Email interview :
http://nullrefer.com/?http://fxckyeahpr ... e-from-the
how do you compose a set list for a show?
prince: good question, the set list selection is initially chosen by the length of time that has passed since we’ve last played a particular market. then many other factors take hold: the size and average age of an audience; bigger, younger crowds like the party songs played immediately, so we generally comply. hosting parties offstage in a private setting 4 larger crowds has trained us well in dancefloor management, if u will.
how many songs do you have on call (rehearsed and ready if you want to slot them into the show)?
prince: roughly 200-300 songs with variations 4 each of them. 4 example: based upon crowd response any song can b lengthened or shortened with a simple cue: raspberry beret's second verse and bridge can b added if the audience sings louder than r lead singer. also depending upon the diversity of the crowd we can quickly seque in 2 cool, the time's theme song. an urban audience knows all the words to that song whereas folks from helsinki... well, u get the picture.
how do you view your catalogue of b-sides, which to some fans are as important as your hits?
prince: the concerts r tending 2 skew younger these days so once folks know they r on familiar ground, we can play some rarities. u don't put kids in the deep water until u make sure they can swim.
how do you approach those classic super-high notes these days?
prince: by hitting higher ones.
what are the three most important things on your tour rider, and why?
prince: riders r the least important thing on tour.
as a band leader, what do you expect from the musicians you work with?
prince: 1. foot washing 2. locks of hair 3. per diem.
you have said in interviews that you impose a basketball team type discipline on your band. what does that mean?
prince: that they play 2 win. otherwise they'll b back-up dancing 4 robin thicke.
live, what does the npg give to your pre-npg catalogue, especially the revolution material?
prince: every band is different. most revolution concerts stuck 2 setlists. in contrast, all past and present lineups of the npg r based upon a collective conscience. in other words, they play like eye would if in their position.
britney spears has done two world tours lip-syncing her show. your thoughts?
prince: different strokes 4 different folks.
what do you think of 360 deals?
prince: they r great... 4 me 2 poop on.
what do you think about the album in this itunes culture (and the ability to buy single songs)?
prince: it's cool cuz we usually buy books by the chapter. when we rented avatar, we watched 5 scenes every weekend til it was finished.
how has itunes ruined or saved music?
prince: personally not a fan of digital music. happy 2 say we grew up with the record player. altho this current generation experiences the world differently - neither better nor worse, just different. it's not up 2 the past 2 dictate. that said, the decision 2 turn analog music in2 numerical data was not made by a musician. it was made by a music consumer. we all got dragged unwittingly 2 this well and r now paying the cost. when hipping a young artist 2 joni mitchell's canon of work, we don't direct them 2 itunes. we sit them down and play the music chronologically. finally, we would like 2 say how excited we all r 2 come back 2 australia 2 show everybody what they've been missing all this time. get ready 2 dance!