Glowing review yet again for the man...

http://www.denverpost.com...53,00.html

FYI: i think the critic who wrote this article is confusing Rad with Chance Howard. - anx

Prince retakes his old throne

By Ricardo Baca
Denver Post Pop Music Critic

With his inimitable falsetto cooing the words "Baby, baby, baby," Prince led his encore Friday night at the Pepsi Center with "The Beautiful Ones," a song that ultimately asks the questions: "Do you want him? Or do you want me?"

Like he really had to ask.

RAD., one of the New Power Generation band's keyboardists, had earlier told the near-capacity crowd: "School's in session!" And he was right. Prince was in the process of schooling everybody, especially all the other artists touring arenas this summer.

Prince is a class act and a gifted performer, obvious facts from the get-go as he jump-started the already electric crowd with "Musicology" and a hit-laden medley made up of a funk-infused "Let's Go Crazy," "I Would Die 4 U," "When Doves Cry" and a "Baby I'm a Star" that was more of a meditation on gospel than it was a pop landmark.

And that's all you needed to hear to know where he was going with the Musicology tour, which also played Saturday night at the Pepsi Center. This is not only Prince's greatest hits show; it's also his ownership stake in the world of blaringly live music.

Prince, one of the most commanding and fluid frontmen in the history of rock, humbly shared the stage with his band, which is among the tightest you'll ever see. He made them part of the show, not in some awkward "This-is-my-saxophonist" way but in a manner that truly embraced them.

He shook his booty with RAD. He constantly threw shout-outs to his horn players, Maceo, Candy and Greg. He played call-and-response with the audience about the funk of bassist Rhonda Smith. And he gave ample solo time to keyboardist Renato Neto, including a 10-minute Prince-less interlude that was borderline obnoxious with its cover of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World."

But the respect was epic and it was shared. And as a result, songs like "Nothing Compares 2 U" and "Purple Rain," which made up the rest of the encore, sailed on a beautiful wave of powerful live instrumentation laid down by copacetic musicians.

When Prince and the band drew "Love Bizarre" from a scaled-back "Controversy," it was astounding. But when he free-formed an acoustic set that went from "Little Red Corvette" to "I Wanna Be Your Lover," from "Alphabet St." to a new ditty, "Prince and the Band," which ripped Warner Bros. and had the artist beat-boxing, it was impossible to question the concert's value.

Pop music critic Ricardo Baca can be reached at 303-820-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com .

Prince gave Denver 2 really great shows. It was excellent weekend. I preferred this show to the what I saw in Vegas over Memorial Day. Great crowd, great energy -- a wonderful weekend.

[quote] Though I went to Saturday nights gig....I agree ...the show in Denver beat the show in Vegas...Prince was energetic and comfortable, unlike Vegas, and the crowd responded...likewise.....

Yeah the Denver Friday night show was great and I had a wonderful time.

He set out to teach the people of this earth a lesson in music..

You commanded your students..

Thank you Maestro.

I wonder if there's any point to asking this question, but I'll ask anyway - is there a way to find out where the afterparty will be for the San Diego show this coming Sunday?

The keyboard solo was borderline obnoxious? When else can smokers get a smoke break? When can people relieve themselves? Get a half-smoke? Thanks to Renato.....we can do it when he plays. Sad but true.

pkidwell said:

I actually liked the keyboard solo. It was obscurity, weird, and beautiful all at the same time. Very Dr. Fink-ish

Reece said:

What an insult to Dr. Fink.

2020 said:

I wrote an email to Mr. Baca explaining his mistake and here is what was said:

My email:
Richard,
Great article on Prince's 2 concerts, but you mistakenly identified the wrong person.

RAD hasn't been in Prince's band since February of this year. The person you're calling RAD is actually Chance Howard, his current Keyboardist.

Just thought I'd let you know.

Leroy Pugh

His reply:


We're all human.

LovesexyIsThe1 said:

Speak for yourself. I make no mistakes. For a professional writer to make such a mistake is inexcusable!!!!!





















































ain't no big deal to me!!!