Just caught the Staple Center show last night, and how pleased was I to see that our man Prince had abandoned the high hells for the duration of the show and went strictly to those orthopedic looking tennis shoe/sketcher's something or other.At one point and this is no joke it looked like he had a small brace on his right knee like the ones worn by basketball players.It was visible through his white pants. He looked tired too, the bags under the eyes were a bit heavy.At 45 I guess those heels can be rough on those old legs. Great show by the way, I can die in peace now.

Prince might have hurt his feet and legs by wearing heels all those years. It probably took him a long time to develop the condition since he doesn't carry excess weight. That would irritate the condition and speed it's painful progress. The best medicine is to wear supportive shoes like described above. Some doctors suggest surgery.

My doctor seemed puzzled how I developed this problem. He said it's usually caused from wearing high heels. He knew I always wore casual and comfortable shoes. He had no way of knowing that I had been going to Paisley Park for years when Prince would invite us to party or see him play. We'd dance all night. Sometimes first we'd wait in line for hours, not knowing for sure if the doors would even open. Sometimes they didn't. But sometimes when they did, and they didn't close until the sun was coming up. That's alot of hours to stand and dance. I'm not complaining. Those were fabulous days with a two inch higher view. But if Prince is hurting, the high heels might be to blame.

prince do look like he has bags under his eyes and he just looks kind of tired maybe he should just cut back on some touring for a while

delectable137 said:

AKA What he's doing now.

Prince wasnt just wearing high heels, he was dancing, and twisting his knees, ankles, and everything else, even jumping off pianos,etc. Eventhough we loved every minute, some of the dance moves he was doing all of those years may not have been good for his body.

delectable137 said:

Oh, DOES he? I hadn't noticed, but it is easy to imagine he would be tired, I get tired just thinking of the energy he expends in concerts. But I am sure he DOES have it all under control. Not to worry.

I don't know if it's already been commented on, but in one of Prince's baby pictures shown here recently it looks like one of his shoes is one of those special shoes. I hadn't noticed it but my boyfriend wondered what that thing on his shoe was. Maybe Prince has had a foot problem long before he started wearing the heels.
As for looking tired at times, the man is human. Bags or no bags, Prince is still superfine. Thankfully, he's no Axl Rose or MJ. Those suckers look bad 24/7.

I guess for me it was just a breath of fresh air to see that no matter what life brings upon you in old age, you can still be smooth.The shoes for me was a sign that Prince can let go of some of those idiosyncratic things and be just as playeristic as ever.Not that anyone liked him simply for the heels but he was always the butt of alot of jokes because of them.Quite frankly I dont think he ever needed them in the first place.But what happens when he goes bald?

shygirl said:

I read *somewhere* that one of his feet has a slight deformity, and that's why its rare to see him completely barefoot in pictures. This may explain the shoes. I hope it helps him, he must be just exhausted at this stage in the tour.
S

He doesn't have a deformity of the feet...come on! I know that we saw him in sandals here in Hawaii and he was fine. I did notice that the "tennis shoes" worn during last week's Staples show had some thinck soles...Not as high as the heels that he appeared in later but still thick like U see alot of asian women wearing here in Hawaii...

wishuhvn said:

I didn't say it was gospel truth. Also, a *slight deformity* of one foot could not be visible to the eye. You'd think I said he had a club foot!

Oh, poor little man!...I wish I saw him there in orthopedic shoes...Oh, man

Are these shoes the same black ones he wore during that t.v. interview earlier this year?

PurpleKnight said:

he can wear funny tennis shoes all he wants. at least he has his voice, lloks, and charm, which is A LOT more than what many older musicians have right now.

RupacShakur said:

I was at the May 26th LA show and didn't notice the shoes! I guess it was because his suit was white and they blended in... I just assumed he had the heels on. Does anyone have a pic they can post of these imfamous shoes? Please?
[This message was edited Tue Jun 1 16:25:37 2004 by DiminutiveRocker]

At the concert in my hometown last month, he was rockin' the tennis shoes for the first set, when he was dancing and walking quite a bit. Later on, he switched to heels for the medley and final act.

Think of it this way. Professional athletes don't make it past their early thirties because of the wear and tear on the legs. Prince is nearing 50 and for about half of those years he's been running, jumping, walking, etc. in the worst shoes you can wear for athletic activity. He HAD to cut back on'em.

namepeace said:

Also - I think he wears them all the time, not just on stage - and the exception would be if he was playing basketball

Anyone got any picture of him wearing those shoes?!!

Frederick96 said:

YES! We need a pic of the shoes!