What the hell is up with the lack of Canadian concert reviews?? Has the tour started to bore most people already so they're not writing? Are there no Canadians on this site? What happened at the soundcheck, and is Eric still in the fold? Enquiring minds want to know...

Guess the ppl there dont luv him or appreciate him like alot of us folks here do. DEAD HEADS!

Ever try the npgmusicclub news section? There are reports right there from club members! Now go!

Paisley said:

Totally untrue. I was at the Vancouver show, Love and appreciate like there's no tomorrow. And i also wrote a small review a last week. Canada LOVES PRINCE and THE NPG!!

All I saw in the news department were paper articles. I didn't see many personal reviews/comments!

It's hard to write a review on a man that leaves you in awe. These newspaper reviews never give you the true feel of what it is like to see Prince live. He has a presence that pulls you to him. I was at the Calgary show and from the moment Maceo Parker entered the auditorium, from the back, and walked down the centre aisle, to the final note of the piano, you were taken on and emotional ride. Prince really made you feel like he was loving every minute of the show, and you could tell he was. He "dared" everyone to sit down during a very funky, upbeat version of "When U Were Mine" and had the whole audience humming along to the final few bars of "Purple Rain"; saying that everyone singing together was harmony and if only there was more harmony in the world. Prince is an amazing artist, incredible song writer and a musical genius but mostly Prince is Prince and it is just too hard to explain just what the man does to you...

sensitivemthrfker said:

Looks like ur 1 of the very few, much props 2 ya.

aight, i hope this deads this...this is a print review but i wrote it and it is exactly how i perceived the show...don't know why there have been no other reviews out of winnipeg aside from the print ones...

Prince – One Nite Alone Tour
June 6/02
Walker Theatre, Winnipeg
By ANGELOU J. FLORES

“Can U moan 4 me?”

Not what you would expect from a Jehovah’s Witness, but that’s exactly what he asked of a hysterical female fan during his near sell-out show inside Winnipeg’s Walker Theatre.

For the past 24 years, Prince Rogers Nelson has straddled a line between spirituality and sexuality and though his shirt didn’t come off once during his One Nite Alone show, he never failed to swathe himself in sex.

Framed by purple drapery, silk throw pillows, burning incense, imposing video screens and cascading shades of light, the Minneapolis Genius played preacher and pied piper to a diverse crowd of Purple paeans. Backed by a stripped down version of the New Power Generation, Prince delivered the finest urban music experience to ever hit Winnipeg.

The evening began with an introductory solo from John Blackwell [drums], followed by Rhonda Smith [bass], Renato Nato [keys], Greg Boyer [trombone], the surprise return of long-time Revolution member Eric Leeds [tenor sax] and finally The Man himself, resplendent in a purple single breast suit reminiscent of his Parade-era.

He opened with the sermon-like title track to his latest album, The Rainbow Children, a funky affair of Prince-ly proportions that was briefly interrupted by an impromptu dash down the aisles through screaming fans jumping at him for a quick stroke.

So captivating was He-Who-Knows-No-Major-Label that even with a set list light on the hits – he only performed a handful – he captured his audience’s imagination with unbelievably precise guitar and piano work and the finest falsetto this side of Ron Isley. Many were obviously unfamiliar with much of the material but it didn’t stop them from being whisked away by the undertaker of the evening.

For over two-and-a-half hours, Prince delivered. Between blistering storms of funk, jazz and soul, he dropped oratories on multinational media, spirituality, current radio rotation, spirituality and slavery. Did I mention spirituality?

Yes, the hallelujah was in session.

His Royal Badness was on a pulpit but didn’t try to Jerry Falwell you into submission. He didn’t even throw out copies of The Watchtower. He came knockin’ on the door with only a suitcase of cosmic slop and the sole intention of finding out what Winnipeg was “willing 2 learn.”

“Hope U’ll got your scuba gear, we gonn’ get deep 2nite.”

The impact of his recent conversion is obvious but he still kept it fuh-reaky. Dancing was minimal, female foil was absent and buttons went unpopped but when Prince hit the mic for ballads like Muse 2 the Pharoah, Mellow and Extraordinary, no drawers were dry.

When he wasn’t elevating estrogen levels, he was burning the unholy out The Everlasting Now, 1+1+1=3 and Strange Relationship. He also stamped the Minneapolis into the Ohio Players’ Love Rollercoaster, Sly & The Family Stone’s Sing a Simple Song and Erykah Badu’s Didn’t Cha Know.

Not content with leaving a memory of his visit, Prince came out for an encore in a black and white Lovesexy-style pantsuit to leave a mark. He brought heaven to earth with a hypnotic suite consisting of Purple Rain, Nothing Compare 2 U, How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore and the deeply moving Anna Stesia.

Think it mattered he didn’t take his shirt off?