Words can't describe.......

I have tried and tried to find the words to express the feelings and thoughts that are swirling in my mind after the death of Prince but I still haven't been able to sort through the maelstrom of emotions yet.  Hopefully I will be able to write something meaningful soon to explain exactly what Prince and his music mean to me.  Until then, I leave you with this.

Remember, Love4OneAnother!!!! Love4EachOther!!!! Love4All!!!! Peace!!!!!

Prince Dead at 57

According to KARE 11 News:

Legendary Minnesota musician Prince is dead at the age of 57.

Shortly after noon Yvette Noel-Schure, a publicist for the reclusive musician, confirmed Prince's death at his home studio in Chanhassen's Paisley Park.

"It is with profound sadness that I am confirming that the legendary, iconic performer, Prince Rogers Nelson, has died at his Paisley Park residence this morning at the age of 57," Noel-Schure said in a written statement. "There are no further details as to the cause of death at this time."

Carver County officials have not yet confirmed that the deceased is Prince, saying only that a death investigation is underway.

Sheriff's Office  reports authorities are currently at the scene and say they are working to notify next of kin before releasing any more information. 

Medical emergency personnel responded to the scene around 9:43 a.m., on a medical call where someone was reportedly not breathing. At 10:08 a.m., the medical examiner was called to the scene. No other information was released. 

Right now, I can't find the words to express what I am feeling so I will borrow Prince's.

Springtime was always my favorite time of year,
A time 4 lovers holding hands in the rain
Now springtime only reminds me of Tracy's tears
Always cry 4 love, never cry 4 pain
He used 2 say so strong unafraid to die
Unafraid of the death that left me hypnotized
No, staring at his picture I realized
No one could cry the way my Tracy cried

Sometimes it snows in April
Sometimes I feel so bad
Sometimes, sometimes I wish that life was never ending,
And all good things, they say, never last.

Goodbye, Prince! I Wish U Heaven!

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 of Gallifrey?

Anyone that follows my other blog knows that I ventured down the long, winding rabbit hole of ubergeekdom and started experimenting with a Gallifreyan Transliterator that I found online.  Many of you are probably saying, "What the hell is that? A Gallifreyan what?" while some of you are thinking to yourself, "That is soooo cool!" Well, to make a long story short (too late?), the transliterator takes English and translates it into the imaginary language of Gallifrey or the language of the Timelords from Dr. Who.  Like I said, I explained all this on my other blog so why am I posting about it here? Well, since you asked (I know you didn't but just play along, okay?), I was playing around and threw some Prince lyrics and lines into the mix and thought I would share the Gallifreyan versions with you.  Why? I don't know other than I think they are cool looking and like I have said, I am an ubergeek to the 8th power. So, with all that said, let's get on with the show shall we? Below each phrase is the English translation.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life"

"Goodness will guide me when love is inside me, until then life is a parade"

"Ladies and gentlemen, you must come to your senses, there are no kings on this Earth, only princes"

As I said earlier in this post, I was just playing around and decided to share these here but don't be surprised if you see more pop up from time to time.  I really like messing around with this transliterator.

Until next time, peace and be wild!!!!!!

This is not music, this is a trip! Or at least it will be.

This is not music, this is a trip! Or at least it will be.  I know, right now you are asking yourself, "What the hell is he talking about?" All things will be revealed and all will make sense in due time.  At least I hope it will make sense.  I never know when I start writing these things where they are actually going so who knows.  So it's been months since I've posted anything here and I would love to give you a great reason why that is but I can't. To be perfectly honest, I just haven't made the time. It seems I got caught up in this thing called life and the next thing I knew, it was April.  So why post now? Well, I'm glad you asked (I know, I know. You didn't, I did but play along, damn!).  Way back in January, Prince debuted a show he was calling the Piano & A Microphone Gala Event at Paisley Park.

Now this was the same show he was going to take on a European tour last year (or at least very similar) before the Paris attacks changed his mind. No backing band, no guitar.  Just Prince, his piano, a microphone (see how he came up with the name, pretty ingenious, huh?), his vast musical catalog and that voice of his. Hearing these new, stripped down piano arrangements of these Prince songs I grew up listening to was amazing.  It was like rediscovering the songs all over again.  Huh, what's that? How did I hear them? Uh....well....you see what happened was.....uh......damn, what's with the questions?  Maybe I'll reveal that in another post at another time.  Maybe I won't.  For now can we just concentrate on the topic at hand? Thank you.  So where was I? Oh yeah, we were about to journey Down Under because in February, Prince announced an Australian Piano & A Microphone Tour. He performed 11 shows in Australia and New Zealand.

Then on his way home to Minneapolis, he stopped off in Oakland and performed three shows there.

Later, at the end of March, he would have shows in both Montreal and Toronto. 

The thing about all the North American tour dates is that they have been announced like his previous Hit 'N' Run tours with very little advance notice.  And that leads me to why I decided to post here after all this time.

Yessssss!!!! That's right!!!!! Prince is bringing his Piano & A Microphone Tour to The Fox Theatre in Atlanta and guess who has a ticket to the 7 p.m. show? ME, that's who!!!!!! I'll be headed down to the ATL to enjoy this intimate once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience Prince in a way I (and most of you) have never experienced his music. To say I am excited would be the understatement of the year. That excitement has done nothing but build over the last week since the show was originally scheduled for April 7th but was postponed just hours before the show due to Prince having the flu. Here is the original press release for the April 7th show.

Prince – Piano & A Microphone Tour

Thursday, April 7 at 7:00 & 10:00 p.m.
The Fox Theatre, Atlanta
Presented by Rival Entertainment
ON SALE WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30th AT NOON
Reserved Seats: $350, $275, $211, $175, $100
Tickets may be purchased by calling 855-285-8499 or online at foxtheatre.org.
The Fox Theatre Box Office will be open at Noon for in-person sales.

Every ticket purchased to Prince’s Piano & A Microphone concert includes a CD copy of his new album HITNRUN – Phase II, which will be distributed to ticket holders upon exiting the venue.

Prince will bring his Piano & A Microphone tour to Atlanta on Thursday, April 7th, for two exclusive and intimate shows at The Fox Theatre.

For those blessed enough to attend, everything about these exclusive performances has been carefully considered to deliver special once-in-a-lifetime experiences. The repertoire will be culled from Prince’s vast 39-album catalogue and each performance will have a unique set-list that evolves in real time, song-to-song. Fans should expect to witness special interpretations of well-known hits alongside rarely performed B-sides and new, never-before-heard material.

Prince’s Piano & A Microphone tour commenced on January 21 at his US recording studio, Paisley Park, where he stunned fans who travelled from all over the world to see him perform two very personal shows. According to a Rolling Stone review of these shows, Prince performed on a stage decorated sparsely with candles and shrouded in smoke. The show was framed by the story of how he mastered the piano and emerged from the shadow of his father, jazz pianist John L. Nelson. “The set moved chronologically (with a few exceptions) through the first decade of Prince’s career,” Rolling Stone reports, “including at least one song from each of his first 10 albums.”

In addition to classic songs from albums including 1999, Purple Rain, and Sign o’ the Times, the set-lists have also featured covers by Joni Mitchell, Paul Robeson and Ray Charles; songs Prince has written for other acts including The Time, Sheila E. and Vanity 6; and even a Thelonious Monk-style version of the theme to Batman.

SPECIAL TICKETING ARRANGEMENTS
To address ticket scalping concerns, the following procedures will be put in place to ensure that Prince fans and NOT resellers, are able to purchase tickets to these performances:

Ticket limit per customer: There is a strict limit of two (2) tickets per customer, per show. Any customer found to have purchased more than two (2) tickets per person, per show will have their additional transactions cancelled. Ticket dispatch / will-call / entry: Tickets will not be distributed in advance. Tickets may be picked up from the Fox Theatre Box Office on the day of the show. Pickup for the 7pm show will begin at 10am, and pickup for the 10pm show will begin at 1pm.

STRICTLY NO PHOTOGRAPHY OR VIDEO ALLOWED.

USE OF MOBILE PHONES WILL NOT BE PERMITTED DURING THE SHOW.

So there you have it world, that is why I am back and now that I am, I promise to post more often.  Hopefully I will be able to post my thoughts on the show if I can find the words.  Stay tuned and I will let you know. Until then, I will leave you with these pictures......

Prince drops surprise album "HITnRUN Phase 2"

Just three short months after releasing HITnRUN Phase One, the enigmatic impresario from North Minny has surprised the Purple Army with another new album.  Fans were shocked Saturday to find that HITnRun Phase Two was available on Tidal.  Released with no announcement and no fanfare, other than a blog update from the all-knowing Dr. Funkenberry, Phase Two appeared on Tidal for streaming and download but it didn't stay secret for very long.  Word quickly spread throughout the Purple Army, with 17 horns blowing the arrival of the Partyman and the news media soon trumpeting the news across all seven continents (uh....hmmmmm......I don't know how much media coverage this actually got in Antartica).  The new album featured 12 songs, six of which were new and unreleased while others had been released or leaked in one form or another over the last couple of years.  Where as Phase One seemed to be a project for Josh Welton, Phase Two is nothing if not a Prince album.  If I had to choose between the two, I would pick Phase Two any day of the week and twice on Sunday.  If you get the chance, you should definitely cop this and give it a listen or three.

I'll be back later with my attempt at a review of both Phase One and Phase Two but for now, peace and be wild!