Prince @ The Forum: Nuit Dix-Huit

[SET LIST — PRINCE @ the Forum | May 27, 2011]


Opening ::: NIKKA COSTA!!!!
833pm
LIKE A FEATHER
NYLONS IN A RIP
KEEP PUSHIN'
EVERYBODY'S GOT THEIR SOMETHIN
CAN'T PLEASE EVERYBODY

923
Lights come down...new lightning sequence on stage Prince solo entrance, goes directly to the piano for...
Sample Teaser Medley:
WHEN DOVES CRY (whole song)/NASTY GIRL/SIGN OF THE TIMES/TMBGITW/ALPHABET ST./4EVER IN MY LIFE - full first verse and chorus/DARLING NIKKI/HOT THING (messup on lyrics)/I WOULD DIE 4 U


DMSR
POP LIFE (Renato on keys... Band costume change)
MUSICOLOGY/PRINCE & THE BAND (Prince rips shirt open!!! Woot!!!) Maceo Parker on horns!!!!
SHHH (prince hasn't picked up guitar yet) into U WILL B WITH ME back into SHHH extended

Renato on the THE LOVE WE MAKE piano into --- Prince on guitar (finally) --- into TAKE ME WITH YOU
ANOTHERLOVERHOLEINYOHEAD/ROCK LOBSTER ext. ending
PEACH!!!! (Where's my Miko at?? LOL)
(Special Forum talk) into 1999
COOL (Girls sing Don't Stop Till U Get Enough - homage to MJ)
LET'S WORK
U GOT THE LOOK

Break :::
MAKE U FEEL MY LOVE (all girls)
PURPLE RAIN (10 mins long)


ENCORE :::
NIKKA!!!
Beat to CONTROVERSY into LOVE BIZARRE w/ NIKKA and MACEO
CONTROVERSY/HQ chant
Prince pulls an older lady up to dance -- Can U say "GlamSlam Granny???" --- no hotpants, but she was rockin' a leopard print dress!

Celeb sightings --- from crowd pulled onto the stage:::
Holly Robinson Pete
Lisa Kudrow
Celestina -- the Dancer from Musicology & Black Sweat videos --- she was WORKING IT!!!

ENCORE :::
DISCO HEAT
BABY IMA STAR!!! (freaking FINALLY)
KISS


ENCORE 2 :::
NOTHING COMPARES 2 U (with Shelby J)

-------

On NIKKA:
FINALLY!!! After weeks of rumors, she opens for Prince. I happen to LOVE Nikka. Truly, she's the only other artist out there that I would follow like I follow Prince. She's quite a bit easier to "follow" since her diehard fans are faithful, but few compared to Princely standards. I don't have to wait in line for hours on end to get into a venue or to see her take the stage. It was quite exciting to see her in "Prince's House" although a bit bizarre to see her hauling ass across such a huge stage. At one point, as she was strutting down the long catwalk that makes up the bottom of Prince's symbol, she realized that she still had another 50 feet to go and she says into the mic, "Hang on babies, mama's comin!!!" LOL I actually prefer her in a more intimate venue --- especially since the people surrounding me had no idea who she was. "Please stop asking me who she is. Her name is NIKKA COSTA. Google it when you get home."


On MACEO:
Maceo is a legend. And it's always great to see him. Although the addition of him and Mike Phillips late into the LA run was very reminiscent of the MUSICOLOGY tour.

On the AFTERJAM:
I was once again blessed with the opportunity to get into the club. But the crowd was rather large and the afterjam was already underway by the time I got in. Nikka was playing sans Prince and she was rocking the joint. The sound was particularly bad tonight in the club. I'm not sure if it was always this bad, or it just sounded that way because I was way in the back dancing by myself. About 3 songs or so in, Prince sweeps in, flanked by security...sweeps back out after about 2 minutes...and then the show stops abruptly and DJ Rashida starts spinning again. Not sure what happened there, but I'm guessing Prince decided to move the jam session to his house. After dancing for another hour, the club started clearing out and we called it a night.

Prince Turns House of Blues Into House of MPLS FUNK | Nuits Quinze, Seize, et Dix-Sept

Photo Courtesy of Dr.Funkenberry.com/Cody Breedlove

[PRINCE @ the House of Blues | May 25, 2011]

Upon returning to Southern California, Prince threw us his LA fans yet another zinger, by booking three shows in one night — Wednesday 5/25 — at an undisclosed club location. When tickets for all three shows went on sale via Ticketmaster on Tuesday 5/24, fans could still only speculate on where they would be going for the performances. Questions and rumors volleyed about as we tried to solve the big mystery. Would there be three separate locations? Would all three take place at one venue? Are there any venues that have three separate areas?

All the chaos was reminiscent of the LA Live Trifecta back in 2009 — Prince did an unprecedented three shows in one night: The first at Nokia Theater, the second at Conga Room, and the third at Club Nokia — all at the LA Live/Staples Center complex. However, knowing that Prince had since severed ties with AEG — the organization that promotes events at LA Live — we assumed a replay of that unbelievable night was not a possibility.

The only real clue we had was that the second show was said to be in a "Jazz Cafe." So of course, most of us scoured the internet for any venue either named "Jazz Cafe" and any venue within reasonable distance nearby where the 1st or 3rd shows may be. All this being said, ONLY PRINCE FANS would purchase tickets for his shows and NOT EVEN KNOW WHERE THEY ARE. LOL!!!

The location was finally revealed at 3pm on the day of the shows --- THE HOUSE OF BLUES.
The first show ($200) would take place in the main room. The second show ($100) would take place in the restaurant redubbed "The Jazz Cafe". And the third show would be a charity event with an auction-only ticket (starting at $500) in the Foundation Room.

———
On Monday night, after getting my gameplan settled on buying tickets the next morning, I was all excited. But as the rest of the evening wore on, I started to have second thoughts about spending the money. This is my usual M.O. --- I tend to get "Buyer's Remorse" even before I do any "buying." And what's worse, I'd gotten laid off from my job earlier that day (more on that in a later post)...so I started thinking about how much more limited my funds suddenly were...and did I really want to pay $100 for a jazz set?? Even though it's Prince, and I don't like to second-guess myself, I had to talk myself down off the ledge and make the decision NOT to go to the shows. After paying $25 plus parking for multiple shows at the Forum, and even though I had promised myself after the Troubadour that I'd "treat myself" to another club date if he decided to do another on, and even though I LOVE the House of Blues and have had many a great Prince memory there, I had to be responsible and opt out. Damn, I hate being a grown up sometimes.

Once again, I had to live vicariously through my Prince family. But strangely enough, I haven't been able to get a clear setlist for the first or the third shows. But here's the set list from the 2nd show (via setlist.com):

1. Blues Jam ("Jose Can You See")/Star Spangled Banner (instrumental intro) 

2. I Like It There 

3. Endorphinmachine (instrumental intro)/Villanova Junction 
(Jimi Hendrix cover)
4. The Question Of U (instrumental)/The Gingerbread Man/The One 

5. Dreamer 

6. Welcome 2 America/America (instrumental) 

7. She's Always In My Hair 

8. Bambi
9. Colonized Mind 

10. Brown Skin (Shelby J. on vocals)
11. Little Red Corvette (Montreux Jazz version)

LA Gets a Weeklong Break From The Purple Madness

Amidst rumors of a fallout between Prince and Live Nation - the promoters for the tour, and double booking at the Forum (Rammstein was already scheduled to play on Friday, 5/20),
Prince's 21-Night Stand in Los Angeles took a short hiatus.

During the weeklong "break," Prince decided to take his show up the coast and treated Fresno, San Jose, and Sacramento to some MPLS Funk. I spent most of the weekend reading Tweets and Facebook updates from my Bay Area friends who were able to get tickets for the shows. I don't have set lists for these shows, but I suspect, based on what I was told from those who did attend the shows, that he played mostly hits. From what I hear, Fresno only got a 90-minute show. (WTH???) And some further north, while happy to have the "Purple Yoda" all to themselves again, were disappointed that there were no afterparties or afterjams to get into.

As deduced in the past, Los Angeles fans have been treated and spoiled. And speaking for myself and my closest friends, WE DEFINITELY APPRECIATE IT.

Prince @ the Forum: AFTERJAM | May 14, 2011

Through the kindness of a friend with connections, I found myself in the Forum Club for the afterparty once again. Although by the time I got in, the crowd at the stage was at least 8-9 people deep. There was NO WAY I was going to get to the front.

DJ Rashida was spinning the tunes as everyone waited in anticipation to see if Prince would play. At one point, I squeezed towards the front/side by her DJ booth and I was able to see the instruments all set up. But as yet, nothing was happening. Some of the crew got up on stage to take away some of the equipment and a lot of the crowd assumed that meant nothing was going to happen. So the masses cleared out quite a bit. Being in heels that night, the "dogs were barking" so I decided to wander over to the bar with my friend to see if we could sit while waiting for something to happen.

While at the bar, I stopped to chat for a bit with Dr. Funkenberry and a few other friends. And as we were standing there, Prince (flanked by security) floated by towards the club interior. Shortly thereafter, Janelle went by with her own entourage, and I took this as my cue to head back in.

Again, the crowd had gotten thick, and I kind of lost my friend in the mess too, so --- being 4'12" and unable to see shit, even in heels, I decided to find a place sit and listen to the jam session. As it turned out Prince didn't really play --- opting to enjoy from the sidelines while he let Janelle's band jam. I found a spot in the very back of the club on one of the comfy couches and sat to listen to the music. It was actually really great to sit and relax for a while.

After regaining the feeling in my toes, I wandered back towards the crowd as I heard OUTSTANDING by the Gap Band being played. I was dancing toward the back of the crowd when I saw Pej off to the side by DJ Rashida. He motioned for me to come over and when I did, he positioned me in front of him so I could see a clear shot of Prince — looking gorgeous and tight in his baby blue suit — jamming with Janelle and Cassandra on the keys. (Thank you, Pej!)

So Prince didn't play. And Janelle didn't really play much either. It was really just a jam session by the band members. Shelby got up to sing, as did Liv...and lead the crowd in a few chants. Prince was in a playful mood getting up on the mic to say, "We all need to say a prayer for sister Shelby's mom. She fell asleep with a candy necklace on and the ants got her." Overall, it was a cool ending to a great night. And we get to do it all again "later".

And there's that little bit mo'. Good times...
:)

Prince @ The Forum: Nuit Quatorze

[SET LIST — PRINCE @ the Forum | May 14, 2011]

OPENING ACT ::: AMEL LARRIEUX

941p ---

Renato long intro
Mike phillips on sax into
WHEN I LAY MY HANDS ON YOU
Prince appears laying on stage

LAYDOWN
DREAMER
WELCOME2AMERICA back into
DREAMER
ALWAYS IN MY HAIR
FUTURE SOUL SONG Mike on sax
PURPLE RAIN!?!?!? WTF???

GLAMOROUS LIFE (Sheila E.)

SOMEWHERE HERE ON EARTH
Mike on sax
Lyrics I LOVE U BUT I DON'T TRUST U
TAKE ME W U
RASP BERET
CREAM
COOL (girls sing DON'T STOP TILL U GET ENOUGH)
Halle Berry dancing on stage

LETS WORK
YOU GOT LOOK

BREAK :::
Amel Larrieux come out to sing --- not sure what song it is...
Musical break
NOTHING COMPARES TO U (with Shelby J.)

CONTROVERSY
HQ CHANT

ENCORE:::
Sample teaser medley:
WHEN DOVES CRY/NASTY GIRL (Halle dances)/SOTT/TMBGITW/LOVE w/ BLACK SWEAT lyrics/DARLING NIKKI/I WOULD DIE 4 U
IF I WAS UR GIRLFRIEND (Prince messes up lyrics)
INSATIABLE
SCANDALOUS
ADORE


ENCORE:::
KISS
PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC (Once again, Prince pulls Cody Breedlove from the VIP section to do vocals --- GO CODY!!!)
INGLEWOOD SWINGIN

Celebs get pulled on stage to dance --- Susan Sarandon & Chante Moore gets on the mic.

———

On Amel Larrieux:
I can't say how happy I was to finally see Amel perform LIVE. I've been wanting to hear her sing MAKE ME WHOLE for years!!! As I expected, she was lovely, soulful, and beautiful. Her band was great as well and I especially appreciated that her daughter was in the band. I love that younger generations are exposed to REAL MUSIC and can carry on the legacies of the great musicians that are among us. Sadly, most of those around us weren't familiar with Amel and only when she did TELL ME - the song that Groove Theory was most famous for - did the crowd really respond. Upon further research, I'm happy to report that (according to Wikipedia) Amel and Bryce have reunited the original Groove Theory and are working in the studio once again. I look forward to more great things from them!

Prince @ The Forum: Nuit Treize

[SET LIST — PRINCE @ the Forum | May 13, 2011]


OPENING ACT ::: Janelle Monae

10pm --- Prince takes the stage
DMSR
MUSICOLOGY/PRINCE & THE BAND (Mike Phillips on sax)/back into MUSICOLOGY
SHHH/U WILL B WITH ME
GLAMOROUS LIFE (Sheila E.)
SOMETIMES IT SNOWS IN APRIL intro into TAKE ME WITH U (w/ Janelle Monae)
RASPBERRY BERET/CREAM (Prince messes up on lyrics)
COOL (girls sing DON'T STOP TILL U GET ENOUGH)
LET'S WORK
U GOT THE LOOK (Prince messes up lyrics again - rips out earpiece from his ear and throws it on the ground...ends song early and leaves stage.)
QUESTION OF U (instrumental - just the band w/ Mike Phillips on sax, long solo) into THE ONE into U WILL B WITH ME
CONTROVERSY
PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC (Prince pulls Cody Breedlove from the VIP section to do vocals --- GO CODY!!!)
WHICH WAY IS UP
DISCO HEAT (Shelby J on vocals)
"LATIN GROOVE (with Sheila & Mike Phillips) back into
CONTROVERSY/HOUSEQUAKE CHANT

Renato stays on keys...Prince returns amidst lots of fog so all we see is his silhouette...
LET'S GO CRAZY/DELIRIOUS back into...LET'S GO CRAZY/1999
LITTLE RED CORVETTE/SLOW DOWN chant
Mike Philly continues playing even after song ends and goes into...


PURPLE RAIN

ENCORE :::
SUPERSTITION!!!!!!!!!!! WITH STEVIE WONDER!!!!!!!!!!!!
Prince leads Stevie out to center stage...and hands him the mic...
Stevie does a little "Happy Birthday" on his harmonica and then does some vocals EVERYTHING IS ALRIGHT chant into
SUPERSTITION
Then Sheila and Prince lead him over to the keyboards where he continues singing the song and playing the keys. (OMG!!!)

INGLEWOOD SWINGIN'
(Bunch of friends get pulled up on stage to dance --- Miko, Cody, Cheryl Dr. Funkenberry, etc)
FANTASTIC VOYAGE/LOVE ROLLERCOASTER

ENCORE 2 :::
Sample teaser medley:
WHEN DOVES CRY/NASTY GIRL/PARTY ALL THE TIME/SOTT/TMBGITW/BLACK SWEAT/DARLING NIKKI/I WOULD DIE 4 U
IF I WAS UR GIRLFRIEND
INSATIABLE
SCANDALOUS
ADORE

———
On Janelle Monae:
I was very excited to see Janelle Monae perform live. After seeing random TV appearances and music videos, I knew she was going to bring a special energy to the place. Not to impune either Esperanza Spaulding -- She was fascinating to watch. In my opinion, her style of music seemed a bit out of place in a venue as large as the Forum. I'd have loved to see her in a smaller jazz venue...a more intimate space.

As expected, Janelle didn't disappoint. She and her band were on an entirely different plane — wonderfully energetic, crazy weird, and playful. At one point, everyone on stage was supine with Ms. Monae still belting out lyrics. It was all very interesting to witness.

On Prince:
This being the 9th show I'd seen at the Forum, I have to admit that I'm getting quite tired of the setlist. As with the Musicology tour, I've gotten to the point where I'm identifying songs even before he's started playing them. And the $25 I'm paying is truly for that ONE random song he may or may not decide to throw at us. And amazingly enough, even with monitors everywhere flashing lyrics at him, Prince still manages to mess up on some of his songs. What??? I suppose he's allowed some missteps here and there...and his band is bound to miss a cue every once in a while. But still — after seeing this show so many times, (sadly) the errors are easier to notice.

On Stevie Wonder:
Just when I thought I was through and this show was going to blur into my memory along with the other shows I'd seen thus far, Prince throws me a bone. When the symbol lights started flashing to the driving beat of the ever familiar SUPERSTITION, we all lost our minds. Seeing Stevie Wonder play live and in person was one of the items on my musical "bucket list." Watching Prince lead the great Stevie center stage was just EPIC and I swear, even after he had left the stage, I could still feel the beat of the song resonating throughout the place. His presence made that night UNFORGETTABLE!!! In a word? WOW.

But wait...there's a little bit more...

Prince & the Band Invade The Troubadour: Nuit Onze (et Douze)

[PRINCE @ the Troubadour | May 11, 2011 & May 12, 2011]

Page 77 in the "How to be a Hardcore Prince Fan" Handbook states that you must be ready for whenever Prince decides he wants to do an impromptu random club date with little to no notice. True to regular fashion, Prince did exactly this when he booked two shows in one night at the Troubadour. Just as everyone got comfortable with the Forum routine --- shows going on sale at the beginning of the week for THAT weekend, he threw us a zinger to find out who was still awake. And only a select few fans and A-listers were able to hustle and attend these two shows.

Since the $100 ticket price was too steep for me on such short notice, I wasn't one of the lucky folks to attend.

Here is the setlist...taken from setlist.com:


FIRST SHOW:

STRATUS (with One Nation Under a Groove)
POWER FANTASTIC
SOMEWHERE HERE ON EARTH
BOOM
JAZZ SWING IN C
LET'S GET IT ON (Andy Allo on vocals)
COLONIZED MIND (Mike Phillips on sax)
WHEN SHE COMES (new song??)
SHHH/U WILL B WITH ME
CONTROVERSY
MUSICOLOGY
A CASE OF U (Joni Mitchell cover)
POP LIFE
BEGGIN' WOMAN BLUES



SECOND SHOW:

I LIKE IT THERE
ENDORPHINMACHINE
DREAMER
COLONIZED MIND
BAMBI
BROWN SKIN (Shelby J. on vocals)
SAME PAGE (Elisa Fiorillo-Dease on vocals)
MISTY BLUE (Shelby J. on vocals)
MUSICOLOGY
CRIMSON & CLOVER
WAITING IN VAIN (Andy Allo on vocals)
SHE'S ALWAYS IN MY HAIR
WILD THING
PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC

ENCORE:
PEACH
FUTURE SOUL SONG
I WANT TO BE FREE
STRATUS (with Get Up, Stand Up Interpolation)

ENCORE 2:
ANOTHERLOVERHOLEINYOHEAD/ROCK LOBSTER (w/ Let's Go Crazy guitar coda)



IMHO, it seems like the second show was the better of the two, although this would depend on who you ask. I, for one, love it when Prince breaks out the hard core rock tunes at his shows. And while I certainly appreciate it when he is feeling the jazzier grooves, I prefer watching him wail on his guitar like he wants to break it in two. BUT, I wasn't there, so I my opinion really doesn't matter. LOL

As luck would have it, some mystery person was streaming the first show somehow...and I was able to hear some of it. But I'm guessing whatever he was using to stream ran out of steam, because I didn't hear any of the rock-laden 2nd show.

For those of you counting — and with the benefit of hindsight as I'm writing these last few setlist/reviews weeks later — these two Troubadour shows DO count in the 21 Nights...#11 & 12.

Onward!

Prince @ The Forum: Nuit Dix

[SET LIST — PRINCE @ the Forum | May 7, 2011]

Opening Act ::: Esperanza Spaulding

950pm

DMSR

POP LIFE

MUSICOLOGY

PRINCE & THE BAND

SHHH/U WILL B WITH ME

Break ::: GLAMOROUS LIFE (Sheila E.)

TAKE ME WITH U

NEVER B ANOTHER FOOL (Special Guest: Nicole Scherzinger)

"INGLEWOOD" SWINGIN'/FANTASTIC VOYAGE

PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC/LOVE ROLLERCOASTER

THANKUFALLETINMEBEMICELF

RASPBERRY BERET/CREAM/COOL (girls sing DON'T STOP TILL U GET ENOUGH)

RUDE BOY (by Rhianna --- Shelby J. on vox)

MAKE U FEEL MY LOVE (Liv, Shelby, Elisa, & Ida w/ Cassandra on keys)

PURPLE RAIN

ENCORE :::

Lgc Morris long note intro...

LET'S GO CRAZY/DELIRIOUS/1999 (Prince screws 2nd verse)

CONTROVERSY/HOUSEQUAKE chant

ENCORE 2 ::::

Sample Teaser Medley ::: 

WHEN DOVES CRY/NASTY GIRL/SOTT/TMBGITW/DARLING NIKKI/SINGLE LADIES/I WOULD DIE 4 U

IF I WAS UR GIRLFRIEND

KISS

ENCORE 3 :::

LOVE BIZARRE

Prince @ The Forum: Nuit Neuf

[SET LIST — PRINCE @ the Forum | May 6, 2011]

Opening Act ::: Esperanza Spaulding

Prince comes out to jam on guitar with her. 

Show begins at 10pm

LAYDOWN

SHE'S ALWAYS IN MY HAIR

FUTURE SOUL SONG (I don't quite understand the Twins wrapping Prince up in that veil. It's just weird.)

PURPLE RAIN (Seems out of place so early in the show ... No confetti cannons --- is he out of purple confetti???) 

GLAMOROUS LIFE (Sheila!!! I'll never get tired of seeing Miss E!!)

RASPBERRY BERET/CREAM/COOL (with Don't Stop Till You Get Enough)/LET'S WORK/YOU GOT THE LOOK

MISTY BLUE (Shelby hits that last monster note, lays mic on ground midnote and walks away --- awesome!!)

Prince on keys.... 

Sample Teaser Medley :::

WHEN DOVES CRY/NASTY GIRL/SINGLE LADIES/NASTY GIRL/SOTT/TMBGITW/DARLING NIKKI/I WOULD DIE 4 U/HOT THING/ALPHABET STREET

LOVE BIZARRE (with Sheila, of course)

LOVE ROLLERCOASTER into PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC

CONTROVERSY

ENCORE 1 ::: 

KISS (Prince in black plays his bass and goes into FANTASTIC VOYAGE)

ENCORE 2 ::: 

IF I WAS UR GIRLFRIEND

NOTHING COMPARES 2 U (with Shelby J.)

ENCORE 3 :::: 

"INGLEWOOD" SWINGIN' (Chant Moore on mic!!!!)

Prince @ The Forum: Nuit Huit

[SET LIST — PRINCE @ the Forum | May 5, 2011]


THURSDAY 5/5/2011

Opening Act ::: CHAKA KHAN
Surprise Guest ::: WHITNEY HOUSTON

928pm [Prince & the band decked out in Black and Purple]

Renato on keys::: long intro into...
THE LOVE WE MAKE
SHHH
COOL (with girls singing DON'T STOP TILL U GET ENOUGH - homage to MJ)
LET'S WORK (Ida and Prince on bass)
GIVE IT TO ME BABY bassline only (Prince on bass says, "Rest In Peace, Rick James") and goes back into LET'S WORK
U GOT THE LOOK
QUESTION OF U (guitar intro into)/U WILL B WITH ME (Improv or new song??)/THE ONE
Renatto on keys vs Prince on 6-string.
MUSICOLOGY (Prince pulls Whitney onto stage to sing 2nd verse. She doesn't know the lyrics so she leads the crowd into a "Yeah" chant instead.)
I LIKE FUNKY MUSIC chant with guitar line from Ohio Players song??
PRINCE & THE BAND
STRATUS (??)
ARMS OF AN ANGEL (Shelby J)
NOTHING COMPARES 2 U (w/ Shelby J)
SOMETIMES IT SNOWS IN APRIL (Full Version!!!!)
TAKE ME WITH U
RASPBERRY BERET (Cedric the Entertainer comes up to stage to sing...Prince yells "Security!!!" when Cedric starts to reach for his guitar.)
GUITAR
CONTROVERSY
HOUSEQUAKE chant

Morris long key intro
LETS GO CRAZY/DELIRIOUS/back into LET'S GO CRAZY
1999
LITTLE RED CORVETTE/"SLOW DOWN" chant (Prince plays guitar behind his back)

PURPLE RAIN

ENCORE 1:::

Sample teaser medley:::
WHEN DOVES CRY/NASTY GIRL/SOTT/TMBGITW/ALPHABET ST./LOVE BIZARRE/DARLING NIKKI/SINGLE LADIES/I WOULD DIE 4 U

IF I WAS UR GIRLFRIEND
KISS
(Celestina Aladekoba from Black Sweat video comes up on stage to dance)

Show ends at midnight.

Prince @ the Forum: AFTERJAM | April 30, 2011

When I said, "Wait, there's more...." I wasn't joking.

Word has gotten around that Prince throws an afterparty after every show. And since these parties are usually VIP & Celeb A-list only, I had no delusions or intentions of even trying to get in to any of them.

Imagine my surprise --- after witnessing my favorite show of the tour (thus far) --- when I found myself INSIDE THE CLUB after the show. I am still not entirely sure how I was able to get in. A friend of a friend of a friend hooked us up...and when my friend said, "Follow me and don't ask any questions," I did. And next thing I knew, I was escorted through a curtain and into to the afterparty.

Several celebs we saw on stage were already milling about. Maksim from DWTS and his partner, Kirstie Alley...Taraji P. Henson...Juan Escovedo...et al. On my way past the bar, someone yelled out my name and I wondered for a split second, "Who the hell knows ME??? I'm no one special." Turns out, it was my Hanaa, whom I met at one of the LA Live shows. I hadn't seen her since 2009 and I was very surprised and flattered that she remembered me. With her was her friend Carmen.

And after introductions were made, we made a beeline for the "stage" to "mark our spots" just in case Prince played. He hadn't played at any of the 6 previous afterparties...and tonight turned out to be LUCKY # 7 for me because he actually "floated" in behind me to step onto the stage and begin a jam set.

SETLIST:***

• Let's Work --- Extended Groove
• Endorphinemachine (instrumental)
• She's Always in My Hair
• The Walk (instrumental)
• Future Soul Song
• Sweet Thing (Marva King on Vocals)
• Brown Skin (Liv Warfield on Vocals)
• Bambi!!!! (instrumental)
• Laydown
• Which Way Is Up

Prince comes back to jam to the track DJ Rashida is playing ---

• OUTSTANDING by the Gap Band
• Stratus --- extended JAM

Dj Rashida plays

• We Want The Funk

and Prince and Liv return to lead us in the chant...

Cody, off to the side starts us on the FREAKS ON THIS SIDE chant....

And Prince ends the evening by bestowing the tambourine he's playing on the hotness to my left.

Highlights best shared via bullet point:

• The stage wasn't really a stage more than it was a 5-6 inch step up platform. It was like watching him play in the corner of a living room. It was about 7-8 people wide, and the room was rather long and narrow. Starting from the far left (stage right) the front row was made up of Taraji Henson, Miko, Me, Hanaa, and 3 other people I didn't know.
• His mic stand was right in front of me and Tamiko and the half circle of pedals for his guitar was just behind a few feet away. The man himself was about 2 feet away from me for most of the performance. (HOLY SHIT!!!)
• Most of the celebs that attend these parties, don't really know his music very well. I think Prince appreciates it when people DO know his songs and he seemed to feed off of us because we knew the lyrics to every song he played --- even when the jam was instrumental, we were singing along. Several times, Prince would smile and turn his mic towards us. We were singing into his mic--- very cool cuz it felt like we were singing for him.
• When Prince did come towards the mic, he'd swing around and come at it sideways...so I had to back off to keep from getting hit in the head with the neck of his guitar --- If he'd have smacked me, I wouldn't have been mad at him. I'd have cherished the black eye and bruises to the right side of my face. Prince "War Wounds"??? LOL
• Several times during the night, I went from staring at his hands on the guitar to looking up at his face...and every time, I found him looking directly at me...and I'd smile and nod...and he'd smile and nod back. It was the best conversation I ever had!!! I felt connected to him...Somebody pinch me, cuz I KNOW I must have been dreaming.
• He was so close to me, I could smell him ——— Incense and Flowers. Mmmmmm.
• Watching his hands on the guitar and keyboards was mesmerizing. I'd swear he was being guided by an unseen force. I don't exaggerate on this. He is TRULY GIFTED..a MUSICAL GENIUS...Does this man EVER hit a wrong note??? EVER???? He's not even looking at the keys...he just puts his hands down and he's always on the right note. Hell, I need to look down at the keys when I'm playing the freaking chopsticks. The instruments are like an extention of his being....again, not exaggerating.

By the time we left, I was floating to the car and drove home on autopilot. I drove in complete silence --- not wanting to mar the experience with any other music...I was letting the events of the past 2 hours sink in...and wondering...WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED???? I can't believe that I just had that amazing experience. I've witnessed his shows from the front row...I've been close to him before...less than 4 feet and at eye level...But this experience beats any other HANDS DOWN. Making eye contact with him...having him smile and nod back at you??? UNREAL.

I have no idea how I'm going to top this night. I don't think I should even try.

GAME OVER.

"This is not music....this is a trip."

***Since cameras & cellphones were strictly forbidden during his performance, I couldn't very well pull out my cell and start jotting down the song titles as he was playing them. Special thanks to Dr. Funkenberry for tweeting the songs from the back of the club. The set list above was compiled from his posts through the course of the night.

Prince @ the Forum: Nuit Sept

[SET LIST — PRINCE @ the Forum | April 30, 2011]

No Opening Act tonight

Show begins at 9:06pm

• DMSR
• Pop Life
• Renatto Jazz Break
• Musicology
• So Far/So Pleased (with special guest, GWEN STEFANI!!!) --- Never in my life thought I'd hear this song with them together!!! Was kind of hoping they'd pull out WAITING ROOM as well.
• Question of U intro into/The One/Cockeyed Woman
• I Feel 4 U with Elisa, Shelby & Liv singing the chorus from "If I Could Get Ur Attention" (song Prince wrote for Taja Sevelle) -- this one had me racking my brain...I couldn't place the song at first. He reached WAAAAAAY back for that one!!! (Also given to Mayte Garcia and recorded for her album, Child of the Sun, but never made it onto the final track list.)
• Controversy
• Love Rollercoaster/(Housequake chant)
• Glamorous Life
• Nothing Compares 2U
• Medley: Take Me With U/Raspberry Beret/Cream
• COOL (girls singing chorus from Don't Stop Till U Get Enough - homage to MJ)
• Let's Work
• U Got The Look

Encore 1 :::

• Whole Lotta Love (by Led Zeppelin with special guest NIKKA COSTA!!!!) OMG!!! --- It was a bit weird seeing Nikka on such a large stage...considering I've always been right in front of her at the Roxy when she plays. She's LUMINOUS!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE HER!!

Prince goes to piano:

• Something in the Water (Does Not Compute) (slowed down version)
• Strange Relationship
• How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore (with Shelby J)
• If I Was Ur Girlfriend

Encore 2 :::

• Kiss (Full version Prince jamming on keys)
• Purple Rain

Encore 3 :::

• Sexy Dancer Intro into Le Freak (by Chic --- sung by Elisa, Shelby & Liv)
• Play That Funky Music
• "Inglewood Swingin"
• I Like Funky Music

Encore 4 :::

• Sample Teaser Medley: When Doves Cry/Nasty Girl/Party All the Time (by Eddie Murphy)/Single Ladies/SOTT/TMBGITW/Darling Nikki/Hot Thing/Black Sweat/Love (OMG!!!)

Encore 5 :::

• The Bird/Jungle Love/Love Bizarre (Celebs from VIP areas take the stage)

Okay...so I TOTALLY LIED. Tonight's show put last night's show to shame. THIS ONE is now my reigning FAVORITE (so far). "Something in the Water" and "Strange Relationship" on piano AND TWO different surprise guests??? WHAT???!?!

And he didn't actually play them, but he sampled BLACK SWEAT and LOVE from 3121 during his "teaser medley" --- Could he possibly be giving us a taste of what might be on the set list for next week?? Oh please...PLEEEEEASE say it's so!!!!!!!!! LOVE IS MY JAM!!! I guess I'll just have to go to the next shows to find out, n'est-ce pas?? LOL!!!

But wait!!! There's more................... ;)