's all just one giant jam. The total opposite of Lovesexy.

train23 said:

This is way too hard, pretty much all of the 1980s tours are candidates. I would add the Piano and Microphone tour as it wa sintimate and I felt he played a lot of jams for the hardcore. I was pleased to see the brotha play 9 songs off Sign o the Times when he was in Auckland and looked at me when he started playing Adore.

.

But overall I have to be realistic and say - PARADE Hit n Run (Hit n Run being all the one off and pop up gigs he played in early 1986 not the 2010s Hit n run series)

.

Reasons - the songs, the energy, the costumes, the soloing and the whole extended revolution on stage. Plus Prince was doing all these splits and hopping around from Guitar, to Piano, Drums and Vocals and the shit was like Cirque De Soleil set to funk. I never went to a Parade concert but watching boots of Yokohama and Minneapolis (6 months apart) I can kind of see what was going on.

.

Coming up in a close second was the Triple Threat Tour, lusty young Prince - assured playing Dez on Guitars, Mark on bass and Lisa on keys - Prince tearing it up on stage and the added attraction of Vanity 6 and The Time when they were aggressively kicking Prince's ass, going to a show and watching Morris Day tear up the stage for Prince to top.

.

Then Sign o the Times and Lovesexy - both great tours - someone said Lovesexy was too choreographed - but it was still great, he was allowing all the solos and plus he was just so cool on that stage in them Polka dots and Sheila and Cat on stage.

.

Controversy, Dirty Mind were also hot - but he was not quite the superstar yet, still I would give anything to have been at a Dirty Mind or Controversy tour concert - especially the latter as I could see Zapp and the early Time too, whereas I would be less crazy sitting through Teena Marie at the Dirty Mind concerts.

.

Purple Rain probably last as it was rehearesed and too poppy by half along with the monolgue with God and all the celebriies on stage. Although seeing Sheila on drums and percussion would have been cool.

.

None of the 90s or Millenium tours I would have liked much - but I guess Diamonds and Pearls, Ultimate Live Experience and Act1/11 would have been cool.

.

Rick James tour and the Prince tour would have been okay, but I guess amateurish in parts - the first show at the Capri would have been interesting and historic, but apparently prince thought it was shit and he had none of that stage presence then.

.

Yeah so Parade tour basically, even if I did call it a flop on my Videos.

[Edited 12/3/17 3:09am]

Oh and not forgetting Nude tour, it was decent and he met Mayte on it - but with no new album to promote and a Band he was barely speaking too (Matt and Miko were both unhappy) it lacked the chemistry of earlier tours.

Given the spread of Prince as a live artist...
Prince live is probably the thing that unites most f.an.m.anatic.ale.emale.s.
Allow me to ramble on, it only got better with time, across all eras.

Please, do have a seat, we serve lascivious punks, electro-urban night hypnoses,
white-hot salsa funks, hard grinders at 11, soulful ballads, a capellas, a cappella choirs,
techno-sex raves, small clubs, jazz licks, acoustic sing-a-longs, on the ones, LasVegases and a Gospel divorce arena anthem for the ages.
Echoing for the ages for the ones who were there, when he was singing in between the whole of us.

A whole lotta beautiful nights.

[Edited 12/3/17 7:49am]

bonatoc said:

Given the spread of Prince as a live artist...
Prince live is probably the thing that unites most f.an.m.anatic.ale.emale.s.
Allow me to ramble on, it only got better with time, across all eras.

Please, do have a seat, we serve lascivious punks, electro-urban night hypnoses,
white-hot salsa funks, hard grinders at 11, soulful ballads, a capellas, a cappella choirs,
techno-sex raves, small clubs, jazz licks, acoustic sing-a-longs, on the ones, LasVegases and a Gospel divorce arena anthem for the ages.
Echoing for the ages for the ones who were there, when he was singing in between the whole of us.

A whole lotta beautiful nights.

[Edited 12/3/17 7:49am]

Bonatoc,

I love your posts, they give life to beautiful, colorful and wonderful memories you have of Prince. Thank you for sharing.

Peace ~~DD55

Adorecream said:

Oh and not forgetting Nude tour, it was decent and he met Mayte on it - but with no new album to promote and a Band he was barely speaking too (Matt and Miko were both unhappy) it lacked the chemistry of earlier tours.

I keep forgetting Fink was still in the picture at that point.

67Cadillac said:

Adorecream said:

Oh and not forgetting Nude tour, it was decent and he met Mayte on it - but with no new album to promote and a Band he was barely speaking too (Matt and Miko were both unhappy) it lacked the chemistry of earlier tours.

I keep forgetting Fink was still in the picture at that point.

Yes, Prince let him go when he could not do Rock in Rio and basically said "You can't drop everything for me - so seeya". He had been planning to let Fink go as he felt Fink had got old and fat (He was all of 35 and maybe 200 pounds) and did not suit the "look" of the New Power Generation.

.

Prince replaced him with another Jewish player - Tommy Elm and renamed him Tommy Barbarella - apart from the dancers, Tommy was the only white member of the NPG and only white musical member (Dancing is not really the same talent level as playing an instrument).

Adorecream said:

67Cadillac said:

I keep forgetting Fink was still in the picture at that point.

Yes, Prince let him go when he could not do Rock in Rio and basically said "You can't drop everything for me - so seeya". He had been planning to let Fink go as he felt Fink had got old and fat (He was all of 35 and maybe 200 pounds) and did not suit the "look" of the New Power Generation.

.

Prince replaced him with another Jewish player - Tommy Elm and renamed him Tommy Barbarella - apart from the dancers, Tommy was the only white member of the NPG and only white musical member (Dancing is not really the same talent level as playing an instrument).

I know a couple of professional dancers who would give you a hell of a spanking for saying that

databank said:

NorthC said:

databank said:

I know a couple of professional dancers who would give you a hell of a spanking for saying that

We're talking about Diamond & Pearl and Tony, Damon & Kirk here. What they were doing wasn't exactly classical ballet. But two of those could play an instrument!

That's what I meant, the Maytes, Twinz and Diamond and Pearl - not the skilled choreographers like Cat or Multi Instrumentalists like Kirk, Damon or Sheila.

.

I mainly meant the ultra talentless dancers - Greg and Wally, Damaris, Diamond and Pearl. Even Mayte was in a higher planbe, she could do belly dancing and ballet, and was a great dancer. Plus we all know now Tony M is deep, the guy is an accountant - kind of brother I admire, has a white collar career waiting after being hype on the stage.

Adorecream said:

67Cadillac said:

I keep forgetting Fink was still in the picture at that point.

Yes, Prince let him go when he could not do Rock in Rio and basically said "You can't drop everything for me - so seeya". He had been planning to let Fink go as he felt Fink had got old and fat (He was all of 35 and maybe 200 pounds) and did not suit the "look" of the New Power Generation.

.

Prince replaced him with another Jewish player - Tommy Elm and renamed him Tommy Barbarella - apart from the dancers, Tommy was the only white member of the NPG and only white musical member (Dancing is not really the same talent level as playing an instrument).

Fink did not get fat, Fink was actually pretty muscular. If letting someone go for being overweight, he would not have hired Michael Bland and Rosie Gaines

I strongly suspect Miko & Fink being reminders of a different time ie 1978-1987, is the reason.