GUITAR SOLO REACTIONS ~ PRINCE ~ Purple Rain (1985)

[@Forza2100]

As a huge Prince fan already in my teens, I was 17 years old, when this concert was transmitted live via satellite to all over the world from Syracuse New York. Living in Copenhagen Denmark, I had to stay up all night to watch the concert. - I have seen Prince many times live. BUT still to this day, THIS concert stands for me, as my absolute nr. 1concert I have ever seen and heard. Even I did not even attend the concert but only watched it on screen. - AND this Purple Rain solo is by far the best solo I have ever heard. Prince was not only a huge talented musician - HE WAS THE MUSIC - THE MOZART OF OUR GENERATION

[@GuitarSoloReactions]

💜🙏💜

[@rickstraws92]

Clean sound from this era/period was straight from a mesa boogie mark 2 with bag end cabinet. His dirty sound was boss super overdrive + lead foot switch from the amp to give it more distortion/gain. Hope that helps.

[@GuitarSoloReactions]

Thank you, I use the Prince gear guide, but have a terrible memory.

[@urb9516]

Prince played from the heart. 💜

[@tracynorman1455]

As long as you keep talking about Prince, I’ll keep listening. 💜

[@padawansound]

Interesting take man , this was my first..wow..moment for me in 85 .. but he did get more n more ..sophisticated..in his technique n tone ... Big fan of the channel, nice one.

[@GuitarSoloReactions]

Thank you for watching and your support.

[@jurgenmartens1999]

99.99999% of guitarists never get to this level and he wasn't even 27 years there. this is how i see it. maybe think what we were doing at that age...this is my all time favorite guitar solo!!!

[@martinchristensen6690]

Taped during the Purple Rain tour and broadcasted around the world live ... I saw it Live in Denmark when I was a child, and it defined me ... This recording you saw here was the enhanced version that they released last year, and they did buff the guitar and drums on it ,, To give it a bit more umph. However the guitar and drums are a bit to loud compared to the the rest of the music .. If you hear Lets go crazy from same show, you will notice how loud the guitar is .. Great reaction .. Love to follow you 👍

[@GuitarSoloReactions]

Thank you for the support and for commenting.

[@tracynorman1455]

Like Martin said this is the remastered version when they did make the guitar more prominent compared to the other instruments. It’s my favorite version of Purple Rain ever.

[@tracynorman1455]

I get goosebumps listening to it especially near the end.

[@rhondaturner9494]

I always kinda thought he didn't start really refining his style - especially guitar - until he started working with Sunny T and Michael B - and then again when Rolling Stone slighted him in the early 2000's (🙄🙄)...

[@thesolitaryadventurer]

Well, well, well... Lots to comment here. 😂💜 Firstly, this is why I love seeing reactions to Prince's music and particularly his live performances. It's fresh ears. It's perspective that cannot dismiss the evolution that came later. You're absolutely spot on to pick up on the evolution. I don't understand quite how some observations are deemed as acts of aggression - maybe it is the outsized reaction that The Revolution get or the Purple Rain era gets... But here's a comment I stand by. Prince wasn't the best live act in he world at this stage of his career. He had been making big improvements from his debut - where he was far from great live - and he only breaks into the greatest bracket with the next tour (ironically where he largely puts down the guitar). I think it is only right that you finish the evolution of Purple Rain with the very first recording - kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKPFh4l6dt59Z9kfeature=shared Spoiler alert, it is the carcass of the recording that made the album. And he had to hang some meat on it with overdubs. But I find it fascinating that people are arriving to his music in a way that was different to the real-time treadmill that fans joined across the years. Once you joined, at whatever age and year, your experience of being a Prince fan was then shared. You saw and heard the same thing just the same as everyone else. I love that people are now finding stuff from any era and it all mixes in to one pot. They see a more evolved Prince quickly. The downside is that the earlier years will get less love as he clearly is evolving into the honed showman he became... And the fact that's inverse to what fans experienced during his life is going to be jarring to those fans. Anyway, hopefully my point is made. Thanks, Brian. Really enjoyed this and kudos for the honesty! 💜👍

[@GuitarSoloReactions]

Thank you for thoughtful and insightful comments, as always. When I do Prince videos, he's the player that I'm the most honest about. Comes from a place of love and feel (hope) like I have a place at the table with real fans. I have mentioned before that Prince fans don't always agree with me, but accept some criticism with maturity, unfortunately not that common amongst other artists that I cover on the channel. I have a hard time being objective when doing Prince videos, they are truly a snapshot of that moment. When it come down to it, my channel is a music appreciation channel. While I focus on guitar, I'm also a huge fan of Prince as composer and sonic magician. HIs approach to recording is very unique, and uses different bands to paint old songs with a different brush. Like others with a long and varied career that aren't chasing to recreate an early hit, Prince did change and evolve. Not sure this a good comparison, but I think of Dave Chappelle quiting a highly popular and lucrative show. For some, these moves seem jarring and self destructive. The truth of course is when it's about creative output, the most creative follow their heart no matter the commercial fallout. I wish more great musicians changed mid stream and shocked that narrow minded press and keep fans guessing, but in the end delivering a truly unique musical experiences. Not sure what I'm saying, but I really love watching all the Prince videos and seeing what works and what dosen't. He quickly becomes a masterful leader and the performances are spectacular from all angles.

[@thesolitaryadventurer]

That all comes through when you film your reactions. It's a great journey to see this music again through someone else's eyes. And you're a demonstrative reactor! The comparison to Chappelle is an apt one - no wonder they were friends right? Kindred spirits in choosing integrity to oneself over financial rewards. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on the original Purple Rain version. I won't say anything other than to say he edited and over dubbed so you won't be hearing a version like you've heard before.

[@GuitarSoloReactions]

I will do that version next.

[@marcusmccormick8399]

Cool reaction. Hope u watched the movie, it puts the great song in better context. If u watch "making of the rain" concert on n you tube the version of purple rain became the album version. Before this tour started, he was tired of purple rain. At rehearsal, stage was three tiers, ten feet higher than the other. He was in top tier in the bath tub, tub wasn't nailed down, he stood up a little, the tub ripped over w prince inside, hitting each tier til he hit the floor. They though he died. After that, every night, playing in pain

[@GuitarSoloReactions]

Thanks you for the backstory, I appreciate the comment.

[@danielserda]

It's interesting, Brian. I seem to remember you lamenting a while back that you had missed out not jumping into the Prince rabbit hole years before you did, when in fact you started your journey with the refined Prince and his best bands. The Syracuse show happened just a week before Prince abruptly pulled the plug on the Purple Rain tour and announced he had retired from touring, and just three weeks before he released Around the World In A Day (for which Raspberry Beret was the lead-off single -- critics thought he had lost it, but shifting gears this way was textbook Prince). You know the technical details at a level I don't understand, but I've always taken his apparent frustration with the solo as more of an indication that he was done with what had become formulaic and ready to move on.

[@GuitarSoloReactions]

Amazing insights, I didn't know the tour ended so abruptly.

[@thesolitaryadventurer]

It still blows my mind that he walked away from another 12 to 18 months of milking Purple Rain... He would have had MJ level wealth (above and beyond the Paisley Park rich he had gotten) but we'd have perhaps not gotten Around The World In A Day and Parade might have been lost to time... And I'd imagine the demise of the Revolution would have occurred by the end of that tour. It's an interesting daydream to think on how it might have changed his course. It certainly would have narrowed his blooming creativeness and cemented The Kid image in people's minds even more. Overall, I think it was an inspired decision to cancel the tour then and move on. I think he knew exactly what he was doing for his legacy. It's clear to see his frustrations as the Purple Rain concerts ticked on... The versions of Purple Rain and Baby I'm A Star getting longer and longer as his only area to improvise in a tight setlist... When I see a 20 minute Baby I'm A Star jam, my mind always thinks of the line from The Max "When they say I can't live forever, I pay some overdues". A play on 'to live' and 'play live' and 'overdues' being the charge by a venue for going past the agreed cutoff time. I wonder if it is these scenarios he was thinking back on...

[@funkyfazer55]

yeah what you may or may not appreciate is that this is pure emotion, just raw emotion. and that's why i love this version so much. we know he got better in future years on a technical level, but it's hard to capture the emotion. i first saw it in the late 80's and i love his intro on the Tele. it's beautiful. and don't forget Prince cut short this tour after 6 months....he only did the Purple Rain in the USA. why? cos he had already moved onto a new album. name another pop star who would have done that after a monster selling album?

[@Ed7501]

How have you not reacted to this before? Epic performance... on par with Superbowl imo.

[@mikram5359]

I remember watching this concert on tv in the UK in late 85, I was spellbound. I later bought it on VHS. I remember the newspaper headlines declaring Prince was the greatest live performer, I think this song may have swayed them, I agreed. Since then he's been undeniable, the greatest they say, live. I hate saying it but hey, you gotta be honest, the 90s were a bit patchy for me seeing him live, we all have our experiences. If you agree or not it's cool but the peers and the polls and all of that, deem him the greatest live when he has a guitar, superbowl, rock n roll hall of fame, brit awards, coachella...the list goes on. This concert in Syracuse cemented his legacy, even back then. I personally saw him over 4 decades and can give my little bit of light on the matter. May u live 2 c the dawn.

[@GuitarSoloReactions]

Love all your input and knowledge thanks again for watching and commenting.

[@erginbozun1755]

Am I hallucinating? 14:04 KZbinr: "Guitar-tone wise not my favorite so far." Prince: "Yeah, we'll see!" 😅😅😅

[@GuitarSoloReactions]

Yes, you’re hallucinating. I have done 10-12 versions of Purple Rain and I definitely have my favorites.

[@shawnbrisbon9304]

I’m thinking it would be nice if you could find an early to mid 90’s. I think it would be nice to get a full evolution of the song.

[@shawnbrisbon9304]

His singing back here was raw and had a lot more rock screams. Still great, but I notice slight changes over the decades.

[@anthonycastillo5783]

please teaction band🎉REO Brothers❤ from Philippines

[@mharrislove]

It's not a popular opinion, but 'Purple Rain Live Prince' is not the best Prince. Don't get me wrong...Syracuse is an important show in the history of all-things-Prince (and I do love the clean, jazzy guitar intro), but the sound mix is off, the center stage is way too cramped, and the tour didn't exactly go smoothly as the grind continued that year. (IMO, his response to follow up the soundtrack album with ATWIAD tells you all that you need to know about how 1985 was going...) But, yeah, it's a useful exercise to compare this rendition to the 2009 Montreux version.