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Thanks dog.....A little taste for the Purple People...
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ESPN's The Undefeated
PRINCE
Let’s take it to the stage!
Every single Prince tour remembered — and ranked
BY KEITH MURPHY
Alan Leeds, the Purple One’s one-time road manager and president of Paisley Park Records, recalls the exact moment Prince Rogers Nelson made up his mind to become the greatest live performer in the history of modern music. It was Aug. 20, 1983.
Prince was still basking in the glow of his 1982 breakthrough album 1999. The singer’s brilliant synth-rock classic “Little Red Corvette” was all over MTV and radio when MTV and radio meant everything, and platinum Prince was on the cusp of superstardom. On that August evening Prince was at Los Angeles’ Beverly Theater.
His hero, James Brown, was performing. What happened next was downright surreal. The sweat-drenched Godfather of Soul called out the biggest recording star on the planet to join him onstage. Michael Jackson, immaculate in sunglasses and a blue Sgt. Pepper’s-esque military jacket, was a jaw-dropping natural. He crooned effortlessly. He shuffled his feet James Brown-style in an almost inhuman rhythm.
And then Jackson did a spin for the ages. Jackson then whispered in Brown’s ear that Prince was in the house. And so Brown invited the rising talent to show off some moves. Prince, rocking a very Princely black-and-gold number, hilariously approached the stage on the back of his infamous bodyguard Big Chick. It was a disaster (see below).
“I don’t think Prince realized Michael was going to be there,” Leeds told me back in 2010. “And of course Prince didn’t really know what to do either. He went to the guitar first, but he fumbles with that because it was left-handed. He played a few licks, did some dancing and knocked over a prop by accident. I always wondered if Michael intentionally brought Prince up to put him in that position just to say, ‘Hey, you think you’re on my a–? Well follow this, motherf—– .” Prince, of course, would have his revenge. He headlined some of the most celebrated concert tours of the 1980s, eventually becoming the most complete, gifted live act of his era.
April 14 was Prince’s last concert performance. At Atlanta’s Fox Theater, just days before his tragic death at the age of 57 shook the world, an exhilarating and poignant Prince was on display. For the first time in his storied three decade-plus career, the vocalist, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist appeared alone with no backing band. This was the plan for his all-too short Piano & A Microphone tour. Prince — a prolific visionary who has sold more than 100 million albums — still had something to prove.
How do you rank (in order!) the nearly 30 treks Prince has led? We gave it a try. Read, enjoy, and fight among yourselves. Let’s take it to the stage!
12. Hit And Run Part II (2014–2015)
“These are performances by one of the greatest funk-rock bands ever.” That’s what the Guardian said of Prince and 3RDEYEGIRL’s Electric Ballroom show, which kicked off a series of now legendary performances in the U.K. By the time Prince and his trio of Beckys hopped across the pond for their barnstorming assault of small venues, they were a frighteningly well-oiled unit. “I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man” was soaked with beautiful anguish. “She’s Always In My Hair” rumbled into a state of bliss. And the brooding “Something In The Water (Does Not Compute)” flipped into a emo-gospel hymn. Prince’s last complete tour also featured some of his most sincere and ferocious fret work, at times challenged by the youthful knockout power of guitarist Donna Grantis.
11. 21 Nights In London: The Earth Tour (2007)
The Prince was once again king. Still, when it was announced on May 8, 2007, that the performer would play 21 nights at London’s reopened, 20,000-seat O2, it was a statement met with bewilderment. Just how would Prince, who’d just scored his first U.K. top 10 album — 3121 — since 2003’s Musicology, pull off such a stunt? Apparently, with ease. Not only was every date on Prince’s 21 Nights series a sellout (more than 350,000 would flock to see him), it’s a record that still stands to this day. Prince opened the residency with his signature “Purple Rain.” “Raspberry Beret” and “Little Red Corvette”? Played with glee on piano. “Musicology” thumped like it was being jammed at a block party. And Prince teased fans with a medley that had him playing the role of the funkiest DJ on the planet. Who knew?
10. One Night Alone … Tour (2002)
Prince had grown bored with the flash and emptiness of rock star theatrics. So he put on a suit and got back down to basics. The new incarnation of the New Power Generation was a powerful jazz outfit masquerading as a pop band. Prince’s serious-minded musical faction (which now included keyboardist Renato Neto and the all-star brass unit of trombonist Greg Boyer and saxophonists Maceo Parker, Najee, Eric Leeds, and Candy Dulfer) weren’t playing around. The more organic material from Prince’s back-to-form Rainbow Children was given ample space to breathe. “Avalanche” rebuked Abraham Lincoln and the devastating legacy slavery continues to have on black America. A piano medley took the faithful to church anchored by a gorgeous take on “Adore.” Prince and his band bopped hard. This was the sound of freedom.
9. Musicology Live 2004ever (2004)
A master class in the art of the comeback. Know this: before Prince pulled this off, he was being viewed as an enigmatic, closed-off pop star resigned to obscurity. That is until he wrecked the stage with Beyoncé by his side at the 46th Grammy Awards.
He followed that up with his 2004 induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Prince grabbed headlines with his jolting, face-melting guitar solo at the end of the George Harrison-penned Beatles classic “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
The performance still stands today as a singular moment from what are yearly going-through-the-motions proceedings. And so the Musicology Tour was an unabashed celebration of a 25-year career that at times had been taken for granted. There’s 1984’s “I Would Die 4 U” and “The Beautiful Ones”, 1979’s “I Feel For You,” 1986’s “Kiss” — the hits went on and on. Rhonda Smith on bass was a revelation, keyboardist Renato Neto played with understated touch, and drummer John Blackwell again backed up his rep as one of the best percussionists on earth. Prince was hot at the box office — The Musicology trek was the highest grossing tour of that year, pulling in $87.4 million. The tour pushed the album of the same name to sales of more than 3 million, thanks to an ingenious plan that included a copy of the CD with each concert ticket purchased. You couldn’t wipe the smile off Prince’s face.
8. Piano & A Microphone (2016)
A testament to the enduring greatness of Prince — despite completing only nine performances. Nearly 40 years into his career, he was still bravely searching for new ways to pour out his music. It was his aim to strip down compositions from his vast catalog of more than just the creations on his 39 studio albums. But at a Jan. 22 preview of the stripped-down show before diehard fans at his Paisley Park complex in Minnesota, the usually fearless talent appeared unsure of himself.
“This is the first time I’ve done a concert alone, ever,” he said. “And you’re here the first night … congrats to both of us.” The very few performances Prince gave — in Australia and New Zealand as well as Montreal; Oakland, California; and Atlanta — were met with ravenous fanfare as critics and longtime followers praised the visionary’s distinct ability to draw from the Great American songbook as if he’d written the entire thing.
Naked versions of his well known compositions were paired with ’80s album cuts such as “Venus De Milo,” “Condition of the Heart,” and Something In The Water (Does Not Compute).” There were startling covers — “The Peanuts Theme,” Ray Charles’ “Unchain My Heart,” Joni Mitchell’s “A Case Of You,” Bob Marley’s “Waiting In Vain,” and new material such as “Free Yurself,” “Black Muse,” and the timely “Baltimore.” It seemed all the permutations of rock and jazz and ragtime and boogie-woogie and funk and soul were touched on. The public discovered Prince’s greatness all over again. Salute.
7. Controversy Tour (1981–1982)
The self-proclaimed Rude Boy graduates to arenas and an expanded stage set that included an elevated catwalk, two ramps, a fireman’s pole, and a mammoth venetian blind backdrop. The newly formed The Time, fronted by the charismatic Morris Day (!!!), and the finely tuned 10-piece Zapp band opened the shows, which also included freshly-minted Revolution bassist Brown Mark. And standout Dez Dickerson, the only guitarist Prince let solo on his record, was a savage six-string assassin.
Controversy’s ’81 title track crackled as our Prince recited the Lord’s Prayer with an illuminated cross hovering over the band. Nice. If Prince seemed like a driven man on the verge of something truly special, it’s for good reason. Just a month before kicking off the tour in Pittsburgh, his band had been pelted with garbage and booed off the stage during two opening act stints with the Rolling Stones at the Los Angeles Coliseum. It was ugly.
6. Purple Rain Tour (1984–1985)
This is what it sounds like when you are on top of the world. The Revolution’s introduction as a fully functioning band was phenomena resembling Beatlemania. Yes, this was a victory lap for Prince — he had the No. 1 album of the year with Purple Rain (eventually topping off at over 20 million copies), the No. 1 pop single of the year with the rule-breaking, bass line-less “When Doves Cry,” and a No. 1 film. It was a rare feat for any act much less an African-American performer who just two years earlier had scored his first top 10 hit with “1999.” Prince was now headlining sold-out stadiums and some of the biggest names in music — Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna — showed up to witness the coronation of His Royal Badness. And “Let’s Go Crazy” did just that.
Then the fluffy “Take Me With You” merged into the chicken grease attitude of “Controversy.” Guitarist Wendy Melvoin (this was her introduction to the world) and Lisa Coleman, forever linked, became fan faves. At times it seemed like Prince was leading 100 people onstage in a never-ending dance party during “Baby I’m A Star.” And an epic 20-minute guitar solo routinely closed out “Purple Rain” — Prince seemed possessed by the Holy Spirit, and more than 1.7 million people snatched up tickets to witness him ascend. This was not a concert. This was a revival.
5. Dirty Mind Tour (1980–1981)
How’s this for absurd? Prince’s uninhibited libido was too much for Rick James. Rick. James. “I can’t believe people are gullible enough to buy Prince’s jive records,” he said in 1980 of his up-and-coming rival. “Prince is a a mentally disturbed young man. He’s out to lunch. You can’t take his music seriously. He sings songs about oral sex, and incest.” Before embarking on this infamous tour, Prince had earned his stripes as a (show-stealing) opening act for the Slick Rick, who at that time was the most bankable R&B act on the planet. But Prince was too ambitious to care.
Dangerously clad in a flasher’s trench coat, high-heeled boots, leggings, and black bikini briefs, Prince Rogers Nelson set out to put everyone on notice that the music scene would never be the same. The Dirty Mind tour was a thing of nasty beauty: Prince licked his guitar as he laid into the X-rated “Head.” “When You Were Mine,” “Dirty Mind” and “Sister” were rocking rebellious soundtracks that shot beyond the friendly confines of mainstream soul. “Uptown” preached the Minneapolis maverick’s do-what-you-want gospel: Now where I come from/ We don’t let society / Tell us how it’s supposed to be / Our clothes, our hair, we don’t care/It’s all about being there…” Utter cool.
To view the entire list: https://theundefeated.com/features/lets-take-it-to-the-stage/ GOAT of his era......long live Prince.....God is alive....
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