The greatest picture ever sold
Metrodome, Minneapolis, MN - 10th & 11th Dec. 1997
The greatest picture ever sold
At the time, he had been asking that nobody called him Prince anymore, and
I did not know why yet. Anyway: he had not been playing a large venue show for
years (something like eight), as I was then told. Two show were scheduled. Yoshi
and I queued up for tickets, got some for the second night, because the first
was already sold out!
So we went to the show, where he played only hits, from his debut album to the
present. I stood there in amazement, and the show ended when I was still hiiiiigh!!
In a dream, I heard a speaker tell about an afterparty in Paisley Park, Prince's
kingdom/music complex... and Yoshi offering to go there!
That night, I came back as the morning came, I had seen HIM play 20 feet before me, discovered a lovely bass player, heard a sound that I knew in my dreams I love... I had been infected for ever with a virus formerly known as Prince! I can't even tell you how I felt. I did not know yet that it was not my last visit paid to Paisley...
Several times, informed at the last minute in a mysterious way by a friend of Yoshi's, we went to Paisley Park Studios, sometimes accompanied with other friends, like Schnabbs (from Austria), or Thomas (from Hungary). I was a fan. The guy is the ultimate artist. As a musician, I was impressed to see that His mastery of instruments was no legend.
Very often, we did not know if the NPG was going to play or if there would "just" be a DJ in the room playing funky music. And very often, He would take the stage at a very late hour, after we had stood in the snow for an hour or two, and then inside the room for another hour or two. We would come back home with the sunrise.
Most of the times though, we would see an incredible live performance!
In 1997-1998, he started to play more and more with Larry Graham, from Graham Central Station, and formerly Sly & The Family Stone's bass player pioneer. Otherwise, the lineup would be:
Mr. Hayes Hammond organ, keyboards, background vocals Reverend Mike Scott Guitar Rhonda Smith
Bass Kirk A. Johnson Drums, percussions, samples, background vocals And The Artist on Guitar, Bass, Electric Piano, Vocals.
Well, I find it very difficult to explain my enthusiasm, but well, some of you will understand, I am sorry for the others... If you want to know more about Prince, go to his website the NPG Music Club. If you want to buy some albums, ask someone who knows them, because they are so different that you may not like one, while you might love another.
Want my opinion?
Make sure you don't miss:
| Purple Rain (MUST HAVE) | Prince | The Gold Experience |
| Sign "O" The Times (MUST HAVE) | Controversy | Diamonds & Pearls |
| 1999 | ||
| Batman | ||
| for the second period of time | for the early albums | for the third "era" |
Although of course there are very-very good songs on all the albums!! Try: Parade (Kiss, Girls & Boys...), the O+{-> album (Sexy M.F., The Sacrifice Of Victor...), Dirty Mind (Head, Dirty Mind...), Lovesexy (Alphabet St.), the triple-CD Emancipation (Jam Of The Year, Facedown, Emancipation, New World...). Once you'll get into His music, and you like it, maybe you will be ready to discover more personnal stuff, and drown into the fascinating musical universe that these people (Prince and all his different bands) created, and you will be ready to love albums like Come, or the Black album...
This page © 2002 Jhuliakus. All rights reserved.