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Welcome to Thieveland, Ohio “I wonder which Prince would show up tonight?”, a question overheard as we filed in from the chilly Cleveland air. A fair question as he was coming off of his most idiosyncratic work to date. Was he going to be his normal pretentious and gaudy self? Play a slew of hits that reminded us of past glory. Or, was he going to hold a prayer service? A recent Jehovah’s Witness whose album, The Rainbow Children was his boldest and most religiously convicted work since Lovesexy. This second coming, two years removed from his last set was neither. Saxman, Najee, a last second replacement for Maceo Parker started by strolling casually down the aisle as they swung into a jazzy rendition of Rainbow Children worthy of Sixth Street Down Under. This set the tone early that anything could happen. Chillin in a lounge jacket, slacks and heels, Prince seemed more comfortable, relaxed and engaging than his last visit. Raising the house lights so he could see “where the party was!” This was the Prince we all wanted to see. A deliberate mix of guitar gymnastics, social commentary and personal testimony. “If you came to get your Purple Rain on, you are SO at the wrong party!” he teased as he introduced some of the new material and revisited some of his classics. He even threw in some covers of Erykah Badu’s Didn’t You Know”, Ohio Players’ Love Rollercoaster and a Santaña Medley. After a 2 and a half hour performance, the crowd joined him in a chant of “Love is God, God is love” as brought down the house with Anna Stesia and showed why he is still considered music royalty. | |
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