For instance, there are fuve definite Prince tropes in his Montreux 2009 performance of Empty Room. There may be more but the camera angles don't always show close-ups.
https://www.youtube.com/w...G7ux0s_3rQ

1 - 1:00 "love is strong" (makes strong fist, shakes it)
2 - 1:09 "how'm I ever goona feel" (fees face)
3 - 1:48 "found a strand of your hair" (mimics touching strand of hair)
4 - 1:59 "get you off my mind" (touches head, indicating mind)
5 - 5:40 "wht's the use of crying" (mimics tear falling down his cheek)

While I've seen other singers occasionally physically illustrate a song, Prince seemed to do it more than anyone else.

For isntance, while singing words like "think", "die", "remember", etc, he'd touch his head.

The five I found in "Empty Room" are the most I've seen in any song - but I've not studied them all. What do you find in other songs?
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[Edited 10/27/22 19:21pm]

I see three *while* he's singing "The Cross" (Dortmund, 1988). Do you see them?
https://www.youtube.com/w...BAkEOQnoTw

I remember seeing an interview with one of his associates talking about how Prince was sometimes almost performing little theatrical scenes on stage to go along with the songs. But I can't remember who or how to find it. Maybe somebody else can?

garneren said:

I remember seeing an interview with one of his associates talking about how Prince was sometimes almost performing little theatrical scenes on stage to go along with the songs. But I can't remember who or how to find it. Maybe somebody else can?

Like the ballerina finale of the live "The Question of U" video on the official YouTube?

garneren said:

I remember seeing an interview with one of his associates talking about how Prince was sometimes almost performing little theatrical scenes on stage to go along with the songs. But I can't remember who or how to find it. Maybe somebody else can?

There's one routine where he pantomines brushing his teeth and dridnking from a glass. I can't remember where it's from but once it was pointed out, it was like "awwww...."

laytonian said:

tomds said:

laytonian said:

There's one routine where he pantomines brushing his teeth and dridnking from a glass. I can't remember where it's from but once it was pointed out, it was like "awwww...."

It was from the las vegas dvd

What I remember is him doing that on the Parade tour.

laytonian said:

garneren said:

I remember seeing an interview with one of his associates talking about how Prince was sometimes almost performing little theatrical scenes on stage to go along with the songs. But I can't remember who or how to find it. Maybe somebody else can?

There's one routine where he pantomines brushing his teeth and dridnking from a glass. I can't remember where it's from but once it was pointed out, it was like "awwww...."

I never understood what that meant. He did it a lot during the parade era and lovesexy I think.

WhisperingDandelions said:

garneren said:

I remember seeing an interview with one of his associates talking about how Prince was sometimes almost performing little theatrical scenes on stage to go along with the songs. But I can't remember who or how to find it. Maybe somebody else can?

Like the ballerina finale of the live "The Question of U" video on the official YouTube?

That's his acrobatics. The ballet move can be seen at 1:05 in the Partyman video.