you don't like Prince I get it... but let's be real here.

I have the Destiney Tour, the Triumph Tour, the Victory Tour and the Dangerous Tour.

What I immediately noticed was Destiny and Triumph was live and in my opinion Mj was at his peak.

Triumph is my favorite - something spiritual was happening when Mj performed. That 20/20 piece on Mj around that time does a great job of exposing how powerful he was.

The other tours were not. Backing tracks on the Victory tour is what made that sound so muddy. Do you remember the inital reviews of that tour out of Florida where the tour started? Very poor.

Prince did this too - around 98-2001. Twenty years into his career. He has since abadoned all backing tracks and I honestly think he only did it to save money and tour (things were lean around that time).

Mj was great live but at some point being an entertainer took precedent over being an artist. many are guilty of it cause like you said about Prince - they start believing their own press clippings. If anyone believed that it was Mike - Prince has at least tried to come down off his cloud. Mj did too after the fallout with Sony and calling Tommy Mattolla - "The devil" at the apollo. Even Al Sharpton was uncomfortable... but clearly having personal addictions affected his vision

We are also comparing a man who grew up performing as a child - supported by the world's leading singers of the day (Diana, Marvin, the Temptations) next to a man who only 5 short years after learning the stage as a front man became a massive tour de force. You can't just write that off. Prince was no D'angelo - there was no hidden agenda in the press clippings, the man was bad - no slight on D btw, he has his own thing it's just you get my point.

I don't believe Prince believed his own press clippings, all he had to do was pop in the show and hit play.

If you are talking his misses... okay sure. However I think that's what makes him so brilliant - he gives it all to you. His wins, his losses, cause that's what a real artist does. He doesn't hide behind his label, his past, or one or two albums with critical acclaim. He keeps pushing and doing his thing no matter what.

Well let me re-phrase that cause an artist's approach is purely his own, some are slow and some are fast. That's what a real musician does - takes the good with the bad in order to learn from his mistakes.

That's why D'angelo trying to play guitar - I commend him cause it's alot to dissapear after 12 years and then come back and try out a new instrument when you are not ready. It says alot about his risk taking - I don't agree he doesn't take risks, he does... but like everythign he does just not that often.

Anyone will tell you, what may be considered horrible art today - may be considered a masterpiece tomorrow. Times change. Taste changes. James said when he first started rapping ppl looked at him like he was crazy. Same thing with his dancing and the way he dressed, they laughed at him. Months later he was the hottest thing in the country. Jean Michele was told by a peer that he would never make it as an artist cause he had no 'real' training in his eyes. We see what happend there right? Hell look at the genius of the Warhol/Basquiat exhibit from 88-89. Panned by every critic in New York - Now? Completely celebrated and the genius of that collaboration shines thru. It also spoke of the future - pre photoshop.

my point? you don't have to drink from the pitcher to see how bad Prince is - and not drinking from the pitcher won't change that either.