Just watched it again & found it very annoying in comparison to other artists. He just seemed to be nervous / shy in this environment..but on the Musicology tour itself this segmet was stunning.

MTTV - he tripped over his rehearsed lines [i wrote this in the mirror] , too much of the audience singing, incomplete songs etc.

When compared to say George Michael [wow!] & of course the legendary performance form Nirvana it pales by comparison.

Its a 'nice to see' but strictly non essential. Am I being harsh?

PURPLEIZED3121 said:

Just watched it again & found it very annoying in comparison to other artists. He just seemed to be nervous / shy in this environment..but on the Musicology tour itself this segmet was stunning.

MTTV - he tripped over his rehearsed lines [i wrote this in the mirror] , too much of the audience singing, incomplete songs etc.

When compared to say George Michael [wow!] & of course the legendary performance form Nirvana it pales by comparison.

Its a 'nice to see' but strictly non essential. Am I being harsh?

Not being harsh... maybe just uninformed? This was NOT an MTV Unplugged performance. It was from an MTV/VH1/BET special. This acoustic segment was actually a portion from a full concert and was essentially a version of what he was doing on The Musicology tour. It was THE most acclaimed portion of those shows in 2004. So, your comparison is a bit skewed as this was just a snippet from a larger show, and not an Unplugged show that was showcased/presented like Nirvana and George Michaels.

skywalker said:

PURPLEIZED3121 said:

Just watched it again & found it very annoying in comparison to other artists. He just seemed to be nervous / shy in this environment..but on the Musicology tour itself this segmet was stunning.

MTTV - he tripped over his rehearsed lines [i wrote this in the mirror] , too much of the audience singing, incomplete songs etc.

When compared to say George Michael [wow!] & of course the legendary performance form Nirvana it pales by comparison.

Its a 'nice to see' but strictly non essential. Am I being harsh?

Not being harsh... maybe just uninformed? This was NOT an MTV Unplugged performance. It was from an MTV/VH1/BET special. This acoustic segment was actually a portion from a full concert and was essentially a version of what he was doing on The Musicology tour. It was THE most acclaimed portion of those shows in 2004. So, your comparison is a bit skewed as this was just a snippet from a larger show, and not an Unplugged show that was showcased/presented like Nirvana and George Michaels.

Yeah! Hey, "What are you trying to pull on us Purpleized3121?"-Uncle Owen/Star Wars

PURPLEIZED3121 said:

Just watched it again & found it very annoying in comparison to other artists. He just seemed to be nervous / shy in this environment..but on the Musicology tour itself this segmet was stunning.

MTTV - he tripped over his rehearsed lines [i wrote this in the mirror] , too much of the audience singing, incomplete songs etc.

When compared to say George Michael [wow!] & of course the legendary performance form Nirvana it pales by comparison.

Its a 'nice to see' but strictly non essential. Am I being harsh?

Nervous? Shy? Tripped over rehearsed lines?

Have I watched a different show altogether?

skywalker said:

PURPLEIZED3121 said:

Just watched it again & found it very annoying in comparison to other artists. He just seemed to be nervous / shy in this environment..but on the Musicology tour itself this segmet was stunning.

MTTV - he tripped over his rehearsed lines [i wrote this in the mirror] , too much of the audience singing, incomplete songs etc.

When compared to say George Michael [wow!] & of course the legendary performance form Nirvana it pales by comparison.

Its a 'nice to see' but strictly non essential. Am I being harsh?

Not being harsh... maybe just uninformed? This was NOT an MTV Unplugged performance. It was from an MTV/VH1/BET special. This acoustic segment was actually a portion from a full concert and was essentially a version of what he was doing on The Musicology tour. It was THE most acclaimed portion of those shows in 2004. So, your comparison is a bit skewed as this was just a snippet from a larger show, and not an Unplugged show that was showcased/presented like Nirvana and George Michael.

Exactly. Interestingly enough, there was an MTV Unplugged planned at some point but P backed out. I believe it may have been around the "RAVE" era because one of the tie-ins was a "friend interview" session. I remember getting a call from MTV about "what questions I would ask", told that I was a candidate for the interview session and then the entire idea was scrapped, possibly due to the "RAVE" album not doing as well as P had hoped and his cooled relationship with Arista and Clive. I may have gotten the Unplugged and interview timeline convoluted, but I do know that both were planned and almost happened until the very last minute.

TrcikyChristopher said:

skywalker said:

Not being harsh... maybe just uninformed? This was NOT an MTV Unplugged performance. It was from an MTV/VH1/BET special. This acoustic segment was actually a portion from a full concert and was essentially a version of what he was doing on The Musicology tour. It was THE most acclaimed portion of those shows in 2004. So, your comparison is a bit skewed as this was just a snippet from a larger show, and not an Unplugged show that was showcased/presented like Nirvana and George Michael.

Exactly. Interestingly enough, there was an MTV Unplugged planned at some point but P backed out. I believe it may have been around the "RAVE" era because one of the tie-ins was a "friend interview" session. I remember getting a call from MTV about "what questions I would ask", told that I was a candidate for the interview session and then the entire idea was scrapped, possibly due to the "RAVE" album not doing as well as P had hoped and his cooled relationship with Arista and Clive. I may have gotten the Unplugged and interview timeline convoluted, but I do know that both were planned and almost happened until the very last minute.

Wasn't the Diamonds and Pearls era going to have the unplugged?

rdhull said:

TrcikyChristopher said:

Exactly. Interestingly enough, there was an MTV Unplugged planned at some point but P backed out. I believe it may have been around the "RAVE" era because one of the tie-ins was a "friend interview" session. I remember getting a call from MTV about "what questions I would ask", told that I was a candidate for the interview session and then the entire idea was scrapped, possibly due to the "RAVE" album not doing as well as P had hoped and his cooled relationship with Arista and Clive. I may have gotten the Unplugged and interview timeline convoluted, but I do know that both were planned and almost happened until the very last minute.

Wasn't the Diamonds and Pearls era going to have the unplugged?

I believe you're right - maybe mentioned in the Spin cover story?

TwiliteKid said:

rdhull said:

Wasn't the Diamonds and Pearls era going to have the unplugged?

I believe you're right - maybe mentioned in the Spin cover story?

Ya.

TrcikyChristopher said:

skywalker said:

Not being harsh... maybe just uninformed? This was NOT an MTV Unplugged performance. It was from an MTV/VH1/BET special. This acoustic segment was actually a portion from a full concert and was essentially a version of what he was doing on The Musicology tour. It was THE most acclaimed portion of those shows in 2004. So, your comparison is a bit skewed as this was just a snippet from a larger show, and not an Unplugged show that was showcased/presented like Nirvana and George Michael.

Exactly. Interestingly enough, there was an MTV Unplugged planned at some point but P backed out. I believe it may have been around the "RAVE" era because one of the tie-ins was a "friend interview" session. I remember getting a call from MTV about "what questions I would ask", told that I was a candidate for the interview session and then the entire idea was scrapped, possibly due to the "RAVE" album not doing as well as P had hoped and his cooled relationship with Arista and Clive. I may have gotten the Unplugged and interview timeline convoluted, but I do know that both were planned and almost happened until the very last minute.

I actually loved that "snippet" that they aired on VH1. I thought it was sweet and loved the seemingly "unrehearsed" aspect of it - although we know it was rehearsed of course. Was it possibly taken from one of the first shows on the tour? This would explain it seeming not to go as "smoothly" as during the rest of the tour. I agree, the acoustic sets of the Musicology tour were the best aspect of the show, hands down.

PURPLEIZED3121 said:

Just watched it again & found it very annoying in comparison to other artists. He just seemed to be nervous / shy in this environment..but on the Musicology tour itself this segmet was stunning.

MTTV - he tripped over his rehearsed lines [i wrote this in the mirror] , too much of the audience singing, incomplete songs etc.

When compared to say George Michael [wow!] & of course the legendary performance form Nirvana it pales by comparison.

Its a 'nice to see' but strictly non essential. Am I being harsh?

You're talking about this, right?

http://princevault.com/in...April_2004

rdhull said:

I like the idea of Prince doing more acoustic stuff. I wish he had done more instrumental, jazz, piano type stuff late into his career. My biggest complaint about Prince's last few albums from 20ten on... It seems he didn't believe he was getting older and it showed in his music, song titles, album covers, etc. I think he could have pulled what he was trying to do off perhaps 10 - 20 years earlier but not into his mid 50's Song titles like "Like a Mack," X's Face, Look at Me, Look at U, HARDROCKLOVER, etc??? really? It seemed like Prince was trying to compete with Beiber, Beyonce, and Bruno Mars. When he never had do to it. He was already a class act. He should have just kept it classy. I also thought 3rd Eye Girl had way more potential than the weak stuff Prince was writing. No offense. Just saying. His last really good album IMO was LotusFlow3r. The others had a good songs or two but he was a shell of himself IMO

000000 said:

I like the idea of Prince doing more acoustic stuff. I wish he had done more instrumental, jazz, piano type stuff late into his career. My biggest complaint about Prince's last few albums from 20ten on... It seems he didn't believe he was getting older and it showed in his music, song titles, album covers, etc. I think he could have pulled what he was trying to do off perhaps 10 - 20 years earlier but not into his mid 50's Song titles like "Like a Mack," X's Face, Look at Me, Look at U, HARDROCKLOVER, etc??? really? It seemed like Prince was trying to compete with Beiber, Beyonce, and Bruno Mars. When he never had do to it. He was already a class act. He should have just kept it classy. I also thought 3rd Eye Girl had way more potential than the weak stuff Prince was writing. No offense. Just saying. His last really good album IMO was LotusFlow3r. The others had a good songs or two but he was a shell of himself IMO

Gotta agree with this. I was kind of smh at Hit n Run material. Like A Mack..I felt like you did.

Well, at least Prince wasn't writhing around on stage in his underwear like Madonna still does. Lawd, give it up already, Madge!!

000000 said:

I like the idea of Prince doing more acoustic stuff. I wish he had done more instrumental, jazz, piano type stuff late into his career. My biggest complaint about Prince's last few albums from 20ten on... It seems he didn't believe he was getting older and it showed in his music, song titles, album covers, etc. I think he could have pulled what he was trying to do off perhaps 10 - 20 years earlier but not into his mid 50's Song titles like "Like a Mack," X's Face, Look at Me, Look at U, HARDROCKLOVER, etc??? really? It seemed like Prince was trying to compete with Beiber, Beyonce, and Bruno Mars. When he never had do to it. He was already a class act. He should have just kept it classy. I also thought 3rd Eye Girl had way more potential than the weak stuff Prince was writing. No offense. Just saying. His last really good album IMO was LotusFlow3r. The others had a good songs or two but he was a shell of himself IMO

thanks rdhull & kingricefan... i was going to delete my post because i didn't want to sound too negative.

It was fun to be part of the TV taping at Webster Hall. I can remember waiting outside the venue with Gi Dussault and the Electric Man. NPG band members entered right thru the front and we chatted a bit with Greg, John and Chance. Sam Jennings had put us on the guest list. However, when we entered, my wife and buddy were on the list but my name nowhere to be found. After some talking, we all got in and were escorted downstairs in the bowels of the venue.

Next up we each had to sign consent forms and have a picture taken. Here were the instructions: Have a good time and dance. But absolutely no standing during the acoustic set. So. Prince changs on the acoustic guitar and my wife stands up as most people did on the first note.

The afternoon was short and ultimately another great souvenir from Prince and the NPG.

In a side note, I had seen Jesse Johnson's Revue at the same hall years back but it was named the Ritz. Lisa Lisa was in the crowd.

TrcikyChristopher said:

skywalker said:

Not being harsh... maybe just uninformed? This was NOT an MTV Unplugged performance. It was from an MTV/VH1/BET special. This acoustic segment was actually a portion from a full concert and was essentially a version of what he was doing on The Musicology tour. It was THE most acclaimed portion of those shows in 2004. So, your comparison is a bit skewed as this was just a snippet from a larger show, and not an Unplugged show that was showcased/presented like Nirvana and George Michael.

Exactly. Interestingly enough, there was an MTV Unplugged planned at some point but P backed out. I believe it may have been around the "RAVE" era because one of the tie-ins was a "friend interview" session. I remember getting a call from MTV about "what questions I would ask", told that I was a candidate for the interview session and then the entire idea was scrapped, possibly due to the "RAVE" album not doing as well as P had hoped and his cooled relationship with Arista and Clive. I may have gotten the Unplugged and interview timeline convoluted, but I do know that both were planned and almost happened until the very last minute.

I'm not sure whether it was in a paper or on the official website's Q&A but I remember someone asking about an MTV Unplugged circa 96-99 and Prince replying "MTV hates me" without further comments.

.

And yeah, as this little 2004 showcase was not a proper show from MTV's Unplugged sessions, it's a little unfair to compare it to them. Besides, Prince alone with a guitar on a chair for 15 minutes isn't the same as those hour-long, full band Unplugged performances.

rdhull said:

TrcikyChristopher said:

Exactly. Interestingly enough, there was an MTV Unplugged planned at some point but P backed out. I believe it may have been around the "RAVE" era because one of the tie-ins was a "friend interview" session. I remember getting a call from MTV about "what questions I would ask", told that I was a candidate for the interview session and then the entire idea was scrapped, possibly due to the "RAVE" album not doing as well as P had hoped and his cooled relationship with Arista and Clive. I may have gotten the Unplugged and interview timeline convoluted, but I do know that both were planned and almost happened until the very last minute.

Wasn't the Diamonds and Pearls era going to have the unplugged?

Yes. I was at a PRN Foundation event last year and Craig Rice was there and talked about how MTV flew all these people out to Paisley Park with all their equipment. He said they were in the soundstage setting up and Prince got wind that they were going to call it a Prince comeback. Prince made Craig go tell them that he was not going to do it anymore.

TrcikyChristopher said:

rdhull said:

skywalker said:

Not being harsh... maybe just uninformed? This was NOT an MTV Unplugged performance. It was from an MTV/VH1/BET special. This acoustic segment was actually a portion from a full concert and was essentially a version of what he was doing on The Musicology tour. It was THE most acclaimed portion of those shows in 2004. So, your comparison is a bit skewed as this was just a snippet from a larger show, and not an Unplugged show that was showcased/presented like Nirvana and George Michaels.

Yeah! Hey, "What are you trying to pull on us Purpleized3121?"-Uncle Owen/Star Wars

eeek...my face is red.i stand corrected!

JoeKelley said:

It was fun to be part of the TV taping at Webster Hall. I can remember waiting outside the venue with Gi Dussault and the Electric Man. NPG band members entered right thru the front and we chatted a bit with Greg, John and Chance. Sam Jennings had put us on the guest list. However, when we entered, my wife and buddy were on the list but my name nowhere to be found. After some talking, we all got in and were escorted downstairs in the bowels of the venue.

Next up we each had to sign consent forms and have a picture taken. Here were the instructions: Have a good time and dance. But absolutely no standing during the acoustic set. So. Prince changs on the acoustic guitar and my wife stands up as most people did on the first note.

The afternoon was short and ultimately another great souvenir from Prince and the NPG.

In a side note, I had seen Jesse Johnson's Revue at the same hall years back but it was named the Ritz. Lisa Lisa was in the crowd.

Joe, amaxing that you were there. I thought that this was purely a 1 off accoustic show done for TV rather than an accostic clip taken from an actual Musicology regular gig?, hope you can help me out as the Vault doesn;t specify? As you were there was there more to the show ie unaired or did we see everything?

I think I still stand by my original points & that this particular version of the accoustic set could have been talked about for years in the same way that the RRHOF guitar solo is. Very cute to watch but nowhere near what it could have been.

PURPLEIZED3121 said:

JoeKelley said:

It was fun to be part of the TV taping at Webster Hall. I can remember waiting outside the venue with Gi Dussault and the Electric Man. NPG band members entered right thru the front and we chatted a bit with Greg, John and Chance. Sam Jennings had put us on the guest list. However, when we entered, my wife and buddy were on the list but my name nowhere to be found. After some talking, we all got in and were escorted downstairs in the bowels of the venue.

Next up we each had to sign consent forms and have a picture taken. Here were the instructions: Have a good time and dance. But absolutely no standing during the acoustic set. So. Prince changs on the acoustic guitar and my wife stands up as most people did on the first note.

The afternoon was short and ultimately another great souvenir from Prince and the NPG.

In a side note, I had seen Jesse Johnson's Revue at the same hall years back but it was named the Ritz. Lisa Lisa was in the crowd.

Joe, amaxing that you were there. I thought that this was purely a 1 off accoustic show done for TV rather than an accostic clip taken from an actual Musicology regular gig?, hope you can help me out as the Vault doesn;t specify? As you were there was there more to the show ie unaired or did we see everything?

See my reply #9 with a link to the Princevault page.

PURPLEIZED3121 said:

I think I still stand by my original points & that this particular version of the accoustic set could have been talked about for years in the same way that the RRHOF guitar solo is. Very cute to watch but nowhere near what it could have been.

Agreed, when you compare it to many of the other acoustic sets on the Musicology tour....

violetcrush said:

PURPLEIZED3121 said:

I think I still stand by my original points & that this particular version of the accoustic set could have been talked about for years in the same way that the RRHOF guitar solo is. Very cute to watch but nowhere near what it could have been.

Agreed, when you compare it to many of the other acoustic sets on the Musicology tour....

One of my favorite sets is the LA show, when he dedicated Sometimes It Snows In April to David Coleman, Lisa's Brother, who had just passed away. It was clear he almost could not hold it together when he started the song. And just before that song he was humbled by the crowd reaction to Little Red Corvette, and put his hands over his face to express his surprise at their cheering. Very touching.

PURPLEIZED3121 said:

JoeKelley said:

It was fun to be part of the TV taping at Webster Hall. I can remember waiting outside the venue with Gi Dussault and the Electric Man. NPG band members entered right thru the front and we chatted a bit with Greg, John and Chance. Sam Jennings had put us on the guest list. However, when we entered, my wife and buddy were on the list but my name nowhere to be found. After some talking, we all got in and were escorted downstairs in the bowels of the venue.

Next up we each had to sign consent forms and have a picture taken. Here were the instructions: Have a good time and dance. But absolutely no standing during the acoustic set. So. Prince changs on the acoustic guitar and my wife stands up as most people did on the first note.

The afternoon was short and ultimately another great souvenir from Prince and the NPG.

In a side note, I had seen Jesse Johnson's Revue at the same hall years back but it was named the Ritz. Lisa Lisa was in the crowd.

Joe, amaxing that you were there. I thought that this was purely a 1 off accoustic show done for TV rather than an accostic clip taken from an actual Musicology regular gig?, hope you can help me out as the Vault doesn;t specify? As you were there was there more to the show ie unaired or did we see everything?

________________

It was definitely a one-off recorded and edited for TV. Wasn't a full concert. Actual performance with uptempo songs in beginning , followed by the acoustic set capped by some great funk may have lasted about 30 minutes. I assume the long wait for us downstairs was that Prince was conducting TV interviews for various outlets.

kingricefan said:

Well, at least Prince wasn't writhing around on stage in his underwear like Madonna still does. Lawd, give it up already, Madge!!

000000 said:

I like the idea of Prince doing more acoustic stuff. I wish he had done more instrumental, jazz, piano type stuff late into his career. My biggest complaint about Prince's last few albums from 20ten on... It seems he didn't believe he was getting older and it showed in his music, song titles, album covers, etc. I think he could have pulled what he was trying to do off perhaps 10 - 20 years earlier but not into his mid 50's Song titles like "Like a Mack," X's Face, Look at Me, Look at U, HARDROCKLOVER, etc??? really? It seemed like Prince was trying to compete with Beiber, Beyonce, and Bruno Mars. When he never had do to it. He was already a class act. He should have just kept it classy. I also thought 3rd Eye Girl had way more potential than the weak stuff Prince was writing. No offense. Just saying. His last really good album IMO was LotusFlow3r. The others had a good songs or two but he was a shell of himself IMO

Look at Me, Look at U and HARDROCKLOVER as examples of him trying to compete with Beiber, Beyonce and Bruno????? REALLY. I almost did not cross off the X's Face too. These songs, while not "commercial success" are so NOT like anything ANY of those artists HAVE DONE or COULD DO. They're intricate, layered, mature. Look at Me.. is EXACTLY the type of song a 50plus year old would/should make. I don't even know why i continue to even come here....SMH

rdhull said:

Yeah! Hey, "What are you trying to pull on us Purpleized3121?"-Uncle Owen/Star Wars

datdude said:

kingricefan said:

Well, at least Prince wasn't writhing around on stage in his underwear like Madonna still does. Lawd, give it up already, Madge!!

Look at Me, Look at U and HARDROCKLOVER as examples of him trying to compete with Beiber, Beyonce and Bruno????? REALLY. I almost did not cross off the X's Face too. These songs, while not "commercial success" are so NOT like anything ANY of those artists HAVE DONE or COULD DO. They're intricate, layered, mature. Look at Me.. is EXACTLY the type of song a 50plus year old would/should make. I don't even know why i continue to even come here....SMH

datdude.... i respect Prince & your opinion. But I'm talking about the song titles, album artwork covers, etc seems really aimed at a teenage if not younger consumer. Even the afro was a nod to Bruno Mars IMO. It wasn't Prince's best work and probably most orgers would agree. Even the lyrics on some song were amazingly juvenille. ie MARZ..... Lost my job at Mickie D's
4 giving away 2 much food 4 free
But I couldn't watch another black child go 2 school
With nothing to eat ReallY???

000000 said:

datdude said:

Look at Me, Look at U and HARDROCKLOVER as examples of him trying to compete with Beiber, Beyonce and Bruno????? REALLY. I almost did not cross off the X's Face too. These songs, while not "commercial success" are so NOT like anything ANY of those artists HAVE DONE or COULD DO. They're intricate, layered, mature. Look at Me.. is EXACTLY the type of song a 50plus year old would/should make. I don't even know why i continue to even come here....SMH

datdude.... i respect Prince & your opinion. But I'm talking about the song titles, album artwork covers, etc seems really aimed at a teenage if not younger consumer. Even the afro was a nod to Bruno Mars IMO. It wasn't Prince's best work and probably most orgers would agree. Even the lyrics on some song were amazingly juvenille. ie MARZ..... Lost my job at Mickie D's
4 giving away 2 much food 4 free
But I couldn't watch another black child go 2 school
With nothing to eat ReallY???

000000 - Prince is singing about the same subject he often did - the issues with growing up poor in the black community, and the lucky ones who made money and then spent it all instead of saving it. He's not referring to himself as the one who "lost my job at Mickie D's" - it's just a story about how he grew up, and also younger generations too.

*

Regarding his returning back to the Afro - I don't think that had anything to do with him trying to compete with the latest trend. I think he grew tired of constantly having to spend the time in the salon chair, and it also may have been health related.

[Edited 6/25/18 7:28am]