Prince of love
Purple passion in abundance
By MIKE BELL, CALGARY SUN

Last night at the Jube, love was in the air.

Well, that and a whole lot of incense. Purple incense.

Don't ask me how I know it was purple, it just smelled purple.

But even the thick, smoky perfume couldn't mask the overpowering scent of amore.

Some of that love was directed between the many couples amongst the more than 2,000 people in attendance -- there was even what appeared to be a wedding party on the main floor of the auditorium.

But most of it was directed at the man dressed in black, standing on stage, who, in turn, took that love inside, glowed with it and returned it in equal amounts to his fans and, of course, the big man above.

Although it wasn't exactly the 'one nite alone with Prince' that the ads promised, it was as close as most of us will get -- and it was more than good enough.

Definitely, a nite to remember.

The new Prince -- the one devoted to God and not the many goddesses he preferred in past incarnations -- put on a show that was more intimate, more compelling and much more entertaining than the one who showed up at the 'Dome almost five years ago.

"For those who came hoping to get your Purple Rain on," the enigmatic and surprisingly chatty entertainer said early on in the evening, "you're in the wrong house.

"I'm not interested in what you already know, but what you're willing to learn."

And learn we did.

We learned that Prince is one remarkable and utterly unique musician and performer. And we learned he has assembled one of the finest, funkiest jazz acts around with his tight, five-piece backup band.

Who better to learn the latter point from than the man who walked down the centre aisle blowing his sax to begin the show, the legendary Maceo Parker.

Wow.

It doesn't get much better than that -- right? Wrong.

Prince, as a musician, certainly takes a backseat to no one.

"Can I play my guitar a little bit?" the artist asked.

And how.

He can play it a little bit like almost no one else, as he proved for the first time during the massive jam-on that was the Rainbow Children -- the title cut from his latest album and the stunning first song of the night.

Everything else Prince and his crew touched last night was pure magic.

From the many tracks taken from his entirely underrated latest CD, to the handful of covers they tackled, including the mondo-funky Ohio Players track Love Rollercoaster and the sensual Delfonics' tune La La (Means I Love You), it was an exceptionally paced, ridiculously well-performed set.

There was an added element of improvisation, fitting in nicely with the jazzier direction his music has taken.

But so tight are the musicians and so well do they seem to know each other, that every song -- no matter how extended, no matter how monster of a jam session each became -- they held together beautifully.

For the most part, he remained true to his word and stayed away from most of the hits of his past. The most notable exceptions being Raspberry Beret, Nothing Compares 2U and ironically enough, Purple Rain.

Nor did anyone mind the many spiritual asides Prince threw into the evening -- replacing the raunch with the religion.

No, the new Prince was met with the same acceptance as the old one, as he should have been.

Isn't that what unconditional love is all about?

Thanks for the review.

Very positively written! Thanks

I saw this review, because I live in Calgary. The picture was of Prince form 1997, and the review seems to be just re-arranged words from other reviews that ANYONE could see on the net. I don't even think this guy was there.