The BEST show I EVER saw in my 20+ years going to concerts!
May 18 '05 (Updated Jun 02 '05)
The Bottom Line Don't miss any opportunity to see the man, the legend perform! You will not be disappointed!
Let me start off by saying that anyone who knows me, knows I have a life long love for music bordering on insane. I've seen many shows in the past 20+ years and enjoyed most of them thoroughly, but on 8/24/04, I witnessed what will certainly go down as THE best show I have ever seen and likely will ever see, Prince.
I have been a fan of the man since I bought Purple Rain in 1984 for a girl I knew who really wanted the cassette. The girl didn't make an impression on me beyond that month but the artist certainly did and anyone who knew me then knows that was a 180 degree turn from everything else I listened to at that time.
There was no opening act listed for the show, scheduled for a 7:30 start at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. The buzz in the crowd was that there have been various acts opening the show each night, the previous night being someone I hadn't heard of. This night we were lucky enough to have had the only act (in my opinion) who could get the whole thing started in proper style, Morris Day & the Time. Morris and company looked sharp, sounded great and they had most of the crowd on their feet through their set which lasted just over a half hour.
Then, with a video clip of Prince's induction into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame as his intro the man and his band, the New Power Generation took the stage and proceeded to blow our minds. I actually cried for about the first twenty minutes, like the girls you may have seen in the early black & white Beatles footage. That may be a slight exaggeration, but that's kind of what I felt like. The band played for nearly a half hour before there was a notable break in the action. In that time they strung together so many familiar songs that I couldn't possibly name them all and I sang every word through teary eyes and chills.
Enough about my state of mind, let's talk about the band. Three words come to mind to describe the band in no particular order, or should I say all at once: FUNKY, TIGHT and UNTOUCHABLE. James Brown would have been James Green (with envy) over this band. They were all so cool, down to the well dressed (designer suit) stage hand delivering and retrieving guitars, center stage for Prince.
"We believe in horns!" and "Nobody can touch my band!", Prince proudly proclaimed during the show. From what I heard, it's all true. He gave them all a chance to shine as individual artists throughout the night to prove it. They were also briefly joined by Philly legend, Patti LaBelle along with a number of female fans plucked from the crowd to dance on stage.
Then seated center stage, with his purple acoustic guitar and a microphone attached to a rotating stool, he got his chance to perform alone. Hearing some really hot songs, broken down into their simplest form by their funky creator was truly magical. It's hard to create an intimate atmosphere in a place the size of the Wachovia Center, but that's just what he did. Before he was done with the acoustic he covered the Rolling Stone's 'Satisfaction,' which if I had to choose, I'd prefer Prince's version.
After a half hour of the unplugged solo performance, he was rejoined by the band for a few high energy classics and then left the stage leaving us all wanting more. After five minutes or more of the crowd chanting for his return, they came back with a song from the new CD and then closed it with 'Purple Rain.' AWESOME.
I walked across the parking lot physically and emotionally exhausted and felt so good. On the ride home I got to get familiar with the new CD 'Musicology,' which everyone who attends the show receives upon entry to the venue, every night. That's class and respect for the fans who showed love for the man and his band all night long.
Musicology 101:
What I learned........
"I still say long live by rock 'n roll, but it's really all about the funk 'n soul." - me
"'Wish I had a dollar for every time I say,
don't ya miss the feeling music gave ya, back in the day."
Prince - from the song Musicology
Dave Baun
Easton, PA
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