# I didn't know Prince was a cover band **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 5, 2007, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-prince-was-a-cover-band/390859 "2007-02-05T01:16:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![whole\_bean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@whole\_bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whole_bean)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-prince-was-a-cover-band/390859/41 "2007-02-05T16:22:13Z")
I thought it was brilliant. Absolutely amazing. And the Foo Fighters cover kicked royal arse. And All Along the Watchtower, are you kidding? Amazing. It’s funny how folks are complaining about the cover songs. Think of the songs he covered: the most famous version of All Along the Watchtower (Hendrix’s) is a cover of the Dylan song, arguably\* the most famous version of Proud Mary (Tina Turner’s) is a cover of the John Fogarty original, and Best of You was also released on the “Five Songs and a Cover” EP where the Foos covered Cream. Prince’s medley was like a meta-cover. Besides, virtually al pop stars cover. Heck, I’ve seen several threads in this very forum discussing the “best” cover versions. - this would largely depend on who you asked about the song. A classic rock and roll fan would recognize the song as a CCR staple, but someonoe with more a pop music taste very well might only know the Tina Turner version ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-prince-was-a-cover-band/390859/42 "2007-02-05T17:20:29Z")
Got to chime in with the Greek guitar-chorus that it was definitely live hammer-ons and pull-offs, the technique is unmistakable once you know what it sounds like. He dropped his right hand as a bit of showmanship, in case there was any question left as to what a jaw-dropping badass he is. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-prince-was-a-cover-band/390859/43 "2007-02-05T17:43:36Z")
[QUOTE=BobLibDem] Proud Mary? Why? [/QUOTE] Because he’s Prince, goddammit. He can do whatever he wants. He can kick your ass at basketball, and then make you pancakes. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-prince-was-a-cover-band/390859/44 "2007-02-05T18:23:19Z")
I thought it was amazing. So what if he covered songs? Doing Foo fighters was an awesome choice. He’s always pulling unexpected moves like that. ( In D.C. he covered local go-go hero Chuck Brown’s “Bustin’ Loose”. The crowd went nuts.) I didn’t see any evidence of air guitar. I hope no one doubts his skills as a rock guitarist. I normally don’t like big stars, but Prince kicks ass. Even if you don’t care for his music–a perfectly valid opinion–you’ve gotta respect his talent. Best superbowl show ever. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-prince-was-a-cover-band/390859/45 "2007-02-05T18:27:30Z")
[QUOTE=lisacurl] Because he’s Prince, goddammit. He can do whatever he wants. He can kick your ass at basketball, and then make you pancakes. [/QUOTE] “I’m Prince, bitch.” 😃 I liked the dancing girls doing an homage to Tina Turner while he was playing “Proud Mary,” too. NO ONE can take anything away from Prince for dancing and running around the stage in four inch heels (and as I said to my husband during the close-ups of his face, “Isn’t he supposed to be aging at some point?”) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cemetery\_Savior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Cemetery\_Savior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cemetery_Savior)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-prince-was-a-cover-band/390859/46 "2007-02-05T19:01:44Z")
I’m another who wasn’t hugely fond of the “Purple Rain” stuff, and was converted on later albums…as close to “genius” as you can get in pop music (and I HATE throwing around the G-word). Ditto the hammer-ons on the guitar-work…when you’re that practiced (think Eddie VanHalen, Yngwie, etc (hate the speed metal stuff, but they are very well-trained and practiced), it’s not a big deal…although it certainly appears that way to the casual watcher (and let’s face it…Prince is a great guitarist). I thought it was the best 1/2time show I’ve seen, including U2 (hacky balladeers at this point). It was visually solid, the musicianship was great (and the slight slips from the band only show that it was live and not recorded, and that even the best band has problems keeping up in a rainstorm, without light, and switching through melodies, riffs, ad-libs, and key changes). Rock Solid. -Cem ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-prince-was-a-cover-band/390859/47 "2007-02-05T20:07:46Z")
I watched it curious about whether it would be lip-synched, and one thing I saw convinced me it wasn’t- near the beginning, I think during Let’s Go Crazy, he was away from the mike at the start of the 2nd verse or chorus, and he calmly walked back over to it and started singing and came in late. In fact, he was singing as he approached the mic, and as his mouth got close the lyric kind of faded in, which I figured would be impossible to time properly if it had been pre-taped. He would have had to plan ahead of time to be away from the mic at the start of the verse, then approach it just as the vocals came back in. Nah- too much margin for error. It was live. ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-prince-was-a-cover-band/390859/48 "2007-02-05T21:42:56Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] (and as I said to my husband during the close-ups of his face, “Isn’t he supposed to be aging at some point?”) 🙂 [/QUOTE] I actually skipped the show last night and just went back to watch it because everybody’s been raving about it, and not only was the performance kickass, he looks amazing–and not like he’s had a bunch of plastic surgery or botox, either. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2007, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-prince-was-a-cover-band/390859/49 "2007-02-06T01:39:00Z")
I’m not a really a Prince fan, but the man can play a mean guitar. The **best** halftime show ever? Maybe, but I enjoyed KISS, back in 1999. How about Peter Frampton next year? ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2007, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-prince-was-a-cover-band/390859/50 "2007-02-06T02:16:24Z")
I was pissed because I forgot to watch the halftime show. Just caught it on YouTube and wow! Prince, you goy boy! Marching band, wild-haired dancing girls, zaftig woman in a white dress, suggestive guitar, lightning bolts! It had it all! As many times his songs have been covered, I actually thought it was great to see him turn it around, in his incredible way. But I bet he wasn’t liking all that rain on his hair! ---
**Author:** ![Jplacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85f322/32.png) [@Jplacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jplacer)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2007, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-prince-was-a-cover-band/390859/51 "2007-02-06T02:20:45Z")
[QUOTE=McNew] I watched it curious about whether it would be lip-synched, and one thing I saw convinced me it wasn’t- near the beginning, I think during Let’s Go Crazy, he was away from the mike at the start of the 2nd verse or chorus, and he calmly walked back over to it and started singing and came in late. In fact, he was singing as he approached the mic, and as his mouth got close the lyric kind of faded in, which I figured would be impossible to time properly if it had been pre-taped. He would have had to plan ahead of time to be away from the mic at the start of the verse, then approach it just as the vocals came back in. Nah- too much margin for error. It was live. [/QUOTE] Also, at the end he dropped the mic and it made a clunk sound. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2007, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-prince-was-a-cover-band/390859/52 "2007-02-06T02:26:40Z")
[QUOTE=monstro] But I bet he wasn’t liking all that rain on his hair! [/QUOTE] That’s what the much hated do-rag was about. The hair CANNOT GET WET!. People without processed hair can never understand. ---
**Author:** ![HoboStew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f17d59/32.png) [@HoboStew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoboStew)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2007, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-prince-was-a-cover-band/390859/53 "2007-02-06T07:06:30Z")
I went so far yesterday as to call Prince the most talented artist of his generation. His career is really remarkable - the guy was turning down record deals at the age of 18 because they wouldn’t let him produce his own music! Game… blouses. ---
**Author:** ![Euthanasiast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Euthanasiast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euthanasiast)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2007, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-prince-was-a-cover-band/390859/54 "2007-02-06T11:53:32Z")
Absolutely, Prince plays every lick on that guitar. It’s difficult to understand it if you aren’t a guitar player. I’ve done it several times and always get a “How are you doing that?” look from those who have never seen it before. It’s actually very common. However, as great as his playing was, it wasn’t up to typical Prince standards. A few passages on his solo work that night were rushed, but hell, it _was_ raining! But whe Prince is on, he is one of the best. You can hear the _true_ Hendrix influences pouring out of him. I thought it was great to see him playing the Telecaster at the beginning. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2007, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-prince-was-a-cover-band/390859/55 "2007-02-06T12:25:55Z")
[QUOTE=Euthanasiast] I thought it was great to see him playing the Telecaster at the beginning. [/QUOTE] [nit] Oh, come on \*\*Euthanasiast \*\*- as a git player who knows his stuff, and posting on the trivia-driven SDMB, you’re not going to correctly name his guitar? :dubious: 🙂 His main guitar is a Hohner Tele copy… [/nit] I love that guitar - I am getting a tortoise pickguard for my Parts-O-Tele that looks like that… ---
**Author:** ![Euthanasiast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Euthanasiast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euthanasiast)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2007, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-prince-was-a-cover-band/390859/56 "2007-02-06T12:32:07Z")
[QUOTE=WordMan] [nit] Oh, come on \*\*Euthanasiast \*\*- as a git player who knows his stuff, and posting on the trivia-driven SDMB, you’re not going to correctly name his guitar? :dubious: 🙂 His main guitar is a Hohner Tele copy… [/nit] I love that guitar - I am getting a tortoise pickguard for my Parts-O-Tele that looks like that… [/QUOTE] Hey, in my defense, I was sitting in another room from the television, and it _was_ a Tele style… Yeah, there’s no defense. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2007, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-prince-was-a-cover-band/390859/57 "2007-02-06T13:46:47Z")
His post-game [press conference](http://hotair.com/archives/2007/02/05/video-prince-aka-tafkap-tricks-press-conference-breaks-into-music/) was pretty good too. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2007, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-prince-was-a-cover-band/390859/58 "2007-02-06T18:24:27Z")
Johnny B. Good, Anotherloverholenyohead, and Dr. Feelgood. Why the hell not? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-know-prince-was-a-cover-band/390859.md?page=2)