http://www.irishtimes.com...of-prince/

The temptation to join the parade in London has been pretty fierce for the last fortnight. Every couple of nights, the reviews begin to appear on Twitter and online as the word gets out about another Prince show which was all wow and splendour in a London venue he could probably fill a hundred times over. Ronnie Scott’s, the Electric Ballroom, the King’s Place theatre: Prince has been wandering around London like a man trying to get the best possible value out of a travelcard. He’s due in Manchester at the weekend to keep the funk rolling and he’ll probably throw some shapes at the Brits’ dinner-dancetonight.

As we saw at last year’s SXSW, when he took over La Zona Rosa for a few hours to bring the festival to a close, Prince never lets you down with the twists and turns he takes. While many heritage acts of his vintage mine the hits and dutifully go through the new album in the hope someone might buy – or pirate – it, Prince is as likely to throw a cover version of The Waterboys’ “The Whole of the Moon” into the mix (as he did in Ronnie Scott’s the other night) as he is to dig into the new “PlectrumElectrum” album he’s about to release with 3rdEyeGirl. He’s unpredictable but unmissable, a man on a mission to show he’s still got the look, the sound and the whole damn thing down pat.

While his London run is certainly about pushing the new album – this is a man whose last lengthy London stand consisted of 21 nights at the 20,000 capacity O2 so he knows the size of his fanbase – it’s still something you rarely get from many of his peers. Playing two sets a night on occasions to ensure more people see him is not really what we see from instantly recognisable names like Prince. In an era when acts of this ilk plan new campaigns to the last full stop on the page – the dossier for U2′s upcoming tour and album release campaign probably rivals War and Peace in size, albeit with plectrums, drumsticks and macrobiotic dietary requirements on the pages – Prince is a showman from the old school. He’s a performer with a live itch to scratch and one which shows no sign of going away.

Of course, it’s canny in every way. The new albums may not contain the same wall-to-wall anthems as the albums with which he made his name a few decades ago, but the live show has not waned or lessened or diminished in any way so people show up. Prince doesn’t phone it in and that’s something which everyone queuing outside a club or venue in London (or Manchester) knows for sure. You pay in, he delivers and he sends you home sweating, glowing and raving. No-one else comes close.

Nice article and correct his live show has not diminished but if U2 announced they were playing Ronnie Scotts one night there would be a queue from London to Glasgow to get in.

SuperSoulFighter said:

But they don't. And THAT's the difference. Prince takes rock 'n roll 2 where it belongs.

Prince is able to do these things because he is not quite out there in terms of fanbase like he was in the 80's or like some other major artists.

egansmind said:

Nice article and correct his live show has not diminished but if U2 announced they were playing Ronnie Scotts one night there would be a queue from London to Glasgow to get in.

If my sister had balls she'd be my brother...

egansmind said:

SuperSoulFighter said:

But they don't. And THAT's the difference. Prince takes rock 'n roll 2 where it belongs.

Prince is able to do these things because he is not quite out there in terms of fanbase like he was in the 80's or like some other major artists.

stop,, he is a major artist,,where the fuck you been; he is a cut above the rest though.even bono would admit that

egansmind said:

SuperSoulFighter said:

But they don't. And THAT's the difference. Prince takes rock 'n roll 2 where it belongs.

Prince is able to do these things because he is not quite out there in terms of fanbase like he was in the 80's or like some other major artists.

case in point, mariah carey, a very major artist, some may like, some dont, 300 million sold, on fallon her ass was on the couch as a spectator cuz there was no way in hell she was getting up after him.. thats a major player..

egansmind said:

SuperSoulFighter said:

But they don't. And THAT's the difference. Prince takes rock 'n roll 2 where it belongs.

Prince is able to do these things because he is not quite out there in terms of fanbase like he was in the 80's or like some other major artists.

and he was very much doing this in the 80's as well