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Published on: 2004-04-28



REVIEW


Prince treats fans to collection of his hits


By Jim Washington
Staff writer



Prince does something to women.

He sings, they swoon. He moans, they scream. He grinds, they get dizzy.

Purplemania reached critical mass Friday at a sold-out RBC Center in Raleigh as 19,500 fans watched a sexy superstar at the height of his powers.

Prince didn't limit his appeal to the ladies, putting on a performance that showcased his remarkable talent and spanned a 26-year career.

As promised, the singer, songwriter and musician treated fans to a hit-heavy set that ranged from the early song "Controversy" to his current single "Musicology,'' including five selections from 1984's classic "Purple Rain.''

In interviews leading up to the tour, Prince said this would be the final outing for some of his best-loved hits, and if that is the case (which he later played coy about) he gave them a fitting and proper sendoff.

During the two-hour show, Prince and the New Power Generation pulled out a laundry list of stone classics such as "Sign O' The Times,'' "Kiss,'' "Take Me With U,'' "Let's Go Crazy,'' "When Doves Cry,'' "7,'' "I Would Die 4 U,'' "U Got the Look'' and, during an acoustic interlude, "Raspberry Beret,'' "Cream'' and "Little Red Corvette.''

He even reclaimed some of his songs made famous by other artists, including "I Feel for You'' and "Nothing Compares 2 U.''

Dressed in a red suit with fringe on the sleeves, Prince roamed a cross-shaped stage in the center of the arena with four walkways extending into the audience, while his band jammed on platforms between the walkways.

Giant video screens beamed images from the stage, but Prince hardly needed the help, as his charisma reached every corner. He was funny, charming and flirtatious, usually all at the same time.

For the most part, he let his guitar do the talking, which spoke volumes, but he wasn't above tweaking himself.

During the acoustic set he strummed the opening lines of "Jailhouse Rock'' on his purple guitar before breaking into a laugh.

"I thought I was a king for a second,'' he said.

It wasn't the only time he referenced other artists, both those whom he was influenced by and those who came later. The show featured shout-outs to Outkast's "The Way You Move," Beyonce's "Crazy in Love'' and Alicia Key's "Fallin','' plus a full-on version of Sam and Dave's "Soul Man'' sung by a rotund, white-suited guest singer who looked like he could have slipped Prince into his suit pocket. Prince turned the stage into a dance club during "U Got the Look,'' as a few lucky women poured onto the stage to get down.

Prince gave his band plenty of chances to shine, including sax player Maceo Parker's solo take on "What a Wonderful World.''

After the funky dance party Prince put on for most of the night, he went in a more emotional direction for the encore. He came back on stage in Mr. Lover Lover mode, wearing a white shirt open down the front and breaking into his famous falsetto for "The Beautiful Ones'' from "Purple Rain.'' He drove the female fans into a frenzy by grinding against poles and writhing on the floor.

The evening ended with a long jam on "Purple Rain,'' with Prince showing off his amazing guitar-playing ability and leading the entire crowd in an extended singalong of the song's final "oooh oh oh oh'' section.

The night's only sour note was the horrible traffic around the arena. The RBC Center delayed the concert, scheduled for 8 p.m., for about half an hour as a huge traffic jam prevented hundreds of people from reaching the arena until 9 p.m. or later.

But even that couldn't spoil a triumphant royal visit. Some young female fans, true to form, got out of their cars and started dancing on the side of the road.

Staff writer Jim Washington can be reached at washingtonj@fayettevillenc.com or 323-4848, ext. 384.