Prince Live 3/28/09 Lotusflow3r

Another beautiful yet interesting night with Prince. I look back over time, scanning thoughts from my mind(excuse the poetics); I’m amazed by how many times I’ve seen this incredible artist, musician, musical icon, living creative soul. I mean, I go back pre-Purple Rain days to the “For You” time period(his first album). I remember seeing him in venues like the Sam Houston auditorium, the Houston Summit arena, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, The KeyClub, Hollywood Palladium, The Forum, Staples Center, The Wiltern Theatre, Hollywood Bowl, Universal Amphitheatre, New Orleans Superdome (he performed while moving around onstage on roller skates..lol.. blew my mind), Rio Hotel in Las Vegas(incredible show- opened with one of my favorite songs, Something In The Water and closed the show with Ceelo joining him onstage to sing Crazy) and now lastnight at the new Nokia Theatre, which unfortunately has a sub-par sound system and amateur folks working the boards and lighting. I’ve never seen a performer have to do sooooooooo much directing from onstage and still perform at the same time. It went something like, “clap your hands y’all!” and then “umm..adjust the mic, getting feedback, give me more bass, turn up the kick drum” then he’s singing, then he’s talking “it’s gonna be a beautiful night y’all… what y’all wanna hear!” then he’s saying “adjust the house lights a little, turn down the stage lights, turn up the house lights, give me sound from the side monitors please… thank you my brother…” lol.. It got to be hysterical after awhile but as Prince said while exercising tremendous patience, “I’m gonna play through it, y’all” and that’s what he did. I guess for me, I felt something might go wrong when they began playing a Michael Jackson song moments before Prince was due to hit the stage... lol.. And I said "whyeeee??" *smile* Battling that bad sound system Prince played and played and still seemed to have a great deal of fun. He definitely connected with the crowd and pulled us all in; no doubt a master of the stage. He only played a couple songs from the new CD’s and the rest was old stuff and a few covers from Kool and the Gang, Wild Cherry, and the Beatles. The Wild Cherry song (Play that Funky Music), Prince stepped away from the mic and allowed someone from the audience to sing. That person put on a show! Prince said “brother you turned it out so much we don’t ever have to play that song again!” Then jokingly he said “now get off the stage!” I was watching Prince perform and interact with the crowd so closely and at times I found myself reminiscing as he would say, “the Dayz of Wild”; past shows and experiences.. Remembering how he used to run across the stage, doing the splits, sliding across the floor, solo piano performances, jumping off the top of the piano, landing in a split and then jumping out of the split back up to the piano, not missing a beat and playing like a man possessed with unstoppable creativity. He may not dance around like he used to but creatively and musically he’s still unstoppable. To me he’s like the Michael Jordan of music. He totally loves to play and just like Jordan who relied on the jumpshot and picked and choosed his slamdunk moments carefully, Prince switched to his own version of a classic jumpshot; he mastered his instrument(s), plays the heck out of it/them and his slamdunk perhaps is of a personal nature as in my opinion he seems to be a man who has become extremely comfortable in his own skin, completely at peace spiritually, and definitely in control of all things creative. So many try to put him down, so many try to say he’s this or that based on what they’ve seen him do twenty years or more ago and I say to them, look where he is now and checkout how far he’s come. Don’t hold so tightly to a perception that it becomes a judgement. He’s aged gracefully and yet still ferocious musically… doing what he loves and he’s truly earned the status of musical icon, which is a whole lot better than joining the social-butterfly-trying-to-pass-themselves-off-as-artist crowd that exists today among the so-called famous folks out there now. And another note from lastnight’s show, during one of the encores, Prince played two songs from The Time and then did the Glamorous Life. Sheila E. came out to join him and that was great to see. They both seemed very happy onstage together. Lastnight was a beautiful night, a beautiful escape and for me personally it felt incredible to share that experience with a very special someone for her first time. Her perception was changed. Hope to see and experience Prince again in the near future. Maybe one day I’ll be blessed to experience one of those concerts at his mansion.. *smile* One can dream…

Anti-War/Pro-Jobs 3/21/09

Saturday was a blast... a beautiful experience.. I always love checking out protest rallies and marches. I feel like it's a great way to basically put your finger on the pulse of how some folks might be feeling about various issues. I go to listen, learn, observe and of course, capture the moment(s) with my camera as I work in the direction of showcasing some photojournalistic chops. On this day, Saturday, March 21st, 2009, it marked the sixth anniversary of the Iraq War and these good folks marked the occasion with a very well organized march down Hollywood Blvd. The back drop of this area was a strange twist to the seriousness, passion and togetherness exhibited by the marchers. Someone I know told me that this sort of thing is a "waste of time and folks could use their energy in a better way to do something more real" or something to that effect... I was kind of surprised to hear that coming from this person but I know that's pretty much attributed to someone who doesn't understand, passing judgement on something they've never experienced or attempted to witness firsthand. Without folks taking to the streets, I think a whole lot of what is now important history would've never taken place and a whole lot of freedom's never achieved. We no doubt need it all.. the efforts in the streets, the boardrooms, the courtrooms, the churches, etc etc, but I truly believe it's folks like these who put themselves out there on behalf of others that keep us moving forward without forgetting the steps taken beforehand. Don't rest on the lazy boy cushion of success or try to sweep things under the rug just because it don't feel good to remember... Checkout Obama.... part of what makes him who he is, goes hand in hand with his love for getting out of the White House and taking his message to the streets, the town hall meetings, face to face, letting folks know what's up. But just like with these protest rallies and marches, I bet he finds his methods as a great way to stay grounded and keep an ear close to a healthy slice of real true public opinion. On March 21st, I witnessed a whole lot of truth and passion and a great sense of community/togetherness...

Soaking In The Words Of A Friend

I enjoyed an email conversation with a sister-friend in Nashville today. She mentioned how she wanted to get back to financial comfort to where she could “travel a couple times a year to revitalize mind and spirit.” I sat back and said, ahh yessss… It felt like cool water against my face. I want that as well for myself and to be able to enjoy it with my special one… I long for a little country breeze and a southern breakfast. I can smell the scent and vizualize a full orange moon at the end of the highway like I experienced in east Texas one year. I tried my best to drive all the way to it but my destination had come up so instead I watched the moon for a while from the front porch. A life I miss so much now and wish I could turn the hands of time back to experience but bring that special one with me and show her what complete freedom and peace feel like. Whew.. if my financial situation was right, I’d try to reclaim what I sold a few years ago.

Lastnight as I was cleaning up and getting rid of old paper work and paid off statements, I came across several interesting notes, letters and images that I printed on glossy computer paper over the last years times five, six or more... Each one of these things not only brought memories to the forefront of my mind but also had me traveling back in time. There was an old letter from a couple years ago that I never sent. It was a response to someone no longer in my life. It gave me a feeling of darkness and unforgiving, unnecessary strain. I then found a listing printed out by my father that showed the names and birth’s of my family beginning with Joe Rivers and Lucy Royal, my great grand parents. There was a little stain on the bottom of the page thanks to me reading this on a kitchen table one morning in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. The page was slightly soaking in this very thick syrup that I was using on my pancakes at the time. It’s something they call, Ribbon Cane Syrup. That stuff is so thick and sweet.. Sort of reminds me of Brer Rabbit but thicker and sweeter.. I had gotten it after one of my cousin’s told me to buy some in downtown Mt. Pleasant. I was using that on everything I ate during that trip. My grandmother was still alive during this time and I can remember pulling this page with the family info out of one of the bibles in my grandmother’s living room.

One of the images that I noticed on the glossy paper was a picture of me during my 1999 road trip to Texas and beyond. I was at a rest stop somewhere. The image took me back. I was a few or perhaps many pounds lighter than I am now.. *smile* I remember eating sandwiches that I had prepared for my trip. My sandwiches had been sitting in the hot backseat area, softening the cheese, bread getting moist and blending together with the miracle whip and tasting delicious! Whew.. I always washed it down with some Welch’s grape soda, which also kept me awake on the road because of the high sugar content and carbonation in that drink. Again, those were the days but I’m here now, aching to return to yesterday but I know I can’t. However, I will be back on the road soon and in the country because my soul is begging for that kind of rejuvenation, which is something you can never get in these cities where the closest thing to escaping the daily grind is a cruise thru the canyon in the wee hours of the morning after the nightowls have gone to bed and before the early risers greet the new morning…The window of time is short but worth every second when you can find it… Thank God for memories and for the cool breeze of good conversation that inspires my soul to hold onto what was and still is so very important...

The Argument Fascination

I look at television these days and wonder. For a long time I’ve been put off by the so-called reality shows and it seems like they’re here to stay for a while longer. I don’t get that stuff or why people enjoy it so much, just as I don’t understand the trend of shows that feature folks always arguing. Gone are the days of peaceful disagreements and calm voices of reason, with the exception of our President, of course. I turn to CNN; folks are arguing. I turn to ESPN; folks are arguing. I turn to MSNBC; same thing… I guess that stuff is popular and God forbid anyone should go their own route, be their own individual person and not follow trends, so as a result we get a lot of the same with just different faces. I wonder would Walter Conkrite enjoy today’s news business. I miss the good ol days of Tom Snyder late at night or even Ted Koppel although I’m still able to enjoy someone cool like Charlie Rose whenever I can catch him and even Tavis Smiley is a favorite too. I also enjoy Ed Gordon and love it when he’s on Chris Mathews show on MSNBC. Mind you, Chris has some argumentative moments but it doesn’t get out of hand because he has control of his “Hardball Show” and he seems to have a great deal of common sense.. Maybe it’s just me but respectfully, I just don’t get off on the argument style nor the unrealistic so-called reality TV shows that’s got regular folks imitating that stuff so that it becomes real…Like a mirror that’s held up with your image before you even step in front of it. If those shows are truly what we are, do and look like then I guess it’s no wonder why what we see happening in the world around us is the way it is… The only true reality in TV land that I think is interesting is in the way CNN reaches out to viewers and allows for instant reaction to stories and comments via the internet. I’ve used this several times myself and the whole iReport thing is pretty impressive especially when major things happen and someone with a camera is right there to capture the moment and send in the shot. That’s cool. Plus it’s cool seeing life through other folks eyes via images, words and thoughts shared. This sort of realness looks nothing like what I’ve seen briefly on those “reality” shows. Thank God for HGTV too… I like to dream and escape reality from time to time.. See a good movie, read a great story, listen to some incredible music, hear a wonderful speaker… Instead, everyone is on full volume, arguing, talking all at once, accomplishing nothing, trying to convince us that their consistently constant drama filled lives over silly things is important…*smile* Say that five times real fast.. I turned the channel the other day only to find some show about Hugh Hefner and his ex and some other lady and I’m thinking, this is important because why? This is entertaining, how? I waved my hand at the television, turned to CNN for five minutes and saw that they were repeating the same stories of the day. I turned to MSNBC and they’re showing back to back to back prison reality shows which at times can be interesting but ultimately make you depressed. I turned the TV off and returned to my computer. Thank God for Youtube and iTunes… My escape when I’m not creating or working on images captured from my own day to day…