Jan 03 01-01-2003 : xpectation
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N.E.W.S. Release 
This album did not enter the charts in the USA, and is currently out of print. It charted in Germany and the Netherlands albums charts, but at quite low positions and for a very limited time. N.E.W.S. was nominated for the 2004 Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Album. ??-??-2003 : NZOOM By Cameron Officer Did U know Prince's new album was recorded in only 1 day ? And that it's only 4 tracks long 2 ? U better believe it. Cameron Officer tackles the latest confounding musical statement from 1 of the most eccentric pop geniuses ever. Will the real Prince Rogers Nelson please stand up ? It's almost as if the pint-sized pop perfectionist was mysteriously replaced with a completely mad, talentless look-a-like sometime around 1998. Surely few other artists in contemporary music have fallen so far in both popular standing and critical opinion. Well, maybe the name Paul McCartney could be chalked up under that heading also, but he managed to garner quite a bit of praise for Driving Rain and people even ventured out to purchase it in small knots of 10 or 20. The same can't be said for Prince. Surely one of the most prolific artists this side of Frank Zappa, Prince has been through more reinventions than Madonna in a costume shop and, for a while in the mid-to-late '80s and early '90s, he was an eccentric leading light in pop. A multi-platinum selling eccentric leading light. But while tracks like "Little Red Corvette", "Sign O' The Times", "Purple Rain" and the still utterly masterful "When Doves Cry", with its robo-pulse and emotive lyric, will get people out on the dance floor like no other neo-psychedelic funk rock will, these days his album releases garner about as much attention as Steve Urkel in a supermarket. Some online biographies completely give up at about the Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic stage, while others don't have a good word to say about him after he changed his name to a squiggle, pissing off typesetters the world over. The 'Love Symbol' thing was done to prove a point and get out of a recording contract he no longer wanted to be in. He officially changed his name back some time ago, but the music didn't seem to change back with him. He remains the reclusive Howard Hughes of music in his Minneapolis base, making Kraftwerk look positively outgoing by comparison. Since the late '90s, he's released triple and double albums, rarities and demo compilations, all primarily on the Internet. He's apparently become a Jehovah's Witness of late, and his last commercially released album (2001's The Rainbow Children) was a musical exploration of themes dealing with his adopted religion. Sheesh, whatever happened to "Raspberry Beret", man ? What about that yellow guitar, Sheila E's lacey fingerless gloves and promiscuous, nudge-nudge lyrics about "cream" ? Things are never that simple in Princeland. And so we come to his latest release. It's a concept album (What ? Prince releasing a concept album ? No, surely not !) called N.E.W.S . It features four tracks, which all play out to around the 14 minute mark. It's bland free form funk jazz that is so featureless, I actually forgot it was on twice. The tracks have fey names ("Love", "Peace", "Faith" and "Charity") and, although I gave up on the whole thing about seven minutes into track number three, I'm pretty sure it's an instrumental album. No, N.E.W.S isn't going to be heralded as a return to form for Prince. In fact the only thing left for him to do to alienate his audience even further is to perhaps send us all some of his poo in a bag. I really, truly wouldn't put it past him. It's funny though, isn't it ? We abhor factory conveyor belt sound-a-like music, yet when someone like Prince comes along - someone who is clearly mad but still willing to experiment with sound even if no one else in the world cares - we all screw up our noses and go "Oh no, I don't like that . In fact I don't even want to give it a go." But I'm not standing on the sideline waggling my finger at all you naughty close-minded people here. Like you're bound to, I think N.E.W.S is bloody awful, as was The Rainbow Children and pretty much everything else he's put out since Diamonds And Pearls. But I know that once Prince has popped his tiny clogs, he'll be hailed as a revolutionary genius of sound, despite even those who claim to be big Prince fans not knowing the names of any of his albums beyond Graffiti Bridge. We've all got selective memories when it comes to this particular pop genius, and mine stops at about 1990. Still, for some reason it feels comfortable knowing that he's around. Knowing that in this be-media-savvy-or-die, demographic driven age, there's room for someone who plays and understands music so well, but just can't get anyone to sing along with him. Long live the Prince. Wilson & Alroy N.E.W.S. (2003) Another instrumental fan club release, and this one really sounds like a Madhouse record, with Leeds on sax, Prince mostly on lead guitar, and the tunes verging between midtempo funk and soft mood music (the interminable second half of "South"). The disc is organized into four fourteen-minute tracks, but except for "North," each track is made up of several unconnected sections : "East" starts as a drum solo, shifts to a funk dirge with Prince repeating a three-note riff, then breaks into fast James Brown-style R&B for a few minutes before an impressionistic, gossamer denouement. Which would be great if the individual sections were up to Prince's standard, but they're just undistinguished vamps : the middle section of "West" is probably the high point, and even that's no more than a solid groove. The featured soloists - Leeds and Prince - don't play anything we haven't heard from them before, so though Renato Neto plays some exceptionally delicate keyboards ("West"), the disc is less interesting and no more entertaining than Xpectation. Maybe Prince should have pressed that one on CD and kept this for MP3. All Music Guide 
By William Ruhlman Recorded on February 6 (presumably 2003), N.E.W.S. consists of four 14-minute instrumentals, "North," "East," "West," and "South," performed by Prince on guitar, keyboards, and percussion, with Eric Leeds on baritone and tenor saxophone, John Blackwell on drums, and Rhonda Smith on acoustic and electric bass. ("North" includes string samples "courtesy of" Clare Fisher.) The seemingly improvised music ranges from funk to jazz to new age without any apparent direction or intention. There are attractive passages here and there, such as some solo piano work on "North" and Leeds' warm horn playing throughout. Needless to say, this aimless studio jam is not what Prince fans are used to hearing from him, even given his eclectic and exploratory nature, and this is not the kind of album he might have been expected to deliver if he were still working for an established record company instead of putting out his own discs. But that may be the point. The listener, who will have to be a particularly rabid aficionado of all things Prince to be interested, must throw out all expectations and simply revel in the joy of hearing the musician and his cohorts experiment with relaxed musical textures for 56 minutes. Of course, no one else needs to bother. Onion Least essential album of 2003 Prince - N.E.W.S. There was a time when Prince's every eccentric move was extensively documented, from his name changes to label battles that culminated in him scrawling the word "SLAVE" on his face to document the harrowing plight of internationally beloved multimillionaire pop superstars. Now, he's been reduced to a puzzling obscurity, as he self-releases a string of increasingly indulgent vanity projects to a tiny circle of loyalists. (Today, it's easier to find any of The String Cheese Incident's dozens of live albums than it is to track down a new studio album by Prince.) Remember when The Artist's "emancipation" from his record label meant fans would finally have the chance to crack open his mythical vault - which many assumed would contain 15 or 20 long-suppressed equivalents of Sign O' The Times or The Black Album ? Instead, in 2003, they have the chance to almost unanimously ignore N.E.W.S., which contains four dull, 14-minute jazz-funk instrumental odysseys : "North," "East," "West," and "South." N.E.W.S., get it ? The result is uncompromising, to be sure, but rarely has a once-great musician sounded so uncompromising and so inessential at the same time. Jazzmag (FR) By Frederic Goaty For four days, between Thursday 19 and Sunday, June 22, Prince hosted on his website (www.npgmusicclub.com) a "listening party" that gave the opportunity to "Members" to discover in preview the four instrumental suites from his new album, "NEWS" - "North", "East", "West" and "South". Impressions. Four faces ? (Like those of a pyramid ? Maybe ...) New directions ? (Like the "directions in music" once explored by Miles Davis ? Probably.) New Directions ? (Prince then choosing to go in ALL of them ...) Aesthetic equation seeking to square the circle of his beloved music ? (Prince improvised jazzy-funky surveyor ?) Vision of the recent live DVD by his idol Joni Mitchell ("Painting With Words And Music" Eagle / Sony Music), where the divine performs on a circular stage divided - at least ... in his mind - in four directions ? Sudden urge of sonic travels between the four walls of his studio ? Experimental jazz ? Progressive Funk ? Convoluted ambient music ? Kind of discreet tribute to Miles ? (that could be renamed, not without malice, "Cardinal Points Brew" ...) "Prince's happiness is as simple as a click (Bring your Visa card anyway...)" Whatever, Prince and his band - Renato Neto on keyboards, Rhonda Smith on electric bass, John Blackwell on drums, in other words the "heart" of the NPG in 2002 featuring the indispensable Eric Leeds on saxophones and flute - went their extra mile to record ... something else : a record that, even if it ends up being distributed "normally" (for now, only Members can order it on the site for twenty dollars, including shipping) at your favorite record stores, is somehow off-trade - not formatted the least (four instrumental suites fourteen minutes each), kind of timeless, at once reassuring and intriguing, classical and risky. Main satisfaction for jazz fans, frustration, perhaps, for others (those who prefer above all their favorite native of Minneapolis making use of his voice instead of pointing the way ...) : Prince "defer to the music "…. Yes, you read four dots indeed, and finally they summarize quite well the content of "N.E.W.S." experimentation and improvisation, rigor and abandonment, all that, of course, power four. "Warning : you must first pay $25 before having the right to enter ..." No preaching, only music then, and - just as in "Xpectation" (his previous instrumental opus distributed on line in early 2003, cf. Tangentiel.12bis Remix) - five musicians playing in the same direction. With "N.E.W.S." Prince discreetly-subtly emerging as a real conductor, lips are sealed: his guitar speak (sing, meow, roar, etc.) for him. At first glance, this hour of music, which we discovered in four slices / days / episodes (Prince decidedly does NOTHING like the others) leaves immediately pensive, a little hungry, and despite its cardinal logic, rather disoriented ... Then after several listenings [Ed - Special thanks to LL, who kindly lent us his MD Walkman ™ and its double male 3.5mm jack: waiting for the record-object that looks beautiful, our "live" captures of his "mp3" allowed us to deliver these modest world exclusive "hearing points" !], a landscape takes shape. Rich on reliefs and surprising shadows, abundant sound peaks, great calm plains and small convulsive gardens. Once digested (two or three plays recommended), North left his false easy listening clothes ; even faster, East causes a real stir; West and South entertain without heaviness. "N.E.W.S. is the staircase to the right ... Beware, the steps are a bit narrow ..." Is this jazz ? Yes, but not only. Funk ? At times by flashes. Jazz-funk ? If you want, yes. With ambient touches ? Yes, also, we would have said trippy in the 70 ... Is this demonstration ? No, never, always musical, while retaining. Is this well produced ? Yes, and especially well mixed-mounted: you'd swear that all these pretty people has jammed at fixed times, systematically and accurately, under the eye of the Boss, guitar slung ... Is this a good album ? Yes, a very good record even more daring, generous, free, far from all mercantile pressure. It's a real band record, undoubtedly the most "npg-esque" recorded by the NPG: work more collective and uniform than "Gold Nigga" and "Exodus," albums credited to NPG but completely dominated by Prince. It is ultimately much more convincing than "Xpectation", and at least as exciting and unclassifiable as the first Madhouse. Here are our quadruple "live" impressions, raw, barely remixed, without net, without ulterior motives. These are only ours, do not hesitate to send us yours ... "Prince, Doctor es jazz-funk, will soon receive you ..." First steps: it's like being back in time, oh, not so far, last year, during these unique of their kind before-shows, those of the One Nite Alone tour 2002 - true-false staged rehearsals, sometimes exciting jam sessions (a Las Vegas concert DVD is forthcoming soon). Hypnotic bass line, mechanical and flexible at the same time, synthetic layers in diaphanous veil, claws of feline strings (wah meowing from the Boss, reincarnated Melvin Ragin crossbred Santana). The Leeds tenor warm breath (horny shield), a flute through there, a theme-riff emerges after four minutes. One thinks, for some reason, about Grover Washington’s Mister Magic... Leeds unleashes his baritone, improvises tight, Clare Fischer’s string drape the music, Prince plant some banderillas, the theme riff turns into a loop, short sharp guitar solo. Nine minutes : everything evaporates in a bath of strings, brief piano break (theme sketch), the wind begins to blow, tenor returns. Eleven minutes, thirty seconds: the wind still blowing, and again, and again ... The end. One thinks, for some reason, about Eight (two times four ...) from the first Madhouse ("8" Paisley Park, 1987). East : Long techno-colorful intro of flashing keyboards, and Blackwell drum sets the pace (smart polygroove). amazing architecture, incredible atmosphere. Four minutes : Leeds’ tenor holds tortuous, and very quickly unisons with Prince‘s guitar, then a sudden break, the tempo gets slower, frankly Middle Eastern ambience - it is, in the east ... Metal guitar heavy-riffs, jazz theme going rock, roaring guitar (soloing anger), saxes cascading ... New gripping break (nicely disarticulated funky one), funkier tempo at restart, new break (the beautifully disjointed funky riff points back the tips of its feathers), John "Gimme a beat" Blackwell moves the furniture, electric piano solo coated by an organ, guitar re-re-break (we love it). A foghorn ? No ! A baritone solo with chocolate flavor (70% black). Stop guitar chorus: I don’t know for you but, no, frankly, I did not so often heard Prince play like that ... Blackwell restarts at almost martial rate, like a worrying march, the distorted guitar spits his venom, the cello pizzicates - we love that too. What is the end ? A koto ? Looks like, yes ... The choice piece of the record, no doubt ! West. Romantic Intro: clear guitar over synth loop. And immediately : wah wah glances (Just My Imagination intro from the famous "Small Club" 88 bootleg) plus soft tenor plus Santana guitar. Four minutes : gone is the romance, time for a funky jam, rain falls, bass and drums play jazz-funk in the strictest seventies orthodoxy, inspired tenor solo, synth solo, baritone special bonus. 8'35 ": guitar complains (and then crackles), the tempo slows down, Leeds and Blackwell take the house - without actually breaking it. Synthetic funny noises (between P-funk and Star Wars), funk groove, clever theme designed by tenor and guitar in unison. Fast: tenor solo, good job from Neto (boiling keyboards), baritone (really, our friend Leeds loves to zap ...) metal bridge of rock guitar (tempo ala Family Name), drums micro-solo. Five minutes on the clock : radical change of tempo. Nagging, metronomic slowness. Swirling synths, bass and drums playing a significant part (Siamese twins), inspired tenor improvisation, guitar picks, piano drops, and skyrocketing : the guitar is pointed toward the sky, the tenor is riding the keyboards waves, bass hums and bang ! Trip ends on synthetic and melodramatic strings sofa. Neto switches off the light. In bed ! "Make yourself comfortable, but we regret to inform you that the" listening party" is over for days ... but you can still buy the record! ($ 10 + shipping)" 
Rock & Folk (FR) Prince – NEWS By Alain Orlandini Served by a string of stunning musically soloists, Prince had invited last year to a jazz tour in all scholarship. So when we learned of the imminent release of NEWS, conceptual project if any - NEWS for North / East / West / South, in other words something like a new Around The World In A Day, but exclusively instrumental, and more swift also (the four cardinal points of the globe jointed in four times fifteen minutes) – huge were our expectations. Would Prince be able to reach the level of a Weather Report, unequaled in the art of painting the setting sun ? Would the line be oceanic, in the manner of Yes (whom our man, indeed, listens to assiduously)? Alas ! If Eric Leeds’ baritone sax crosses with distinction through the panoramic spatiality of North, it flirts nevertheless with the most inept of ambient music - when the princely, outrageously reverberated, seems reluctant to slay this overrated architecture (additionally stained by a Köhln concert-like piano). Orientalizing flourishes introducing East probably wish to recall that Prince once visited Morocco with Mayte but, adepts of more unusual peregrinations, we’ll politely decline this invitation to mass tourism. As for debauchery of technical virtuosity presumptuously exhibited here, it completes relating NEWS to what the jazz-rock could produce in terms of boredom. Even if the tempo increases, and the sax impetuously sounds like Madhouse (West), the so awaited Odyssey comes to wash up on too conventional shores for us to want to stay there.
Pop Life (4:03) / Gotta Broken Heart Again (5:24) Strange Relationship (3:52) / Sometimes It Snows In April (3:02) By Gail Mitchell On the heels of Prince’s latest release, the four-song N.E.W.S. (North, East, West and South), comes word of his first DVD project, Prince Live at the Aladdin Las Vegas. The set hits the stores Aug. 19 by way of the artist’s NPG Music Club and Universal Music Enterprises’ Hip-O Records. The concert was recorded last December during a stopover on Prince’s tour. Joining Prince are special guests Nikka Costa, Maceo Parker and Sheila E. The DVD will also be released internationally, complemented by major campaigns in Europe and South America during August and September. Prince is affiliated worldwide with Universal Music Publishing Group.
Release of Live At The Aladdin Las Vegas, a DVD film, to NPG Music Club members. The film features Prince and The NPG's conclusive One Nite Alone... show, held at Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts, Las Vegas, December 15th 2002. The film includes the previously unavailable "U Want Me" as well as three cover versions : The JB's "Pass The Peas," Nikki Costa's "Push And Pull" (with Costa guesting), and Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love." NPGMC High NPGMC, Come c the new PRINCE LIVE AT THE ALADDIN LAS VEGAS DVD on the BIG SCREEN ! As a special promotion 4 the DVD release, Loews Cineplex will screen the new DVD in 10 theaters thruout the U.S. on Monday, August 18th at 8pm. We r inviting Music Club members in these cities 2 join us 4 this special event. Reserve ur spot ! U can reserve 2 spots per member 4 the screenings. There is no charge 2 attend. Please do not reserve a spot 4 more than one city since the screenings will all be happening at the same time. And please only reserve a spot if u r absolutely sure u can attend. 2 reserve ur spot, please go 2 the BACKSTAGE PASS room and click on the PRINCE LIVE poster on the wall starting Tuesday, August 12th (see individual theater listings below 4 times). Spaces r limited. Here is the list of the 10 cities and theaters 4 Monday, August 18th, 8pm : NEW YORK CITY 34th Street Theater 316 West 34th Street, NY, NY 10001 Reserve ur spot : August 12th, 2pm ET BALTIMORE Whitemarsh 8141 Honeygo Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21236 Reserve ur spot : August 12th, 2pm ET WASHINGTON DC Rio Theater 9811 Washingtonian Ctr., Gaitherburgh, MD 30112 Reserve ur spot : August 12th, 2pm ET DETROIT Southfield Theater 25333 West 12 Mile Rd., Southfield, MI 48034 Reserve ur spot : August 12th, 4pm ET BOSTON Boston Commons 175 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02116 Reserve ur spot: August 12th, 4pm ET ATLANTA MJT Greenbrier 2841 Greenbriar Pkwy SW, Atalanta, GA 30331 Reserve ur spot : August 12th, 4pm ET LOS ANGELES Universal City Theater 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608 Reserve ur spot : August 12th, 4pm PT SAN FRANCISCO Metreon Theater 101 Fourth Street, San Fran, CA 94103 Reserve ur spot : August 12th, 4pm PT CHICAGO 600 North Michigan Theater 600 North Michigan, Chicago, IL 23183 Reserve ur spot : August 12th, 4pm CT HOUSTON Fountains 11225 Fountain Lake Drive, Stafford, TX 77477 Reserve ur spot : August 12th, 4pm CT Once u have made ur reservation. Just come 2 the theater and ur name will be on an NPGMC list, just like at the concerts. Bring a photo ID. The screening starts at 8pm but u should arrive earlier. 4 specific directions and in4mation on the individual theaters, please visit the Loews website at www.EnjoyTheShow.com. Love4oneanother, The NPG Music Club 17-08-2003 : JVC Jazz Festival (LA) Prince takes in the JVC Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles. One of the performers was saxophone player David Sanborn, whose band included Ricky Peterson on keyboard. Prince surprised Peterson after the show by giving him a hug and complimenting him on the performance. 18-08-2003 : Alladin DVD multidiffusion in US theatres The Live At The Aladdin Las Vegas DVD is screened at theatres in 10 US cities, including Los Angeles' Loews Cineplex Odeon. NPG Music Club members were invited. Prince attended the Los Angeles screening along with 150 NPGMC members and Morris Day, Nikki Costa, and No Doubt member Tony Kanal. L.A. BB King’s * Start : 10:30PM / Duration : 0:50 Shhh (Instr.) / East (Incl. 11) / Instrumental (Incl. Brown Eyes) / West (Incl. When The Saints Go Marching In) Following the Los Angeles screening of Live At The Aladdin Las Vegas, Prince plays an unannounced concert at B.B. King's, a 600-capacity club in Los Angeles. Taking the stage at 10:30 pm, Prince was joined by Rhonda Smith on bass, John Blackwell on drums, Renato Neto on keyboard, and Eric Leeds on saxophone. They played the N.E.W.S album in its entirety, only adding an instrumental rendition of "Shhh" and a jazzed-up "When The Saints Go Marching In," which saw the audience singing the lyrics. At no time did Prince sing or even speak to the crowd, confining his communication to hand signals, a finger to the lips during a saxophone solo in "Shhh" or a nod of his guitar to the B.B. King logo above the stage during a guitar solo. Prince occasionally stepped to the side of the stage to sip some bottled water and listen to his band. Once he left the stage and went upstairs into the VIP area, took a seat near the balcony, talked with friends, sometimes casually peering down at the band. When it was over, he flashed a peace sign to the crowd and disappeared. After the show, the DJ played "Musicology." Hey guys...just got home from the Los Angeles screening/afterparty of the Live at the Aladdin Las Vegas DVD at Universal City Walk in Universal City, Calif. First off, after being at the Vegas show, it was cool to see it on the big screen of the movie theater, though it would have been better if the sound was louder. The theater was, expectedly, full of Prince fans who sang along with most of the DVD, which was pretty cool. It was actually almost as good as being at the concert, even though someone who didn't go to the show wouldn't even know that all of the best songs played that night, including all but "Sometimes it Snows in April" from the hour-plus encore was cut out. But before the show, the people handing out the wristbands and checking in people told the crowd that there was going to be a performance at the nearby BB King Blues club at Universal City Walk. What this did is cause people to leave early during the showing so that they could get the best positions at the show. About a quarter of the crowd exited the club during "The Everlasting Now" which was the second-to-last song on the DVD to make a beeline for the club. We got into the club around 9:30, and waited around for an hour for the band to take the stage for a short 50-minute set which began at 10:30. Before the show as we were waiting, the DJ switched to mostly Prince music, all songs of which seemed to be fan favorites, which didn't make the wait seem quite as bad. The band, which consisted of Eric Leeds on sax, Renato Neto (sporting his new Prince circa "Gold Experience-era" haircut) on keyboards, Rhonda Smith on bass, John Blackwell on drums, and Prince on keyboards and guitar, took the stage at 10:30, which has to be the earliest they've ever played at an aftershow, at least to my knowledge. The setup was interesting...there was no microphone in the middle of the stage, and throughout the entire show, Prince didn't talk to the audience or sing at all. The band all wore suits, including Prince, who wore a burgundy one. Prince did not have the mini afro-puff fro this time, but his hair was longer but in the same style as the cover of the Aladdin dvd. Here was the setlist for the show: - Shhh (instrumental) - East (?) / Madhouse jam (possibly Baby Doll House ?) - Slow jam (without Prince) - funk jam (West ?) / When the saints go marchin' in (instrumental) The audience went crazy when the drum opening to "Shhh" was played. The instrumental version of the song went on for about 10 minutes, including solos by everyone in the band. Prince pointed at band members to signal who got the next solo. Eric Leeds' solo was random, since there aren't any horns in the original song. During the last verse, Prince played guitar and lipsynched to the crowd as the crowd sang the words. The next jam, was possibly "East" from the NEWS cd, which was a funky groove that included Eric Leeds' sax on a Madhouse jam that I recognized (possibly Baby Doll House ?). The jam went on for about 20 minutes, and again Prince pointed to different members of the band, all of whom got 2 different solos during this jam. What was interesting to me was that Eric Leeds played keyboards during a couple parts of the song while Prince played guitar. The next song was a slow jam (most of which happened without Prince on stage) as Prince seemed to get mad at one of the techs over something. For the rest of this jam, which lasted more than 10 minutes, Prince stayed to the side of the stage, and at the end of the song played a little guitar with his face to the wall, away from the audience. The song also incorporated another cover song that sounded familiar, but nobody I was around seemed to know what the song was. The final song, which was a funk jam (West ?) which included 2 solos again from each band member, and which incorporated "When the saints go marchin' in" (as an instrumental) at the end of the song, which also was a 10-minute jam. With that, Prince made a peace sign and walked off the stage with the rest of the band, and the show was over at around 11:20. After the show, the DJ played a new song called Musicology over the loudspeaker, which sounded like a retro funk song. Celebrities spotted in the crowd at the concert were Morris Day, Koi (?) (finalist from Fame reality show), and actors Danny and Chris Masterson (That 70s Show, Malcolm in the middle). Just thought I'd share... The DVD screening was pretty cool...but I agree with GetWild that it's a shame that some of the best parts of that concert were cut out. It's good at giving you an idea of what the show was like, but it really didn't capture the true feel of what it was like to be THERE...but I'm still getting my DVD and I had a few people tell me they were going to rush out and get it today as well, so it was still impressive nonetheless... - It wasn't loud enough !!! People kept shouting for the theater to turn up the volume !! And I think better sound would have added to more of a "concert" feel...but you know, it didn't seem to matter to anyone - people were still clapping and singing along and some of us couldn't resist that urge to just get up and dance in the aisles !!! My thoughts on the aftershow... - I wouldn't be surprised to find out that at the end of the screening, all you could hear in the theater were the crickets chirping because everyone BOOKED IT out of the theater during "Everlasting Now" which was the second to last song on the DVD - I'm not even sure they played the bonus track at all...Does anyone know if they did ? - You're right, GetWild - the wait didn't seem so bad. The DJ helped by playing a lot of Prince favorites and I'm thankful that BB Kings had an awesome air conditioning system. Even being surrounded by everyone waiting for the show to start, I didn't feel as smothered and hot even when people were getting their grooves on around me and getting hot and sweaty before the show - I could still breathe !!!...Plus, with me being such a shorty, all the tall people around me usually start leaning and using me as a banister...but last night, with the DJ funkin' it up, no one really had a chance to stand still... - There is NOTHING like experiencing Prince up close and personal with people who have never had the chance to go to an afterparty or even see him play EVER !!! My sister, Annie and her man, Anthony had the most awesome time and I'm so grateful that I had this special opportunity to share with them - and for FREE !!!! You can't beat that !!! Now they finally know what all the hype is about !!! And then there's my girl Erika (edouble) who looked so happy - so in awe - that I thought she was going to faint from the excitement !! This was her first afterparty and just to see her face and the tears in her eyes when Prince took the stage really reminded me why I'm a "fam" and why I'm blessed to have the friends that I have and to have this in common with everyone. This is truly why we are all together. As for the star sightings, I remember seeing Brian McKnight and Holly Robinson-Pete standing outside while we were in line to get into BB Kings - as well as MOY from the Fame reality show (sorry, GetWild, its not Koi)... - Regarding the set list - The only thing I could honestly name was "Shhhh" at the beginning and "When the Saints Go Marching In" at the end...of course, I'm used to lyrics to really differentiate the different songs, so the tracks in between could have been any track from NEWS or Xpectation for all I knew...But you can bet that I'll be listening to both CDs again now just to try and figure things out...if at all possible...OVERALL, PRINCE and his REMARKABLE BAND really showed all of us - old and new - that they can jam like NO ONE can !!! The entire set was instrumental. Prince didn't sing a lick or speak a word - but he has undeniably proven that he can come out and perform and he doesn't even have to sing a note to blow our minds !!! (sidenote : I do miss his singing, though...I hope his next album has lyrics. Musicology ???) -One last note - How awesome was it that the DJ spun - RETURN OF THE BUMPSQUAD - into the mix last night ?!? Overall it was an outstanding night. Whew !!!!!!!!!! Back to reality !!! I was watching the aftershow up on the 3rd level at BB Kings and around 12 midnight, I went to the elevator to go to the main level to the club to meet my friend who watched the show from there. So I entered the elevator, with two other women on the third floor and the elevator stopped on the second floor and guess who came in the elevator....PRINCE !! with Mani and his bodyguard. The two women said thanks for a good show then I turned to him (he was standing right next to me) and I asked if he was going to perform again and he said no they were leaving. Then, when we got out at the main level, the women got out then I told Prince "after you...." and then his bodyguard said they were not exiting the elevator they were on their way down to the garage level to Prince's limousine. Then when I exited the elevator the BB Kings staff had the area around the elevator roped off so no one can use the elevator while Prince was using it..... what a way to cap off a wonderful night with a surprise performance ! 
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