VegasRex

Prince at the Rio 3121 Club

Prince Rio Las Vegas Ticket

I finally got around to seeing Prince’s live show last night at the Rio Hotel & Casino.

It was spectacular with one or two issues which could be improved.

First, I will just get the bad out of the way.

12:30am start?? Man, that’s brutal. Especially for a Friday night. Most people arriving in Las Vegas on Friday have either just gotten through driving the I-15 from LA, or have just taken a time-zone hit from a plane flight into McCarran. By the time Prince starts his show, many people are pushing their 24th straight hour without sleep (I personally had been up since 4am). Even locals who attend the show almost always work the Friday of the show. This led to many of the people leaving before the end of the show, and Prince’s visible frustration with the lack of energy from the crowd when 3am started creeping up.

Most people in the venue thought the show started at 10:00pm, and were really unhappy when they had to stand, not sit (there is nowhere to sit), but stand for 2 hours before the start of the show. Standing in the middle of a concrete floor for over 2 hours doing nothing can really dampen crowd enthusiasm, and some people started sitting/lying on the floor and almost nodding off. 2 hours is far too long to wait for the show to start, as there is really nothing else to do in the 3121 Club. Yes, a DJ plays music, and they serve drinks at a bar in the back, but most people are there to see the concert and could care less about the “nightclub” aspect of the 3121 club. They go to see Prince. Period.

The schedule just doesn’t work well.

An 8:30pm or 9:30pm start time to the show would do wonders to improve the overall experience.

That’s really it for the bad, in my opinion.

As for the show itself, well, there appear to be two camps on this.

As a former guitar player/musician, I have always considered Prince to be an extremely talented songwriter, and one of the best guitarists of all time. His guitar skills are almost always overlooked, as his showmanship, lyrics, dancing, and eccentricities almost always overshadow his skill at the instrument. While he doesn’t always play my favorite genre of music, he is in my opinion one of the 20 greatest guitarists of all time.

This is why I went to see him. And I got what I went for in spades.

And most people seemed to have something similar to my mindset.

About a third of the concert goers, however, were complaining in the crowd.

Here’s the thing … Prince doesn’t play many of his hits in this concert. As a matter of fact, the only full length top 10 hits he played were “Kiss” and “Purple Rain” (with one of the best guitar solos I have ever heard at the end of Purple Rain, he almost tore the guitar apart).

This isn’t so much a concert per-se, as it is a nearly 3 hour party & jam session hosted by Prince.

Prince plays as much non-Prince music as he plays Prince music, and the band rips into 10 minute improvised instrumentals. I thoroughly enjoyed them, but some people seemed confused.

While the songs were far too fast and furious (and I didn’t even recognize some of them), these are the songs I remember off the top of my head:

3121 (Prince)
Pass The Peas (James Brown Horn Section)
Play That Funky Music White Boy (Wild Cherry )
Crazy (Gnarls Barkley)
Nothing Compares 2 U (written by Prince, sung by Sinead O’Conner)
Down By The River Side (Popular Gospel Song)
Kiss (Prince)
Purple Rain (Prince)
Anotherloverholenyohead (Prince)
A 20 minute medley of songs from Musicology and several of his non-top 20 hits (Prince)
Numerous instrumentals from Funk, to Jazz, Blues, and even Gospel.

Did I want to hear “When Doves Cry”, “Raspberry Beret”, “I Would Die 4 U”, “Baby I’m a Star”, “Little Red Corvette”, “1999″, “Let’s Go Crazy”, “Sign O’ The Times”, “Diamonds And Pearls”, “Alphabet St.”, etc, etc, etc ???

Well, of course I did. Those are incredible songs. Why wouldn’t I want to hear them?

But that is not what this show is about.

And some in the audience were disappointed because of that fact. One lady turned around and screamed at me “When is he going to play his hits???!!!”. I just shrugged, and she eventually left about an hour and a half into the show.

At one point in the show, Prince asked the audience if they had any requests. Various songs were shouted out and he laughed and said “I can’t play those songs, I don’t curse anymore”. Since few of the songs actually have direct “curse” words in them, I guess this was just his way of saying that he didn’t want to play them … which was his option of course.

The point here is that if you are going to the show to see a re-enactment of the concert scenes from the movie “Purple Rain”, you are going to be really disappointed.

But that is not why I went, and this show was extremely unique and a complete blast.

Prince opened the show with “3121″ and was in very good humor. He was running into the audience, slapping high 5’s with the crowd, bringing people up on stage to dance, and was extremely interactive with the crowd. One lady even did one of those Michael Jackson-esque breakdowns where she started sobbing and almost fainted when Prince came out to serenade her directly.

At another point, he got a 40-something year old balding, fat white guy to come on stage. He ordered a spotlight to be put on the guy. Then the band launched into 10 minute version of “Play That Funky Music White Boy”. The old guy obliged with some of the worst dancing I have ever seen in my life, but Prince was playfully interacting with him the whole time. It was fucking great.

He then brought up a 60-something year old black lady, who was about 300lbs, and had the spotlight put on her. He then launched into the classic instrumental “Pass the Peas” … and this old lady started doing the cabbage patch and a bunch of older dances that I could not possibly name. Prince kissed her on the cheek and danced along with her. You could tell she was having the time of her life, and it seemed like Prince picked out the song just for her, as it was clearly a hit for her generation.

Prince was trying to get everyone involved, and just have a good time. Most of the audience appreciated it for what it was. He held the microphone out into the audience, and made us sing along, and if we weren’t loud enough, he would make the band play it again until we were loud enough. He wanted everyone to participate.

He encouraged everyone to just be goofy, and he laughed with people, not at them. He seemed genuinely happy to see people being happy.

Sadly, about a third of the crowd were bitching, moaning, getting staggering drunk, and even leaving because they were expecting “Prince’s Greatest Hits … Live!”. For some reason, almost everyone doing the bitching about the “lack of hits” were women. I didn’t see any males griping about it. Take that for what you want.

Prince launched into at least 10 blistering guitar solos that almost peeled my scalp off.

There is no denying that on the musical IQ scale, the dude is off the chart. Way past genius and bordering on insanity.

There were no silly looking guitars at this show. These are the instruments that Prince played, and each one of them can be purchased off the shelf at your local music store.

Fender Telecaster - Wood/Sunburst (Played mostly dirty)
Fender Stratocaster - Baby Blue with White Guard (Played mostly clean)
Fender Bass - Black with White Guard

Nothing fancy, just tried and true instruments of the trade.

As for the 3121 Club itself, it is a nice venue, although short people on the floor cannot see (there is no angle to the floor). I am 6′2″ and had no problem, but I heard constant whines of “I can’t seeeee!”. If you are short, either get up front, or you may not catch everything.

It is a circular theater with 3 levels of “table seating” (pointless, IMHO, except to wait for the show to start or if you are short), and a large round “dance floor” layout which is actually where most people see the show from. The area near the front and center of the stage does get a little mosh-like with lots of pushing and shoving. But Prince works the whole stage, and even the audience, so you don’t have to be in that spot to participate in the crowd interaction.

There are 6 monitors on the each side of the stage (about 10 feet diagonally each), and before the show they played some music videos, break dancing sequences, and some odd Bollywood film on the screens. Each screen shows the same image.

I would actually put the average age of the crowd at around 40 years old. Some people were well into their 50’s, but there were plenty of youngsters too.

Before Prince takes the stage, they play a montage on the 12 screens with various celebrities saying how great Prince is (Salma Hayak, Pharrel Williams, Randy Jackson, etc) … then the curtain rises and Prince comes out. I thought the montage was a little unnecessary (do I really need celebrities to tell me that Prince is a great musician?), but whatever.

They start spraying perfume out into the audience, fog machines fill the room, Prince launches into “3121″, and off we go.

And good luck getting rid of the perfume smell. 12 hours later, and I can still smell it. It is up in my sinuses somewhere.

Prince did two encores, and closed the show with an awesome rendition of “Nothing Compares 2 U”.

The first half of the show was more jazzy, while the encores were more hard-driving rock.

There is a little bit of something for everyone.

This is a truly unique show. It is not the show you would see if you went to see Prince at say, Madison Square Garden. And this is precisely what makes it great. I got a high-five from The Badness, and he held the microphone to my face so I could (badly) sing along to Gnarles Barkley’s “Crazy”.

So, was the show worth $125 + fees? Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not even a valid question. One of the greatest artists of the 20th Century playing a completely unique set 10 feet in front of your face and encouraging you to be part of the show.

You would pay $60 to be in the 25th row at a stadium show, you would need binoculars, and the set would probably be shorter. Of course it’s fucking worth it.

If you know what to expect going in, this could well be one of the best live shows that you are likely to ever attend.

There are currently 42 responses to “Prince at the Rio 3121 Club”

1
On December 23rd, 2006, Mason King said:

Thanks for giving such a good honest review. I am a huge fan of his work his music has helped in many ways. I was weary about seeing him live in vegas, but now i want too. Just to be that close to LIVING LEGEND would be a dream come true. Also the fact he does songs that arn’t always played makes me happy to know that he doesn’t give into the obvious easy concert.
2
On December 29th, 2006, Suzy Poulter said:

Thanks for taking the time to write such a great review. I wanted to see the show the MINUTE I heard about it, but my spouse said we needed to wait for a review first. We’d heard Prince often showed up late for concerts, etc. Now that I know it’s more of a nightclub atmosphere I’ll probably show up at Midnight, on a Saturday after sleeping really late, and have a total blast. … All I wanted for Christmas is “tickets to Prince”, so now I just need to pick the date!
3
On December 30th, 2006, ANNUUBI said:

REVIEW STATEMENTS/MINTS;

EYE would like to send a GOOD MORNING ‘SIN/WIND’ CITY SHOUT OUT TO A BEAUTIFUL SPREAD & FORMING OF THIS GREAT CLUB!!!!!!

ONLY ‘ONE’ MAN COULD PULL THIS OFF!!! GO JC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And to ALL of you who may READ/REED THIS, HAPI NEW YEAR & MANY BLESSINGS “EYE” SEND UR WAY!!!

LOVE, ARTEMIS
4
On January 3rd, 2007, Vadeddo said:

You have GOT to be kidding us. This short, ugly, un-talented little pretender to the throne has finally been reduced to being a Vegas lounge act, and he refuses to play the songs that got him there? What a charade. The only thing that would get me within a mile of his “show” would be a sexy siren from TI begging me to take her there before she’d sleep with me, and she’d have to be REALLY hot!
5
On January 6th, 2007, desirre.b said:

Great review - answered all my questions anout the venue & the atmosphere & the music. Thanks for taking the time to be thorough and put in the details. The tix price is pretty standard for Vegas and it doesn’t sound like a canned show - like so many of the other performers.
6
On January 7th, 2007, michele said:

Honest review. I was at the Thanksgivng Saturday show.
I’m from Mpls, and have seen Prince perform many times. I must agree the show is phenomenal, truly focusing on his exceptional guitar playing. However, not enough vocal songs (hits)for my taste. On my concert night I believe there were 7 songs with vocals, the rest was “jammin”. The fun, chatty Prince that was described did not show up at our concert, that sounds more like the Prince we saw during the Musicology Tour (it was really great to finally see him having fun on the stage, joking around, etc). Musicology was perhaps the best concert I have attended, and I have been going to shows since the early “70s and have seen everyone. I liked the 3121 venue, great sound and sight lines. Here is a tip, I am 5′ tall, and when standing on the floor the only thing you see are people’s backs. Instead stand in the back on the main level, you are above the tables and can always see, you have access to the bar and the restrooms which are outside of the club (which after 3 1/2 of being there you will need). Great to see Maceo Parker and Sheila E. performing. He performed two Sly Stone hits (very fun) and I loved seeing him perform “Nothing compares 2 u”. I am probably one of the few who own a cassette of the Family performing it. So overall, great concert, just needed more hits and vocals to keep the masses happy.
7
On January 22nd, 2007, Rebeckah said:

Great review. We saw him January 19th and your review hit the nail on the head. I do wish I had read your review before I went to the show, i would have known what to expect (the 4 hour wait was a bitch). We did have quite a rude group of people that didn’t understand the concept of getting in early and getting floor space, and then were ready to throw punches (in addition to the insults) when they didn’t get to the stage, that too put a damper on the evening. Bottom line is Prince is a phenomenal musician one I’m glad to say i finally saw in person.
8
On January 22nd, 2007, VegasRex said:

I had a couple of these incidents also when the late arrivals tried to rush the stage.

Luckily I am 6′2″ with the weight to match and am pretty hard to move, but I saw some guys basically pushing and shoving women and smaller men around.

Words were exchanged and security intervened.

This is something you don’t really expect at a Prince concert with $125 ticket prices … but there will always be a contingency of assholes in ANY group.

I am glad that your overall experience was positive!
9
On January 26th, 2007, jazzmine said:

I was at the 12/8 show too :-)

I have absolutley no complaints. I danced my arse off. The music blew my mind. I’m 5′4″ ;-)

The club reminded me of First Ave. in Minneapolis…the entrance in proportion to the bar in proportion to the stage and the walk down onto the dance floor and the sound guys… ahhh felt like I was home… Anyone else?
10
On January 30th, 2007, Iamanise said:

I thank you for this review and the other comments. My fiancee’ and I are headed to Vegas the weekend of the 9th and were really wondering what to expect. This gives me an idea of what to expect. The standing room only scares me, but Prince, he could play “Happy Birthday,” and I would probably freak out.
11
On January 31st, 2007, Sandee said:

I went to see Prince January 19th, the show started around 12:30 which was a little late, but when the show started it was all good. It was my first time seeing Prince and I thoroughly enjoyed it!! This guy is definitely a performer and knows how to get the crowd pumped. Now that he’s one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and no longer sings a lot of his older songs, he managed to do a wonderful job with the songs he performed. I’m planning to go back to see him this summer and know what to expect. Actually the doors open at 10:00 not 8:00 as ticketmaster advertised. Waiting two hours wasn’t that bad because you are watching the videos on the wall monitors and having a drink and dancing. To me it was worth every dime of $125 compared to what I’ve paid in the past for concerts and ended in the balcony. I love Princes performance and will see him again.
12
On February 4th, 2007, Shelle said:

I saw Prince December 27, 2006 and paid 312.00 for my tickets. They were the same ones that you all paid 125.00 for. I would have paid 1000.00 to see the most talented artist of our time. What a genius. I loved it. I was in line at 8:30 for my floor space. When I did get in I got my space right up front and personal. It was an awesome performance. I did have some of the same experiences but it was well worth putting up with all that to actually see Prince… Like I said he is awesome… I would do it again! and plan to when I am in Vegas again. Maybe some changes will be made by then. I have to admit the wait for him was long and you do tend to overindulge because of all the excitement. Next time I will know better…
13
On February 4th, 2007, arnab said:

Respected Mr Prince ,

I am a student of Class VII and an acute patient of Blood Cancer and the attending doctors have proclaimed that my days are numbered.

You are already and continue to be one of the finest and most talented International Classical musicologist and a dynamic world spiritual leader of music. Through your superb aesthetics management qualities and correct application of your artistic talent - you have improved upon the cultural status of US to become a World Leader in Arts and Religion. Your noble efforts in uplifting the social values of the people of US thru music of the world - shall long be path finder for the developing countries of the World. We fondly recall your strong efforts in patronizing long term friendship with India for over the years. Your love for Indian Music forms make you a spiritual art lover of mankind.I have been mesmerised by your true and heartfelt CD’s ” Thieves in the temple,Kiss, When doves cry” to name a few of your vast treasure house of immortal music.They are very touchy to the heart.U know my treatment is so very painful and frustrating. I am alone in this World.
I am grateful to government of Canada to have provided me with an opportunity to serve Canada. I have come to Canada in February , 2005 on a Permanent Residence Visa for my treatment and it really has been a fascinating experience for me till today. I have been overwhelmed by the warmth and hospitality of your country, its people and its rich resources.
I come from India - Kolkata the place of music culture and from a music family.
A small request for you please.

You understand meeting you in person is very difficult for your tight schedule and security reasons and my health conditions. My doctors have advised me complete bed rest. My heart goes out in person to meet you but my physical ailments persuades me from keeping my wish and ambition.I feel so frustrated .A small request.I shall be ever very grateful if you kindly send me an AUTOGRAPH ( SIGNATURE ) of yours to my mailing address at :

ARNAB GHOSH
67, CONNAUGHT AVENUE SOUTH
HAMILTON ONTARIO L8M 3C4
CANADA

Looking forward to your early reply with eager expectation. Please reply as soon as possible. Your reply shall be memorable gift for my lifetime.It will rejuviante me to live longer. i have already written to u 8 times but unfortunately did not receive any reply. Pl. pl. do not neglect me. Please Please please …reply

Regards

Arnab
14
On February 5th, 2007, VegasRex said:

Check out the 2007 Super Bowl Half Time Videos of Prince’s Show.

http://www.vegasrex.com/2007/02/04/prince-destroys-super-bowl-xli/
15
On February 19th, 2007, Kevin said:

I went to See Prince on Jan. 19. 2007 and Feb. 17, 2007. All I can say was that both shows were outstanding. I have seen Prince in concerts on countless occassions, but the Vegas show takes the cake. Here are a few reasons of why I feel this way. The Vegas shows is very upfront and personal, this is the only chance to get this close to Prince. His live performance at the Vegas show, throughly involves the crowds, which is great. The Jan. show I went to was great, Prince went on stage a little after 12, but the show was well worth it. He performed many hits and also some songs that some were unfamiliar with unless u were a huge Prince fan. He even gave one encore performance. There is a lady who sings background for Prince and she has a voice that is out this world. He let her perform Crazy by Gnarls Barkley and she also sung and old school joint Love Makes You Happy, can’t remember the artist. Prince definetly pay homage to his african american roots and just his musical roots period. The Feb. show that I went to was even more off the hook. First of all this show was during All Star Weekend and he had a few guest celebs there. First Will-I-Am from the Black Eye Peas performed on stage with Prince and totatlly rocked the joint. Next of all Natalie Cole was in the audience and got on stage with Prince’s Band and throughly pumped the crowd up with just her voice. Also Maceo Parker, the famed Jazz Legend was in the building and performed with Prince. As the show was wrapping up, Prince’s band with into the song Crazy, I expected Prince or his back up singer to sing the song, but Ceelo himself from Gnarls Barkley came on stage and song the song while Prince played guitar in the background. Just outstanding. There were a few complainers but, my opinion is how can you complain when u r standing 10 ft away from a legend and he giving u d performance of a lifetime. The 125 dollar tickets or more than worth it. I would suggest for anyone not to past up on the opportunity so see the legend so up and close. Knowing Prince this is just a tease of his greatness and he won’t be in Vegas forever. So don’t miss it.
16
On February 20th, 2007, VegasRex said:

Wow!!!

It sounds like you saw arguably the best show to date. What a great surprise.

Congratulations!

I am kicking my ass for not going again this past weekend. I was seriously considering it, but I figured the huge crowds for the events going on would have gauranteed a quick sellout.

I will probably head back either this weekend and/or the next, but I think the show you saw was definitely the one to beat.

Great report.

That’s a night you will certainly be telling the grandkids about.
17
On February 21st, 2007, Chloe said:

I saw Prince in Atlanta for his Hit and Run tour and it was an amazing show. BUT anyone who knows Prince and has seen him perform before knows he does not get on stage anytime near the start time. Luckily we had opening acts. Some where ok…some just Destiny Child rip offs. He did a similar act. Lots of covers, medleys and the only thing that made me sad was that he didn’t play get off or erotic city. He played both the night before so I was hoping. Also there are sound ordinances in Atlanta so at 1am he had to stop playing no matter what or get a fine. He is a performer and much like Madonna, he wants to play new or exciting stuff…not stuff from 25 years ago.
18
On February 22nd, 2007, Buntot said:

I am planning on seeing him in July on my birthday! I cannot wait! And after reading all the experiences from everyone on this site, I am stoked. I too am under the 5′6″ height, so I’m trying to figure out if standing in the back on the main floor would be best, as a poster Michele tipped and be able to see everything and be close to the restrooms, or if I should arrive early and try to get front row standing space for the whole show.
And suggestions? Thanks.
19
On February 24th, 2007, Titan35 said:

Great review. I was fortunate enough to see him on Feb 10th. Although the show was shorter than I had expected based on reviews (2 hours), it was still longer than a regular concert. You hit the nail on the head…..$125 to see a living legend 10 to 30ft away was incredible and well worth it. Honestly one of the best concert experiences of my life. Although he was not nearly as involved with the crowd, I got the feeling from him that he was disappointed in the crowd (size or enthusiasm?). He played about 6 “classics” including an amazing encore that contained Lets go Crazy and Purple Rain. He also played KISS, Creed, and a few others that I cant remember at this point. Any which way, it was incredible.

As a regular visitor to Vegas, I went to see him the first time back to make sure he didnt suddenly pull the plug. Well, my fears seem to be founded as I read this morning that he is calling it quits at the end of March. I am returning at the end of March and am hoping to catch it one more time. Do you have any insight to this? Thanks.
20
On February 24th, 2007, VegasRex said:

I am planning on seeing him in July on my birthday!

I’m sorry, my friend. I don’t think that’s going to happen.

http://www.vegasrex.com/2007/02/24/prince-is-leaving-las-vegas/
21
On February 24th, 2007, Joe Blow said:

Good review. Although Prince is a great guitarist, he is not one of the 20 greatest of all time. He is not in the same league as say, Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton as a pure rock guitarist.

And yes, I do play guitar professionally.

However, as an overall singer/songwriter/musician, he is unarguably one of the top 10 most important and talented of the Rock N Roll era - right up there with Dylan, Lennon, Brian Wilson, etc.

I’ll be in Vegas in April, and I am disappointed I will be unable to see this show.
22
On February 24th, 2007, VegasRex said:

I very much appreciate your comment and 100% get where you are coming from. I am not outright disagreeing with you. I respect your opinion.

But here’s the thing:

“Best Guitarist” really is completely subjective. There is not such thing as a “best”, and they really cannot be “ranked”. It’s all in our head.

I was merely stating my (admittedly strongly held) opinion. And I stick by it.

Mike McCready of Pearl Jam did not even make Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest (??!!), while Kurt Cobain was in the top 10. Prince did not make Rolling Stone’s list either.

“Yellow Ledbetter” alone should get Mike mentioned on that list, and Prince has too many worthy solos to even try to mention.

Hendrix and Cobain get ALOT of overly-positive amp based on their early and tragic demise. “It’s better to burn out than slowly fade away”. Remember? The respect for this rock creed is probably 70% responsible for keeping these guys at the top of the mainstream rock press machine.

What of Robin Finck, Mark Knopfler, etc, etc, etc, etc. All kickass players who are routinely overlooked.

K. Cobain was a great songwriter, peformer, and all-around great musician of his genre … but the people he ranked above in axe proficiency is dubious at best, IMHO … but that is what is in the head of Rolling Stone and they are entitled to their views.

It just goes to show you. Ask 100 people who the best guitarists are, you will get 100 different answers.

There is no right or wrong answer.

And it matters not if one is a professional or not. I used to be a professional guitar player, but my opinion is no more or less valid than the guy working the counter at 7-11. It’s in the ear of the beholder.

Some of the old obscure blugrass guys who played the banjo like their soul was on fire are arguably the most technically gifted people to ever pick up a string box. Listen to Earl Scruggs sometime and tell me that you know anyone who could even approximate that.

I stand by my position that Prince is one of the greatest Rock/Funk/Jazz guitarists of all time. In my world … he is. I think he could be put up against virtually anyone Telecaster vs. Telecaster. Yes, he really is that good. Damn near unmatched in his seemless multi-genre abilities.

My opinion.

And since you did mention Eric Clapton, it might be worth noting that Clapton has been quoted as listing Prince as one of his favorite modern guitarists.

I do hope that you will be able to bump up your trip a little and catch the show before he leaves.

I assure you that it would be well worth the time, money and hassle.

Thanks again!
23
On February 25th, 2007, Joe Blow said:

I get where you are coming from. Prince’s guitar solos always have a certain indescribable “X Factor”, for lack of a better term, which makes his playing consistently interesting and compelling. And his guitar tone is tremendous - among the very best, even when using his gimmick guitars. I must say that I am impressed that he would use a Telecaster for lead guitar playing. It seems to be more of a rhythm player’s guitar. I play a Les Paul and have a tough time playing leads on a Tele.

It must be said - The Rolling Stone list was a joke. Jack White better than Eddie Van Halen? Gimmie a F’n break!! And yes, Prince should have been on that list somewhere.

You are right, though, it is very subjective - I wish I could get out to Vegas earlier to catch “The Artist” in this setting. I will be missing a great show.
24
On February 25th, 2007, VegasRex said:

It must be said - The Rolling Stone list was a joke.

Amen, brother.

I don’t know anyone who thought the thing was worth the paper it was printed on.

I wish I could get out to Vegas earlier to catch “The Artist” in this setting. I will be missing a great show.

Call in sick and hop a plane … it’s the American way! ;-)
25
On February 26th, 2007, Titan35 said:

I couldnt agree more. Price is one of the best Guitarists ever, and more importantly an icon of our Generation. 20 years from now, people will be talking about him with the same reverence that people spoke of James Brown. Not to compare the two, but they both were special and talented in ways that not many musicians have ever been.

VegasRx. Are you sure he is playing the 31st. I have a scheduled trip for that weekend and I was really hoping he would play. It would be cool to see that last show. Nothing has been announced by the Rio or ticketmaster. Thanks
26
On February 26th, 2007, VegasRex said:

Titan35 (and everyone else),

I am sincerely sorry:

http://www.vegasrex.com/2007/02/26/prince-leaving-las-vegas-update/
27
On February 27th, 2007, Vibe Goddess said:

I was fortunate enough to see the Feb 23rd show- It was incredible being 10 feet from the master himself. I was feeling a bit bummed about the very short set - 1 hour and 15 minutes TOTAL. We waited for 2 and 1/2 hours on the floor for the show to start- not a problem if he actually played a while longer. We went to the 3121 Jazz club for after hours but were only able to hang out in the area where the bar was so no real close ups. All in all I was impressed with what I saw and heard- just wish he would have played longer. We spent a ton of $$ to get to Vegas, get a hotel, etc and to only see him for 1.25 hours was pretty weak. So- I hope all of you get longer shows.

Peace-
V
28
On February 27th, 2007, Titan35 said:

VegasRex,

Thanks for your insight. Fortunatly, I got to see the Feb 10th show, which was 2 hours and incredible. The best show I have seen in Vegas by far and 2nd best show I have ever seen anywhere. So as you say, I got to go once and that is better than most people got. I just wish I would have known when I was there that it would have been the only time. As a regular visitor to Vegas I was planning on hitting it on every trip. Oh Well, so life goes. I was still one of the lucky ones!
29
On February 28th, 2007, s2 said:

I went to the Feb 24th show, which may become his historic last show. Besides it being a delight to have had the chance to see him in this unique venue I could tell that he was generally bored. I was looking forward to 2+ hrs of improvisation, covers, and hits but he just played his oldies, giving the fans what they wanted for under 1.5 hrs. Yes he was fantastic and a complete showman, but he is to smart for the Super Bowl set which seemed to have populated the crowd.

Remember he is an artist, this was a limited performance, consider yourself lucky if you had the chance to see him. I know I’ll see him again when he ventures on his world tour!
30
On March 1st, 2007, VegasRex said:

Five Hundy just alerted us to the fact that tickets went back on sale today through the end of March.

Don’t ask me how or why … I have no idea.

They threw them up a day before the next show (although no show is happening this weekend for some reason).

Whatever … I’m going.

Get your tickets fast.
31
On March 5th, 2007, Katie said:

I was able to purchase tickets (through Ticketmaster) on Friday March 2nd for the Friday March 30th show. Hopefully I won’t be left hanging. I really have enjoyed being able to read these threads. Makes me super excited to be able to go. I could care less if he sat on a bean bag chair, and sang the ABC’s. Just being there, is MORE than enough for me.

I am curious though…how strict is the no camera rule? I find it a little hard to believe that I dropped 250.00+ on tickets, and won’t have a lick of proof for anyone when I tell this story. :-( (BUMMER)
32
On March 5th, 2007, VegasRex said:

Congratulations on getting tickets! You will enjoy the show and it is worth it.

The camera policy is VERY strict. As in negative zero tolerance. Security is watching the crowd like a hawk the whole time and they will throw you out on your ear if it even looks like you are holding a camera. I actually don’t think they are there for crowd safety, I think their main objective is camera/audio recording prevention.

They can’t possibly watch everyone, so maybe you can get away with it (I know some who have) … but maybe not … but you would have to be willing to take the risk.

Then again, you WILL have proof. Just look at the photo at the top of this post. That is one of my ticket stubs. You will have ticket stubs too. That’s about as much proof as one will get.

Then again, who really care if anyone believes you?

You are going to the show, you are going to be entertained, it will be imprinted in your mind forever, if someone doesn’t believe you …. fuck ‘em in the ear.
33
On March 6th, 2007, Talent Awareness said:

To Vadeddo,
Apparently you’re deaf - Prince Untalented???
Apparently you’re blind - Prince Untalented???
oh and I forgot, retarded, just like Borat’s Brother Billo
34
On March 20th, 2007, Rockdoc said:

Just saw Prince this March 16 Friday Show. Was great and I thought a great venue with sound mix. Not too loud, infact could have had vocals up a bit. Dancers rocked and his sax player is stellar. Worth the money-now prices are up to 175$ due to this being last mos. of shows. That was a bummer to find out but we still had great time. Only played 1.5 hours but all was good…

Go early and get your tickets then go have dinner till about 11pm. Can reenter the theater without a line and still have good view of stage and not have to wait long. he came out at 1145 for us.

Vegas rocks and unique shows like this in small venues are best and beat the crap out of huge venues or routine vegas shows. Have a blast!
35
On March 22nd, 2007, Jorgen said:

Please Prince, come to Sweden!
36
On March 28th, 2007, Katie said:

Mr VegasRex -

How the heck to I get from the Excalibur to the Rio? I am coming into town tomorrow, and have read more sites on transportation, then I care to admit. I only want to get to the show. PERIOD!! Any help would be GREATLY appreciated, as I have never been to the Big, Bad City before.

Thanks!
37
On March 28th, 2007, James said:

Is It true that 3121 is shut down at the end of the month?The club should be able to take pics,video,and sounds of the show so People can enjoy what they payed for.The price of the show is very pricy and people should bring cameras and a tape player so they can see the show at their house to enjoy more of the show and listen to the show that they can JAM to the music on the road,plane,exserice,and at their house too.So I can get my moneys worth at the show and at home..Is Prince going to open up NPG Music Club?
38
On April 3rd, 2007, Katie said:

I just wanted to say that I went to the Friday March 30th show, and it was INCREDIBLE! Prince rocked with us for over 2 hours! He also had an amazing guest with him…None other than Sheila E!! They played together to start the show, and she played at the end as well. The Twins danced, and sang their asses off. It was a FANTASTIC show. I have always wanted to see Prince live, and 3121 provided a great venue for this. Prince was in a a super mood, joking with us, and repeatedly telling us he had “too many hits”, and that we couldn’t handle him. He broke out into rocking solos a couple times, and that was just mind blowing. He looked as though he was genuinely having a fantastic time. I don’t know about what everyone else is paying for tickets, but I got 2 @ 125.00 each, and it was WELL worth it. I would pay DOUBLE that to see this show again. And for those of you thinking about taking cameras…DONT! They are VERY strict about it. Not worth losing your spot for the show! If you are lucky enough to get to see this show….go for it, you will not regret it!
39
On April 11th, 2007, JB said:

Thank you for this review, and thank you all for the comments. I am a huge fan and will be attending the concert on April 20th, my 31st bday! I can’t wait. I hope I get a long show and have an energetic crowd. How early would I need to arrive to be at the stage, and if I am not at the stage, how late can I arrive to still get a good view? Thanks again! JB
40
On April 18th, 2007, Katie said:

JB,

Any place in 3121 provides a great view…..unless you are 5′2″, like me…. Kidding. if you want to be up front, you need to be in line waiting for your tickets by like 7pm. Seriously. Just getting through the line to get your tickets takes 30-45 mins….and they don’t open the doors until 10pm….But, it is DAMN worth it! Hope you enjoy the show.
41
On April 24th, 2007, Shawnda said:

I went to see Prince on Friday, April 20, 2007 and after reading your respond it seems that we got the same show!

I however, walked out because the gift shop clerk told me he wouldn’t start until after midnight, so I went to gamble.

I would tell anyone that if they get tickets to stay at the Rio as opposed to other hotels, that way you can go get your tickets at 10:00p.m in your jeans and then come back around a quarter to midnight after getting ready.

Overall I had a ball. Take away the standing for so long and it was da** near perfect.
42
On April 24th, 2007, Gabriel said:

I saw the show on Saturday April 21, 2007 and Prince was awesome. I could not believe how close to the stage we were. Like others have stated, he is a living legend, and being able to see his show like this was very special.
He can jam. He brings the FUNK back. He sings, dances, and plays guitar. All around, I’ve always felt he is one of the best, if not the BEST, musicians to ever walk the earth. If you have not seen this show, what are you waiting for? It was well worth the wait.