Prince: the concert experience of a lifetime
The three Prince concerts in L.A. on March 28 made this the musical event of the year. It was a phenomenal experience, and I have just one word: genius.
Three of us from Gemini Soul drove down from the Bay Area Friday morning. Andre has been an ardent fan since the first album, For You, and knows every obscure fact and song. Alex had never been to a Prince concert; Purple Rain came out before he was born. I fall somewhere in the middle of those two. All three of us were blown away. [Read more →]
Prince is one of the artists who defined the sound of the ’80s. Innovative and controversial, his music was ubiquitous. But no performer can maintain that kind of dominance, especially in an industry that caters to youth. Prince never receded completely — he’s continued to release CDs and garner media attention — but music styles changed, and since the ’90s he’s stopped leading the pack, despite being one of the greatest living musicians. His latest triple CD, LOtUSFLOW3R, was officially released as a download on his website on March 24, with the physical CDs (containing an additional track) to be released on March 29 at Target. 
What were you doing on March 24 at 7:07 p.m.? If you were like many of us, you were frantically trying to access Prince’s new website. The dark, desolate landscape at 
While economists debate whether the economy is in recession or depression, the rest of us are plenty depressed already. Nightclubs and theaters that employ musicians are closing or eliminating live music. My neighbor, a full-time drummer, has seen his steady stream of corporate gigs dry up 100%. Yoshi’s, one of the premiere jazz venues on the west coast, has started offering discount tickets and expanding their bookings to indie rock and alternative country. London’s The Metro — where Madonna, U2 and Courtney Love have performed — closed in January; the legendary Astoria is likely to follow. 
