from today's issue of my hometown's newspaper, the des moines register:

Prince rules stage with royal passion

The artist and his eight-piece band wow more than 10,000 fans in Ames.
By KYLE MUNSON
Register Music Critic
04/09/2004


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"Did you miss me?"

Prince posed the question Thursday night to 10,245 fans at Hilton Coliseum in Ames who witnessed the 1980s icon reclaim his royal sparkle.

By the time two dozen or so fans were invited onstage to join the diminutive dynamo and his band for an old tune - "U Got the Look" - followed by a new tune - "Life O" the Party"- there was no doubt about the answer.

"Sho" nuff!"

A solo acoustic encore beginning with "Little Red Corvette" sealed the deal: Prince hasn't lost his luster, even if he'll never sell records as briskly.

Whether he was doling out heavy funk grooves while surrounded by his horn section, cooing horny ballads, or yanking on the whammy bar of his guitar to play the blues, Prince drove home his diverse skills.

It's rare these days to see an arena star mesh so tightly with a band, rather than leave them in the background or allow a token round of solos toward the end of the night.

And who else can sport a bright red suit and high heels with blinking lights with so much panache?

The essence of Prince's unique musicality hasn't changed - the way he spans B.B. King, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, George Clinton and Beyonce - yes, current R&B princess Beyonce, whose "Crazy in Love" was covered by Prince on Thursday, as well as rap group Outkast's "The Way You Move."

Twenty years after "Purple Rain," Prince is a card-carrying member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with all the awkwardness of his alternate names behind him. He's comfortable cashing in on his own nostalgia but still cocky enough, with a new CD titled "Musicology," to suggest that he has a thing or two to teach today's pop upstarts.

Well, he does.

Prince and his eight-piece New Power Generation band performed atop a stage "in the round," situated in the center of the arena floor.

Saxophonist Candy Dulfer nailed the first blistering solo, during "Let's Go Crazy," as white confetti and purple streamers rained down. Prince topped off the tune with his own guitar fireworks.

Keyboardist Renato Neto might have rated Prince's most agile player, steering the band through everything from hard funk to freaky space-jazz.

CD copies of "Musicology," packaged in a cheap cardboard sleeve, were handed to ticket holders as they entered the arena. Its official release in stores is Aug. 20.


...kinda erroneous on that album release date. heh.

NICE REVIEW!

I'm just kicking myself for not goin down to that show...the June dates in MPLS are SO FAR AWAY!

endorphin74 said:

Yeah but you KNOW those MPLS dates are gonna be special.

endorphin74 said:

co-sign!

Yeah, he always seems to save something special for Minnie and Detroit.

CarrieMpls said:

Shut up, said the European.

gooeythehamster said:

awwwww. You should come visit us!!!

CarrieMpls said:

seriously!! you'd love it here in mpls!

I was at this show and I didn't hear covers of 'Crazy in Love' or 'The Way You Move'. Where did this writer get his information? Although Prince did play 'Adore' which had the true fans going wild

I was at the concert too. He didnt really do crazy in love. The band just played the intro to the song & he the line I like the way you move 2 or 3 times. So they werent really covers.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

I would give blood to hear this.

BlueEyedAngel said:

But I see that I won't be giving it any time too soon.

I was at this and the Omaha concert and the Ames concert was far better!!! The crowd at Ames had higher energy and enthusiasm which enhanced Prince's performance. Plus the fans/people in Ames seemed much nicer than Omaha. At least the people around me at the Ames show were willing to dance and have fun - not the case in Omaha.

I can't wait for the Minneapolis shows - we will FUNK the Excel up!

BlueEyedAngel said:

Prince was pretty funny because when the band started the Crazy in Love intro he was like, "I wish I had a bigger butt" and then proceeded to attempt his best Beyonce butt-shaking impersonation. Chance then came over from the keyboards to lend his much more qualified rump to the ass-shaking party.

I didn't even hear Prince sing "I like the way you move" though. At least the band played the hook from Crazy in Love.

CarrieMpls said:

I was talking with Diva about this. Wanna meet Darin, Ian, Nathan and all of you. I might be able somewhat later this year...

I think that this show was a good teaser for the MN shows in June. Also, just let me say, I put Let's Work on a mix tape that morning and when he busted that song out I think that it was just what the fans needed. Overall, the show was something that everyone could enjoy, and so I think that it was successful.

One note:

The woman next to me was a) drunk b) stupid c) buck-toothed d) and confused about the format of the concert. During the interim before the acoustic encore she turned to me and stated that "Prince had at least two more songs to perform--if he was following the list they handed out at the door." Of course, I was curious as to what the heck she was talking about, so I asked her to clarify and I determined that she thought the copy of Musicology that was handed out at the door was the set list. I now realize that "d" and "b" are based on the same aspect of description, but she was the clue (in case I hadn't already done the three hour drive from my apartment in Minnesota) that we were, in fact, in Iowa.

Some jokes aside: the first fifty minutes of the Ames gig were so funky and well-crafted that all I could think was that I wish that I had my special-lady-friend with me.

He only played the Beyonce, Outkast covers for a joke for a few bars...about 2/3 through the concert.

Good to hear about the IA show, but does anyone know if he will perform different songs at the second Dallas show? Want to go, but only if he plays a different set.