I had a chance to hear a recording of the show. It's pretty crazy sounding, actually. Seems like the crowd was a big, rolling, hostile hot mess.

Biggest Surprise?

Prince sang in a lower register throughout. No falsetto!

This might have been the first time he did this live??

I guess he wanted to sound like more of a rocker this day. Not a high-pitched disco funk boy.

soladeo1 said:

I had a chance to hear a recording of the show. It's pretty crazy sounding, actually. Seems like the crowd was a big, rolling, hostile hot mess.

Biggest Surprise?

Prince sang in a lower register throughout. No falsetto!

This might have been the first time he did this live??

I guess he wanted to sound like more of a rocker this day. Not a high-pitched disco funk boy.

it was two gigs

in the second he tried to sound less feminine

...to no avail

^ Read that first sentence again, champ.

funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

Doubt he was the first black artist to open for the stones So I wonder what really set them off The feminine appearance and demeanor? The gayness? The clothing,? The general weirdness? Who knows. Maybe all of it. At this point the stones prob had pretty conservative fans. I doubt they wanted any gay looking bands. If this took place in England it would have been a diff story, most likely.

.

In theory, I think the songs When You Were Mine [the part about the other man sheeping between Prince & his woman] & Sister [the incest theme] might have been half of it. The other half is the anti-disco attitude [which was borderline racist AND homophobic] that still exist within 1980-82.

I don't think any of those Stones fans actually took the time to read/listen to his lyrics.

The feminine/homophobic issue is an interesting one here. I think

it could be part of the reaction given the early 80s backlash against gays, but Mick went through periods where he was every bit as androgynous and campy as Freddie Mercury. Moreover, he actually came out before almost anyone else as "bi", so it is ironic that the Stones fans turned so much on Prince. At some point, it seemed like the group dynamic took over and even potentially open minded Stones fans were identifying with their fellow Stones fans. In any case, it is a shame that this happened to Prince.

Black Uhuru, Stevie Wonder, Peter Tosh and Living Colour have also opened for the Stones....Never heard or read about audiences being unruly to them.

I think one factor is the hot sun and early time of day. He was the first opening act and NOT what the Stones fans wanted. They didn't want to sit through THREE opening acts.
It only takes one creep to throw something and everyone joins in.

THEN, the second concert, after it had been reported in the news, was a given. They came armed.It was a crappy kind of group-think and not really a reaction to Prince in that trenchcoat. It didn't matter that he sung in his lower register. He could have sung anything, dressed any way, and still been pelted.

[Edited 4/24/21 9:47am]

"Stones Fans"???

You mean hells angels, right?

laytonian said:

nayroo2002 said:

Wow so many well know facts about the gig out there and yet soi many specualtions here.

First you guys forgott Steve Wonder opened for The Rolling Stones in 1976.

Second of all it's nonsense that Stones fans were anti new wave punk disco.Stones jumped on the punk and dsco bandwagon around Some Girls,does this sound like classic Stones sound? https://www.youtube.com/w...Yvy3kBYN4Q and did you forget that one of their most well known song is disco Miss You.

Prince irritated the crowd with Jake u Off ,i think that song was what pissed the crowd.

https://www.weareclassicr...inces-1999

many stones fans did NOT like miss you or their disco period one bit

some still dont like some girls

face it, they hated the sight of this effeminate guy in front of them, had no idea what to make of him, and decided it more fun to humiliate him rather than give him a chance

gandorb said:

The feminine/homophobic issue is an interesting one here. I think

it could be part of the reaction given the early 80s backlash against gays, but Mick went through periods where he was every bit as androgynous and campy as Freddie Mercury. Moreover, he actually came out before almost anyone else as "bi", so it is ironic that the Stones fans turned so much on Prince. At some point, it seemed like the group dynamic took over and even potentially open minded Stones fans were identifying with their fellow Stones fans. In any case, it is a shame that this happened to Prince.

.

Mick Jagger's bromance moments:

.

w/Billy Prestion

.

w/David Bowie

.

Enough said!

thebanishedone said:

Wow so many well know facts about the gig out there and yet soi many specualtions here.

First you guys forgott Steve Wonder opened for The Rolling Stones in 1976.

Second of all it's nonsense that Stones fans were anti new wave punk disco.Stones jumped on the punk and dsco bandwagon around Some Girls,does this sound like classic Stones sound? https://www.youtube.com/w...Yvy3kBYN4Q and did you forget that one of their most well known song is disco Miss You.

Prince irritated the crowd with Jake u Off ,i think that song was what pissed the crowd.

https://www.weareclassicr...inces-1999

I doubt they heard the lyrics to Jack U Off, and based on the recording they were rowdy enough as it was.

All the black artists The Rolling Stone had support them up to that point were already legends and very successful with big hits, Prince was pretty untested.

So I say: untested, black, weird rumors aboug being gay, man in high heels and makeup, mixed with a bored, drunk crowd only delighted to have a target for their worst prejudices ... The band have always said the second day was much worse, clearly word had got around that there was a free target.

It also doesn't mean there wasn't a huge part of the crowd who were digging it and didn't like the treatment one bit.

[Edited 4/26/21 2:43am]

soladeo1 said:

I had a chance to hear a recording of the show. It's pretty crazy sounding, actually. Seems like the crowd was a big, rolling, hostile hot mess.

Biggest Surprise?

Prince sang in a lower register throughout. No falsetto!

This might have been the first time he did this live??

I guess he wanted to sound like more of a rocker this day. Not a high-pitched disco funk boy.

I'm (very much) guessing that in a massive venue, probably with less-than-ideal on-stage sound for the support act, Prince would have had to have sung in lower register in order to project his voice and be able to hear himself.

-

I remember reading that the quite conservative Stones-only-fans were waiting so long for their beloved band to perform, certainly those die-hards right in front of the stage.

I think first and foremost that this is a very important and specific situation to start with...

Anyone could be boed off stage.

Though Van Halen also opened once for the Stones iirc, and they were nicely welcomed.

-

SantanaMaitreya said:

From Bill Wyman's book Rolling with The Stones. Support acts on the American tour of 1981: George Thorogood & The Destroyers J. Geils Band Heart Journey Van Halen Stray Cats Santana Bobby Womack Etta James Screaming Jay Hawkins And more, too many too mention, but a pretty diverse list, wouldn't you say? [Edited 4/24/21 2:03am]

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It would be intersting to know how the die-hard front rows Stones fans reacted to the other opening (black) artists.

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funkbabyandthebabysitters said:

Doubt he was the first black artist to open for the stones So I wonder what really set them off The feminine appearance and demeanor? The gayness? The clothing,? The general weirdness? Who knows. Maybe all of it. At this point the stones prob had pretty conservative fans. I doubt they wanted any gay looking bands. If this took place in England it would have been a diff story, most likely.

-

Did you see how Mick was dressed ?

Not very rock 'n roll either if you ask me...

-

its mick jagger.

mick fucking jagger.

he could prob come on in his underwear and it would be okay, cos its mick jagger.

i mean, little richard woudl prob have been okay too, cos its little richard.