Prince's Superbowl Halftime show

[Cancer]

So glad to see clips like this, I keep forgeting that Prince can ACTUALLY PLAY GUITAR. God I'd kill to play a halftime show, even for a little league team.

Did anyone think it was perfect that it was raining while he played "Purple Rain"? Simply poetic.

 

[Dormant]

I have seen Prince 4 or 5 times live and am a massive fan but I have to admit I didn't really like his performance at the Superbowl. Seemed a little sloppy. To be fair I am comparing this to performances where he was in his prime nearly 20 years ago and for a 48 year old man it's really not too shabby.

ok im looking into getting a prince album. im thinking Purple Rain. is that a good thought? or should i get a best of?

DO NOT GET A BEST OF ALBUM. There is too much good material to pick up. I would recommend 'Purple Rain', '1999' (Something in the Water is one of his best songs), 'Around The World In A Day', 'Parade', 'Sign O' The Times' (I imagine Drew would love this album), 'Dirty Mind', and 'Love Sexy'. To be fair these albums will be just to get you started.

I think a lot of what he did post 1992 is not that great, so if you like what you hear with those albums you should try and pick up 'Crystal Ball' which has a load of his older tracks in the vault which haven't been heard before, and 'The Black Album' which is a darker broodier funk album and probably one of his best works (massive pity he never released it).

You can kind of avoid 'Controversy' which isn't all that, and 'Graffiti Bridge' which is not that good either.

 

[Popsyche]

I have seen Prince 4 or 5 times live and am a massive fan but I have to admit I didn't really like his performance at the Superbowl. Seemed a little sloppy. To be fair I am comparing this to performances where he was in his prime nearly 20 years ago and for a 48 year old man it's really not too shabby.

Hey, watch it junior!

 

[Dormant]

Hey, watch it junior!

That was especially for you Bill!

But seriously, for someone who has been in the industry for 29 years he hasn't faded as much as other luminaries have in the past (David Bowie and Mick Jagger get back to your nursing homes).

 

[Dive-Baum]

Best of Albums are always good to get a good idea of what artists can do but entire CD's really let you know what they are about (if that made any sense)
Purple Rain is an absolute must have in any collection. Also, I think the CD was called 7...a real good one.

 

[Drew]

I was suprised by his chops,
but im really not into the whole "prince" (or should i say, artist formerly known as prince?) image: meaning, i think it's fucking stupid as hell.

You have to understand the background story, though.

Prince found himself in a situation where he had a contractural obligation to a label he no longer wanted anything to do with, to release several more albums. In what was essentially a no-win situation, he found an ingenious meta-solution - he gave the label the albums he had to, but he didn't want to put his name to them. So, he changed his name to an unpronouncable symbol, and released two or three albums of crap. He became kind of an industry joke in the process, the epitome of the self-centered, self-important artist, but when he was finally out of the contract, he changed his name back, went back into the studio, and released an album that I haven't heard but by all accounts kicks ass.

It's actually pretty fucking cool - he told the label to fuck off and got away with it.

 

[Chris]

Regarding his chops, keep in mind it was pouring rain as well. He was a little sloppy at times but some of it at least is excusable. Dude can certainly entertain.

 

[Drew]

Dude, his chops needed no explaination that night - the dude was ripping, rain or no.

 

[7slinger]

I thought the show was great, I was very impressed...seemed to me his guitar cut out with about a minute left in the last song, but oh well...

...here's a conversation I was listening to at the party I was at:

Friend1 = Wow, I didn't know Prince could play guitar like that, but why is he wearing that bandana thing on his head?...he looks like a housekeeper from some purple motel chain.

Friend2 = Ya, or Aunt Jemima sellin grape juice.

Me = LOL

(BTW, no racial offense intended, these were not my words)

 

[Metal Ken]

I thought the show was great, I was very impressed...seemed to me his guitar cut out with about a minute left in the last song, but oh well...

...here's a conversation I was listening to at the party I was at:

Friend1 = Wow, I didn't know Prince could play guitar like that, but why is he wearing that bandana thing on his head?...he looks like a housekeeper from some purple motel chain.

Friend2 = Ya, or Aunt Jemima sellin grape juice.

Me = LOL

(BTW, no racial offense intended, these were not my words)

I heard something similar:

"Prince is the second most effeminate black man i've ever seen"
"Who'se the first? RuPaul?"
"Nah, Michael Jackson"
"Hes not black or a man."
"He used to be"

 

[Dive-Baum]

I didn't care for the bandanna thing personally...thought it looked wierd...but it was raining so whatever.

Drew..I didn't know the story about the Artist Formerly Known As thing...that's awesome. Reminds me of what Neil Young did when he put out those albums..same thing...telling the record company to piss off. Ofcourse...I hate Neil Young and now that I think about it...I don't think he should even be in the same thread as Prince but whatever


Signed--Southern Man

 

[The Dark Wolf]

I like Neil Young, too.

 

[ChaNce]

One of the tricks for rain is to put something on your head to keep water from running into your eyes.

Also, there is a huge thread over on gearslutz about the show. Because of the rain, there were all kinds of audio/recording/mixing issues, but Prince was totally live (vocs and guitar). He was way up in the mix because of tech issues, and the customs that he plays crapped out at the end.

Pretty much every guitar player that saw it that I know was FUCKING FLOORED by the sound of the Tele and the Strat. They were godlike.


http://www.geocities.com/prince_guitars/Symbol.htm has a bunch about his guitars. The cool ones are from this German luthier. And yes, they symbol is supposed to be a penis

 

[Kagami]

youtube took it down because they're a bunch of dudes with sticks up their asses, so here's it all in one vid: http://www.veoh.com/videos/v232075nBBAh2mS?searchId=635bbedf5af59f81

 

[Chris]

I like Neil Young, too.

Fuck him, he made Eddie Vedder, brilliant young firey rockstar into a whining has-been old man bitch.

 

[Ibanez_Dave]

Man, that was a kick-ass performance. I've always been a big fan, ever since seeing him on the Purple Rain tour way back in the '80s. IMO he's one of the greatest performers out there, in a league with greats like James Brown and all the other icons. This is one halftime show that's gonna be reeeeeeeeeeally hard to top.

Also, there is a huge thread over on gearslutz about the show. Because of the rain, there were all kinds of audio/recording/mixing issues, but Prince was totally live (vocs and guitar). He was way up in the mix because of tech issues, and the customs that he plays crapped out at the end.

The whole thing with playing in the rain was just nuts. The whole time I watched I was just cringing , thinking about His Purpleness getting electrocuted. The fact that he pulled it off & it sounded so good is just bad-ass. Prince =

And lastly, everyone posting in this thread deserves a big "Hell Yeah!" for being so cool & open-minded. I know a lot of local people into heavier music that weren't as receptive to the performance. Their loss.

I'm off to administer "Purple Rain".

 

[garcia3441]

I like Neil Young, too.

Me too, also.

 

[The Dark Wolf]

^ A parrothead with good taste.

I've always liked his left-wing political, man-of-the-people lyrics. But he could still rock, in that old school way, and he always blended the rock with that acoustic soul. Great songs, terrific, memorable melodies... part of me always aspires to have a little bit of Neil's vibe in my music.

He always struck me as much more than a corporate puppet, too.

 

[garcia3441]

^ A parrothead with good taste.

Damn straight!!!!

I've always liked his left-wing political, man-of-the-people lyrics. But he could still rock, in that old school way, and he always blended the rock with that acoustic soul. Great songs, terrific, memorable melodies... part of me always aspires to have a little bit of Neil's vibe in my music.

He always struck me as much more than a corporate puppet, too.

The same reasons I like Steve Earle. Anybody remember the shit he took for 'Johnny Walker's Blues'?

 

[Ancestor]

It's gone already. How can something that was broadcast over public airwaves be protected by copyright? Isn't it public record at that point? It's not like I'm ever going to buy a DVD of the performance.