02-25-2011, 01:19 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-29-2016, 12:15 PM by Drunk Monk.)
Prince @ Oracle 2/24/11
Following his surprise MSG run, the first two CA shows were announced last week. They went on sale Friday and sold out immediately. It was a minimum of $125 just to get into the nosebleeds. Surrounding his symbol-shaped stage where small tables with high chairs, much like a lounge. Those were $750 a seat. He set up Monday, a holiday so that's extra to pay the union, and was in the hole for at least a mill, given that no one knew these shows were going to happen. The stage had to be struck for a game on Tuesday and re-erected for show 2, where he broke even. A 3rd show was added for last night and he cashed out. No one knows where the tour goes next. It's up to Prince's whim. No one does this in this economy. No one would have the balls to even attempt to pull this off.
If you've never seen Prince live, you have no idea what he does. He is one of rock and funk's greatest living guitarists. Never mind the theatrics, the TAFKAP phase, the lingerie, Prince can really shred. Different set lists each night - Santana dropped in for a song on Monday. Sheila E, who is still an amazing percussionist, was there for the whole run.
I wasn't going to go as the show opened and closed for RM while I was on vacation. In fact, I only learned about it as we were driving home and Stacy saw the Oracle marquee. I've seen Prince many times before, and was going to pass, but booked it on a last-minute whim.
Prince toys with his crowd. He's learned a thing or two from his recent stay in Vegas and turned the Welcome 2 America tour into this massive high-end guerrilla-attack lounge act. He dimmed the lights 3x and raised them again before a late start. Wearing a muscle shirt, he's been working out and sports decent guns. He's still got his licks - they seemed sharper then ever - and he's still got his dance moves. He was constantly sampling and teasing his riffs and other pop riffs, baiting the audience to cheer again and again. When he asked for cell phones to be alighted, the auditorium became a dancing nebula to the rhythm. He got his audience to to some of the most complicated waves I've ever seen. He did 4 encores, the last one came like 15 minutes after the house lights were on and a third of the audience had left.
It was his funk that got me. He did Sly's Everyday People and Thank you for letting me be myself again, and that was just incendiary, especially in the ancient funk capital that was Oakland.
It was a sharply dressed, perfumed crowd - very diverse and well behaved. DM was nipple molested at the end by a topless dancer. Seriously. It was a happy ending.
Following his surprise MSG run, the first two CA shows were announced last week. They went on sale Friday and sold out immediately. It was a minimum of $125 just to get into the nosebleeds. Surrounding his symbol-shaped stage where small tables with high chairs, much like a lounge. Those were $750 a seat. He set up Monday, a holiday so that's extra to pay the union, and was in the hole for at least a mill, given that no one knew these shows were going to happen. The stage had to be struck for a game on Tuesday and re-erected for show 2, where he broke even. A 3rd show was added for last night and he cashed out. No one knows where the tour goes next. It's up to Prince's whim. No one does this in this economy. No one would have the balls to even attempt to pull this off.
If you've never seen Prince live, you have no idea what he does. He is one of rock and funk's greatest living guitarists. Never mind the theatrics, the TAFKAP phase, the lingerie, Prince can really shred. Different set lists each night - Santana dropped in for a song on Monday. Sheila E, who is still an amazing percussionist, was there for the whole run.
I wasn't going to go as the show opened and closed for RM while I was on vacation. In fact, I only learned about it as we were driving home and Stacy saw the Oracle marquee. I've seen Prince many times before, and was going to pass, but booked it on a last-minute whim.
Prince toys with his crowd. He's learned a thing or two from his recent stay in Vegas and turned the Welcome 2 America tour into this massive high-end guerrilla-attack lounge act. He dimmed the lights 3x and raised them again before a late start. Wearing a muscle shirt, he's been working out and sports decent guns. He's still got his licks - they seemed sharper then ever - and he's still got his dance moves. He was constantly sampling and teasing his riffs and other pop riffs, baiting the audience to cheer again and again. When he asked for cell phones to be alighted, the auditorium became a dancing nebula to the rhythm. He got his audience to to some of the most complicated waves I've ever seen. He did 4 encores, the last one came like 15 minutes after the house lights were on and a third of the audience had left.
It was his funk that got me. He did Sly's Everyday People and Thank you for letting me be myself again, and that was just incendiary, especially in the ancient funk capital that was Oakland.
It was a sharply dressed, perfumed crowd - very diverse and well behaved. DM was nipple molested at the end by a topless dancer. Seriously. It was a happy ending.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse