Live Review: Prince at HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA
http://www.livedaily.com/news/6602.html

by Don Zulaica
liveDaily Contributor

June 02, 2004 03:28 PM - At the age of 45, and on his first arena tour in six years, Prince (news) is determined to remind everybody where the party is.

Except for a maniacally dedicated throng of die-hards, Mr. Purple all but fell off the pop-music landscape while he changed his name, vandalized his own face to protest a record label, and made some very musical, but commercially ignored albums.

If you saw the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, the performance with Beyonce at the Grammys, or any other smatterings of his live work that have found their way onto the airwaves in recent weeks--none of it is an illusion. It's not as if he's pedantically showing off; it's more like he's grown tired of the unmelodic, machine-driven music of recent years, and the related live yawn fests. He's here to set things straight.

At HP Pavilion in San Jose on Tuesday (6/1), with an ear-to-ear grin on his face, Prince was part performer and part music history teacher. Beyond the obvious references in the opener "Musicology"--the title-track from Prince's latest album--the show had a throwback, free-for-all feel that harkened to vintage James Brown ... which is no wonder, since his horn section sports the Godfather of Soul's sax-man Maceo Parker.

Throughout classic Prince staples like "I Would Die 4U," "When Doves Cry," "Controversy," "Baby I'm A Star" and "Little Red Corvette," as well as lesser known gems like "Shhh" (which spotlighted the stick-twirling and percussive abilities of drummer John Blackwell) and the instrumental "God," it was apparent that this band had been rehearsed to probably inhuman proportions. Tight doesn't begin to describe it. For all the hootin' and hollerin', this crew was dishing out a serious funk, R&B, rock and jazz stew.

As the soiree progressed, Prince mixed in the occasional cover (or at least a few bars), including OutKast's "The Way You Move," the theme to "Sanford & Son," Alicia Keys' "Fallin'" and Sam and Dave's "Soul Man." The older the tunes, the more kid-like enthusiasm Prince showed.

But perhaps the best part of the show--great as the band may be--was when Prince sat down with an acoustic guitar to run through a few favorites like "Little Red Corvette," "Cream," "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" and "Raspberry Beret." The result was breathtakingly intimate, and he stopped on several occasions, in true campfire style, to lead the crowd through their sing-along parts ("Cream"), or to just step back a bit and take in the vociferous energy flying at him ("Corvette"). Most of all, it was the moment when you could strip away the glitter, lights, wardrobe, anything extraneous to the artist, his guitar, and his songs--and be reminded of how terrifyingly talented he truly is.

Supposedly with new label backing by Columbia, Prince will be given more exposure, along the lines of current pop acts like OutKast, Usher, and D12. He'll pop up on MTV and its brethren a bit more. But the funny thing is, he doesn't really belong in that realm anymore. After seeing this show, the only real comparisons should come from much more legendary acts. As an entertainer: James Brown. Bandleader: Ellington. Guitar player: Hendrix.

This may have been one big party, and it's always great to be entertained, but it's priceless to be reminded that you're sharing air with one of the more gifted musicians on the planet.