Time? It's a trick!

Time. What is time? That precious commodity that we never seem to have enough of when we need it? Is it an illusion? Douglas Adams said, "Time is an illusion. Lunchtime, doubly so!" St. Augustine said, "There are three times; a present time about things past, a present time about things present, a present time about things future. The future exists only as expectations, the pasts exists only as memory, but expectation and memory exist in the present." Physicists from Einstein to Barbour have debated its existence and true meaning for years! 

What i found interesting was this essay that Prince posted on his old Love4OneAnother website back in the day concerning the concept of time. Here's what he had to say (copied from the website verbatim):

Time & Space: The great separation ILLusion

ONcE upon an eternity, the notion of "time" did not xist.... 

time: the origin of the term is the word 'tide', which comes from the Greek daiesthai, 2 divide.

Time is an xpression of separation, a means used 2 segregate life in2 individual portions instead of a whole. 

There r many who pull themselves apart by tying their health and sanity 2 a clock - the stockbroker monitoring the tickertape, hoping the market closes b4 his ticker does... the partier measuring the years since her day of birth as if rings on a tree, developing more rings under the eyes as she does so. 

When we dream, worlds xist without time or space. The mind accepts without judgment because the mental censor which filters r thoughts is turned off. A dream lasting minutes can feel like hours, and easily flows from one location 2 another as if the same... there is no separation. 

When doing things we injoy most, the sensation of time stops. When in love with life - when r minds and spirits r ONE and act in unison - there is always enough 'time.' Though the day may fly by, much is accomplished. Alternately, where there is conflict within the self - friction due 2 SEPARATION between one's inner knowing and outward actions - 'time' turns 2 drudgery, stretching endlessly with little fulfillment. 

When we all choose 2 live in the spirit of oneness, looking within rselves (instead of 2 outside, separate sources) and acting upon what r hearts reveal, we will also b united with one another. Living this way will free humanity from the hands of the clock 4ever... there will b no more desire 2 judge pure love, beauty and joy by putting increments on it because they r endless! The kingdom of love is upon us!

Uhhhh, okay brother! Why don't you play me another funky guitar solo and leave the quantum theorizing to someone else? Oh lawd! Somebody help him! 

R.I.P. John Blackwell, Jr.

Yesterday the world lost another wonderful musician when former Prince & the New Power Generation drummer John Blackwell passed away after a battle with brain tumors.  I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Blackwell during the Musicology tour in 2004 in Nashville.  I was sitting on the front row since I was a member of the NPG Music Club and during Renato's solo, John and the rest of the band (sans Prince of course) walked of stage.  He came over to me, held out a drum stick and asked, "Want one?" I couldn't grab it fast enough!!! He then asked how I liked the show so far and we talked for a minute or two. Then he introduced me to Maceo Parker and Candy Dulfer.  They were all so down to earth.  Then he shook my hand, gave me a little wink and a laugh, then said, "Gotta go!" and pointed over his shoulder and he was right back up on stage behind his drum kit, banging out the beats for Prince.  I'd like to think that's what happened yesterday.  He had to go because Prince needed him to play the drum intro to Shhhh! one more time! Rest in Peace, John! You will be missed by us all!

Retrospeculation with NPGMC

Wow, I can't believe that it's been a month since I've posted here.  So much has gone on that you would have thought I would've posted something. Anything.  But nope, not a thing.  Hmmm... well time to remedy that.  Since my last post we found out the actual cause of death for Prince but I don't want to discuss that in this post. Maybe in a later post I'll broach the subject but I am here for a specific reason. Let's see, what else has happened in the last month? Oh yeah!!! The BET Awards kept their promise and gave us a tribute worthy of his Purpleness unlike that other awards show.  Yeah, I'm talking about you Billboard and your weak @ss Madonna tribute that wouldn't have made it in a third-class karaoke bar.  But, I'm not here to talk about the BET tribute either.  No, like I said, I am here for a specific reason.  I am here to retrospeculate on the NPGMC.

First off, let me say, I know that retrospeculate is not an actual word but hey, it's my blog and I like the sound of it.  Besides, it describes what I am doing perfectly.  I'm speculating what might have happened if certain events had happened in the past in a different way.  Anyway, it's not like I invented the word.  I stole it from Prince and the NPGMC.  Track down the commentary Freedom, Pt. 2 from the 2003 version of the NPGMC and you will see Prince used it first. So there!!! Oh lawd, I sound like I'm in third grade! Once again I digress. Or maybe I regressed in my digression? Huh? Okay, forget all that noise and let's get on with this retrospeculation thang!

So, on February 14, 2001, the world (at least all the Purple Party People and True Funk Soldiers) was introduced to the first version of the New Power Generation Music Club.  It was basically a download manager/media player that gave you access to various media made available by the club. Looking back at that first incarnation, I'm astounded I actually joined.  It was pretty lame but then again, by 2001 standards.... hell, who am I kidding.  It was Prince's website! I was joining! And join I did.  I was a loyal member of the NPGMC until it closed in 2006.  I bought the music, the merchandise and the tickets.  Especially the tickets.  Afterall, members got the best seats, didn't we? I know when I got my Musiclology 2004ever tickets through the club, I was on the front row.  That is a show I will never forget!!!! So yeah, I'm like sailing along doing the whole club member thing like a good little soldier when 2006 rolls around and POOF!!!!! It was gone!!! (Side note: I think this is first time I have ever typed the word poof, much less used it on a blog post! So don't judge me! Now back to my regularly scheduled rambling.) But what if that hadn't happened? What if Prince had kept the club open and not lost interest in it like so many of his other projects?

Would we have gotten  more music through the club than we did in real life? Maybe a few more live videos? How about a concert snippet or two from the 21 Nights in London concerts? Or maybe a live album from the 3121 residency in Las Vegas? I know, we could have gotten a concert video, a la Lovesexy Live, of the Welcome 2 America tour! Yeah, he could have released 3121 and Lotusflower through the club and...and...uh...hmmm....wait a minute. So in this alternate timeline that I am retrospeculating on, Prince hasn't lost interest in the NPGMC so he may not have come up with 3121.  There may not have been a Lotusflower for him to release.  His journey would have been greatly altered and may not have even crossed the path of...say....Welcome 2 America or Welcome 2 anything for that matter.  It's that whole Butterfly Effect theory playing out in my purple universe! Instead of Schrodinger's Cat, I have created Schrodinger's Purple Yoda! Oh wow, I think I have officially lost it now.  

I guess this has made me realize that it was probably a good thing that the NPGMC closed down when it did since he moved on to so many other things that are essential in the Purpleverse (that's the Purple Universe. Get it? Of course you do. Why am I explaining things to you? You are obviously all very intelligent since you listen to Prince. But not too smart if you actually read this stuff. LOL!). Wait...there I go with the regressing digression again! Let me try to wrap this up since I have rambled a lot longer than I meant to when I started.  

Yesterday, princeonlinemuseum.com went live and they offer a virtual walk-through of Prince's various websites from over the years.  The site is run by the same people that brought us these sites to begin with and are a great document to Prince's large on-line presence over the years.  If you get the chance, I strongly recommend you visit the site and take a cyberstroll down random access memory lane. I spent hours reading the various commentaries Prince wrote that were posted on the different sites. Matter of fact, I will probably write a post or three at a later date about some of the articles he wrote and posted.  But while reading all the stuff he posted on the NPGMC, I started to wonder what it would have been like if the club was still around. And that's how we ended up here...wherever here is.  Just kidding, I know where here is....it's in the opposite direction from there. What??? Nevermind. Just ignore the man behind the curtain who may be a little senile and sleep deprived. Now, quit reading and head over to princeonlinemuseum.com and remember the Days of Wild!

A Tribute 4 the Fans

There have been countless tributes to Prince since his untimely death. Some were very good and some were...well...not so good (Madonna anyone?).  But this video in my opinion is one of the best tributes I have seen.

My Review - Atlanta 7pm Piano & A Microphone

"Atlanta! Please forgive me for cancelling.  We're here now!" Those nine words were enough to drive the crowd at The Fox Theatre in Atlanta into a purple frenzy.  Then as Prince's delicate fingers glided across the keys of his piano and we were greeted with the familiar, "I guess I should've known by the way U parked U're car sideways.." the crowd absolutely lost their minds and would not find them anytime soon.  And that is how Prince took over Atlanta.  Exactly one week after having cancelled his shows due to the flu, here was Prince taking us to a place many had never been, to musical nirvana.  Seemingly fully recovered from the illness that caused him to cancel the previous week's shows (although we later found out different), the Kid was in rare form tonight if I may be so bold to borrow a line from a little known film called Purple Rain. As has been customary on the Piano & A Microphone Tour, Little Red Corvette was mashed up with Dirty Mind and I have really gotten used to both songs this way.  As he has done the last several performances, Prince added in the Linus and Lucy Theme during the instrumental break of the song and this really brought a reaction from the crowd.  At first many were like, "What is that song?" or "Where do I know that from?" Then when they realized what it was they were like "Oh my God, Prince is playing the Peanuts!!!" Plus the coy looks he was giving the crowd during this segment added to the whole appeal of the song.  The song ended as usual with the "can't nobody do it like I do" bit we have become accustomed to on this tour.

From there, Prince launched into a heartfelt Nothing Compares 2 U. After apologizing again for having to cancel the previous week, Prince goes on to tell us how his dad taught him how to play piano.  He then starts playing Chopsticks saying, "He didn't teach me that, I taught myself." He then tells how funk is space and how his father couldn't sing but shows how he would do this funky little scat with the music.  That leads us to Joy in Repetition which has long been a favorite of mine but has earned new found respect hearing it in this context. The way he uses the piano to accentuate the song is amazing.  Bringing to life the rain, the thunder and the emotions felt in the song with 88 black and white keys and that amazing voice of his.

After Prince whispered the words "Love me" to close Joy in Repetition, I was not at all prepared for what was about happen next.  I couldn't believe my ears.  I looked around at the crowd near me and all I saw was confusion as many of them had no idea what song he was playing. But yes, he was actually playing Muse 2 the Pharaoh from The Rainbow Children.  I hadn't heard this live since the ONA tour. After this, all I could do was wonder where we were headed next?

"Here we are folks. The dream we all dreamed of." Yes, he was playing U Got the Look and even slowed down on the piano, Prince made it funky as hell.  After all, as he said, "funk is space." Next up was Pop Life which got the crowd singing along. Then came another unexpected song, at least for me.  Elephants & Flowers talks about being stripped down and it doesn't get more stripped down than this.  Listening to Prince sing this song, I feel that even he has found new meaning in some of his songs and it shows in his performances. 

Next was I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man.  He changed the Saturday night line to a Thursday night to fit the show and the crowd ate it up.  There was a slight run of Under the Cherry Moon at the end of the song but that led to Joni Mitchell's A Case of U which is one of my all time favorite covers.  Let me tell you, when Prince sang the line, "In my blood like holy wine," the notes he hit were not of this world.  He sang that same line three times.  Each time he sang it higher.  The last time, every dog in Atlanta sat up and took notice it was so high. When he finished the song, he got up and walked off stage.Was he done? Where did he go?

Returning he said, "Sometimes I forget how emotional these songs can be. Okay, stay with it, Prince!" He then took us a on a musical journey starting with I Feel For You which gets the crowd clapping along.  From there, Prince pounded out a funky Controversy complete with the Lord's Prayer.  I was amazed at the people around me (and commenting later) that were like "I can't believe he added the Lord's Prayer to the song?" Pardon me while I climb up on my purple soap box.  So, all you so called hardcore die-hard fans that were shocked about the Lord's Prayer being included need to check the original album version.  Because it's on the album.  It was there from the beginning so why shouldn't he include it. And if you were half the fan you thought you were, you would have known that.  Okay, rant over and I'll climb down off the soap box now. 

The Most Beautiful Girl In The World was next on the menu and it was exquisite.  At the end of it he has this little dialogue where he says, "You think you know my name. You don't know my name.  I don't think you know anything about me." He then starts singing, "I'm not a woman, I'm not a man.." and leads the crowd in I Would Die 4 U.  Surprisingly enough, he followed up with Baby, I'm a Star.  In the original version where Dr. Fink would have had his solo, Prince just kept jamming on the piano and chanting "I don't need no doctor!" In my personal opinion, this was one of the best versions of the song I've heard in a long time.  As he finished the song, he said, "Thank you, Atlanta" and he was gone but not for long.

Prince performing David Bowie's Heroes

Returning to the stage, he absolutely made my entire night.  He played a cover of David Bowie's Heroes.  I grew up listening to Bowie long before I ever knew who Prince was so this was one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments for me.  I was mesmerized by Prince's performance.  Although it was not completely true to Bowie's original, it was still an amazing performance.  "Heroes, like you and me.  Thank you so much, Atlanta.  We've got some new family that's gonna come in, in a little while.  Thank you, goodnight."

But we weren't through and neither was Prince.  He returned to the stage for yet another encore.  "Ya'll don't wanna let our family come back in outside?" Prince asked.  When the crowd screamed a resounding "NO!" he replied, "All right" and started playing Diamonds and Pearls before stopping to tell everyone, "All right, ya'll take it easy now.  Just breathe." After leading the crowd on the first chorus, Prince really drove everyone crazy when he started singing Adore. Of course Adore was mashed up with The Beautiful Ones which then led into an aborted How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore? Instead Prince decided to stir things up with Do Me, Baby which turned into a 4000 member sing-along. Continuing the sing-along, Prince led the crowd through I Wanna Be Lover which he intended as his final song.

As he went to walk off stage, the crowd's roar was deafening.  Prince turned and played to the crowd by pointing at his piano as if asking if we wanted more. He walked back over to the piano saying, "I ran out of hits!" before he launched into Kiss.  The song ended with one final scream of "Atlanta!" Prince snatched up his jacket and cane and with that pimp-like attitude of "I just kicked your ass" he walked around the stage triumphant and then he was gone, this time for good. 

It was 80 minutes of pure purple music unlike any I have ever witnessed.  I have seen many Prince concerts and enjoyed most of them (there was one that I would really like to forget) but there was something special about this one. Maybe it was the uniqueness of the concept with just the piano and a microphone.  Maybe it was the stripped down, new arrangements.  Maybe it was me just getting older and learning to savor each and every moment.  I don't know but this was special and if you get a chance to attend one of these shows, by all means, attend.  I know I will go again if I get the chance. 

My new symbol necklace I wore to the Piano & A Microphone show

Well, there you have it.  I promised my review of the concert and here it is.  Now, if I could just finish up my reviews of Phase One and Two.  Maybe soon. 

More pics from Atlanta

Like I said in my previous post, I did manage to sneak a couple of videos from the Piano & A Microphone show and was able to make a few screen grabs from them to share here.  I WILL NOT share the videos here on my blog (so don't ask) because we all no that P has people watching everywhere for stuff like that.  Anyway, here are the pictures.

Prince performed a beautiful, soulful rendition of  I Feel For You from his second album entitled Prince and later made famous by Chaka Khan.

I Feel For You

That led into a funky Controversy.

Controversy

Which was followed by The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.

The Most Beautiful Girl in the World

Which segued into I Would Die 4 U.

I Would Die 4 U

But I believe my favorite moment of the night came during the first encore when Prince performed a cover of David Bowie's Heroes.  

Heroes

I had heard excerpts of Prince covering this song before but to witness it first hand touched my heart and soul in a way that I cannot put into words.  I was mesmerized and I don't know why.  Maybe it was the fact that Bowie and Prince have been my musical idols since I was little. All I know is that it was a very special moment for me and I have it on video. 

Well, that's it for now.  I am still working on the review.  It should be up soon. 

Pics from Atlanta

Here are a few pics from the 7pm show in Atlanta that I thought I would share with you.  I'll post my review of the concert in the next day or two. 

Pictures and video were strictly forbidden and security was tight.  I saw several people around me get into trouble for taking pics but I managed to snap these before and after the show.  I also grabbed a video or two during the show that I may try to grab some pics from.  We will see how that turns out. 

Until next time......

Prince Presents American Music Award

Prince appeared on the American Music Awards show Sunday night to present the first award of the evening.  He presented the award for Favorite Soul/R&B Album to The Weeknd and like most people who have received an award from Prince, The Weeknd was taken aback.  He hesitantly approached Prince and after accepting the award and approaching the microphone he said, ""Make some noise for Prince, ladies and gentlemen." Respect!