For some reason, the search feature does not work for me...so, sorry if this has already been posted. I know it's late but I enjoyed reading it just the same.

Prince, Montreux Jazz Festival

Playing live might be the light at the end of the tunnel, the saving grace of the music industry, but too many acts tout the same set from one outdoor event to another, from one country to the next, with little consideration for context or locale. Not so Prince, who closed the 43rd Montreux Jazz Festival last Saturday with two stunning, genre-hopping, free-flowing shows tailored to the occasion.

In 2007, the Minneapolis wonder stopped over on the Swiss Riviera ahead of the 21 dates he played at the O2 in London, and enjoyed it so much he agreed to return for two exclusive shows announced by organiser Claude Nobs – the "funky Claude" mentioned in Deep Purple's epochal "Smoke on the Water" – when the festival started on 3 July. Tickets for the concerts held at the 3,900-capacity Auditorium Stravinski sold out within minutes, with fans travelling from all over mainland Europe and the UK.

Both shows were priceless tour-de-forces from a performer still at the top of his game 31 years on from his debut. Sporting a red suit, red and silver shoes, and playing a red Fender Stratocaster, Prince strolled on and delivered on the promise of a ballad-heavy first set with the openers "When I Lay My Hands On U" and "Little Red Corvette", emphasising the lyric "It was Saturday night, I guess that makes it alright" with a mock-coy roll of his Bambi eyes. "Somewhere Here On Earth" from Planet Earth, his 2007 album, proved another early highlight, the superstar blowing kisses while his soulful falsetto soared to Stylistics heights.

The aural foreplay of the first half contained many boasts – "When the Lights Go Down", "Willing and Able", "All That Love" – very much in the bedroom, boudoir mode which has often been Prince's default setting. But just as things threatened to get too steamy, keyboard-player Renato Neto added a dash of cool jazz and a dazzling piano solo to "In a Large Room with No Light". Despite the fact that Prince made the unreleased track available to listen to on www.montreuxjazz.com, only a few fans joined in, though his guitar solos, by turns fluid and torrid, drew applause from the jazz cognoscenti. Indeed, it was a joy to watch and listen to the near-telepathic interplay between Prince, Neto, bassist Rhonda Smith and drummer John Blackwell throughout. "You don't need a big band when you've got this band!" quipped His [red] Purpleness, though Morris Hayes, a veteran of the New Power Generation era, joined them to add lush keyboards to the yearning "The Beautiful Ones" – the singer imploring "Do you want him, or do you want me? 'Cos I want you" as he did in Purple Rain – and the unexpectedly tender "Nothing Compares 2 U", the Prince composition recorded by The Family and turned into a worldwide hit by Sinead O'Connor. "We've got too many hits, we'll be here all night," he said somewhat disingenuously at the end of the first set.

The second show, starting around midnight, actually featured more classics, including "When You Were Mine" from Dirty Mind, a rather apt "All The Critics Love U In Montreux" worked up in rehearsals the previous day, and a guitar-drenched "Purple Rain" as the crowd-pleasing climax, along with covers of "All Shook Up" and Jimi Hendrix's "Spanish Castle Magic". Unlike B B King, Prince didn't host one of Montreux's workshops. He didn't need to. He'd already given a masterclass.

http://www.independent.co...55620.html

Excellent review!

thanx 4 sharing...great!

Great review!

Over the years I have been to many Prince concerts (Diamonds & Pearls, Act II, Gold Experience, Jam Of The Year, One Nite Alone, 21 Nites In London +Aftershows) and I am so happy that I decided to travel to Montreux for "2 Shows 1 Nite".

The first show on Saturday was no less than the best concert of my life - even better than the ONA shows!!! The setlist alone was brilliant and I really loved John, Renato & Rhonda's playing. Prince as so often was just breathtaking: his singing was brilliant (better than ever) and his guitar playing once more just left me standing there with an open mouth.

Hopefully a DVD will see the light of the day!

ANOTHER PRINCE REVIEW.

http://www.reuters.com/ar...inmentNews

Prince fans storm Montreux for rare European show

By Stephanie Nebehay

MONTREUX, Switzerland (Reuters) - Prince fans from across Europe converged on Montreux for two shows by the American musician whose rare appearance on the continent stretched well into Sunday morning.

The 51-year-old star closed the two-week Swiss Montreux Jazz Festival with a mix of old hits including "Little Red Corvette," "Peach" and "Purple Rain" and fresh titles such as "Elixir" from his new album with singer Bria Valente.

Wearing a bright red suit, geometric gold necklace, and red and white platform shoes, the artist appeared on stage with his red guitar, bathed in his trademark purple light.

"Montreux, thank you," Prince said, as he blew a kiss to the crowd before kicking off an encore with "Insatiable."

Some 8,000 tickets for his two back-to-back concerts, priced up to $480 each, sold out in a record eight minutes when his only European booking this summer was announced just days after the death of Michael Jackson.

Prince performed a jazzy version of the song "In a Large Room With No Light" for both shows in Montreux, which organizers praised as a "groovy mix of soul, jazz and funk."

Changing into a metallic grey outfit, he closed the second show with "Purple Rain," a chart-topper marking its 25th year.

John Blackwell (drums), Rhonda Smith (bass) and Renato Net and Morris Hayes (both on keyboards) accompanied Prince at Stravinski Auditorium.

"LOVE OF EUROPE"

Claude Nobs, founder of the festival in its 43rd annual edition, told fans cheering in vain for a second encore: "The jazz set he created here tonight has never been performed elsewhere."

Prince made his only other appearance at the legendary jazz festival along Lake Geneva two years ago, showing up at 3 a.m. to jam with his band at a free cafe.

Smith, his Canadian bassist and vocalist, said that the 2007 experience had convinced Prince to accept the return booking.

"It's the love of the European public. He had a great time last time. There is a lot of respect, a relaxing feel and a very high artistic level," Smith told the Swiss daily Le Matin.

"It's like nowhere else," she said.

"This was a very different show," said Patrick O'Keeffe, from Ireland. "He rarely plays with just three band members, normally it is much bigger band with brass and horns and sax."

Alessandro Rossi drove from Italy to catch the Grammy- and Academy- winner from Minneapolis. Rossi, in a purple t-shirt with "Prince" on the back, said: "Prince is always number one."

AND THEN ANOTHER REVIEW

http://www.independent.co...55620.html

Prince, Montreux Jazz Festival
Prince wears his crown well

Reviewed by Pierre Perrone
Wednesday, 22 July 2009

Playing live might be the light at the end of the tunnel, the saving grace of the music industry, but too many acts tout the same set from one outdoor event to another, from one country to the next, with little consideration for context or locale. Not so Prince, who closed the 43rd Montreux Jazz Festival last Saturday with two stunning, genre-hopping, free-flowing shows tailored to the occasion.

In 2007, the Minneapolis wonder stopped over on the Swiss Riviera ahead of the 21 dates he played at the O2 in London, and enjoyed it so much he agreed to return for two exclusive shows announced by organiser Claude Nobs – the "funky Claude" mentioned in Deep Purple's epochal "Smoke on the Water" – when the festival started on 3 July. Tickets for the concerts held at the 3,900-capacity Auditorium Stravinski sold out within minutes, with fans travelling from all over mainland Europe and the UK.

Both shows were priceless tour-de-forces from a performer still at the top of his game 31 years on from his debut. Sporting a red suit, red and silver shoes, and playing a red Fender Stratocaster, Prince strolled on and delivered on the promise of a ballad-heavy first set with the openers "When I Lay My Hands On U" and "Little Red Corvette", emphasising the lyric "It was Saturday night, I guess that makes it alright" with a mock-coy roll of his Bambi eyes. "Somewhere Here On Earth" from Planet Earth, his 2007 album, proved another early highlight, the superstar blowing kisses while his soulful falsetto soared to Stylistics heights.

The aural foreplay of the first half contained many boasts – "When the Lights Go Down", "Willing and Able", "All That Love" – very much in the bedroom, boudoir mode which has often been Prince's default setting. But just as things threatened to get too steamy, keyboard-player Renato Neto added a dash of cool jazz and a dazzling piano solo to "In a Large Room with No Light".

Despite the fact that Prince made the unreleased track available to listen to on www.montreuxjazz.com, only a few fans joined in, though his guitar solos, by turns fluid and torrid, drew applause from the jazz cognoscenti. Indeed, it was a joy to watch and listen to the near-telepathic interplay between Prince, Neto, bassist Rhonda Smith and drummer John Blackwell throughout. "You don't need a big band when you've got this band!" quipped His [red] Purpleness, though Morris Hayes, a veteran of the New Power Generation era, joined them to add lush keyboards to the yearning "The Beautiful Ones" – the singer imploring "Do you want him, or do you want me? 'Cos I want you" as he did in Purple Rain – and the unexpectedly tender "Nothing Compares 2 U", the Prince composition recorded by The Family and turned into a worldwide hit by Sinead O'Connor. "We've got too many hits, we'll be here all night," he said somewhat disingenuously at the end of the first set.

The second show, starting around midnight, actually featured more classics, including "When You Were Mine" from Dirty Mind, a rather apt "All The Critics Love U In Montreux" worked up in rehearsals the previous day, and a guitar-drenched "Purple Rain" as the crowd-pleasing climax, along with covers of "All Shook Up" and Jimi Hendrix's "Spanish Castle Magic". Unlike B B King, Prince didn't host one of Montreux's workshops. He didn't need to. He'd already given a masterclass.

rgagnon1999 said:

it's the same
[Edited 7/23/09 1:47am]