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Prince and Tom Petty


JimmyHoffa

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That is still one of my favorite performances.   Clapton did the original solo and was alive when they did this tribute, but they still went with Prince, who was inducted at the same time.   They didn't even get to rehearse his solo prior so everyone on stage was seeing it for the first time.    He can flat out shred.

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  • 2 months later...
On 3/29/2018 at 11:18 AM, DCA_HORN said:

I can't believe they both died the same way.

WTF is going on here?

EDIT:  wait,  you were talking about Petty?  The post above yours mentioned Clapton and my first reaction was "what, Clapton died"?

Edited by jimmyjazz
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While we're talking about awesome prince videos, if you've never seen this video of him playing Purple Rain for the first time live, check it out. This is actually the vocal track that ends up on the album. 

A few amazing things about this video:

  • Wendy!
  • No cell phones!
  • No one knows the words!
  • There's an extra verse!
  • 13 minutes long!
  • 3:30 intro!

https://bongorama.com/2014/04/17/the-original-prince-live-performance-as-recorded-for-the-album-purple-rain/

 

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4 hours ago, irishtexan said:

While we're talking about awesome prince videos, if you've never seen this video of him playing Purple Rain for the first time live, check it out. This is actually the vocal track that ends up on the album. 

A few amazing things about this video:

  • Wendy!
  • No cell phones!
  • No one knows the words!
  • There's an extra verse!
  • 13 minutes long!
  • 3:30 intro!

https://bongorama.com/2014/04/17/the-original-prince-live-performance-as-recorded-for-the-album-purple-rain/

 

Thanks for that link. 

That entire show is amazing to watch in retrospect.  It was the first time they played any of the Purple Rain songs publicly.  

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2 hours ago, HouTex said:

I saw Prince at the Summit in 1981 or 1982 before he was mainstream. His live performance was just behind Springsteen in terms of putting on a great show and giving it his all.

He was just in his infancy during that tour. He saw tremendous growth in his live show during the Purple Rain tour.  His ability to lead his band and interact with the crowd increased and put him on the path to being one of the best live performers ever.  

  

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He was just in his infancy during that tour. He saw tremendous growth in his live show during the Purple Rain tour.  His ability to lead his band and interact with the crowd increased and put him on the path to being one of the best live performers ever.  
  

I’m sure. But he was awesome then. One of the opening acts was The Time. Our seats were side stage and Prince was right in front of us watching their set and loving it.
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4 hours ago, WJC88 said:

He was just in his infancy during that tour. He saw tremendous growth in his live show during the Purple Rain tour.  His ability to lead his band and interact with the crowd increased and put him on the path to being one of the best live performers ever.  

  

Saw that Musicology tour (with Maceo).  Wife (no pics) still claims it is the best show she ever has seen.  It's top 5 for me for sure.  That video brings back great memories of funkiness.  Thank you!  Between Prince and Tom Petty, so much music died last year, I just cannot stand it. 

Edited by dcbc
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And he's nailing that Doyle Bramhall Jr. characteristic harmony.  (Not even sure DBJ was on board when this song was tracked but the harmony SCREAMS his style.  He has a way of finding that note, might be a minor third against the major, I've never dissected it, but whatever it is it fucking rocks.)

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On 3/29/2018 at 11:18 AM, DCA_HORN said:

I can't believe they both died the same way.

somebody posted an article back on the old sites Princes death thread about that performance. Petty was saying he thought about calling Prince a day or two before prince died to see if he was well, and that you should always check in on people you care about, or something like that.

 

then yeah, he goes on to die the same way, wtf.

Edited by MNLonghornFUKM
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On 3/29/2018 at 11:18 AM, DCA_HORN said:

I can't believe they both died the same way.

I've heard Dr. Drew talk about it.  I'm not surprised they both went out the same way. Sounds like a lot of doctors are mixing pain killers with sleeping drugs and it's a dangerous combo (I'm not a doctor, if I butchered that seek your medical professional).

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  • 2 years later...
11 hours ago, Goredho said:

New footage of this performance released as a “directors cut” that features more Prince.  New video through link.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-04-29/prince-rock-hall-of-fame-while-my-guitar-gently-weeps-directors-cut

Just.Wow. I love this. 
And yeah, whoever caught the guitar- Stud.

 

 

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On 5/1/2021 at 9:45 AM, Goredho said:

New footage of this performance released as a “directors cut” that features more Prince.  New video through link.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-04-29/prince-rock-hall-of-fame-while-my-guitar-gently-weeps-directors-cut

 

Never gets old seeing this.    Simply fantastic. 

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Yeah, the new angles and focus on his hands are pretty cool.  And what a fucking perfectly Prince moment that we are lucky was captured.  Prince steps onto a stage with rock & roll legends, steals the fucking show with his otherworldly musicianship, throws his guitar to the gods and then disappears as if it was all a hallucination.

Fucking A.  Bravo, Prince.

Edited by Goredho
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Anybody get the feeling some of those grins are aimed at the choad who didn't want to give up the spotlight on guitar?

"Hey buddy, did you hear THAT?  Yeah, I did that.  You couldn't do that in a million years.  Oh, look, I did that too!  Sit down."

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6 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Anybody get the feeling some of those grins are aimed at the choad who didn't want to give up the spotlight on guitar?

"Hey buddy, did you hear THAT?  Yeah, I did that.  You couldn't do that in a million years.  Oh, look, I did that too!  Sit down."

Like a boss.

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23 hours ago, Wally Pryor said:

And no one (still) knows what happened to the guitar, except the guy who caught it.

 

 

I assumed when he fell back into the roadie, that dude clipped a cable onto the strap and when he threw the guitar up in the air, they just pulled it straight up, but I've watched this new cut and can't see any cabling.  He looks like he does something with the strap just before he pushes him up, and he says something to him, but I'll be damned if I can see any kind of rigging/cabling.

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Just now, hullabelew said:

I assumed when he fell back into the roadie, that dude clipped a cable onto the strap and when he threw the guitar up in the air, they just pulled it straight up, but I've watched this new cut and can't see any cabling.  He looks like he does something with the strap just before he pushes him up, and he says something to him, but I'll be damned if I can see any kind of rigging/cabling.

I exchange emails with Steve Ferrone (the drummer) on rare occasions.  I'm half tempted to ask him what happened, but I really don't want to call in any "favors" or annoy him.

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3 hours ago, hullabelew said:

Ooooh...that's an idea.  I know a guy who has worked with him as well.  I may give that a try. 

Yeah, do that.  Steve is the drummer in the clip -- played with the Heartbreakers for quite a while.

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It’s occurred to me that I’m not sure anyone could have pulled this off except for Prince.  What I mean is, I think anyone else does that, they come off as a fucking asshole.  Overplaying, trying to upstage legends, strutting around like a peacock, the stunt of throwing the guitar and not even accepting the audience’s applause.  This guys a bigger asshole than John Mayer.

Except it doesn’t come off that way at all, because it’s motherfucking Prince, man.  It comes off as mythic and absolutely perfect.  I don’t know what he had that allowed him to do that, but it’s something ineffable in him that was beyond his more easily described talents as a musician.

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23 hours ago, hullabelew said:

I assumed when he fell back into the roadie, that dude clipped a cable onto the strap and when he threw the guitar up in the air, they just pulled it straight up, but I've watched this new cut and can't see any cabling.  He looks like he does something with the strap just before he pushes him up, and he says something to him, but I'll be damned if I can see any kind of rigging/cabling.

His guitar tech, Takumi Suetsugu, was standing in the front row right in front of Prince.  Prince threw the guitar to him and briefly points at him as he walks off the stage (because he caught it as planned).  The guitar tech, per Prince's instructions, then handed the guitar to Oprah, who was sitting nearby.  She returned the guitar to Prince.

The tossing of the the guitar to his tech or roadie before the walk off was something he routinely did at shows.  At the HOF show, the way the cameras were set up and the way it was cut makes it look like it goes straight up (and never comes down), which is among the coolest things ever.  But, in reality, it had enough outward trajectory to clear the stage and land where it was supposed to land. 

The reality isn't nearly as cool as the mythology that George caught it.

 

https://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2018/03/15/what-happened-to-princes-guitar-after-while-my-guitar-gently-weeps

 

23 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

I exchange emails with Steve Ferrone (the drummer) on rare occasions.  I'm half tempted to ask him what happened, but I really don't want to call in any "favors" or annoy him.

There's a NYT article about the show where he says he was just as surprised as everyone else and still had no idea what happened.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/28/arts/music/prince-guitar-rock-hall-of-fame.html

Edited by dcbc
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I read that article when it originally came out.  I still dig this part.

 

STEVE FERRONE (drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, who played at the 2004 ceremony) I had no idea that Prince was going to be there. Steve Winwood said, “Hey, Prince is over there.” And I said, “I guess he’s playing with us?”
So I said to Winwood, “I’m going to go over and say hello to him.” I wandered across the stage and I went up to him and I said, “Hi, Prince, it’s nice to meet you — Steve Ferrone.” And he said, “Oh, I know who you are!” Maybe because I’d played on Chaka Khan’s “I Feel for You,” which is a song that he wrote. I went back over and I sat down behind the drum kit, and Winwood was like: “What’s he like? What’d he say?”
 
Then I was sitting there, and I heard somebody playing a guitar riff from a song that I wrote with Average White Band. And I looked over and Prince was looking right at me and playing that song. And I thought, “Yeah, you actually do know who I am!”
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It’s occurred to me that I’m not sure anyone could have pulled this off except for Prince.  What I mean is, I think anyone else does that, they come off as a fucking asshole.  Overplaying, trying to upstage legends, strutting around like a peacock, the stunt of throwing the guitar and not even accepting the audience’s applause.  This guys a bigger asshole than John Mayer.
Except it doesn’t come off that way at all, because it’s motherfucking Prince, man.  It comes off as mythic and absolutely perfect.  I don’t know what he had that allowed him to do that, but it’s something ineffable in him that was beyond his more easily described talents as a musician.

Legit points, but counterpoint: I’m sure I’m in a small minority but the more I watch that video the more I think it comes off as a little much. Even for Prince.

And I don’t buy *all* of the guitar love. There no doubt the dude can play. And there’s no doubt he’s an insanely talented musician across the board. But in the pantheon of word class guitarists into which he’s often discussed, I don’t think he belongs.

He played a hell of a solo and it was a great moment of showmanship. But I think it was overdone and no need to show up the others on that stage. Doesn’t rise to the mythical status for me that other ascribe to it.

But what do I know. It’s just like one man’s opinion you know.
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On 5/3/2021 at 11:12 AM, Goredho said:

Yeah, the new angles and focus on his hands are pretty cool.  And what a fucking perfectly Prince moment that we are lucky was captured.  Prince steps onto a stage with rock & roll legends, steals the fucking show with his otherworldly musicianship, throws his guitar to the gods and then disappears as if it was all a hallucination.

Fucking A.  Bravo, Prince.

His playing was great, but he stole the stage with his incredible showmanship. Just on another level of elite talent with the likes of James Brown, Hendrix, MJ…

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8 hours ago, tbone_ said:


Legit points, but counterpoint: I’m sure I’m in a small minority but the more I watch that video the more I think it comes off as a little much. Even for Prince.

And I don’t buy *all* of the guitar love. There no doubt the dude can play. And there’s no doubt he’s an insanely talented musician across the board. But in the pantheon of word class guitarists into which he’s often discussed, I don’t think he belongs.

He played a hell of a solo and it was a great moment of showmanship. But I think it was overdone and no need to show up the others on that stage. Doesn’t rise to the mythical status for me that other ascribe to it.

But what do I know. It’s just like one man’s opinion you know.

Yeah, I disagree, but no skin off my back.  I think a lot of Prince looking back at everyone was him being like, “Hey, you cool with this?” and Tom Petty, Harrison’s son and others were like “Fuck yeah, ride that wave you caught, man.”  I could be wrong about that, but that’s what it seems like to me.

Also, Prince was inducted into the HOF that night as well, so if anyone had a right to steal the show, it was him.

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20 minutes ago, NoRagrets said:

His playing was great, but he stole the stage with his incredible showmanship. Just on another level of elite talent with the likes of James Brown, Hendrix, MJ…

Yep.  Music is more than just the notes, chords, rhythm, etc...  There’s a fleeting and ephemeral convergence going on here that only rarely gets captured in a way where it can be experienced without being there.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/13/2021 at 7:53 AM, Goredho said:

Yep.  Music is more than just the notes, chords, rhythm, etc...  There’s a fleeting and ephemeral convergence going on here that only rarely gets captured in a way where it can be experienced without being there.

SRV at El Macombo holding his guitar by the vibrato arm and walking it around headstock-to-body all over the stage.  Jimi setting his guitar on fire.  Chuck Berry duck walking.  The Who destroying their instruments.  James Brown and the laying a cape or some shit over him like he couldn't go on.  Seriously, it's rock n roll.  It's funk (in JB's case).  It's supposed to be fun.  It's not supposed to be boring.  Overplayed?  He laid waste to the place.  And good on him for having the decency to kick ass. 

Side story.  I saw Rush once in the 80s.  They played songs note perfect and appeared barely to move the entire show.  It sucked.  It was boring.  I actually stopped listening to them after that, which probably would have happened anyway. 

Edited by dcbc
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