I just read a sadly disappointing article about what he was like to his sound and light crew during the Nude tour. Apparently, he was a nightmare. Sad. I knew he was demanding and impatient but this sounds like something like bullying and buttons pushing. Apparently, the dude said PRince paid extremely well (better than any other musicians he had ever worked with) and was great to watch but was extremely difficult to be around and would find ways to push your buttons and get you pissed off (apparently for no apparent reason). He said the lighting guy would leave when he knew Prince was coming. . Hell, maybe Prince thought he could act that way since he was paying so well. Anyhow, did he grow kinder at all?? I don't mind demanding and tempermental due to perfectionism (and I understand firing those who don't measure up or are not what you need) but pushing buttons just piss folks off ... not cool. Also, I wonder why? Seems like a waste of energy and time. I am thinking that despite his moodiness he must have lightened up a bit in his later years in comparison to the Nude Tour days...Scottie Baldwin called him a gentleman even though he also stated he was acting eratic at times. Makes me think that even though he had his difficult moments, he wasn't going out of his way to pick on sound guys if they were doing their jobs well..

Okay, I went back and read more accounts from engineers on this site. They weren't all bad. He was demanding but he knew his stuff.I don't know maybe folks didn't understand how much he knew and were acting hot shit around him and he didn't have the tolerance to deal with that. I hated reading that article. Davey Moire was his name.

[Edited 5/22/18 19:50pm]

[Edited 5/22/18 20:37pm]

DELETED COZ I was being UNKIND

[Edited 5/23/18 0:18am]

Do you have a link to that article you´ve read?

.

There were many incidents were he criticized his sound engineer openly for the whole audience to hear. But Í´m not sure whether he got kinder over the years. Last time I remember him blasting his sound guy was at the North Sea Jazz festival and Cologne 2011, and also during those three shows a night gig in L.A in 2009, but in L.A the criticism was directed toward AEG rather than the sound engineers.

I remember very well the Nude Tour live show here in Belgium (Werchter) had a horrible sound (although it was outside).

We were not able to understand what he was singing, and most of the music sounded dull and messy.

Even walking around the field to find a spot where the sound would be better didn't work.

That concert was a waste of time and money.

And I also remember it being an issue (bad sound) in the press afterwards.

-

I also intended the Nude Tour concerts in Rotterdam Holland, Hereveen (Holland) and Dortmund and Munich (Germany), and the sound was much better (except for the concert in Paris, Parc des Princes, same bad sound quality).

Thanks for the heads up. Maybe that's why no one had anything nice to say.

This guy did state that he was paid ALOT of money and had been asking around and discovered that in comparision to a lot of other engineers and lighting guys for other big name gigs, the difference in pay was massive. It must have been frustrating to pay promotors or whomever a massive amount of money for the sound to still be a problem. But picking fights like I said seems like a waste of time.

Vannormal said:

I remember very well the Nude Tour live show here in Belgium (Werchter) had a horrible sound (although it was outside).

We were not able to understand what he was singing, and most of the music sounded dull and messy.

Even walking around the field to find a spot where the sound would be better didn't work.

That concert was a waste of time and money.

And I also remember it being an issue (bad sound) in the press afterwards.

-

I also intended the Nude Tour concerts in Rotterdam Holland, Hereveen (Holland) and Dortmund and Munich (Germany), and the sound was much better (except for the concert in Paris, Parc des Princes, same bad sound quality).

[Edited 5/23/18 3:22am]

[Edited 5/23/18 4:00am]

I knew he could be hard on the sound folks and to some extent, I know why. Bad sound ruins concerts..making Prince himself look bad and wasting his audience members' money. I get it. But this dude stated that Prince pushed buttons to make you angry --that seems less justifiable than calling out the sound guy ater he messes up because he refused to listen or take notes..After all, if Prince has to face public scrutiny for poor sound, so should they!!!--this was probably his thinking. Artistic differences I understand. I have mixed feelings about AEG call outs. I get why Prince would want everyone to know that the poor sound quality wasn't his fault and that AEG should do better. But the moment when he did this was more distracting than the actual sound qualities (which seemed minor to me when I watched the show.)

KoolEaze said:

Do you have a link to that article you´ve read?

.

There were many incidents were he criticized his sound engineer openly for the whole audience to hear. But Í´m not sure whether he got kinder over the years. Last time I remember him blasting his sound guy was at the North Sea Jazz festival and Cologne 2011, and also during those three shows a night gig in L.A in 2009, but in L.A the criticism was directed toward AEG rather than the sound engineers.

He seemed to grow kinder to everyone after the mid 90's where he seemed at his most paranoid, where you couldn't even look at him without risking being fired.

In 2011 he fired most of his sound crew after a bad show in Germany, if I recall correctly there was was a scramble in Ireland the next day to get a new sound crew together for him, we ended up at the gates of the gig watching Prince himself soundchecking onstage. Did the crew deserve to be fired for doing a bad show? Maybe, maybe not. That Germany show got angry reviews though so Prince clearly thought so.

After the Purple Rain years, he must've suffered from a post-fame problem/issue.

Imagine, you're famous, you have it all, money too, and then you get somewhat isolated on the top. Lonely too. Loads of people lick your ass and everyone wants a piece (of you).

And, all is possible on the other hand. He could've done what he wanted.

Heard that often in interviews with his former managers and employees.

-

I think this possition onthe top being famous and having money might have an effect on everyone (of us too).

By the way, there is no manual how to get along with fame.

KoolEaze said:

Do you mean was he nicer in the 28 years after the Nude Tour? Yeah, sure. I'm nicer than I was 28 years ago. We all probably are. I hope.

This was a time when Prince was in a full out social/relationship/music crisis.

I think he was really angry and frustrated and sad at this time.

The 'punking' or 'cracking' on band members had increased...going after Dr Fink in front of his parents, going after Miko, and almost getting into a fight with him during band rehearsal.

The tragic demise of his relationship with Jill Jones

By this time everyone from the 1978-1987 period were gone

Yes the Time was doing GB and some shows, but that protege/friends connection was not there, the Revolution, Sheila E, Cat, Boni, Eric & Atlanta Bliss, Finks & Miko's last tour with Prince, certain long time engineers

and Graffiti Bridge was looking like a bust,

i was just listening to one of the Montreux 2013 concerts, and Prince starts demanding a lighting adjustment from the stage. It goes on and on and on, and his tone of voice is chilling. I got so uncomfortable just listening, I thought "SOMEONE GIVE HIM THE DAMN LIGHT!!"

.

The comedian John Mulaney has a new Netflix Special out, where he talks about working with Mick Jagger on SNL, and how afterward all his friends asked if Mick was "nice" (answer: not really). It gets at what happens when you live most of your life demanding what you want, snapping your fingers, and actually getting it.

Mintchip said:

i was just listening to one of the Montreux 2013 concerts, and Prince starts demanding a lighting adjustment from the stage. It goes on and on and on, and his tone of voice is chilling. I got so uncomfortable just listening, I thought "SOMEONE GIVE HIM THE DAMN LIGHT!!"

.

The comedian John Mulaney has a new Netflix Special out, where he talks about working with Mick Jagger on SNL, and how afterward all his friends asked if Mick was "nice" (answer: not really). It gets at what happens when you live most of your life demanding what you want, snapping your fingers, and actually getting it.

I was thinking of Montreux 2013 too. I think he finally exclaimed "Good Lord of Love!" I thought that he sounded very sweet and patient with the lighting guy Dante at other times in the show though.

Mintchip said:

Near the end he was SUPER NICE and acknowledging to "Scott", the sound engineer he used on the M&P shows... He even called him out live a few times...

soladeo1 said:

Near the end he was SUPER NICE and acknowledging to "Scott", the sound engineer he used on the M&P shows... He even called him out live a few times...

This is true although on one of the Prince podcasts Scotty says said that he left the Piano and Microphone tour part way through the Australia/NZ leg because of a breakdown in communication with Prince over the sound mix.

Vannormal said:

I remember very well the Nude Tour live show here in Belgium (Werchter) had a horrible sound (although it was outside).

We were not able to understand what he was singing, and most of the music sounded dull and messy.

Even walking around the field to find a spot where the sound would be better didn't work.

That concert was a waste of time and money.

And I also remember it being an issue (bad sound) in the press afterwards.

-

I also intended the Nude Tour concerts in Rotterdam Holland, Hereveen (Holland) and Dortmund and Munich (Germany), and the sound was much better (except for the concert in Paris, Parc des Princes, same bad sound quality).

Wendy and Lisa performed at Werchter on the same day as Prince - August 4th, 1990. There is video of W & L's show there currently on YT - it is broken up into several different clips of their songs. Their sound is "wonky' too. Wendy seemed irritated and was walking on and off stage during the show. At one point, she shouted, "turn it down up here!" Check out the videos. So, if Prince was pissed at the sound there it seems it was justified...

purplerabbithole said:

Mintchip said:

i was just listening to one of the Montreux 2013 concerts, and Prince starts demanding a lighting adjustment from the stage. It goes on and on and on, and his tone of voice is chilling. I got so uncomfortable just listening, I thought "SOMEONE GIVE HIM THE DAMN LIGHT!!"

.

The comedian John Mulaney has a new Netflix Special out, where he talks about working with Mick Jagger on SNL, and how afterward all his friends asked if Mick was "nice" (answer: not really). It gets at what happens when you live most of your life demanding what you want, snapping your fingers, and actually getting it.

He started off nice during the little soundcheck part. Then after the Breakdown song, he seemed to want the lights down pretty quickly. But in p’s defense, the lighting guy was not getting on that real quick. He did try to soften his tone later when he called him brother. I would not say it was chilling but it was awkward. That being said, if he was more nasty later behind the scenes, or less nasty or about the same, we don’t know. It does seem odd to me how he wanted to be in the dark and not photographed after that song —- almost desperately wanted to dissolve into the group and the dark. I felt sorry a bit for Dante but a bit worried for Prince. [Edited 5/23/18 8:53am]

Prince was in tears after singing the Breakdown in Montreux, (I believe it was 2013). Perhaps he knew this was an emotionall song for him and did not want the fans to see him in that state. Just a guess.

purplerabbithole said:

I just read a sadly disappointing article about what he was like to his sound and light crew during the Nude tour. Apparently, he was a nightmare. Sad. I knew he was demanding and impatient but this sounds like something like bullying and buttons pushing. Apparently, the dude said PRince paid extremely well (better than any other musicians he had ever worked with) and was great to watch but was extremely difficult to be around and would find ways to push your buttons and get you pissed off (apparently for no apparent reason). He said the lighting guy would leave when he knew Prince was coming. . Hell, maybe Prince thought he could act that way since he was paying so well. Anyhow, did he grow kinder at all?? I don't mind demanding and tempermental due to perfectionism (and I understand firing those who don't measure up or are not what you need) but pushing buttons just piss folks off ... not cool. Also, I wonder why? Seems like a waste of energy and time. I am thinking that despite his moodiness he must have lightened up a bit in his later years in comparison to the Nude Tour days...Scottie Baldwin called him a gentleman even though he also stated he was acting eratic at times. Makes me think that even though he had his difficult moments, he wasn't going out of his way to pick on sound guys if they were doing their jobs well..

Okay, I went back and read more accounts from engineers on this site. They weren't all bad. He was demanding but he knew his stuff.I don't know maybe folks didn't understand how much he knew and were acting hot shit around him and he didn't have the tolerance to deal with that. I hated reading that article. Davey Moire was his name.

[Edited 5/22/18 19:50pm]

[Edited 5/22/18 20:37pm]

Did you read that RS article "Prince In The 90's - An Oral History"? He was rough on everyone - Managers, band members, tech crew, wardrobe people, etc. Here's an excerpt from Michael B Nelson's (Trombonist) account of missing a note at one of the shows in the early 90's:

*

Nelson: It was difficult at times. There's a trombone solo on the Symbol album. There's a medley called "Arrogance" and "The Flow." We're listening back to it and he goes, "See Harry Connick beat that."

On tour, that solo had to be played as is. It had a high B in it, which isn't a terribly high note, but it's a higher note on a brass instrument. Occasionally you're gonna miss a note. When we did the three nights at Radio City, I was playing the solo, and right before I went for that high B, somebody threw a towel right by me, or something. It broke my concentration, and I cracked this high note. The next day, he came by and said, "You're gonna play that solo right tonight?" We'd been out for months and I miss one note, and you're gonna bust my balls about it? But in my defiance, rather than just saying, "Yes, sir," I said, "I'll do my best." And he says, "Uh, you did your best last night." And he walks away.

That night, it gets to the solo, and this was when he was using the gun mic – the mic with a pistol grip. I'm playing my solo and coming up to that note, and right before that note he comes up and puts the gun mic to my head. I was like, "Oh, my God." And he kept doing it. And it was like a week of him doing this, and I'm freaking out. It wasn't showbiz at that point. It was, "Don't you ever do that again."

*

Prince rarely missed, so he expected the same from his camp. A high-stress work environment for sure!!

peggyon said:

purplerabbithole said:

Mintchip said: He started off nice during the little soundcheck part. Then after the Breakdown song, he seemed to want the lights down pretty quickly. But in p’s defense, the lighting guy was not getting on that real quick. He did try to soften his tone later when he called him brother. I would not say it was chilling but it was awkward. That being said, if he was more nasty later behind the scenes, or less nasty or about the same, we don’t know. It does seem odd to me how he wanted to be in the dark and not photographed after that song —- almost desperately wanted to dissolve into the group and the dark. I felt sorry a bit for Dante but a bit worried for Prince. [Edited 5/23/18 8:53am]

Prince was in tears after singing the Breakdown in Montreux, (I believe it was 2013). Perhaps he knew this was an emotionall song for him and did not want the fans to see him in that state. Just a guess.

Now I have to go back and watch that segment. That is sad

violetcrush said:

violetcrush said:

peggyon said:

Prince was in tears after singing the Breakdown in Montreux, (I believe it was 2013). Perhaps he knew this was an emotionall song for him and did not want the fans to see him in that state. Just a guess.

Now I have to go back and watch that segment. That is sad

Just watched that part of the show. He did appear to quickly wipe his eyes after Breakdown, but I think he just wanted the lights off during When Doves Cry - and it took forever to get the lights off. Through the rest of the show he was putting his hand up in front of the close-up camera on stage. Appears he did not want close up shots of himself.

[Edited 5/23/18 10:34am]

purplerabbithole said:

violetcrush said:

Did you read that RS article "Prince In The 90's - An Oral History"? He was rough on everyone - Managers, band members, tech crew, wardrobe people, etc. Here's an excerpt from Michael B Nelson's (Trombonist) account of missing a note at one of the shows in the early 90's:

*

Nelson: It was difficult at times. There's a trombone solo on the Symbol album. There's a medley called "Arrogance" and "The Flow." We're listening back to it and he goes, "See Harry Connick beat that."

On tour, that solo had to be played as is. It had a high B in it, which isn't a terribly high note, but it's a higher note on a brass instrument. Occasionally you're gonna miss a note. When we did the three nights at Radio City, I was playing the solo, and right before I went for that high B, somebody threw a towel right by me, or something. It broke my concentration, and I cracked this high note. The next day, he came by and said, "You're gonna play that solo right tonight?" We'd been out for months and I miss one note, and you're gonna bust my balls about it? But in my defiance, rather than just saying, "Yes, sir," I said, "I'll do my best." And he says, "Uh, you did your best last night." And he walks away.

That night, it gets to the solo, and this was when he was using the gun mic – the mic with a pistol grip. I'm playing my solo and coming up to that note, and right before that note he comes up and puts the gun mic to my head. I was like, "Oh, my God." And he kept doing it. And it was like a week of him doing this, and I'm freaking out. It wasn't showbiz at that point. It was, "Don't you ever do that again."

*

Prince rarely missed, so he expected the same from his camp. A high-stress work environment for sure!!

I know he could be tough. But I imagine nelson’s tone when he said I will do my best” is what peeved him. I am not looking for a list of his offenses but glimmers of hope. [Edited 5/23/18 10:20am]

Oh, no doubt it was Nelson's response - even he said he was being defiant. I think it's more that Prince couldn't let the one slipped note pass by. But again, he was a perfectionist with himself, and expected the same from his collaborators. Most have said it made them better players.

[Edited 5/23/18 10:25am]

Well, Prince was very demanding of himself so it follows that he'd be the same way with other people. However...

...most sound engineers are crap. Your typical soundman will give you a plethora of reasons as to why they can't do even the simplest of things - it's a relief to have a half decent one on a gig. And if you get a bad one doing your monitors if you're using speakers instead of in ear monitors - you could suffer extreme hearing loss. I have a hard time dealing with high mid frequencies and heightened tinnitus since an appalling monitor engineer on a gig in France pressed the wrong button on the desk and sent an extreme sustained squeal of feedback out of my monitor.

jjam said:

Well, Prince was very demanding of himself so it follows that he'd be the same way with other people. However...

...most sound engineers are crap. Your typical soundman will give you a plethora of reasons as to why they can't do even the simplest of things - it's a relief to have a half decent one on a gig. And if you get a bad one doing your monitors if you're using speakers instead of in ear monitors - you could suffer extreme hearing loss. I have a hard time dealing with high mid frequencies and heightened tinnitus since an appalling monitor engineer on a gig in France pressed the wrong button on the desk and sent an extreme sustained squeal of feedback out of my monitor.

Yikes!! Understandabe then....the need for good sound crew. Not to mention, so important for the audience experience. Prince wanted it perfect for the fans too...

jaawwnn said:

He seemed to grow kinder to everyone after the mid 90's where he seemed at his most paranoid, where you couldn't even look at him without risking being fired.

In 2011 he fired most of his sound crew after a bad show in Germany, if I recall correctly there was was a scramble in Ireland the next day to get a new sound crew together for him, we ended up at the gates of the gig watching Prince himself soundchecking onstage. Did the crew deserve to be fired for doing a bad show? Maybe, maybe not. That Germany show got angry reviews though so Prince clearly thought so.

The infamous Cologne show.

I was there.

The sound was really terrible. In hindsight I believe that he could´ve saved that show by playing a piano set or acoustic guitar for a longer time, or maybe just make the show a bit longer despite the horrible sound, but no matter how you slice it, that show was really not his best, to put it mildly.

We had a long thread about that show.

OldFriends4Sale said:

This was a time when Prince was in a full out social/relationship/music crisis.

I think he was really angry and frustrated and sad at this time.

The 'punking' or 'cracking' on band members had increased...going after Dr Fink in front of his parents, going after Miko, and almost getting into a fight with him during band rehearsal.

The tragic demise of his relationship with Jill Jones

By this time everyone from the 1978-1987 period were gone

Yes the Time was doing GB and some shows, but that protege/friends connection was not there, the Revolution, Sheila E, Cat, Boni, Eric & Atlanta Bliss, Finks & Miko's last tour with Prince, certain long time engineers

and Graffiti Bridge was looking like a bust,

Yep, seemed to be a bad and sad time for Prince. Then came the Come album, Chaos & Disorder, and the change to the Symbol.