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http://www.winnipegsun.co...mts-centre
Prince reigns supreme at MTS Centre
0By Darryl Sterdan ,QMI Agency
Plenty of artists threaten to play all night long, but Prince made you believe he might actually do it.
Prince & New Power Generation
Thursday Dec. 8, MTS Centre
Turns out some parties really were meant to last.
Case in point: Prince’s epic 150-minute funkstravaganza Thursday night at MTS Centre.
“This is your party, but I’m the DJ,” the 53-year-old Minneapolitan told an energized crowd of 10,500 rainbow children midway through his second visit to town. “And I get to play what I want.”
Indeed he did. But thankfully, it turned out that all His Royal Purpleness wanted to play were hits, hits, covers and more hits — along with some funky extended jams from his star-studded band.
Let’s break it down, dearly beloved. Dig, if you will, the picture:
THE STAGE: You don’t expect Prince to play on a normal square stage, do you? Heaven forbid. Instead, fans were greeted with a giant version of the unpronouncable symbol he used back when he was The Artist Formerly Known as Prince. The giant pansexual glyph sat smack-dab in the centre of the arena floor, with the phallic end pointed north and the band clustered in the circle at the opposite end (aside from another keyboard player who was situated at the end of the arena in his own separate elevated booth for some reason). A grand piano with a wraparound video screen sat in the swirly portion of the cross bar. Flashing running lights outlined every curve of the stage. Above it all hung a half-dozen vertical video screens and a six-armed truss filled with computerized lights. At the four corners (so to speak) on the floor were the VIP sections, with clumps of high tables for the big spenders. But from my perspective, they wasted their money — they might have been closer, but the best seats in the house were on the sides of the arena, where you could see every moment of the action.
THE COLOURS OF THE NIGHT: Purple and gold, of course — though there were also a handful of raspberry berets dotting the crowd.
THE RULES: No pictures and no texting — staff and security spent the bulk of the set chasing up and down the aisles admonishing anybody and everybody who didn’t obey, and threatening repeat offenders with ejection. For the most part, it worked: Instead of the usual blue, glowing spots you see at most concerts, the audience was almost totally dark. It was actually kind of cool.
THE ENTRANCE: Half an hour after the advertised 8 p.m. start, thunder rumbled through the PA, lightning cracked on the video screens, fog began to swirl and Prince appeared — rising from below the centre of the stage on a large platform. Nattily dressed in a long-coated black suit over a white shirt, and sporting a giant ring on his right hand and diamond crescents on the tops of his ears, he glided over to that grand piano and opened the show with a solo, electro-grooving rendition of the Purple Rain megahit When Doves Cry. “Are you ready for me?” he asked, joking with the crowd. “Do you know how many hits I have?” To drive home the point, he launched into his so-called Sampler Set, a medley of oldies like Sign O’ The Times, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, Forever in My Life and more. “It feels like the weekend,” he remarked. “I ain’t got nothing to do tomorrow; how about you? ... Better call your babysitters, I’m serious!”
THE BAND: Prince’s latest incarnation of the New Power Generation is a quartet with three female vocalists, who made their way onstage one by one as he worked his way through that Sampler Set. But the real VIPs of the night were none other than legendary James Brown sax man Maceo Parker and Sly and the Family Stone bassist Larry Graham (clad in white from head to toe like some angelic cowboy-pimp). The former emerged during the slow-burning Joy in Repetition to deliver one of his typically muscular solos. Then the latter came on the scene and things really kicked into gear as the band burned through irresistibly funky versions of not one, not two, but three — count ’em, three — Sly and the Family Stone standards: Everyday People, Stand and Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin). Graham, naturally, was completely in his element, tearing off finger-popping basslines and unfurling a mighty, thundering solo as he swaggered from one end of the stage to the other. He vanished at the one-hour mark of the show. But Prince and the rest were still just hitting their stride.
THE SECOND ACT: “Sound check is over,” Prince announced. And with that, he launched into a lengthy string of hits: Take Me With U, Raspberry Beret, Cream and more. Prince has been playing a different set every night on this tour, so you never know what you’re going to get. But you couldn’t really have asked for a stronger, better-paced show than this. Despite having to know dozens of songs, the band was ridiculously tight — while still managing to be limber enough to follow their bosses every move and improvisation. “Real music played by real musicians,” Prince proudly proclaimed at least twice. Point taken. The man himself also seemed to be in fine form: His voice was as strong as ever, effortlessly nailing every screaming, mile-high falsetto and never running out of steam, despite the fact he spent nearly every second either dancing or moving about the massive stage. His guitar work was similarly solid, with funky licks and screaming solos unspooling without pause from his well-worn Telecaster (and a newer replica that he didn’t mind tossing offstage to his guitar tech). Most important: Prince seemed to be having a blast — jamming with his band, joking with his singers and having his technicians raise and lower the house lights so he could interact with the crowd, who were encouraged to clap on the two and four, wave their arms in the air and sing along with nearly every chorus and refrain that came down the pipe. After covers of Michael Jackson’s Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough and The Beatles’ Yesterday, it all came to a climax with a swelling version of Nothing Compares 2 U and a show-stopping Purple Rain, accompanied by a blizzard of purple and gold confetti blown over the rapturous crowd. Not bad for 90 minutes.
THE FIRST ENCORE: After more thunder and lightning and fog, the church organ kicked in and everybody knew what was coming. “Dearly beloved,” Prince intoned, offering the opening words of Let’s Go Crazy. Which is pretty much how the audience reacted. The band burned through it, inserting the bouncy synth-pop of Delirious in the middle for good measure. Then they pulled out all the stops and pushed the crowd over the edge with 1999 and Little Red Corvette. But after Prince said goodnight and left the stage, something really wild happened: The house lights went up — and almost nobody left. The crowd simply stayed and stomped and screamed and clapped until the house lights dimmed again and Prince returned. First time I’ve seen that. And after a show like that, no wonder.
THE OTHER ENCORES: “We got no more hits!” Prince ended up claiming. “We’re out of hits!” Despite his protests, he managed to find a few more gems like Kiss and Controversy in the back catalog, doling them out one by one and then leaving the stage via his descending platform — only to be summoned back time and again like James Brown. At one point, he rose back into view sprawled on the floor before literally rising to the occasion yet again. "Don't toy with me, Winnipeg," he warned at one point. "Because I will play all night." I've heard singers say it before, but this was the first time I ever thought it might actually happen. But finally, after more than two hours — and a monumental version of the powerhouse ballad The Beautiful Ones — the whole affair wrapped with a full-on disco workout featuring a cover of Sylvester’s Dance (Disco Heat) and Baby I’m a Star. As Prince rode his elevator down for the umpteenth and final time, he asked, “Was it the party of the year?” As if he — and we — didn’t already know.
Set List:
When Doves Cry
Sampler Set:
Sign O’ The Times
Most Beautiful Girl in the World
Forever in My Life
Darling Nikki
Hot Thing
I Would Die 4 U
Housequake
A Love Bizarre
•••••
Joy in Repetition
Everyday People
Alphabet Street
Stand
Life
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)
Take Me With U
Raspberry Beret
Cream
Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough
Cool
Yesterday
Nothing Compares 2 U
Purple Rain
First Encore:
Let’s Go Crazy
Delirious
1999
Little Red Corvette
Second Encore:
Kiss
Third Encore:
Controversy
Fourth Encore:
The Beautiful Ones
Dance (Disco Heat)
Baby I’m a Star
Andy FB posted STAND from last night's concert. Where do I begin? Such funkiness from Larry's bass. I must see him in April! And Prince trying to teach the Canadian crowd to dance Lol, brilliantly funny! Must admit the whole band looked proper SMART. Andy & Shelby looked fabulous in the clip...& Prince? Watch out, he doin the Dolphin look....swoon & thud! Any smelling salts please? 
he played Yesterday??? Which instrument? and vocals too? 