Surprise! Prince Performed A 4-Hour Show In LA [Setlist]

After swallowing The Arsenio Hall Show whole, Prince kept to his chops and stuck around LA to perform two consecutive surprise sets at the Hollywood Palladium this past weekend. While the first of the two was the only real surprise, it was a short seven song set supporting NPG kin Liv Warfield, ending with the promise of something bigger the next evening. Bigger indeed, as Prince took to the stage this past Saturday to plow through virtually his entire catalog for a half-full Hollywood Palladium, touching on almost every album--favorites, unheards and countless covers-- and every career he ever jumped off, including cuts from Vanity 6, The Time, The Family, Sheila E and even the latest purple reincarnation 3rdEyeGirl, closing the final--of 5(!)-- encores with their latest single "FUNKNROLL."

Needless to say, I would have done some pretty terrible things to witness his Purple Glory for 4 hours on the Golden Coast, and if you actually had the opportunity to experience that grand spectacle, my envy of you could not be overstated. Unfortunately we haven't gotten any actual media from the event, but we do have the powerhouse setlist from the show below. So you can read through and imagine what it would have been like to see Prince cover Aretha's "I Never Loved A Man." Let your imaginations run wild folks, we'll have more on the Purple One soon.

Main Set

Big City (Unreleased)

Superconductor (from Andy Allo’s album Superconductor, 2012)

1999 (from the album 1999, 1982)

Musicology (from the album Musicology, 2004)

Extralovable (single, 2011)

Let’s Work (from Controversy, 1981)

Love Machine (from Graffiti Bridge, 1990)

U Got the Look (from Sign O’ the Times, 1987)

Nothing Compares 2 You (The Family’s The Family, 1985 / The Hits 1, 1993)

Take Me With U (from Purple Rain, 1984)

Raspberry Beret (from Around the World in a Day, 1985)

Cool (from The Time’s The Time, 1981)

The Sweeter She Is (unreleased)

Purple Rain (from Purple Rain, 1984)

Encore 1

Mutiny (from The Family’s The Family, 1985)

Old Friends 4 Sale (from The Vault…Old Friends 4 Sale, 1999)

People Pleaser (single, 2012)

Ain’t Gonna Miss You When U’re Gone (released on 3rdEyeGirl.com, 2013)

F.U.N.K. (single, 2007)

Dark (from Come, 1994)

Something in the Water (Does Not Compute) (from the album 1999, 1982)

Encore 2

We’re a Winner (Impressions cover)

I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) (Aretha Franklin cover)

Satisfied (from 3121, 2006)

I Don’t Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open the Door, I’ll Get It Myself) (James Brown cover)

Instrumental

Housequake (from Sign O’ the Times, 1987)

The Jam (Graham Central Station cover)

The Bird (from The Time’s Ice Cream Castle, 1984)

Jungle Love (from The Time’s Ice Cream Castle, 1984)

The Glamorous Life (from Sheila E’s The Glamorous Life, 1984)

Encore 3

Lost & Found (from Lianne La Havas’ Lost & Found, 2011)

Hot Thing (shortened version) (from Sign O’ the Times, 1987)

If I Was Your Girlfriend (shortened version) (from Sign O’ the Times, 1987)

Forever In My Life (from Sign O’ the Times, 1987)

When Doves Cry (shortened version) (from Purple Rain, 1984)

Nasty City (from Vanity 6′s Vanity 6, 1982) / 777-9311 (from The Time’s What Time Is It?, 1982)

Instrumental

Sign O’ the Times (shortened version) (from Sign O’ the Times, 1987)

I Would Die 4 You (shortened version) (from Purple Rain, 1984)

Pop Life (shortened version) (from Around the World in a Day, 1985)

Alphabet St. (shortened version) (from Lovesexy, 1988)

The Most Beautiful Girl in the World (sample) (single, 1984 / from The Gold Experience, 1995)

A Love Bizarre (from Sheila E.’s Romance 1600, 1985)

Days of Wild (from Crystal Ball, 1998)

Encore 4

How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore (b-side of single 1999, 1982)

The Beautiful Ones (from Purple Rain, 1984)

Diamonds and Pearls (from Diamonds and Pearls, 1991)

Sometimes It Snows in April (from Parade, 1986)

Act of God (from 20TEN, 2010)

What Have You Done For Me Lately (Janet Jackson cover)

Northside (NPG Music Club download, 2001)

(Theme Song From) Which Way is Up? (Stargard cover)

Partyman (from Batman, 1989)

Encore 5

Let’s Go Crazy (from Purple Rain, 1984)

Funknroll (unreleased)

spotted at COS