See that photo? I took that photo. Of Prince. I was close enough to Prince. To take that photo. SOAK IT THE FUCK IN, BITCHES. Why is this so delayed? Please re-read the previous sentence. So, Prince did three concerts in Los Angeles on March 28th. And my ass was at...well, two of them. Due to a minor "age" issue, I was at the 7:00 PM show at the Nokia Theatre and the 12:00AM show at Club Nokia. SET LIST FROM NOKIA THEATRE:
Old Skool Company
Crimson and Clover
1999
I Feel 4 U
Controversy
Shhhh
If I Was Ur Girlfriend
Kiss
Play That Funky Music
Hollywood Swinging
Come Together
Purple Rain
Let's Go Crazy
The Bird
Jungle Love
The Glamorous Life (Featuring SHIELA E.)
Yes, SHIELA FREAKIN' E was there. And that bitch looks HOT and not a day over 30. I mean, it was just a two hour dance party. That's all it was. Prince was entertaining and interactive, incredibly present, and the most incredible musician to see live. His guitar solos are otherworldly. He opened the show teasing the crowd, saying: "Naw, y'all ain't ready", and I really fucking was not.
The line for the 12:00AM gig was where the party is at. Let me tell you how poorly organized it was. So originally, the line for the G.A. seats was outside the club. That sounds smart, right? Yeah, it was! So then they MOVED the line to the middle of the courtyard of the complex these venues are all on, like...100 feet away from the entrance. That sounds pointless and needlessly complicated, because IT WAS. So, anyway, about an hour into the wait, they move about 20 people from that line to a "holding area" about 50 feet from the club. Here's the problem with that. Other assholes who are either blind or think they're special ignore the line of 1000+ people in the courtyard, and hop on behind the 20-30 people in the second line. So, a team of rogue crusaders, aka me and the 4-5 people closest to me in the line, take on the special duty of "line organizers/security guards" and keep people moving in the correct direction. You'd think VENUE STAFF might do this, but no. One guy honestly got offered MONEY to let a guy and his girlfriend cut. Remember, none of us ACTUALLY work there at all. LOL. So anyway, me and my new besties shove our way into the VIP Pit, and Prince plays the most incredible, low key, jazz funk show that I've ever seen.
SET LIST FROM CLUB NOKIA:
Under the Cherry Moon
Dreaming of U
Lay U're Hands On Me
Journey to the Center of Your Heart
The Sun, The Moon, and Stars
Sometimes It Snows in April
When the Lights Go Down
I Love U But I Don't Trust U Anymore
She Spoke to Me
A Large Room With No Light
Sweet Thing (Featuring Chaka Kahn)
Insatiable
Scandalous
The Beautiful Ones
Nothing Compares 2 U
Yes, seriously. Chaka fucking Kahn. Imagine it. You're standing 10 feet from Prince, and this amazing female voice comes from backstage. Chaka walks out. She's singing Sweet Thing. You're screaming, and jumping, and cheering, with about two hundred other people crammed into this tiny space. And then a girl next to you screams, taps her boyfriend's shoulder, and shouts: "OH MY GOD. It's Patti LaBelle!"
The show was amazing, it lasted until about 2:30 A.M, and bitches were literally walking out of there COMPLAINING about it being jazz and ballad-heavy. Shut the fuck up, you just heard him sing "A Large Room With No Light" and Chaka fucking Kahn, realize you're blessed and get out so I can get back to my damn hotel before 3AM, assholes. That's fucking 6AM in NYC time.
But you know it was all worth it. It had to be. It's Prince. I mean, what else can you even say besides, it's mothafuckin' PRINCE.
Oh, and if you haven't watched this, do yourself a favor and watch it asap: Basketball with Prince
xoxo,
Miss Julie
Alright Ms. J, what do U look like? I was at both those shows and up front. We had 2 see eachother. Shoot me a note at wishuhvn@aol.com We might have even talked. That third show was easily my fav. of the night. I saw him doing "in a large room with no light" during the soundcheck---was still shocked when he actually played it during the show. Good Review, by the way :-)
ReplyDeleteYou know I ain't posting no picture on here...GOTTA know how much trouble THAT is! I'll shoot you an email, it sounds like you got tickets from the lotus...very cool, wish that I'd waited and done that too, but when you gotta book a flight, there's so much pressure!
ReplyDelete"A Large Room With No Light" was unreal, couldn't believe he played it, I was in heaven. Thanks for the comment!