Nothing Compares 2 U: Prince Honored at Billboard Music Awards

  I had the pleasure to attend the Billboard Music Awards where Prince received the 2013 Icon Award.

  I was excited to arrive at my very first awards show at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas May 19. Once I was inside the doors, it felt like I was attending a concert with several megastars on the bill (think Budweiser Superfest or the like for all you triple O.G.'s like myself out there). All the fans were suited up and I think there were a few women who even busted out some old prom dresses for the occasion. 

  The crowd's buzz was energizing. Besides the usual concession stands for food and alcohol (where they got me for $8 for a bottle of beer). There were also places to buy souvenir programs and more practically, rent binoculars, so us fans in the upper level, also know as the nosebleeds, could better zoom in on our favorite stars. Pretty clever. I said to myself "How come I didn't think of that?"

 I flirted with the idea of the renting them (for $10, plus a $25 deposit). But, once I got inside and got to my seat, I realized I didn't need them. I was in the fifth row of the upper level, but, it wasn't actually a balcony. The only thing separating us from what would be considered the mezzanine level was the entrance and another barrier. In fact, the way the arena was set up, there really wasn't a bad seat in the house.

  I could see from my section, that hardly any of the celebrities were seated in their designated chairs that early (about an hour before the show was supposed to start). I can't say for sure, but, I am fairly certain that Prince was never seated in the audience at all. The fans in the pit section in front of the stage could see all the stars being quickly ushered to their seats right before the show was set to begin and you could hear occasional cheering from that area.

  Finally after many announcements, the show kicked off when Tracy Morgan made his entrance from backstage. I'll be honest, I don't really think he's funny, but, that line he said about Wayne Newton being his biological father was priceless. Personally, I was a bit surprised to see Mr. Las Vegas at the Billboard Awards.

Courtesy of K Nicola Dyes

  Let me just put out a disclaimer: Although I am familiar with the majority of the stars in the night's lineup, I am not familiar with their music, so, it was all new to me. The show kicked off with Bruno Mars, who sang "Treasure," and I was very impressed. He and his band  (bands were a rare sight during the show) were decked out in their red suits, daringly unbuttoned black shirts and gold chains. The song was bangin' and the choreography was tight. The set reached back to the days when groups like The Jacksons, Earth Wind & Fire, The Commodores, The Ohio Players, Cameo and so many other legendary acts ruled the radio airwaves and concert stages. It was a great way to start the show.

  The sibling trio, The Band Perry, performed after Selena Gomez, who was second act of the night. They sang they their hit "Better Dig Two" and it was great. They were another live band (note to other performers, it does make a difference) and when they did they their drum solo mid-stage toward the end of the song, I thought this was a sign of more great performances to come.

  I was wrong.

  While sitting in the audience, I was not aware Prince would be the very last act of the night. Most fans have now tagged it on social media sites as "saving the best for last" and I would agree. Not all of the following performances were horrible, but, a lot of them sounded the same. It seemed as if everyone, except me, knew the words to all these songs. I've never felt so elderly and out of touch. 

  It sounded like a hodgepodge of electronica/pop/hip-hop where one song was barely distinguishable from the other. The performers included:  Icona Pop; Jennifer Lopez; Christina Aguilera (who sounded great, but, whose song I didn't care for); Chris Brown (doing his best Michael Jackson impression, but, it was a decent one); David Guetta, Akon and Ne-Yo and Seattle's own Macklemore and Lewis (I loved the shout out to local thrift store chain Value Village), whose performance we viewed by a feed from the Wynn Resort here in Las Vegas (Why? I don't know). However, it was interesting to see dancers rehearsing on one side of the stage for what was later revealed as Taylor Swift's "22" number. Also, Justin Beiber, performed twice (as well as Pitbull who performed with Aguilera and Lopez), the second time with will.i.am.

 Bieber (who, on a side note, looked like a New Kids on the Block throwback) was booed by a large section of the audience for several seconds when accepting his second award. I may have been sitting in the Team Bieber section, but, the rest of the audience was not having it. I must say, the kid looked caught off guard. He attempted to give his speech, but, was stopped midway by the incessant sound of disapproval. There were some screaming girl fans who tried to counter it, however, the damage had been done. It was truly surprising.

Courtesy of K Nicola Dyes

  All the musical monotony was broken up by the occasional award, parade of presenters (including many ABC TV network stars) interesting asides (when Kid Rock said "Let's give it up for performers lip synching to pre-recorded tracks," I swear I thought I heard him wrong)  and occasional epic fail (think Miguel's botched airborne attempt).

   Madonna, whom I hoped would perform, came out to accept her Top Touring Artist Award with an outfit that consisted of little more than a fitted coat, leotard and stockings and garters. She wore it with such panache that one could be convinced it was formal evening wear. However, the commentary between the two twenty-something girls seated behind me overshadowed her detailed, if meandering, speech: "You are the queen," "Ummmm...aren't you going to thank your fans? (This was before she finally did)," and "She must be at least 68 by now." Dear Lord. It turns out they were sitting in somebody else's seats, so, they had to kick rocks.

  It even seemed like the same people were winning all the televised awards (the night belonged to Taylor Swift). But, there were some pretty cool interactive moments during the show. When we all entered the venue, we were given small lights that we were directed to later point at the stage during Ed Sheeran's performance, that created the effect of a starry night sky in the darkened theater. Also, fans who downloaded an app before the Icona Pop set, pointed their smartphones toward the stage during the set and it created a glow of warm light in the audience.

  Finally, after Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne performed "High School" -- I'm curious to know how much home TV viewers saw of that oh-so-convincing lap dance-- it was time for the highlight of the evening. Prince was getting his award.

  Morgan came out and introduced Erykah Badu and Janelle Monae (the perfect people to give this tribute, in my opinion). They were decked out in the most innovative attire of the evening—Monae's seemingly inspired by Prince, circa 1984 and Badu's, in my opinion, bought back the very best elements of Parliament/Funkadelic. Her blond wig prompted also the now forty-something ladies behind me to wonder aloud if she was actually Mary J. Blige. Again, Dear Lord.

Courtesy of K Nicola Dyes

  Badu and Monae seemed thrilled to be handling the honors. I was happy to see them.

They gave a short speech introducing Prince as the recipient of Billboard Music Awards' 2013 Icon Award, which led into a video montage of Prince's performances, achievements and general impact on the music world. I enjoyed it and I was looking forward to a speech where Prince might further expound on these points.

  But, that night, he decided to let the music speak for him. As soon as the video ended, the proverbial curtain came up on stage right (there were two individual stages were separated by a platform and  short staircase where presenters descended from backstage to give out the night's awards) and Prince and 3^rd Eye Girl—Donna Grantis, Hannah Ford and Ida Nielsen-- launched right into "Let's Go Crazy (Reloaded)."

  The audience was instantly on its feet and Prince began his reign over night's awards. His lime green ensemble topped with a black fringed jacket was eye catching. His afro, which caused chatter among fans in the stands-- "Look, he has a fro!" was shouted several times by some lady nearby-- was perfectly rounded. They rocked it out and singlehandedly put to shame the artists that came before him, with the exception of the artists two I singled out for praise above. The band sounded tight and they flawlessly segued into their newest single "Fixurlifeup." Then they went back and wrapped it up with "Let's Go Crazy."

  Then, as soon as the last note sounded in the perfectly clean rock and roll finish, the proverbial curtain came down and that was it.

  Morgan came out and thanked everyone for coming out and, like that, the awards ceremony was over.

  The band had come to out to remind us why Prince deserved the Icon Award. I'm not trying to be snarky, but, Prince and 3^rd Eye Girl could have come out and sang the alphabet and it still would have been more inspiring than some of the acts I saw that night.

  I would have loved to hear a speech from Prince. In all honesty, it would have made my night. But, he must have had his reasons for not giving one, which I will not speculate on here.

  But, I will say that maybe he thought it was a night where actions spoke louder than words.

  Let me be the first to say they did.

Stay beautiful, Kristi

--

Lead photo: Prince and 3rd Eye Girl. Courtesy of billboard.com.


--

Like us on Facebook: Dyes Got the Answers 2 Ur ?s and Beautiful Nights.

Rock and Roll Love Affair: Prince Slays Seattle at the Showbox

   

  

  Prince treated fans to some funky rock and roll last night.

  That was how The Purple One described the musical theme for his second, and closing, show April 19 at Showbox at the Market in Seattle. It was the second stop on his "Live Out Loud Tour" with his band 3^rd Eye Girl, which includes Hannah Ford on drums, Donna Grantis on guitar and Ida Nielsen on bass.

  The show I attended wasn't scheduled to start until 11:30 p.m., but, I was there promptly at 4:45 p.m., as I only live two blocks away from the venue and this was a general admission event. This was after working the graveyard shift Thursday night and sleeping for approximately three hours. Alas, two people were already in line when I arrived. I guess they were just as serious about it as I was.

  The Green Room, the house bar for the venue, is a place where all the early birds can sit, eat or have a drink and wait to be let in for the show. I got a card for group 1, with first priority  to be let into the venue as a reward for my eagerness (although, I do believe that people were also handpicked from the lines outside to enter early, too). Prince's influence even extended down to the bar, as the bartender informed several patrons that there was a strictly vegetarian food menu at the artist's request.

  I could hear most of the 8:30 p.m. show going on upstairs while sipping on my Negra Modelo with three limes (that's what's up). I recognized familiar guitar strains from "Colonized Mind" and "Dolphin," the latter of which he sadly did not play for the second set. I would've slapped my mama to actually see him play that song live (figuratively speaking, of course, because, I don't think she would be down for that). But, such is life.

  The sounds of excited fans and slamming guitar licks made the three-plus hours waiting in The Green Room go by very fast. I could hardly contain my anticipation.

  But, enough about me: I know you want to hear a little less about Kristi and more about Prince.

  The staff let us in about 10:45 p.m. or so. By the time I got to the main floor, there was already a small group of people gathered in front of the stage. I was still able to claim a great spot at stage right near the lights. It was nice, because, there was a good-sized crowd, but, people were respectful. Unlike most general admission shows, nobody was trying to aggressively push their way to the front or standing so close to you that you feel them breathing down your neck (or back, in my case, since I'm 6'2").

  The concert started on time— in fact, I'm pretty sure that it started a few minutes early—with the new "Let's Go Crazy (Reloaded)." 

  The show literally started with a bang and blinding flashes of strobe lights. When Prince's figure became visible out of the darkness, he had on what looked like a Nehru jacket (but, I could be wrong) with extra long fringes, yellow bell bottoms, gold boots and a yellow scarf to accent his afro, a la Jimi Hendrix. I literally felt like I had been transported in time. Prince and 3^rd Eye Girl was taking the audience on a non-stop rock-and-roll journey and he had  channeled the legendary Seattle rocker as an unofficial guide.

"We're not in the real universe, we're in the Prince universe. It's pretty scary...and kind of cool. - A bartender at The Green Room

 The next song was Endorphinmachine, a pulsating, guitar-driven jam that I have been DYING to hear live since the first time I heard The Gold Experience album in 1999. He changed a few of the lyrics (referring to his 'fro instead of the dippy, dippy waves of his 'do in the album version), but that guitar break in the middle of the song was even more killer than I'm used to.
  Next up was "Screwdriver," which Prince recently recorded with 3^rd Eye Girl, an always fun and bouncy pop-rock cut. The official lyric video, with Prince's pre-recorded vocals, came up on the screen behind the band. He jokingly asked the crowd if it was okay if the band did some lip syncing during the show, before, they all promptly kicked in on the second verse.

  Fan favorite "She's Always in My Hair" quickly followed, which, in my humble opinion, is the best B-Side he's ever produced. I caught wind of reports that the band played this song at earlier shows and I was hoping to hear it. I was not disappointed.

  This one of those songs that every time the guitar solos kick in on the recorded version, you just don't want them to stop. They didn't last night. The song turned into an extended jam where Prince just let all the emotions flow from his fingers and through his guitar.

  At some point I started to feel flashes of heat, which could have come from the hot-ass lights that I was standing by or the truly electric energy that was emanating from the stage as the band executed hit after guitar-shredding hit. I'm convinced it was the latter.

  I have to give it up for Ford, Grantis and Nielsen, who I believe, compliment Prince's current sound very well. Each lady had their chance to shine, as they all had several solos throughout the evening. Also, one cool thing of note was that the way the lights were positioned on the stage, moving from side to side, behind them--especially Nielsen-- it looked light was actually radiating from them and their instruments while they were playing. They looked like ethereal rock-and-roll divas.
   We got to hear some funky riffs on "Play That Funky Music White Boy," by Wild Cherry and "Alphabet St." Then there was "Dreamer." He slowed it way down on the third verse of this song, to the point where he almost talking, not singing. It was like he was having an intimate conservation with the entire audience. This added even more weight to the lyrics and gave the social commentary at the heart of the song an even deeper meaning. It made me think of this rock and roll anthem, which I've heard hundreds of times, in a different way.

It was the perfect segue into "Purple Rain," where Prince switched to the keyboards. This closed out the first part of the set.

  The band left stage for a brief interlude, where I just stood in the darkness and quietly reflected on what I just saw. Oddly, I was able to do this in the middle of a sea of screaming fans who demanded more.

  The band obliged and came back, picking up right where they left off by launching into "Guitar." Prince had, by now, swapped the jacket for a sleeveless yellow tunic. We also got to hear two more numbers from his upcoming album: "Plectrum Electrum" and "Fixurlifeup."

  Later, they launched into "I Like it There" and "Bambi," two older songs from Prince's more overtly risque songwriting days. Honestly, I was surprised to hear him recite lyrics like "My emotional ejaculate all over the floor," from "I Like it There" (which could be considered sexual...or not. That's up for debate). Or the more blatant "Baby, you need to bleed" and "It's better with a man" from "Bambi," where the meaning is impossible to miss. But, I would be lying if I didn't say I loved every minute of it.

  In addition, a gentleman referred to simply as "Joshua" in the set lists posted on the 3rd Eye Boy Facebook page, joined them for some enthusiastic cowbell playing during "Bambi." (Insert the Christopher Walken's "more cowbell" line from the infamous SNL skit here).

  The band left the stage once more before returning for their second, and final, encore. This is where it really got interesting. First, there was  "Sign o' the Times," where he and the band played along to a pre-recorded track, (I think it would be hard to replicate the specific sound of that song live without a full band, but, that is purely conjecture). The next few songs, however, were presented as if they were part a DJ set. That was totally unexpected.

  I was thrilled to be treated to instrumental snippets of "777-9311," (which he actually sang over the track, dear Lord); "Nasty Girl;" "I Would Die 4 U;" "Housequake;" "17 Days;" "Alphabet St.;" "Shockadelica" and "Mr. Goodnight." I screamed very loudly when I heard the last two cuts and the girl standing next to me looked perplexed as to why I was doing this.

  Finally, Prince sang "When Doves Cry" and finished up with "Hot Thing," another one of those very sexy tracks not often heard in Prince's live performance cannon as of late. Not only did he sing over the instrumental track, he also closed out the show with an amazing solo on Nielsen's bass. I think that alone was worth the ticket price.

  Just to put into perspective how truly impressive that bass solo was, when I called my friend Natasha White-Smallwood, who has been a Prince fan since 1978, this morning to recap the concert, I told her about it. She has seen The Purple One live dozens of times and she said, almost ruefully, that she had never seen him play the bass in concert.

 Toward the end of his solo, Prince fondly bid Seattle adieu and then wrapped it up with some of the funkiest bass licks I've ever heard.  He and 3^rd Eye Girl left the stage-- the ladies waving as they went off-- and the curtains closed. Our trip was over. We were back. Prince had taken us on a musical journey and no one had even left the venue.

  The crowd lingered long after the house lights came up, not wanting to believe that it was over. But, once I saw the road crew packing up the instruments not very far from where I was standing, I knew it was time to go.

  I left the building in a daze, along with pleasantly ringing ears, and I was home within five minutes. I am happy to have witnessed a show on what promises to be an epic tour.


Stay beautiful, Kristi 

--

Like us on Facebook: Dyes Got the Answers 2 Ur ?s and Beautiful Nights.

All My Dreams: Jesse Jenkins Meets Prince at SXSW

  Jesse Jenkins had the opportunity to live every Prince fan's dream recently.

  The musician invited Jenkins, of Arlington, Texas to his concert last Saturday at the South By Southwest Music Festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas--via Blogger Dr. Funkenberry, who made an announcement on his Spreecast March 13-- as his special guest, all expenses paid.
  This is not Jenkins' first encounter with The Purple One; He was handpicked by Prince and 3^rd Eye Girl to be one of two people to premiere the single “LOL (Live Out Loud)” last month. The lucky fan, who makes YouTube videos related to Prince's music and public appearances, had previously never seen the artist in concert.

  Jenkins talked to “Dyes Got the Answers 2 Ur ?s” Monday night about attending the exclusive concert, hanging out with the New Power Generation (NPG) and meeting Prince:

  ?: Describe how you felt when Dr. Funkenberry told you that Prince was inviting you to SXSW?

  JJ: [I]t was really scandalous. I certainly didn't plan for that. I was not aware that was going to happen. I was more focused on catching him when he hit California, because I wanted to take a road trip down there anyway...I just automatically assumed this wasn't going to happen, because, I (didn't) have $800 and even if I did have $800, I don't know if I would spend it all on that one event, because, that's a lot of money...When it was announced, I didn't know what to think about it...It was truly a surprise.

  I had people telling me that I should send 3^rd Eye Girl a message and that I should make a video about how I'm (near) Austin. But, I'm not like that; I don't like asking people for favors... People said “you should ask, maybe they'll help you out, they sent you a song...” I didn't think it would happen, with the timing, I mean it was just four days (from then)...
  ?: What kind of response did you get from other fans right after the announcement was made on the Spreecast?

  JJ: People said “ oh, you're so lucky.” There was a person (2elijah) on Prince.org who made a thread about how it was awesome that Prince decided to go this far. Everyone was just happy for me, because, they know I make videos (on YouTube) about Prince and that I've never seen him (in concert). The immediate response has been overwhelmingly positive...and they tell me that I deserve it and things like that. (People have) just been really nice, supportive and happy (for me). People have been telling me that they have been crying seeing (my) reaction (on the Spreecast).

  ?: Once the reality sank in that you were actually going to SXSW in the days before the concert, what was going through your mind? How did you feel?

  JJ: I started to become apprehensive after a while, because, it was announced on Wednesday... and I didn't get an e-mail or anything until that Friday...

  I was just feeling really good, though. I didn't really process it all, (because), I was waiting for a confirmation. I'm so paranoid with things and I thought “ I don't know, man, maybe they're just setting me up. Maybe they're trying to embarrass me or something like that (laughing)... "
  But, I was still happy because I know Prince is a man of his word. I knew it was going to actually happen, I just didn't know how it was going to work out... I just had all of these doubts... I was freaking out about transportation, because on the Spreecast, I said I was an hour from Austin, then I found out I'm three hours from Austin... (I thought) what if they say that's too far?
   I'm still shocked that it happened. It was really nice of (Prince) to do this for me, because I've only been making my videos about him for less than a year. He wanted to hook me up with the hotel, seeing him and the chance to meet everyone (in his band), it was just overwhelming.

  ?: Describe your trip from Arlington, Texas to SXSW?

  JJ: Well, I finally got the e-mail from Julia Ramadan (who works for Prince) on Friday... She said that she going to arrange for somebody to pick me up and she said she was going to get me a hotel room. She said she would get back in touch with me after a meeting... She did and said the (driver's) going to pick you at 3 pm. It was just like that.

  I couldn't hardly sleep... I probably got like a couple of hours (of sleep). (The next day) I went to the barbershop and I got my hair shaped up and I got back around 2:45 pm. I figured (the driver) was going be a little late, but, (he arrived) at 3 p.m. on the dot...my dad told me that somebody was outside to meet me. (The driver) asked for my bags and we left...
  It took a while to get to the hotel, because, there were so many people at this event. You know, I'm from New Orleans and Bourbon Street is always packed, but, it was

like Bourbon Street 2.0, intoxicated...I've never seen so many people.

  We had trouble finding the hotel. We didn't know if the hotel was just being renovated or what, because, it was not obvious that it was a hotel; it was connected to a restaurant. (But), finally we made it...

  When I got to the hotel, I made the little video recording. I knew a friend in Austin and I wanted to hang out with her, because, I missed her birthday party (the previous) week.    She sent me a message that said “oh, you're in Austin? Good, then we can hang out.” 
   (Before I met her), I walked around the city for about 30 minutes or so trying to see where the club was (where the concert was being held). I was going to take a (pedicab), because I didn't know all this other stuff had been planned for me. Then my friend picked picked me up.

  ?: What was the concert like?

  JJ: It must have been around 9 p.m. when Ramadan called me and said that Prince wanted to see if I wanted to go see Andy Allo (in concert).  Me and my friend were already (in the car) looking for food, so, I had to tell her that, unfortunately, I had to go back to the hotel and take a shower, because, you know...it's Prince and I wanted to meet Prince and Andy Allo. So, she took me back...

  Ramadan said somebody was going to pick me up and they would drive me over to where she was, because, she was already at the club where Andy Allo was performing. He was really late, he was supposed to get there around 9:30 p.m. and he didn't get there until 10:20 p.m. 
  He apologized, because, he was stuck in traffic...He was going to drop me off at the club where Prince was playing, but, he said, no, I'm supposed to take you somewhere else. He was trying to call Ramadan, but, she didn't answer...

  She actually got a hold of me (on the phone) and told me she was still at the club and that Andy's set was almost over. By then, we were stuck in traffic and by the time she was giving me directions to where she was, it was already 10:45 p.m.
   The streets were blocked, so, I had to get out of the car and I had to find where she was, because, we couldn't get there with the car. I was on the phone with her for five minutes, trying to find out exactly where she was at. I was running through the streets saying “where are you?” and sweating my suit out, man! So, I finally met her and we hug, she said “come on, let's go,” and I saw (Allo) performing “People Pleaser” right in front of me. 
   (Later, on the way to Prince's show) a lot of people thought we (Ramadan and Jenkins) were Prince, because we were riding (to Prince's show) in a white Escalade. (They) were saying “we can't wait to see you, man!”  Ramadan said "you should scream 'aaaooowah!'" and I think I did, but, I didn't do it too well... While we were driving there she gave me the wristband, told me she was happy I was there and said it was going to be a good concert...

   I saw Donna Grantis (guitarist for 3^rd Eye Girl) as soon as I got in the club and I hugged her. I was so happy to see her, but, I was so nervous... I told her how awesome she was and she told me it was good to see me. Then I saw Hannah Ford (3^rd Eye Girl's drummer) and I hugged her. Her husband was there and we talked for a while. Then, I saw Ida Nielsen (3^rd Eye Girl's bassist) and then Shelby J came. I talked to her and Shelby had the smoothest skin...that's one thing I remember...and she said, “well, let's take a picture,” and Ford took a picture (of us). 
  I saw Elisa Fiorillo-Dease and she said "Hey, Jesse!"-- they all called me by name-- and she told me it was awesome to see me. I talked to Cassandra O'Neal and all of the horn players, a bunch of them. I don't remember their names, though...It was such a family atmosphere...

  (When we got inside), everyone was just dancing, because A Tribe Called Quest was already on stage...Q-Tip performed for about 45 minutes or so and, finally, he said “I'm gonna clean the stage. I don't ever do this for anybody, but, I'm doing it for Prince.” Everybody just went crazy.   (Later), the symbol came on the stage and that's when it finally hit me, like, this is real, I'm finally about to see Prince.

  I was in the VIP section, so, I was up close, I was basically right next to the band--right next to the drums and the guitar-- and he put on a show. He finally arrived; he had the black suit and the pink shirt. He walked out with the cane and everything, orchestrating the band, my mind was blown.
  His voice was perfect. I've heard a lot of Prince performances and he couldn't have sounded any better. His was falsetto was perfect, he was doing all kinds of dance moves and playing the keyboard...He didn't play the guitar at all-- which was kind of a surprising thing—but, he didn't need to, with the control he had over the band...

  You know Prince and you know he's a wonderful performer, so, I don't even have to go into how good he was. I could go on and on talking about that. It was the best concert; I've never partied so hard. He kept coming back for encores. Every time he left, he kept coming back and he kept bringing it harder each time he came. So, finally, he just threw the mic in the crowd and he just ran offstage. There was just guy (in the audience) who was crying and he was like “man, I've never seen anything like that.”

  I was just high off of it (the concert)...Donna's husband, who was with me the whole time, he was preparing me. When Prince would hit these notes, he would just grab my back. Of course, his wife was on fire... ?uestlove (was standing) right behind me; he was just grooving and jamming along with everybody else. Everybody was just partying. There was never a dry moment. I'm surprised I can talk right now, because, I was just screaming.
 Another cool moment was when Prince was playing... he looked right at me and he was just smiling. I was not expecting the songs he performed like “Extraloveable” and “Act of God.” It was more like a party, it didn't feel like a concert. Prince was the "partyman" all night.

  

  ?: What happened after the concert?

  JJ:  Ramadan came to me after she was finished and she said “come on, Prince wants to meet you.” I said “what?!” and she said “yeah, let's go!” Before that, John Blackwell gave me his drumsticks.

  I (was) shaking, shaking, shaking. Prince wanted to meet me! I went down,  pass the security guards, they open up the trailer and there is Prince. It's just me, Ramadan and Damaris Lewis. He looks at me, comes over and gives me a hug. I'm like “Oh my God, Prince, it's Prince!” and he said “yeah, it's me.”

  I said “Prince, I love your work so much and I really appreciate all that you've done. You're a wonderful artist, a wonderful person, I love your work and I love you.” He said “thank you and I love you back. Thank you for all of the support that you've given me, you're very genuine and that's why we had to bring you out here.”

  I told him that was it one of my favorite shows I had ever been to and he said “yeah, it's one of my favorites, too.” I said “where do you get that energy from? It's no wonder that you don't count time...Look at you!”

  Then I look at Lewis and said “Damaris, you are sexy!” and then Prince said “oh thank you, good night, time for you to go,” like he was going to kick me out of the trailer and I said “no, no, no, I was just kidding!”

  He said “yeah, well we caught you on the Spreecast... and he said he sent the video to the band and they were all crying. We had to give them tissue, because they were so happy to see you get so excited to come see me.”

  I said “I was expecting you to get on guitar,” and he said “well... the band was on point and I didn't even need to do that because, they made up for everything.”

  He added, “I really appreciate you, I love your videos and I love your spirit, that's why I brought you out here and this won't be the last time.”

  I said “I love you, Prince.” I hugged him again, I hugged (Lewis) and that's when she gave me the mask she was wearing. Prince said “it was a pleasure to see you,” and I said “it was nice to see you!” I left and I couldn't believe it was happening. I saw (the man) guarding the trailer and he said “man, how did that feel?” and I said it was awesome. He said, “man, the only person I saw Prince hug was Q-Tip,” because he hugged him when he came onstage. He said, “I never see Prince hug anybody else. He must see something in you.”

  I waited for a little while and I went back inside and I saw Liv Warfield, who wrote “LOL (Live Out Loud).” She was so happy to see me and I was so happy to see her. She said “you have such a beautiful spirit and we love you. You have to come see us again.”

  I talked to her for a while and then I went back outside. Then I saw Ford's husband, Joshua, and he said “Intercontinental?” That was the hotel I was going to and he said “come on, you're riding with us.”

  I waved back to the trailer and I said “Bye, Prince and I love you all so much.”

  I get on the (tour) bus and everybody said “Hey Jester... it's nice to see you.” and I said “ hey everybody, you guys are awesome.”

  I sat right next to Ford. At the time, I didn't want to sit next to Ford, because, I wanted her to sit next to her husband and she was like “no, you can sit right there.”

  We're on the bus and we're just talking about how awesome it (the concert) was. She said “we're so glad you could come, you're so awesome, we love your spirit, we love your support, thanks for everything.”

  I just said how I'm blessed and thanked God. I admire their faith, because, they have a lot of faith in God and it's always about the bigger picture...

  (The band) was dropped off first at their hotel and I hugged...all of them and I said “thank you so much for this opportunity” and they all said “no problem, you have to see us again.” Joshua said “that's (God's) favor, just continue to do what you're doing, man, you're a good guy. They get off the bus and I'm just taking a deep breath and I'm just thinking “wow, that was great.” Then I got back (to the hotel room)... and that's when I made the video.

  I'm going to give you a bonus story... when I made time, I called Ramadan to say thank you for everything and she said “no problem, Prince really likes you and he was happy to see you. He really likes your energy and you're part of the family.” 

  I called her the next morning, just to confirm everything and say thank you again... I said, “I really wish I had stayed longer.” She said, “you know, Jesse, you should have, because, me, Prince and (Lewis) went to IHOP right after you left.”

  I said, “are you kidding me?!” She said, “yes and we didn't have any bodyguards...and you could have come...”  She said he was talking to people, but, it started to get busy, so, they had to get their food to go. Of course, he didn't take any pictures. I don't know why people are asking if I took pictures, I have enough respect to know (not to take pictures of Prince)...have you ever seen one picture of him with a fan?

  She said it was so much fun and that when I called (her) that she was just thinking about me. She saw all my tweets and Prince said he appreciated the love. I said, “well, you must have seen my video.”

  She said “you made a video, oh my God, we have to see that, too. We really love you, Jesse, you know you're part of the NPG...”

  I said “thank you for everything...but, I'm still mad at you for not bringing me to IHOP (laughing).” She said “don't worry, this won't be your last time.”

  So, I packed all my stuff, I checked out and I went home. It was just spectacular, one of the best moments of my life... The NPG is a strong family, what I loved about them was everyone seemed to have so much respect for each other...

  ?: How do you feel now that a few days have passed?

  JJ: I feel blessed. I feel like I've just been rewarded a great gift. It just encourages me...One thing Prince said to me was “keep what you have, you're very rare, not a lot of people have what you have.” It just keeps me on board, because, I don't know how to be anyone else but me.
   It makes me appreciative that someone like Prince could find my enthusiasm and my energy to be infectious – that was one of the words he used. I like that, because, all of my fervor and enthusiasm has to do with listening to...the wonderful music that he has given to us.  I couldn't be more appreciative of him and what he's done...even giving me a chance to meet him, it was above and beyond.

  I always say surrender your expectation, but, I was not expecting him to meet me and to embrace him. It's been surreal; it was just two days ago... It feels like family; it doesn't feel like anything, but, just straight-up family.

  ?: Is there anything you wanted to add?

  JJ: My one regret is that I didn't compliment him on his cuff links, just in case. So, he could have hooked me up with some of those cuff links, because, they were fresh! They were these big sparkly ones...they were just shining from a distance. 
  Looking back, it's always a flood of what I could have said. But, to the best of my abilities, I just let him know that from me and the fans...that we all love (Prince). I made it clear to him, from one fan to millions, we really love him and I think he got that message.  

Stay beautiful, Kristi

--

All photos courtesy of Jesse Jenkins.

--

Like us on Facebook: Dyes Got the Answers 2 Ur ?s and Beautiful Nights

What Do U Want Me 2 Do?: Jesse Jenkins Reflects on Premiering ''LOL (Live Out Loud)"

    Jesse Jenkins can now add song promotion to his list of recent accomplishments.

  Jenkins, 20, of Arlington, Texas, was one of two Prince fans to receive an e-mail on Feb. 21 from 3^rd Eye Girl-- Hannah Ford, Donna Grantis and Ida Nielsen-- who make up the artist's backing band. 

  The message contained a link to their new song "LOL (Live Out Loud)," before it was officially released on the 3rdeyegirl.com Web site with instructions to do whatever he wished with it, he said.

  Jenkins produced a short video that night which he posted on his YouTube channel. His clip--which, at the time of this writing has had more than 4,700 views-- introduced Prince fans to a five-second teaser of the song, included artwork for the single and a, now removed, link to download the track.

  Jenkins agreed to a telephone interview with "Dyes Got the Answers 2 Ur ?s" last week, to share details of his experience:


  ?: Tell me about a little bit about yourself and your background.

  JJ: Well, I like communication; I love words. I'm from New Orleans, (but), after Hurricane Katrina hit, I moved to Texas and I've been living here ever since. I'm into fashion and I love good music. I love the power it creates... My family would describe me as a little weird...I do things on a different wavelength. I am very spiritual, I'm into spiritual things. I lived in Europe for three months and I just came back. I lived in Sweden, and I was able to visit Germany and France...I've studied eternality and I don't believe in numbers... according to the records I'm 20, but, some people might think I'm older than that...

  ?: How long have you been a Prince fan? How did you discover Prince?

  JJ: I would say I've been a fan for close to three years. I was looking for a video (on YouTube), when I saw (a performance of) "Pop Life" during the One Night Alone era at the Aladdin (Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas). But, I really became massively interested when I heard 20Ten. It was leaked on YouTube before the release. (The song) "Beginning Endlessly"... it's just metaphorical, it's poetic. I loved the title, I loved the lyrics and from then on I just wanted to hear more of his music.

  I have been amazed at his musicianship. He writes all the songs and plays all the instruments... After I heard that album, I talked to one of my friends (and) she told me I should listen to Sign o' the Times, and that changed everything, too. I kind of worked my way backwards; I listened to the newer stuff first.

  ?: Tell me about your YouTube Channels.

  JJ: "Jesterants," that's where I have the Prince playlist. That's (the channel) that I have dedicated to rants (and) share some of the things I've written. "Demonstrativerand" was my first channel (where) I wanted to demonstrate random desires. (It has) a lot of Michael Jackson material (and) it's kind of a community-based channel. I'll post stuff that inspires me. It's a personal channel, a random channel.

  ?: I heard that you had been in contact with Dr. Funkenberry before you received the e-mail from 3^rd Eye Girl. How did that happen?

  JJ: Dr. Funkenberry (had been) following me on Twitter since October 2012 and (in the past) he sent out a tweet (that) said "check Jesse out, he's a cool guy." (He said) Prince and the NPG (New Power Generation) were already looking at my videos back then.
  Well... I made a video when I came back from Europe, because, I was gone for so long. While I was (in Europe) I kind of took a break. When I came back, so many (Prince-related events) had already happened. I made a video about that and it got more than 1,000 views (on YouTube) by the next day.

  Later, I got a message from Dr. Funkenberry (that) said "somebody saw your video and they really liked it...They think you're very articulate and talented." He asked for my e-mail address, because (Prince's camp) wanted to send me something. He said, (he) didn't know what (they were) going to send or anything, but, to keep on the lookout.

  Then he was doing the Spreecast (an online interactive forum where Prince-related discussions and interviews are conducted via webcam) and I jumped on board and asked Bobby Z (former drummer for The Revolution) some questions. A lot of people kept asking my questions, because there were quite a few people in front of me...

  Right after I posted "LOL (Live Out Loud)," he warned me about some people who (might) want to steal the spotlight. He said (there will be) people who think I'm an insider and are going to hate on everything I do.

Courtesy of 3rd Eye Girl

  ?: Describe the entire process once you received the song from 3^rd Eye Girl.

  JJ: After I spoke to Dr. Funkenberry those few times, I didn't hear much. I made other videos, he sent me a couple messages that said "did you hear from anybody?" I said no and (he said) "don't sweat it."

  When I got the e-mail (from 3^rd Eye Girl), I thought it was spam, but, I responded anyway. They said "I have a new song, are you interested?" I said "yeah!" They said it was a gift and I could do whatever I wanted with it. I asked them "are you sure I can share this?" They sent the e-mail around 8:25 p.m. and I had to wait three hours for the link.

  There was another guy on YouTube named Jake, I believe, (Jak3vision), I know that he was the other person that Prince's camp sent the song to. I knew I wasn't going to play the whole song, because, you have to be careful. I played five seconds of it (in the video) and I posted the links (for people to download the song). It was downloaded more than 1,000 times from the two Web sites I used and both reached their download limit.

  Two to three hours later, (3^rd Eye Girl) e-mailed me and said they really appreciated it and (asked) if I could remove the links, but, I could keep (my) video (online).

  We (Jenkins and Jak3vision) were basically used to keep up the suspense before (the song) released. I believe (the other video made by Jak3vision) was posted (on YouTube) around the same time or maybe a little a bit after mine. You can tell he used a lot of video editing. I checked it out, I watched it and I commented. The video was taken down by Controversy Music and I think it was because he played the entire song.

  ?: How did the entire experience make you feel?

  JJ: It really did feel like a dream; it didn't feel like it was happening... I knew it was coming, I just didn't know it would come so suddenly... It was hectic getting all of those follows (on Twitter) and emails. It was suspenseful. I did tell my followers at the time that I was going to drop a surprise right after I got the e-mail (from 3^rd Eye Girl).

  ?: What has been the reaction from Prince fans so far?

  JJ: On Prince.org, I've gotten a lot of "orgnotes" thanking me. I have been making videos for a while an sometimes, I don't think people understand my approach. I'm not an expert...I haven't even been to a Prince concert yet. What I know about him now inspires me to have the album discussions on my (YouTube) channel. I've had people question me about it, thinking it's a set up. But, I have no connection to Prince. 
  When Dr. Funkenberry told me he (Prince) was watching the videos, that was enough. I'm not one of those guys that thinks everything Prince does is good, (but) I appreciate his depth, his innuendo, his mystery...His music is spiritual and it changes me. He is human just like we are and I don't worship him. Overall (the response) was positive, (but) there have been some negative (responses).

  I'll never ask anyone to follow me on Twitter, or "like" me or "share" me... Someone said "you are the chosen one"... I just appreciate his work and I'm thankful that he shared what he (has) shared for so long.

  ?: Have you been contacted by 3^rd Eye Girl since you premiered the song?

  JJ: The last message I got from them just said thank you and you'll hear from us soon...I wouldn't mind being contacted again, but, I'm glad to just have had the opportunity and having it come out the way it did.

  ?: What are you hoping for, as a fan, in 2013?

  JJ: To see Prince live for the first time, that's the one thing I'm looking forward to. I would love an official DVD release of (the) Montreaux (Jazz Festival), that's one of my favorites...I'm looking forward to new music. I'm (also) looking forward to the Billboard Music Awards and (Prince's upcoming performance on) "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."  I hope he performs "Screwdriver."

  ?: What do you hope will come out of this entire experience?

  JJ: I think that it might open some doors for my communication, (but) who knows what will come out out it? I'm humbled with what I do. It's always a surprise when somebody likes what I do... But, whatever comes out of it, like Prince would say, I surrender my expectation...

Courtesy of 3rd Eye Girl

Check out Jenkins video introducing "LOL (Live Out Loud)" on YouTube.

-K


---
 Like us on Facebook: Dyes Got the Answers 2 Ur ?s and Beautiful Nights