freedom
7th March 2007, 09:20 PM
http://www.thedawnexperience.co.uk/images/onenite.jpgWhat a wait. Four years since The Artist played Brixton Academy and now he returned as Prince. And what a ‘comeback’.
The queues which surrounded Brixton Academy in ’98 were nowhere to be seen at the Hammersmith Apollo as the doors were open and everyone could just stroll in. What a relaxed atmosphere – before walking into the auditorium.
The new merchandise was good to see, with the ‘Universal Tour’ t-shirt being a favourite for many. The shadow of a pensive Prince in black and white, on a black t-shirt made it a classy purchase…. But then this was a classy venue. Prince playing a seated venue, more like a theatre. This was going to be a different kinda show. Or was it?
Into the auditorium, and the greeting was made by a magnificent ‘Rainbow Children’ backdrop. At the back of the stage, were three mikes for the brass section, with keyboards either side of the stage also. And a drum kit that needed a major portion of the stage! The realisation began to sink in that this funky, jazzy album was about to get a good airing.
But first, who was going to be the support? No mention of support on the tickets, were we going to get a surprise? Indeed there was a surprise. The pleasant surprise of no support and just three solid hours of Prince-invented jazz-funk.
The Man casually strolls on stage in a finely tailored suit, smiling. He is looking relaxed as he opens with ‘Rainbow Children’. And that’s just the start.
OK, let’s say you’re going to see Prince tomorrow. Excited? Well get onto www.npgmusicclub.com (http://www.npgmusicclub.com/) and read the reviews of the other shows. Now that should put you in the mood.
So when you arrive at Hammersmith Apollo the one thing you should not expect is for your show to be like all the others. The reviews will tell you what songs and in what order, but wait: His name is Prince, and he is funky…
…so he will do exactly as his artistic mind pleases. And for Saturday 5<SUP>th</SUP> October at Hammersmith Apollo it was for him to walk off the stage, for the band to stop playing, the lights to dim and for the audience to think, "what next?".
The stage crew come on, a mic stand is placed in centre stage, a stool, and one of the stand-alone spot lamps is moved closer to the stool. Things are looking intimate when, an acoustic guitar is placed on a guitar stand next to the stool.
All of a sudden it feels like One Nite Alone.
Prince walks on stage, and it’s his stage. He picks up the guitar and then begins a real treat. Part way through one of the acoustic ballads, a guy in the stools shouts, "We love you Prince!". He stops playing.
"I don’t mind if you wanna tell me you love me, but only if you’re a woman. And if you’re a guy and you wanna tell me you love me, then do it in one of the loud, funky songs when I can’t hear ya."
Hammersmith was filled with many people laughing and smiling faces, Prince’s unique humour reaching all of us once again.
And as for those funky songs, there were plenty. Family Name, Everlasting Now, 1+1+1=3 all seriously funked up. This was a party to be at.
For the last number, and in true Prince style, fams were invited up to the stage. This being the first UK tour since the inception of the NPG Music Club, it was members who were in poll-position. There seemed to be a swarm from the stalls, as many fams made their way onto the stage, and for a while you couldn’t see Prince for all the fams up there.
Over the funky music, Prince said to the audience that he was going to go to an after-show party with his friends, and while saying this he gestured towards the front rows of the stalls. Then he began to sing over the music with the words, "Join the club, join the club". The message was clear…
But three hours felt like three minutes, and very soon a voice came over the P.A. system giving the location of the after-show party. A journey across London had to be made, with no guarantee of entry to the after-show. But that didn’t taint the evening.
Waiting at a cold Waterloo Station for the first train, it didn’t feel as if Prince was in town. Perhaps going to all three London shows may have cured that, but then, no Prince concert seems long enough even though they’re three hours in length…
Back at the office, Monday morning, my work colleagues ask me, "How was the Prince concert?".
"Real Music by Real Musicians", I replied.
One Nite Alone Tour Live in London Review - Feedback
So the gig ended with Prince singing "join the club, join the club", and for those on stage - already members of the NPG Music Club - the benefits were clear.
All the British gigs sold out within days, leaving some fans to purchase their tickets any which way they could. With the ‘official’ ticket vendors sold out, a black market existed for two weeks before the actual gigs. Advertisements for One Nite Alone tickets could be found in the classified section of the music press, and on many internet sites. The auction site ebay had many tickets on sale by many who would seem not to be Prince fams, just money-makers.
It would be easy to have vengeful feelings towards such ‘business’ persons, but at the same time, they provided an opportunity for those who were unable to get tickets for the gigs. Certainly, after a matter of days, all the good seats had sold leaving plenty of circle tickets for sale – if you wanted a view from the ceiling. So while making a ‘quick buck’, the seller’s on such internet sites clearly had a market, and one that could be exploited right up to the night of the gigs – with some sellers offering to meet the winning bidders at the venue to hand over the tickets.
There was an example of standing tickets at the rear of the stalls being sold for £70 each, yet their face value was just £30 – the same price as the Brixton Academy tickets four years ago. And in the final few days leading up to the London and Manchester gigs, £70 was going to be cheap.
On looking through some of these adverts, some were describing ‘FRONT ROW TICKETS’. What they weren’t telling avid Prince fans, is that the tickets were in the front row of a block….. in the circle. Was anyone misled by this?
Let’s face it, Prince does not need to advertise touring anymore. He tours outside of America so rarely, that we non-Americans are eager for his next appearance and the tickets disappear with haste.
But then, there is the alternative. www.npgmusicclub.com (http://www.npgmusicclub.com/). And at the end of the Saturday gig in London, anyone who wasn’t a member was perhaps wishing they were.
Were you a non-member before the One Nite Alone gigs, and have since joined?
Or perhaps you had to pay over-the-odds for your ticket?
Did you miss the gigs completely because you didn’t hear about them?
Either way, The Dawn Experience wants to hear from you.
© October 2002 Rob J Burberry (robjburberry@yahoo.co.uk)
The queues which surrounded Brixton Academy in ’98 were nowhere to be seen at the Hammersmith Apollo as the doors were open and everyone could just stroll in. What a relaxed atmosphere – before walking into the auditorium.
The new merchandise was good to see, with the ‘Universal Tour’ t-shirt being a favourite for many. The shadow of a pensive Prince in black and white, on a black t-shirt made it a classy purchase…. But then this was a classy venue. Prince playing a seated venue, more like a theatre. This was going to be a different kinda show. Or was it?
Into the auditorium, and the greeting was made by a magnificent ‘Rainbow Children’ backdrop. At the back of the stage, were three mikes for the brass section, with keyboards either side of the stage also. And a drum kit that needed a major portion of the stage! The realisation began to sink in that this funky, jazzy album was about to get a good airing.
But first, who was going to be the support? No mention of support on the tickets, were we going to get a surprise? Indeed there was a surprise. The pleasant surprise of no support and just three solid hours of Prince-invented jazz-funk.
The Man casually strolls on stage in a finely tailored suit, smiling. He is looking relaxed as he opens with ‘Rainbow Children’. And that’s just the start.
OK, let’s say you’re going to see Prince tomorrow. Excited? Well get onto www.npgmusicclub.com (http://www.npgmusicclub.com/) and read the reviews of the other shows. Now that should put you in the mood.
So when you arrive at Hammersmith Apollo the one thing you should not expect is for your show to be like all the others. The reviews will tell you what songs and in what order, but wait: His name is Prince, and he is funky…
…so he will do exactly as his artistic mind pleases. And for Saturday 5<SUP>th</SUP> October at Hammersmith Apollo it was for him to walk off the stage, for the band to stop playing, the lights to dim and for the audience to think, "what next?".
The stage crew come on, a mic stand is placed in centre stage, a stool, and one of the stand-alone spot lamps is moved closer to the stool. Things are looking intimate when, an acoustic guitar is placed on a guitar stand next to the stool.
All of a sudden it feels like One Nite Alone.
Prince walks on stage, and it’s his stage. He picks up the guitar and then begins a real treat. Part way through one of the acoustic ballads, a guy in the stools shouts, "We love you Prince!". He stops playing.
"I don’t mind if you wanna tell me you love me, but only if you’re a woman. And if you’re a guy and you wanna tell me you love me, then do it in one of the loud, funky songs when I can’t hear ya."
Hammersmith was filled with many people laughing and smiling faces, Prince’s unique humour reaching all of us once again.
And as for those funky songs, there were plenty. Family Name, Everlasting Now, 1+1+1=3 all seriously funked up. This was a party to be at.
For the last number, and in true Prince style, fams were invited up to the stage. This being the first UK tour since the inception of the NPG Music Club, it was members who were in poll-position. There seemed to be a swarm from the stalls, as many fams made their way onto the stage, and for a while you couldn’t see Prince for all the fams up there.
Over the funky music, Prince said to the audience that he was going to go to an after-show party with his friends, and while saying this he gestured towards the front rows of the stalls. Then he began to sing over the music with the words, "Join the club, join the club". The message was clear…
But three hours felt like three minutes, and very soon a voice came over the P.A. system giving the location of the after-show party. A journey across London had to be made, with no guarantee of entry to the after-show. But that didn’t taint the evening.
Waiting at a cold Waterloo Station for the first train, it didn’t feel as if Prince was in town. Perhaps going to all three London shows may have cured that, but then, no Prince concert seems long enough even though they’re three hours in length…
Back at the office, Monday morning, my work colleagues ask me, "How was the Prince concert?".
"Real Music by Real Musicians", I replied.
One Nite Alone Tour Live in London Review - Feedback
So the gig ended with Prince singing "join the club, join the club", and for those on stage - already members of the NPG Music Club - the benefits were clear.
All the British gigs sold out within days, leaving some fans to purchase their tickets any which way they could. With the ‘official’ ticket vendors sold out, a black market existed for two weeks before the actual gigs. Advertisements for One Nite Alone tickets could be found in the classified section of the music press, and on many internet sites. The auction site ebay had many tickets on sale by many who would seem not to be Prince fams, just money-makers.
It would be easy to have vengeful feelings towards such ‘business’ persons, but at the same time, they provided an opportunity for those who were unable to get tickets for the gigs. Certainly, after a matter of days, all the good seats had sold leaving plenty of circle tickets for sale – if you wanted a view from the ceiling. So while making a ‘quick buck’, the seller’s on such internet sites clearly had a market, and one that could be exploited right up to the night of the gigs – with some sellers offering to meet the winning bidders at the venue to hand over the tickets.
There was an example of standing tickets at the rear of the stalls being sold for £70 each, yet their face value was just £30 – the same price as the Brixton Academy tickets four years ago. And in the final few days leading up to the London and Manchester gigs, £70 was going to be cheap.
On looking through some of these adverts, some were describing ‘FRONT ROW TICKETS’. What they weren’t telling avid Prince fans, is that the tickets were in the front row of a block….. in the circle. Was anyone misled by this?
Let’s face it, Prince does not need to advertise touring anymore. He tours outside of America so rarely, that we non-Americans are eager for his next appearance and the tickets disappear with haste.
But then, there is the alternative. www.npgmusicclub.com (http://www.npgmusicclub.com/). And at the end of the Saturday gig in London, anyone who wasn’t a member was perhaps wishing they were.
Were you a non-member before the One Nite Alone gigs, and have since joined?
Or perhaps you had to pay over-the-odds for your ticket?
Did you miss the gigs completely because you didn’t hear about them?
Either way, The Dawn Experience wants to hear from you.
© October 2002 Rob J Burberry (robjburberry@yahoo.co.uk)