i got bored last night and was watchin some of my prince tapes--then i realized that i hadn't watched the copy of prince and the revolution live in a looooong time, so i decided to pop it in my vcr. i sat there and watched it, and around the time when prince started up into "irresistible bitch" and came out with that sparkly black suit, i realized something...

...something about the purple rain tour and the era in general...





























...it was just absolutely gaudy. the clothes, the big-assed hairdos, the shoulder pads, everything. totally '80s, i know, but still...all of it just scared me for a brief minute. has anyone watched this video and felt the same way before?

Well not really but can I ask a question too? Please.

welcome 2 the dawn

Dansa,I totally agree! The 'Purple Rain' tour is actually one of my least favorite Prince tours.It's all just so pretentious,gaudy and over-the-top.I mean,this show might have been cool in 1985,but whenever I watch that video these days,I can't help but cringe at some of the performances,outfits,etc.The mid-80s was a crazy time,wasn't it?

JDINTERACTIVE said:

yes?

Anxiety said:

so is that the damned "dawn" shit that prince has been goin on about for the past billion years? may u live 2 see my beautified self on betamax?

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

What does Prince giggle at during Irresistible Bitch?!!?

JDINTERACTIVE said:

i have no idea, i was wonderin that too...."th' hell you chucklin at, man?"

it was totally gaudy, but it never scared me...I guess because I grew up during that period, as a teenager, I was trying to dress the same way

The 80s outfits are hilarious. The funniest thing to me is that Rick James is *still* dressing like its 1984. You could photoshop a recent pic of Rick into a scene from the Purple Rain tour and he'd fit right in

Well, yes, it was gaudy, but hell, weren'tt most of the 80's? For you young'uns (Handclapsfing... ) who watch it now and don't quite get what the 30+ group feels, you pretty much had to be around at that time. This is what always interests me: trying to feel something from back then (when things like that were "in") from a here-and-now point of view. It may only be different to you, but it was life for a lot of us. I love that video, btw. No matter how many times I look at it, I still find it rather funky without ever paying much attention to the wardrobe. To this day, I can't think of what could be the funkiest part could be, though I have found myself rewinding over and again through "Irresistable Bitch"/"Possessed".

Not picking at you youngbloodz at all, just making notice...

RavedIn2 said:

That's scary, but TRUE.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Uh... no.

I just got the DVD transferred from the LD, and this show is as awesome now, as it was the day it was released. My only complaint is I know there were better Purple Rain shows that should've been released instead of this one.

The 1980's were 1000% better than the 1990's and the 2ks.
Shit was affordable.You could watch movies all day for 10 bucks.Records were 5 or 6 dollars .

People were cool and not mad at any and everything.

Kids were not strung out on MAJOR drugs like crank & crack.People got high on weed and drink.
People used weed once /twice a month not before school/after school.

Skyscrapers were only getting blown up in comic books.
America was still America instead of this MK ULTRA nightmare we live in today.

So if it seemed weird looking at that just imagine how weird living now is for me & I live in a "small" town.
[This message was edited Wed Jun 30 10:23:29 2004 by muleFunk]

I love the Purple Rain Tour, then and now. I remember it 4 what it was. I do remember when I saw it live and thinking "Damn, that's some really floral shit Prince is wearing." But I knew what Prince was doing. He was putting an 80's spin on Hendrix and Sly's image. He and the band had to appear larger than life to coincide with the movie. So everything was bigger. I thought it was cool myself.


Are you experienced? Well..I am.

Jimi Hendrix

I hear at one point in the 80s he wore bikini underwear and leg warmer with high-heeled boots and a trench coat. What the fuck was he thinking!?

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

man, it was gaudy as hell...what was up with those pink fur stoles an' shit, anyway, and the granny glasses and the hoop earrings???? lordie.

but i'd be a filthy stinkin' liar if i said my 14-year-old ass wasn't lapping up every last tacky little detail like sweet precious nectar back in the day.

I saw Sign 'o' The Times recently and I was struck by how much it resembled Purple Rain.

Back in 87 they seemed worlds apart.

Fortunately the music has outlived that nonsense.

And yes, I do realize you hate the PR album, Dansa.

andyman91 said:

muleFunk said:

Very well said.

"I don't give a fuck if you boo, just as long as you boo in key."

Jimi Hendrix

muleFunk said:

awww, man...i grew up in a small town and discovering prince was the ultimate salve on the blister of backwoods ignorance and provincialism. dunno what i woulda done without that first copy of purple rain on vinyl from the shelbyville k-mart back in the day...

madartista said:

Why not? They were only three years apart.

Anxiety said:

I think Prince should put his pink fur pieces from the Purple Rain tour on eBay. Betcha he'd make a buck or two

awww, man...i grew up in a small town and discovering prince was the ultimate salve on the blister of backwoods ignorance and provincialism. dunno what i woulda done without that first copy of purple rain on vinyl from the shelbyville k-mart back in the day... [/quote]


Shelbyville ????

Tennessee ?

muleFunk said:

worse....



INDIANA.

wow..i like gaudy stuff...cuz gaudy = tacky = and tacky = CHEAP!!!

Anxiety said:

indiana's worse than tennessee? howzzat?