Nice review.

Multi-Platinum superstar Prince turns Montreal's Metropolis into a giant dance club as he performs the first of two sold out performances during Montreal's Jazz Festival on Friday June 24, 2011.

Photograph by: Tim Snow / THE GAZETTE

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/Prince+kicks+Jazz+Fest+with+hour/5006110/story.html#ixzz1QPcJLZhg

MONTREAL - “I don’t know what you heard!” Prince called to the late-night crowd, deep into the funk groove of the opening song in the first of two sold-out shows at Metropolis on Friday. “I don’t know what you heard! But we’re here to get funky!”

That’s an understatement. The band had started at 11:30 on the nose, as advertised. They didn’t stop (six or seven encores excepted) for the next four hours. Prince’s last performance at the Montreal International Jazz Festival was a nudge-wink practical joke in which he spent the first half in jazz-fusion mode and the second half raising the roof with an arsenal of hits. This one – which kicked off the fest’s 32nd edition in grand style – was all about the boogie.

From beginning to end, through an era-spanning array of covers and originals, he brought the party in no uncertain terms (and left fans screaming for more). For an artist who has sworn off the record industry and railed against the Internet, that’s called putting your money where your mouth is. It’s also called giving people their money’s worth – all $150 of it.

Whether he was playing tambourine and shimmying in the background while his bandmates – eight in all, including five women and legendary funk saxophonist Maceo Parker – took the spotlight, or standing centre-stage, Prince was putting on a heckuva show.

And don’t let reports of his reclusiveness fool you – the man was thoroughly enjoying himself. You can’t throw a party like that without loving what you do.

It was obvious as he and his players dug into the country-rock lilt of Crimson and Clover early on, mixing in elements from Jimi Hendrix’s Wild Thing and Bob Marley’s Waiting In Vain.

He offered up a raucous version of his early single Controversy, asking, “Is this the funkiest band in the world?… Am I in the funkiest city?” That would be yes and, um, yes.

But then, just 75-minutes in: “Thank you! Good night!”

For most bands, that would be normal. Here, it felt silly. Parker returned to take the helm for the J.B.’s hit Pass the Peas with Prince as hype-man, roaming the stage swinging a white towel.

It was two hours along before he fully opened the back catalogue: Let’s Go Crazy into Delirious into 1999. He began Little Red Corvette alone on guitar, coaxing new cadences out of the classic melody.

“Montreal! You’re just funky!” he gushed, well into a lengthy rendition of Musicology. He then proceeded to pull out a load of trademark moves – pirouettes, hip-shakes, rump-shakes and the inimitable strut. We were three hours in and he was just warming up.

After the fourth encore came the second Sly and the Family Stone cover of the night, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), with a bit of Wild Cherry’s Play That Funky Music. But they hardly felt like covers; the band owned these songs, and the vibe was downright jubilant.

He gave a shoutout to late Springsteen sax-man Clarence Clemons as Parker let loose during Purple Rain. At 3:07 a.m., he dropped an effervescent Rasberry Beret, followed by Cream in the homestretch, before closing with the driving funk number Cool.

When he threw his mic into the crowd (!), it was pretty clear it was over. And still people stood around, until the roadies mercifully waved them away.

Not many bands would dare (or deign) play a four hour set. Even fewer could. Many can’t hold a crowd for the usual 90 minutes. And yet one sensed Prince could have gone all night.

Perhaps he was holding back after all.

Here's another article:

Concert: Prince at the Montreal International Jazz Festival

Story by Jim Harrington

SoundSpike Contributor

Published June 25, 2011 02:38 PM

In his latest unpredictable move, Prince reportedly asked if he could play two late-night shows at the 2011 Montreal International Jazz Festival. What were festival organizers going to say? No? When it comes to the Purple One, as fans have long known, you just go along with his plans and enjoy the results.

And there was certainly much to enjoy during the first of the two sold-out shows (6/24-25) at the Metropolis, each of which were set to start at 11:30 p.m.. First and foremost, it was a major treat to see the mega-star, who is accustomed to filling major arenas, perform at a 2,000-capacity venue.

Prince can be dynamite in a large house -- and I saw him deliver some explosive moments earlier this year at both Oracle Arena in Oakland and HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA -- but he's even better in an intimate setting. The reason is simple: He's one of the most wildly charismatic performers in the history of popular music, and that trait is magnified in a smaller venue.

Indeed, his sheer star power was almost blinding at times, so much so that it almost didn't matter what he was doing, or what he was playing, onstage. It was Prince -- up close and personal -- and that was more than enough.

Backed by a tremendous band -- dominated by the presence of saxophone titan Maceo Parker -- the 53-year-old Minnesota native born Prince Rogers Nelson was in the mood to jam. He stretched out nearly every number in the main set, allowing ample room for his side musicians to shine and igniting plenty of fireworks from his fret board. It's on nights like this that one can truly understand why some consider Prince to be one of the most thrilling electric guitarists to ever pick up the axe.

The music was both funky and sexy, never more so than on the erotic "When I Lay My Hands On You" that came early in the set. But it was also extremely playful, such as when the band ventured into a joyful covers segment that included Tommy James and the Shondells' "Crimson and Clover," the Troggs' classic "Wild Thing" and Bob Marley's "Waiting in Vain."

The main set lasted about 70 minutes, but Prince would return for another hour-plus of encores. The first encore segment will be remembered for an epic rendition of "Everyday People," which was originally made famous by Prince's spiritual forefather -- Sly Stone.

Prince made the crowd wait for the second. He stayed offstage for a ridiculous amount of time, to the point where people were really questioning whether he'd return or not. Then, finally, came the two words that many fans had been waiting all night to hear:

"Dearly beloved . . . "

That signaled the start of not only "Let's Go Crazy" but the beginning of a two-hour-plus "greatest-hits" segment as well. He rewarded fans for waiting through a night of covers and lesser-known material -- which, to be honest, wasn't all that hard to do -- by loading up the end of the show with such all-time smashes as "Delirious," "1999" and "Little Red Corvette."

In all, it was a tremendous way to kick off the 2011 Montreal International Jazz Festival, which runs through July 4.

--------------

Here's an earlier article about how the venue was going to be setup, before the concerts took place:

Prince shows at Montreal Jazz Fest sell out

[Edited 6/26/11 12:35pm]

I would love to see the setlist

So the person who wrote this thinks that Prince's last Montreal Jazz Festival performance where he played an 80min set of jazzy instrumentals was a "nudge wink practical joke?"

aardvark15 said:

I would love to see the setlist

There is a thread about all that in the concerts forum.

2elijah said:

Nice review.

More Images »

Multi-Platinum superstar Prince turns Montreal's Metropolis into a giant dance club as he performs the first of two sold out performances during Montreal's

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/Prince+kicks+Jazz+Fest+with+hour/5006110/story.html#ixzz1QONgHnXH

MONTREAL - “I don’t know what you heard!” Prince called to the late-night crowd, deep into the funk groove of the opening song in the first of two sold-out shows at Metropolis on Friday. “I don’t know what you heard! But we’re here to get funky!”

That’s an understatement. The band had started at 11:30 on the nose, as advertised. They didn’t stop (six or seven encores excepted) for the next four hours. Prince’s last performance at the Montreal International Jazz Festival was a nudge-wink practical joke in which he spent the first half in jazz-fusion mode and the second half raising the roof with an arsenal of hits. This one – which kicked off the fest’s 32nd edition in grand style – was all about the boogie.

From beginning to end, through an era-spanning array of covers and originals, he brought the party in no uncertain terms (and left fans screaming for more). For an artist who has sworn off the record industry and railed against the Internet, that’s called putting your money where your mouth is. It’s also called giving people their money’s worth – all $150 of it.

Whether he was playing tambourine and shimmying in the background while his bandmates – eight in all, including five women and legendary funk saxophonist Maceo Parker – took the spotlight, or standing centre-stage, Prince was putting on a heckuva show.

And don’t let reports of his reclusiveness fool you – the man was thoroughly enjoying himself. You can’t throw a party like that without loving what you do.

It was obvious as he and his players dug into the country-rock lilt of Crimson and Clover early on, mixing in elements from Jimi Hendrix’s Wild Thing and Bob Marley’s Waiting In Vain.

He offered up a raucous version of his early single Controversy, asking, “Is this the funkiest band in the world?… Am I in the funkiest city?” That would be yes and, um, yes.

But then, just 75-minutes in: “Thank you! Good night!”

For most bands, that would be normal. Here, it felt silly. Parker returned to take the helm for the J.B.’s hit Pass the Peas with Prince as hype-man, roaming the stage swinging a white towel.

It was two hours along before he fully opened the back catalogue: Let’s Go Crazy into Delirious into 1999. He began Little Red Corvette alone on guitar, coaxing new cadences out of the classic melody.

“Montreal! You’re just funky!” he gushed, well into a lengthy rendition of Musicology. He then proceeded to pull out a load of trademark moves – pirouettes, hip-shakes, rump-shakes and the inimitable strut. We were three hours in and he was just warming up.

After the fourth encore came the second Sly and the Family Stone cover of the night, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), with a bit of Wild Cherry’s Play That Funky Music. But they hardly felt like covers; the band owned these songs, and the vibe was downright jubilant.

He gave a shoutout to late Springsteen sax-man Clarence Clemons as Parker let loose during Purple Rain. At 3:07 a.m., he dropped an effervescent Rasberry Beret, followed by Cream in the homestretch, before closing with the driving funk number Cool.

When he threw his mic into the crowd (!), it was pretty clear it was over. And still people stood around, until the roadies mercifully waved them away.

Not many bands would dare (or deign) play a four hour set. Even fewer could. Many can’t hold a crowd for the usual 90 minutes. And yet one sensed Prince could have gone all night.

Perhaps he was holding back after all.

[Edited 6/26/11 7:33am]

aardvark15 said:

I would love to see the setlist

Setlist is more than likely posted in the Concerts forum.

---

[Edited 6/26/11 8:13am]

2elijah said:

aardvark15 said:

I would love to see the setlist

Setlist is more than likely posted in the Concerts forum.

Thanks

Wow...that sounded great. Thats the Prince I know just funking it out...

Hope he does a cover of Bob Marley in Kent the crowd would go wild for it.

Maybe the interview comments was twisted after all or hes just BS'ing the jounalists.

catpark said:

Wow...that sounded great. Thats the Prince I know just funking it out...

Hope he does a cover of Bob Marley in Kent the crowd would go wild for it.

Maybe the interview comments was twisted after all or hes just BS'ing the jounalists.

The crowd will go nuts for Prince songs more than covers.

very positive indeed

SquirrelMeat said:

catpark said:

Wow...that sounded great. Thats the Prince I know just funking it out...

Hope he does a cover of Bob Marley in Kent the crowd would go wild for it.

Maybe the interview comments was twisted after all or hes just BS'ing the jounalists.

The crowd will go nuts for Prince songs more than covers.

SquirrelMeat said:

TheEnglishGent said:

SquirrelMeat said:

The crowd will go nuts for Prince songs more than covers.

if prince does this i'd wet myself.....

And Fams out there that still believe that Prince is an expert jazz musician? If so why didn't he show it at the Jazz Festival?

Another review.

Prince Delivers 4 Hour Performance at the 32nd Annual Montreal Jazz Festival! June 25, 2011

[Edited 6/27/11 8:31am]

Just watching him in Paris on Canel+ showed a happy & content Prince or at least in my opinion

yaaayy a positive Prince post.. whew.. (wipes brow). hell today Prince climate is a little iffy with all the burqa nonsense and all.. at least the brotha is still on point WHERE IT COUNTS.. ..THANKS FOR SHARING..

4 hours? WOW. I wish I was there.

dag said:

4 hours? WOW. I wish I was there.

I was! It was simply the best show that has even been done in the whole universe (well, both shows.. cause the day after he did 3,5 hours

Thanks for sharing the review, brought a HUGE smile to my face!