Prince: Live in Syracuse 1985

I can understand that some people might be underwhelmed by this watching it later, out of context. But at the time I saw it, it was broadcast live to Europe, which means it was like 4 AM and the whole atmosphere was just crazy. MJ was the first big black pop star to show up on the European scene and then suddenly there was Prince ... I did not like 'when doves cry' when it was played over and over again on the radio ...

But after watching this concert 'live' (on TV) in the wee hours of the morning ... I was turned ... since then I bought pretty much every record / CD / bootleg ... went to see him live 3 times on different continents ...

But ever since his internet experiment of releasing a 3 CD album just there .. it kinda fizzled out ... I like his old stuff ... and I'd love to see a great DVD of this concert (seems there is only VHS)

I was in the video store a few years back when this title caught my eye. Since I had seen Prince live once, my curiosity got me so I purchased it. Imagine my suprise when I started to watch it and realized it was the show I attended live! Anyway, I went to the concert only because the girl I was seeing at the time was heavily into Prince, but I came away a fan. The man is amazing, and I must say this tape does the concert justice. It conveys the electricity that went thru the Carrier Dome that night. While some songs like "Temptation" were left out ( it was new at the time), the remaining songs and the dancing ( OH MAN, THE DANCING IS GREAT), more than make up for it. High points are "Beautiful Ones", " Irresistable Bitch", and of course "1999" and a just killer performance of " Purple Rain". If you have even a remote interest in Prince, this is a must have!

I just watched my BluRay copy that I got for Christmas. Purple Rain is, imo, Prince's greatest musical achievement.

This isn't a criticism of the performance in any way, but an observation of the video production alone.

What I wouldn't give to have some better lights in this place. The entire affair is so dimly lit that it's a testament to the music that we still hang on until the end. How in the world isn't there a spotlight following Prince everywhere he goes on that stage? And Prince goes nearly EVERYWHERE in near total darkness.

The house of mirrors effect used during the entirety of "When Doves Cry" is tiresome. Thankfully it's only for that track alone, which is still a shame because it's one of his greatest hits and you find yourself looking elsewhere during the whole song just to save your eyes.

I think the house lights went on once the entire show, which is a bummer because that crowd deserved to be highlighted a bit more.

All 8 stars in my rating are for that incredible band and the genius leading them.

A few years ago, I went into a video store, and like I always do, I checked out the music videos. Upon seeing this title, I said to myself, " hey, I like Prince, let me get this." So I get home, and pop in the tape..and it starts to roll, and I see, "on march 30th, 198five, the world witnessed Prince and the revolution". I start thinking to myself...hmmmmm, that date sounds familiar...OH MY GOD, I JUST BOUGHT A TAPE OF A CONCERT I WAS AT LIVE!. I must say that in 1985, I was not a big Prince fan, but the girl I was seeing at the time was, so I figured, what the hell, I will take her. I came away a fan. The show was energetic, great music, great showmanship etc and now I own every Prince recording. The relationship with the woman didn't last, but my admiration for Prince remains. Now I show my girlfriend the tape and say " hey, I was there" and I show her the ticket stub. No, I can't see myself in the video since my seats were obstructed view. Hey, maybe thats why my relationship at the concert didn't last lol. Shoulda sprung for better seats, but I was just a young college student at the time.

Watch this slowly become my most-watched movie of 2022, or maybe even my most-watched movie of all time, eventually.

Because this is as good as live concerts get. Prince plays all the songs from Purple Rain, which is among the best albums of all time. Often, the songs here sound even better live. The 19-minute version of the title track has to be seen/heard to be believed. Most of the non-Purple Rain songs are great, too.

Even the lesser songs here are still fun, thanks to Prince's energy and stage presence.

Two years later he'd release Sign O The Times, which was a double album every bit as classic as Purple Rain (and which also has a great concert film).

The 1980s belonged to Prince; I don't know if any other solo artist was on fire in that decade as much as he was.