Musicology Live 2004ever was a

concert tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...

by American recording artist

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

to promote his ''

Musicology Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some m ...

'' album. The tour began on March 27, 2004 in

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is th ...

and concluded on September 11 in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...

. It was a commercial success earning $87.4 million from 77 shows in 52 cities across the United States and selling more than 1.4 million tickets. Prince said one of the goals of the tour was "to bring back music and live musicianship."

Background and development

In April 2004, Prince released his thirtieth studio album ''Musicology'' from

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...

after leaving former record labels

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

and Arista. The album followed the 2003 releases ''

Xpectation ''Xpectation'' (subtitled "New Directions in Music By Prince") is the twenty-sixth studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on January 1, 2003, by NPG Records. It is the first instrumental album released under Prince' ...

'' and '' N.E.W.S''. When speaking about the album, Prince stated:

"I am really an artist and a musician at heart, that's what I do. Musicology has no boundaries or formats. It is long overdue to return to the art and craft of music, that's what this album is about. School's in session."

The singer gave a small performance at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles in February to preview some of the new songs from the album where he also announced plans for an upcoming tour. Tour dates were announced later that month in North America. He opened the 2004

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

with

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

and was also inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...

the same year. More tour dates were announced shortly afterward. The Musicology Tour also increased sales of the ''Musicology'' album because concertgoers received a copy of ''Musicology'', with the album cost included in the ticket price for the tour. This prompted ''Billboard'' magazine and

Nielsen SoundScan Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...

to change its chart data methodology: For future album releases, ''Billboard'' says that customers "must be given an option to either add the CD to the ticket purchase or forgo the CD for a reduced ticket-only price."

Set list

This set list is representative of the first show in Los Angeles on March 29, 2004. It does not represent all concerts during the tour. # "

" # "

Let's Go Crazy "Let's Go Crazy" is a 1984 song by Prince and The Revolution, from the album '' Purple Rain''. It was the opening track on both the album and the film '' Purple Rain''. "Let's Go Crazy" was one of Prince's most popular songs, and was a staple f ...

" # "

I Would Die 4 U "I Would Die 4 U" is a song by Prince and the Revolution, the fourth single in the US from their 1984 album, '' Purple Rain''. The up-tempo dance song was a top 10 hit—the final one from the album—in the US, reaching number 8 on the Billbo ...

" # "

When Doves Cry "When Doves Cry" is a song by American musician Prince, and the lead single from his sixth studio album '' Purple Rain''. According to the DVD commentary of the film '' Purple Rain'' (1984), Prince was asked by director Albert Magnoli to write a ...

" # "

Baby I'm a Star "Baby I'm a Star" is a song written and recorded by American musician Prince from his album '' Purple Rain''. It is also the B-side on the "Take Me with U" single. Release "Baby I'm a Star" has been played live many times since its inception an ...

" # "Shhh" # "D.M.S.R." # " I Feel for You" # "

Controversy Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an opposite d ...

" # "God" # " The Beautiful Ones" # "

Nothing Compares 2 U "Nothing Compares 2 U" is a song written and composed by Prince for his side project, The Family; the song featured on their eponymous 1985 debut album. The song features lyrics exploring feelings of longing from the point of view of an abando ...

" # " Insatiable" # " Sign 'O' the Times" # "The Question of U" # "

Let's Work "Let's Work" was the second single from the 1981 album '' Controversy'', by Prince. The song originates from a dance called "the Rock" that local kids were doing at the time in Minneapolis. Prince responded quickly with a track called "Let's Rock ...

" # "

U Got the Look "U Got the Look" is a song by American musician Prince. It opens the second disc of Prince's double album '' Sign o' the Times'' (1987), and became the album's runner-up chart single. Musically, the song is a standard 12-bar rock song with emphasi ...

" # "Life O' the Party" # " Soul Man" # "

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

" # "

Take Me with U "Take Me with U" is a song by Prince and the Revolution, and the final US single released from their album, '' Purple Rain'' (1984). Background The song is sung as a duet with Apollonia Kotero, and was originally intended to be performed by Van ...

" # "4ever in My Life" # "12:01" # "On the Couch" # "

Little Red Corvette "Little Red Corvette" is a song by American recording artist Prince. The song combines a Linn LM-1 beat and slow synth buildup with a rock chorus, over which Prince, using several automobile metaphors, recalls a one-night stand with a beautiful ...

" # "Sometimes It Snows in April" # " 7" # " Purple Rain"

Shows

Band

* Lead vocals & guitar – Prince * Rhythm guitar – Mike Scott * Bass –

Rhonda Smith Rhonda Smith is a Canadian bassist, best known for her work with Prince and Jeff Beck. Biography Smith was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Her family moved to Montreal when she was a child. She and her three siblings were encouraged to ...

* Drums – John Blackwell * Keyboards – Renato Neto and Rad * Saxophones –

Maceo Parker Maceo Parker (; born February 14, 1943) is an American funk and soul jazz saxophonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s, Parliament-Funkadelic in the 1970s and Prince in the 2000s. Parker was a prominent soloist on many o ...

and

Candy Dulfer Candy Dulfer (born 19 September 1969) is a Dutch jazz and pop saxophonist. She is the daughter of jazz saxophonist Hans Dulfer. She began playing at age six and founded her band Funky Stuff when she was fourteen. Her debut album '' Saxuality'' ...

* Trombone – Greg Boyer * Keys — Chance Howard Source:

Notes

References

{{Prince Prince (musician) concert tours 2004 concert tours