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PrintablePrince turns Calgary into ‘funkiest city in Canada’Prince performs on stage at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, on June 30, Prince and his band performed at the Saddledome in Calgary on Wednesday. Media were not allowed to photograph the show.Photograph by: BERTRAND GUAY, AFP/Getty ImagesIt’s about that time, the time to look back. And in the world of music, in the past 12 months of Calgary’s concert calendar, we’ve seen and heard a lot. The good, the meh, the memorable, and the not-so, sure. But we’ve also had the spectacle. There’s been the minimalism. We’ve been offered the nostalgia act. Shows about the musicianship. There’ve been concerts that were musical extravaganzas, live-action videos, and casual affairs. There’ve been parties. There’ve been singalongs. There’ve been danceathons. We’ve had it all.
But — and the but be of Kardashian proportions — in the past year, in the past few, hell, for as long as one can remember, we have never had it all at once, never had it provided so perfectly, so remarkably, so unforgettably as it was Wednesday night at the Saddledome during pop funk icon Prince’s brilliant set to beat most others.
Packed into a tight, taut, dynamite, purple package, the concert, which was part of the regal one’s quick hit Welcome 2 Canada Tour, was one of the best a casual goer or professional attendee could ever claim to have seen and heard. Top 10? Definitely
Seriously. It was that good. On almost every level. Kicking things off a mere 20 minutes late, the artist — in every meaning of the word — ascended from below the stage shaped like his Formerly Known As symbol, and proceeded to give a master class on performance, showmanship and unadulterated musicality.
Each song he and his remarkable band, which included saxman supreme Maceo Parker, was an exercise in all that live music should be, an exchange between audience and entertainer, the fulfilment of the contract that both get something out of it and are made all the better. In fact, Prince, his voice and his elfin looks seemingly untouched by time, asked early into the two-hour evening, “They tell me this is the funkiest city in Canada — is that right?” and damned if he didn’t make that ludicrous statement come true. Here. In one of the most funk-challenged and -starved spots on the map.
He didn’t even need his many urgings to “dance” and “get up, Calgary” do make that happen. All he needed was those songs, an endless stream of memorable old-school and THE school musical moments, such as Musicology, Let’s Work, U Got The Look, 1999, Raspberry Beret, Little Red Corvette and When Doves Cry.
All were performed expertly and without any of the weight or expectations anyone might have for them.
Even Purple Rain, a track that most in the audience would have heard anywhere approaching 100 times, had the same power and the same feeling it would have on that very first listen. His playing helped, as his comfort with a guitar is one of those things that you can only marvel at, each solo less self-indulgent than self-expression, even when extending a five-minute song into double digits.
And that band? Again, wow. He has always surrounded himself with hot players, and those accompanying him on his current tour kept the sound huge, the funk flowing and the mood on the party side of the ledger.
Even a medley treatment of hits such as Darling Nikki, I Would Die 4 U and Kiss didn’t seem like we were being shortchanged or cheated out of anything, merely being given a different angle, another way into the familiar.
It was almost flawless. Literally, almost without a flaw.
No, it wasn’t as epically long as previous concerts have been and some promises had led us to believe. But rarely has a two-hour evening seemed so effortless and so packed with excellence. And, granted, his use of this city’s name in song and in encouragement, bordered on the mocking, but still made it sound so downright sexy and exotic,
And the rest of the show, the elements that really mattered, here really aren’t enough superlatives to describe them, the energy, the experience, the musicianship, the entertainment, the everything that it was.
It wasn’t just a concert, it was an event, something that everyone in the building will likely remember, something that everyone who wasn’t will regret, and something you’ll be lucky to ever be offered again.
It had it all. And it was the perfect end to a year that was.
Review: Prince performed Wednesday night at the Saddledome. Attendance: 11,000.
mbell@calgaryherald.com Follow on Twitter@mrbell_23 © Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything." --Plato
https://youtu.be/CVwv9LZMah0 | |
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OMG, Lucky Nipples, you heard him sing so close. I am kind of jealous  and sad not being there.  | |
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I love that everyone is having such a great time in Canada. I remember how excited we were in NYC when the shows started last year at this time. The pre show ORG get togethers were great and led to some good friendships being born! Excellent memories. When  go 2 a Prince concert or related event it's all  up in the house but when log onto this site and the miasma of bitchiness is completely overwhelming! | |
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Here is the Calgary Sun reveiw.
Prince: The royal visitLisa Wilton, Calgary Sun  Prince (Photo handout)
CALGARY - Long before Mayor Nenshi’s purple revolution swept him into civic politics, one Prince Rogers Nelson had already laid claim all shades of the colour (even puce.) But while it remains to be seen how long Calgary’s purple one will hold onto power, the Monarch of Minneapolis has been filling arenas for 30 years now. It’s not difficult to comprehend Prince’s enduring popularity. Especially after witnessing the singer’s high-octane performance at the Saddledome Wednesday night. About 11,000 fans watched as the artist formerly known as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince ran through hit after hit during the Calgary stop of his current Welcome 2 Canada Tour. It’s a good thing the 53-year-old singer is such a consummate entertainer or else there may have been more grumbling due to his delayed entrance. The concert was supposed to start at 8 p.m., but Prince didn’t end up taking the stage for another 30 minutes. After toying with the crowd’s emotions by turning the house lights off, then on, then off, then on again, the petite funkmeister finally appeared to a thunderous reception. Take a look at the set lists of the tour’s previous shows and you’ll see they’re wildly different. Prince isn’t one to do the same show twice. Calgarians weren’t treated to the same epic 31/2-hour spectacle Prince gave Toronto fans last month. In fact, the show didn’t even quite hit the two-hour mark. Yet, Prince still offered a heaping plate of delicious Grade A funk, soul and rock ’n’ roll. Wearing a black turtleneck shirt, tight black flares and a red velvet jacket, Prince came ready for a dance party. Fans immediately obliged by getting up off their seats and getting down to a handful of pure funk numbers, including the title track from his 2004 album, Musicology. “Y’all don’t understand, we’re going to turn this place out,” he told the crowd matter-of-factly. Looking as if he hadn’t aged a day in 20 years, Prince strode confidently around the unique stage, which looked more impressive from the higher seats. It was designed in the shape of the unpronounceable love symbol he used for seven years in the 1990s when he called himself The Artist Formerly Known as Prince. The singer has always been a mix of sexy, swaggering rock star caricature and over-the-top theatrics, and he showed Wednesday his flamboyant stage presence is still very much intact. Despite being a touch hammy, Prince backed up his showmanship — as he’s always done — with magnificently solid musicianship. Not only can he wield a guitar with more flair than most rock stars half his age, his band, The New Power Generation, is one of the tightest funk outfits I’ve ever seen. Vocalist Shelby J led the backing vocalists and joined His Purple Highness on several songs, including a fun version of U Got the Look, which Prince originally performed with ’80s pop star Sheena Easton. Stunning guitarist Andy Allo also lent her vocals to beautiful, low-key version of Bob Marley’s Waiting in Vain, while Prince stood back and strummed. Perhaps the most exciting member of the current NPG lineup is Maceo Parker. The saxophonist worked with James Brown during his 1960s heyday, as well as Parliament-Funkadelic. Prince made sure to point out Parker regularly, giving him the props he deserves. The show could have stopped 45 minutes in and the crowd would have still had little to complain about. But it was obvious most were there to hear the hits. “How many of you remember the ’80s?” he asked, rather rhetorically. And with that, he launched into a string of classics, but not before reminding the audience what it was like going to a show back then. Prince is notorious for his dislike of photos and recordings at shows and people were regularly getting admonished by Dome staff for trying to snap pics with their cell- phones. “Remember when your phone was at your house?” Prince joked. But it was difficult for some to resist the urge of trying to save Prince’s fresh and lively renditions of such hits as Let’s Go Crazy, Purple Rain, When Doves Cry, 1999, Little Red Corvette, Take Me With U and Raspberry Beret. From his slinky dancing to his near-perfect falsetto, Prince proved he’s still one of the best. | |
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Maybe we can piece it together between ourselves... I was keeping track on my phone and then it did that thing where it starts manically erasing when you only meant to fix a typo... and I gave up.
DMSR !! Musicology into a Shelby solo Let's Work U Got the Look into Andy solo "Waiting in Vain" Crimson and Clover Let's Go Crazy into Delirious back out to Let's Go Crazy 1999 A looong ass version of LRC (complete with sanitized version of Question of U mic stand playing and getting down on his stomach on the stage!! I almost died) into When Doves Cry Start of Sampler Set? This version being less frustrating from Winnipeg as he did more than 6 bars (Rest of it I'm not sure of the order)
Darling Nikki tease of course "y'all ain't ready for this" SOTT FIML
Don't Stop Till You Get Enough Purple Rain of course I Would Die 4 U Cream (but no C.O.O.L
help me out boys, my brain is fried after only 3 hrs sleep
. [Edited 12/15/11 11:53am] | |
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Was it a full version of Forever in My Life?!! Or was that part of the Sampler Set? Occupy Alphabet Street!
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Sampler unfortunately. I think. lol Did I mention my brain is fried?
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Ha! I can imagine...hope I'm just as happy-tired Sunday morning, after the Victoria show/afterjam Occupy Alphabet Street!
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Wow! Sounds like a great show! But why does he keep playing the general same set list? | |
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I think its the theme of the tour now, I get it, its like a hits tour and so every place has to hear it. thats my interpretation because I often ask the same question. but the good thing is those songs rarely get old on the crowd | |
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He played the full version of "Forever In My Life" when I saw him in San Jose earlier this year in May | |
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It might be the "same" to Prince but it was brand-new to pretty much everyone in the arena. | |
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You are probably right | |
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11,000 people there last night and the place erupted when he asked if this was their first time seeing him.
Even for me, it was 1997 the only other time I saw him play live. It's just such a treat to hear him play ANYTHING live. My sister and brother in law were with me and as non fans they really enjoyed the show. Play to your audience.
But! I want to say. He managed for even my ears to make songs I heard a few nights ago in Winnipeg different last night. Slightly altering the arrangement making me think to myself, how on earth does everyone make that look so effortless? It was pretty cool. | |
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I think we got full FIML in Winnipeg. That and Question of you were highlights of that show for me. Musicology and the extended jam of LRC were last nights gems. | |
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You're joking, right? Question of you, complete? | |
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I heard that Prince had rented out a room at the Saddledome but after the concert every one was "mum" on the subject. For next time, where was it ? And how did you find out the specifics about the after-jam?
Eden | |
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I wondered if that was gonna be confusing... No Question of U
I was refering to the way he teased the mic stand and then humped the floor in Question of U Tokyo 90...
This WASN'T the same but was very reminisent of that for me... a sanitized version if you will. It was just so wicked to see him play and tease live. Delicious!
I mean, has he got down on the floor on the other Canadian dates? Anyone know?
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Afterjam was at a chic restaurant/bar in downtown Calgary. Like other afterjam dates recently, you have to follow DJ Rashida or Dr Funkenberry to get word on if they are happening and where.
Yesterday at 11am Dr Funkenberry teased via twitter asking "I wonder if Calgary wants an afterjam?" Then DJ Rashida confirmed on twitter a half an hour later with a link to the site to purchase tickets. | |
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I don't have too much to add to what everyone else said, but I just wanted to mention that the aftershow at Ki was one of the most unforgettable experiences of my entire life. His surprise encore took everyone's breath away, and the remaining crowd was so small. We were so lucky to have that show. I would pay a thousand dollars for a DVD copy of it.
Prince's band rocked it that evening. Prince's appearance was just a massive bonus. "Knowledge is preferable to ignorance. Better by far to embrace the hard truth than a reassuring faith. If we crave some cosmic purpose, then let us find ourselves a worthy goal" - Carl Sagan | |
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Do you happen to remember what songs were played? Occupy Alphabet Street!
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I would have to disagree with your second wow. I was stunned at the endurance of the Saddledome for the applause for the encore, and the endurance of applause for the second encore as well. It only stopped when the stage was torn down. Most of the crowd never sat down once they stood up, and everyone around me was enjoying themselves immensely. He had the crowd wrapped around his finger.
And as a former member of the music scene in Calgary, until I ran out of time, I would have to disagree there is no scene. There's always something going on. There's just not a lot of soul and R&B in the scene, it's geared more towards rock. "Knowledge is preferable to ignorance. Better by far to embrace the hard truth than a reassuring faith. If we crave some cosmic purpose, then let us find ourselves a worthy goal" - Carl Sagan | |
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The encore was a cover of Sly and the Family's version of Que Sera Sera, and Nothing Compares to U.
When Prince worked out the bass, I know he played Thank You fahlettinmebemahselfagain or however it's spelled and another Sly song.
The band without Prince played Chaka Khan, Make me Happy, and honestly, I'm sorry, it was a blurry night of awesome and most of the songs ran together. I also didn't recognize all of it, some of the newer soul they performed I'm not familiar with. They played a reggae tinged song that I sang along to in the chorus but I can't remember a single word of the chorus except Jamaica. "Knowledge is preferable to ignorance. Better by far to embrace the hard truth than a reassuring faith. If we crave some cosmic purpose, then let us find ourselves a worthy goal" - Carl Sagan | |
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. sorry, that's all I got.
Forever in my Life was a part of the Winnipeg sampler set. We didn't get the full song, but he did play a good portion of it. Even though it was only in the sampler section, i greatly enjoyed hearing him sing along with the track - it's my 2nd favourite Prince song.
QofU wasn't played in Winnipeg - perhaps you meant Joy in Repetition? (You probably were a little sleep-deprived when you posted this, I'd imagine.
[Edited 12/15/11 17:12pm] | |
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Looks like a glorious evening, show & aftershow! Wow, so lucky those who were there!
I'm happy for U! Yeah, I love Graffiti Bridge movie, so what? ''Oooooooooooh Montreal, say it!''
If you can't be nice to someone on the net, you probably ain't worth much talking to in real life either. | |
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Thanks! Occupy Alphabet Street!
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seems princevault doesn't reach deep into canada..strange but true huh? man, he has such an amazing body of music that it's sad to see him constrict it down to the basics. he's too talented for the lineup he's doing. estelle 81 | |
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Toronto 26th. I had a table seat WITH MY HUSBAND & KIDS. Smoke on stage couldn't see where he'd gone & then.... he dragged himself across the stage right past my face, like a snake/ spider i don't know WTF he did, I just know I'm thrilled my family didn't see my reaction.
The sexiest thing i've EVER seen!
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Wow. I thought somebody would have put a more complete setlist together on here. I was at both shows and will rack my brain to put more of it together and add what i can! I was on 2 hours sleep yesterday and today am feeling more "with it" lol | |
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