http://www.aztrib.com/ind...?sty=19472
Prince hits and misses at Glendale Arena
By Thomas Bond, Tribune
Prince rules.
As a musician and showman, his Purple Badness is without peer. So why was his nearly sold-out show at Glendale Arena mildly disappointing?
It started with an absolute bang. “Musicology” — the strong title track of his forthcoming album, copies of which were handed out free as patrons entered the show — led into a quartet of tracks from “Purple Rain.” Confetti and purple streamers rained from the ceiling during “Let's Go Crazy” and Prince and his crack eight-piece New Power Generation band segued smoothly through slightly truncated versions of “I Would Die 4 U,” “When Doves Cry” and “Baby I'm a Star” while the crowd danced and sang along with gusto.

Sharply dressed in a red suit and black shirt, Prince had the audience in the palm of his hand from the get-go. Performing in the round, he sang center stage with the band scattered around him and took regular jaunts onto four catwalks that jutted into the audience to show off his still-formidable dance moves.

Pacing the proceedings perfectly, Prince slowed things down with the ballad “Shhh” before revving the show back up with blisteringly funky takes on “DMSR,” “I Feel For You” and “Controversy” — an extended jam with impressive solo turns by the band as directed by their diminutive but dominating leader.

“The command he has over the music and the communication between the musicians was incredible,” said David Tatkin, 52, of Scottsdale. “I brought my son (Alex, 12) because I wanted him to see real musicianship and showmanship.”

While his keyboardist and saxophone player vamped through an instrumental interlude, Prince and the rest of the musicians departed the stage. When he returned dressed in white pants and a flowing white shirt with small red polka dots, the show took a turn for the mellow with “The Beautiful Ones,” “Nothing Compares 2 U” (which he's fully reclaimed from Sinéad O'Connor) and “Insatiable.” Nothing wrong with that, but an oddly slow take on the normally gritty funk of the apocalyptic “Sign O’ The Times” failed to re-establish the momentum of the show. When that was followed with “The Question of U” and new track “Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance,” neither of which ignited any sparks, much of the previously dancing crowd had taken their seats.

But Prince is in possession of far too many hits and is much too polished a performer to let a listing show sink and “U Got the Look” was just the lifeline it needed. The funky groove of another new track, “Life 'O' The Party,” was augmented by about 20 audience members invited onstage to dance along. A faithful reading of Sam & Dave's classic “Soul Man” was followed by the pop perfection of “Kiss” and the entire arena was going as wild as those lucky fans onstage.

“I ain't through with you!” Prince teased and then launched into “Take Me With U” before thanking the crowd and bidding farewell.

Having read reviews of his recent Los Angeles shows, I was expecting a solo acoustic segment to begin the encore when a roadie placed a stool center stage. Alas, it was withdrawn and the band returned with the familiar intro of “Purple Rain.” The signature anthem, replete with seering guitar solos, was a fitting finale to a two-hour-plus show, but it still felt like something was missing — especially when Prince has made statements that this tour will be the last time he performs his best known songs live.
“I thought there should have been more hits,” said Kristen McEntire, 29, of Phoenix. “There was no ‘Little Red Corvette’ and no ‘Raspberry Beret.’ He just touched on the classics.”

While Prince has been far too prolific for a quarter-century to not leave some favorites unplayed, that list also includes: “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” “1999,” “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man,” “Erotic City,” “Alphabet St.,” “Gett Off,” “Cream” and “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.”

After a good 10 years in the wilderness of a largely self-imposed exile — changing his name to a symbol, record company battles, less than stellar albums — Prince seems ready to reclaim his throne as rock royalty. A star turn at this year's Grammy Awards and well-deserved induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have raised his profile considerably. Consider that his previous show in the Valley was in front of 5,000 folks at the Dodge Theatre in April 2002 while this concert drew nearly quadruple that amount. Without a hit in the interim to boost ticket sales, it's clear that many former fans returned to see Prince on the promise of a heavy dose of familiar tunes. In that sense, the show — especially the sagging middle section — left something to be desired and unless “Musicology” can return his Purple Majesty to the charts, all the good will and career momentum of this “comeback” will be squandered.

Set list:
Musicology
Let's Go Crazy
I Would Die 4 U
Baby I'm a Star
Shhh
DMSR
I Feel For You
Controversy
The Beautiful Ones
Nothing Compares 2 U
Insatiable
Sign O’ the Times
The Question of U
Illusion, Coma, Pimp & Circumstance
U Got the Look
Life 'O' the Party
Soul Man (Sam & Dave cover)
Kiss
Take Me With U

Encore:
Purple Rain
Contact Thomas Bond by email, or phone (480) 898-5687
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Not good Prince

It's a shame he didn't do the acoustic set, that was the best part. Something must've happened to his guitar or something.

Looking at the setlist there, I'd be surprised if anything in that show was "sagging". In fact, it's really cool and surprising that he did "Illusion, Coma, Pimp, and Circumstance" which apparently the reviewer thought was a waste of time. However, it is kind of a blow that he didn't include the acoustic guitar portion.

lovemachine said:

that sucks. but like the review says, he has a lot of hits. can't cover them all. and doing the same set list is boring. unfortunately la set the standard. every musician has their rough moments with concerts. not to blame it on arizona....but were they really all that enthusiastic? the energy in los angeles was insane. i tend to think that is why he did such a long encore.
[This message was edited Thu Apr 1 9:26:06 2004 by dealodelandron]

i bet the show was amazing... you can never make everyone happy.

lovemachine said:

Maybe he didn't feel well. U never know.

He's not going to do the exact same set every night. Anyone who expects him to do so is a moron. And he won't do the acoustic set every night just like he didn't do the acoustic/piano set every night on the Lovesxy Tour. Some people are so stupid...DAMN.

RupertZ said:

I agree. I would not expect Prince the expend the kind of energy like the LA show every night. It is going to depend on his mood and his interaction with his audience. But I do hope he will be feeling it tomorrow night in Big D!!!!

I hope he keeps the accoustic part in the set for all of the shows . .(especailly Aug 22nd!!)
I hope that it was just a technical malfunction or something. . .That segment is just too damn cool not to share with everyone. It's not fair to the folks who haven't seen it. Even if he did different songs each time or something like that. . but PLEASE don't deprive your fans of such beautiful artistry!

RupertZ said:

Well, I only hope he doesn't do the acoustic set when he comes to your city. Goodness, RupertZ can you not understand why some people were upset they didn't get the acoustic set? It was fantastic part of the show and honestly if I were in the shoes of the fans in Phoenix, I would have been disappointed as well.

Giving Prince the benefit of the doubt, who knows why he didn't do the acoustic set...maybe he wasn't feeling well. But I get sick of people acting as if Prince can do no wrong. Fans were disappointed they didn't get a acoustic set, and that's ok. Prince can release a CD that the fans don't respond to as much as he would like, and becomes a situation of "because there is something wrong with the fans". Prince can put on a concert where people have paid "good" money to see him, he only plays 3 songs, and if fans leave disappointed because of this, it's because "the fans just aren't greatful". No, No, No.

Prince does not always do things perfectly.

VelvetJ said:

I'm not saying it is wrong to be disappointed that he didn't do the acoustic set that night. But to be shocked by it is just being ignorant and not too bright. I saw Lovesexy shows where he didn't do the piano set and I was not crushed and all whiney like some of the people here.

RupertZ said:

I don't want this to turn into a argument so this will be my last post here.

RupertZ, in your opinion I am just one who is "ignorant and not too bright" because after seeing the satelite screening of the L.A. show, and I found out he was coming to my city Houston, honestly, I was automatically expecting the acoustic set. I would not be surprised if the song lineup has changed some by the time he gets here (in August), but I was expecting the acoustic set to be a part of the Houston show. Obviously I was wrong to expect that.

I guess it's left up to God and Prince on whether Houston gets the acoustic set. I only hope so because I have been a good boy this year.

RupertZ said:

You're right -- you can't expect the exact same setlist every night, but cutting an entire 20-minute section of the show, especially one where he received such strong reactions, was a big surprise. Having seen the tour opener in LA via satellite, it was the highlight for me, the highlight for a lot of people around me, and the time when I noticed a consistently loud and enthusiastic response from the crowd -- hence his frequent posing and thank-yous that have been mentioned. When the stage hand put the chair on the stage, it was a safe bet that the acoustic set was a "go". A minute later, when the chair was removed, it was a disappointment. Why do people have to be "stupid" or "a moron" to think as much? It's been a LONG time since Lovesexy, and for the US leg of the ONA tour, the setlists were largely the identical.

The one reason I can speculate he may have cut the acoustic set, is that he was visibly unhappy with the sound. I believe it was at the end of Insatiable: He was screaming into the mic at a couple points, and got some pretty horrific feedback. Near the end of the song, he muttered to the band what sounded like, "You finish it." He walked off stage and it sounded like he dropped the mic before he left. When he came back, there was no costume change, no readily apparent reason for having exited. Prince and the crowd both seemed very pleased with and into the show by the encore, so it seemed odd that it was cut. And again, no costume change before the encore of Purple Rain. Compared to the LA show, as much as he seemed to enjoy the performance, I got the feeling he just wanted to be done and to get out of there.

well looks like we got a new resident asshole to replace the last one that left

the place just wouldn't be the same without people like you would it ?



have fun ..


this is the last time I will be replying to your immature crap.

so take your best shot bear

RupertZ said:

Well, based on the setlists I've seen for the L.A. vs. Glenadale show...Glendale got 9 less songs. I wouldn't be happy either. Hope he plays a "full" set in Boston on 8/17. As for the acoustic set, I would love to see him do it, but if not, at least play some other tunes to make up for it.

Hootchietoad said:

Why is the LA show the "full" set? I would say that the Glendale arena show was the full set and LA got a bonus. Of course we don't know yet for sure after only a few dates. On the Lovesexy Tour, both the acoustic set (piano) and the Alphabet St encore were bonuses that he didn't play every night. I hope he does play the acoustic set on most of the dates, but don't feel like you are entitled to it.

POOK said:

pook? is that you?? have you resurfaced??
[This message was edited Thu Apr 1 11:25:13 2004 by violett]

IF I DONT GET AN ACOUTIC SET IN NEW YORK CITY I AM GONNA STORM THE CASTLE AND LEAVE NO PURPLE PRISONERS

RupertZ is obviously a fam who doesn't think Prince can do no wrong. Prince performs a VERY large segment of the show onthe first 3 nights of the tour and then he brings out the chair and then changes his mind and people shouldn't be pissed. They missed out on a big portion of the show even though though Prince took the same amount of money from them.

I said this on another thread, but if he is going to charge that much for a ticket he better fucking be ready to deliver EVERY night. If he is too old and tired to give his best performance EVERY night perhaps he should have scheduled more off days.

I think it should be fairly obvious why the L.A. show offered more than the Phoenix show and probably every one that follows.

It was the one that was simulcast around the country. What Prince did in L.A. was the equivalent to a TV special. Of course, he was going to pull out the stops for it. Los Angeles folk were just the lucky ones to get to witness it up close.

Goddamm, didn't you all read the review? The reviewer said the people in the audience sat down during the slower songs. We know Prince, when he senses bad vibes from the crowd he gets pissed off. He nixed the acoustic part because he was worried the fans would act all pissy and not stand up. Prince lives on applause. What is the point of playing your heart out if nobody responds or gives a damn? So Prince gave them their Purple Rain and sent their sorry asses home. They didn't deserve the acoustic set. And they should have been happy that they got a free cd. Sorry ass Arizona sucka's.

I am going to email this idiot who wrote this review. I mean, who cares if he didn't play all his hits? Why not just play good music? That's whats wrong with this country; we don't appreciate art. Prince aint nobodies fucking kareoke bitch. Fuck em and their Little Red Corvette. Why can't they just appreciate good jams? It is not P's fault that the sound is bad. But he does have to fire some motherfuckers. He always tours with bad sound crews. Tryin to save money with a temp service or some such rot...lol.

Peace.

violator said:

Well he pefromed the accoustic set for the first 3 nights of the tour and then after the stool was put in place he changed his mind and had them take it back. It has nothing to do with LA being lucky it has to do with Phoenix being screwed because the sound was bad or Takumi looked at him funny or whatever.

2freaky4church1 said:

Only fams email reviewers for giving his valid opinion. Prince did advertise this on radio and television as you last chance to hear all the hits so yeah I guess people were expecting to hear all the hits. Also, I've never been at a concert where people didn't sit down for at least parts of it.


.
[This message was edited Thu Apr 1 11:52:11 2004 by lovemachine]

2freaky4church1 said:

Huh? Because people sit down -- because they've been standing in line and walking to their seats, and standing for hours for a show, and want to sit down during a song which involves no dancing -- this equates to "bad vibes" and "acting pissy"? Through the ONA Tour, Prince often said to go ahead and sit down during a slow part. At Xenophobia, during the acoustic set, he asked everyone to sit. People's display of enjoyment of and enthusiasm for a show is not confined to their bodily position in three-dimensional space. Despite anyone's sitting or standing 'status', I saw the best repsonse from the LA crowd during the acoustic set, and he could've gotten the same response from Phx.

2freaky4church1 said:

What the hell is wrong with you? The reviewer is calling it like they see it -- and is quoting attendees of the show who wanted more hits. The tour has continually been billed as a hits tour -- Prince playing his classic songs for the last time. People have a reasonable expectation to hear some of the songs mentioned. The tour was not billed as "Good music played for you. Appreciate art. Like it whether you honeslty feel it or not." There are a lot of mechanics behind making a song a hit, but for whatever reason, one commonality is that A LOT OF PEOPLE LIKE THE SONG. Thus, A LOT OF PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR IT. Not everyone is going to be a hardcore fan, and everyone is free to like what they honestly drawn to. I'm not supporting hit-radio or the disgusting fads of looped, contrived fugazis, but you can't expect that 20,000 people in every venue acorss the globe are going to appreciate whatever Prince decides to do for the sake of "art".

As for the sound -- he called out "Scotty" a couple times, so it's the same cat he's had for some time. If you've ever heard an engineer speak of what it's like to work with Prince, you'd shut the fuck up.
[This message was edited Thu Apr 1 12:51:16 2004 by ExDeus]

gman1966 said:

He shouldn't expend all of his energy in a handful of cities and then make fans in smaller cities take what's left over. We all know that life is not fair, but come on now. Los Angeles gets nearly 3 hour shows. On the last tour LA got extended soundchecks, aftershows, the whole works. They get club shows. He gives his ALL to LA, NY, DC, Atlanta, London and a couple of other larger cities. Then he "rests" in other cities by cutting out huge sections of the show. On previous tours, he would "rest" by cutting out soundchecks and aftershows. The funny thing is that LA, NY, DC, Atanta ALWAYS get FULL PRINCE. While most everybody else has to happy with HALF PRINCE.

If you dare to mention this on the NPGMC site, you'll be called ungrateful or a whiner. Funny, how it's always the folks who get the WHOLE PRINCE who say the rest of us should be grateful that we get HALF PRINCE.

2freaky4church1 said:

You know why those folks were sitting down? Because Prince for years gave extra attention to a handful of cities, which resulted in him now having huge fanbases in those cities where he gave them a lot of love. In other cities like Phoenix where he half-steps, the fanbases are not as large or loving as those in cities like LA, NY, Atlanta, DC...the cities where Prince for years has been giving them all of the perks, and extras while cutting back in other places. THAT is why folks in Phoenix weren't screaming every time he batted his eyelashes the way they do in LA. They love Prince in LA because he has given them love by doing full shows, aftershows, mini concerts during soundchecks.

He hasn't given Phoenix those perks. And you can bet your ass that NY, Atlanta, DC, and the other cities that have ALWAYS been given the perks, will be getting a FULL show, with acoustic set, while once again, the cities that have gotten used to getting nothing extra will not be getting the acoustic part of the show..

As for the sound -- he called out "Scotty" a couple times, so it's the same cat he's had for some time. If you've ever heard an engineer speak of what it's like to work with Prince, you'd shut the fuck up.

Amen to that... you know whats up Deus! When you go to a small private show... you know it's gonna be off the hook whether or not he's playing the main hits... but when your charging peeps $$$ to see you play the hits... he should play them. overall the show rocked but the acoustic set missing was a buzz kill. and all the DumFux saying people in Phoenix aren't real fans.. Should know that 95% of people here are from somewhere else like LA or San Francisco... the vibe was great... the crowd was screaming crazy for him to return and he said No Mas... Lights On!!! it sucked... but the overall show still rocked!!!

Sueme said:

Well, I agree with the first part of your statement that he has bigger fans where he has played live more. But I don't think he will necessarily play the acoustic set in those cities, although maybe he will be slightly more inclined to do so. As i've said, on the Lovesexy Tour, he didn't do the acoustic set at many of the dates, INCLUDING New York City.

.
[This message was edited Thu Apr 1 13:00:50 2004 by RupertZ]