Not a bad review! Must be a first for The Sun...

Brave start to a Purple Reign

August 02, 2007


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PRINCE surprised fans last night when he kicked off the opening night of his 21-date residency with Purple Rain.

It takes a brave musician who starts a gig with their greatest hit. But when you have a back catalogue as extensive as Prince’s you have nothing to worry about.

The crowd booed at one point when he started to leave the stage.

But the mini megastar shouted back: “You don’t think that’s it do you? I’ve got more hits than MADONNA has kids.”

What’s more amazing is that he changed his entire set hours before going on stage after the original running order was leaked on the net.

Hits came thick and fast.

“Welcome to the party,” he announced to his screaming fans, before launching into Cream and U Got The Look.

He also revealed: “I was so excited I couldn’t sleep last night.”

You never would have guessed as he switched between guitar solos and complex dance routines.

There were also incredible covers, including GNARLS BARKLEY’s Crazy and Come Together by THE BEATLES in what turned out to be a three-hour gig.

It was topped off by a third encore — Little Red Corvette — when Prince appeared in the middle of departing crowds before strolling back to the stage surrounded by security.

And If that wasn't enough there was more performing at the aftershow party!

aped stage and said: “How are you liking the stage? I just got it. It’s sexy, right?”

He even pulled up a string of lucky fans to join in the fun on stage.

link here...

http://www.thesun.co.uk/a...40,00.html

And the Daily Mail:

Prince - the master showman - kicks off his London residency with a bang
By ADRIAN THRILLS - More by this author »

Last updated at 00:52am on 2nd August 2007

Prince now starts a 21 night residency at the O2 venue
The 49-year-old American broke new ground last month when he gave away his new studio album, Plant Earth, as a free cover-mount with our sister paper The Mail on Sunday.

And tickets for last night's sold-out show at the O2 Arena - the venue formerly known as the Millennium Dome - were attractively priced at £31.21 apiece.

A snip compared to the £550 charged for some seats at the recent Barbra Streisand shows in the same place, the unusual figure was chosen as 3121 is also the title of a 2006 Prince album and the name of the singer's own-brand perfume.

With last night's exhilarating show being the first of 21 that Prince is playing in Docklands between now and the end of September, you might have expected him to ease himself gently into proceedings but the singer, notorious for his marathon performances and sexually charged lyrics was a ball of energy from the moment that he appeared from behind a puff of smoke on a stage which consisted of an elaborate series of catwalks in the centre of the 23,000 capacity venue.

Wearing a cream suit and high-heeled shoes which in no way impaired his ability to gyrate around the stage, Prince opened the show with Purple Rain. It was a song which perfectly encapsulated his ability to mix the rhythms of American soul with the guitar sounds of white rock music.

A custom-made purple guitar, slung behind his shoulders as he started the song was given more gainful employment as he closed the anthemic ballad with an exquisite solo.

In addition to his four-piece band the singer was accompanied by two dancers. Dressed in pink raincoats, they waved purple flags as he sang.

"London, I'm here," he told the crowd minutes later, before adding, teasingly "Did you miss me?"

The whoops and screams of delight, especially from the females present, gave him his resounding answer.

Signalling to an engineer to dim the lights he then complained about the brightness on stage, although this turned out to be merely an excuse for the showman in him to demand that everybody makes things "a little sexy".

For the most part however Prince, who confessed to having being kept awake by nerves the previous evening, lets his music do the talking. And it spoke volumes.

Apart from one bluesy interlude, the early part of the night was dominated by a series of funky, jam-like numbers. The singer, who quickly discarded his jacket, was joined by a four-piece brass section. The latter were expertly led by the veteran saxophonist Maceo Parker, whose jittery, intricate blowing was a constant delight.

Among the other early highlights were a sumptuous version of I Feel For You, a song that Prince wrote for Chaka Khan in the 80s. That led into a brisk interpretation of his own hit Controversy, a song featuring the immortal but very apt line "People call me rude".

While Prince, on a musical level at least, was defiantly back to his wicked old ways, it wasn't all lascivious fare. Taking his cue from such showmen as Little Richard and James Brown, he toyed playfully with his audiences' affections. At one point he even pretended to get bored and walk off stage before being called vociferously back.

His joking extended to the occasional bout of between-song banter. "Shall I sing Diamonds and Pearls or Pop Life now?" he said before tearing into a completely different song, Kiss.

He even adapted the latter's lyrics to suit the current TV schedule, inserting Big Brother and Desperate Housewives into the line, "You don't have to watch Dynasty to have an attitude".

Apparently without a preordained set list, the singer made great play of the fact that this was a show of "Real music by real musicians" and occasionally asked for requests from the crowd.

Mostly, however he seemed content to go where his own artistic instincts took him.

Towards the end of the show those inclinations took him away from his R&B roots back towards rockier territory.

A cover the Beatles' Come Together plus a high octane version of Guitar, a track from his new album were both illuminated by searing solos. It was proof once more of his seemingly effortless versatility.

Even at the end of the show however Prince wasn't finished. Determined to party like it was 2007, he left the stage to prepare himself for another performance at his after-show party in the adjacent Indigo venue, a show which was due to continue well into the early hours.

http://www.dailymail.co.u...ge_id=1924

Neli said:

so can someone who was there please confirm weather he was booed or is this the case of the sun being shit as usaul, thanks for posting the reviews

so can someone who was there please confirm weather he was booed or is this the case of the sun being shit as usaul, thanks for posting the reviews [/quote]



The sun being crap as usual