Still Ruling His Own Exclusive Realm
By KELEFA SANNEH

{{{"Prince came to Avery Fisher Hall on Tuesday night with a question: "How do y'all like your radio stations, New York City?" The response was a roomful of boos.

Almost a quarter-century after his debut album was released, Prince's musical descendants have taken over the airwaves: Missy Elliott, No Doubt, OutKast, the Neptunes, Alicia Keys. But Prince's own recent work hasn't been embraced by the mainstream. He spent much of the 1990's shadowboxing with the music industry, releasing a string of albums that served mainly to separate the fair-weather friends from the hard-core fans.}}}

His concert began with songs from his latest loyalty test, "Rainbow Children" (NPG/Redline), a jazz-rock opera with a 28-page libretto. Needless to say, the album isn't always an easy listen, but the best songs are irresistible. At first, "Muse 2 the Pharaoh" is a hushed, slow jam about an aspiring queen, but then he switches from his blissful falsetto to his suave rapping voice, using seduction as a tool of propaganda: "Take a load off, sweetie darling, let me run agenda through your hair." Soon he was muttering about NATO and comparing the relative evils of slavery and the Holocaust, following his lecture with a captivating keyboard solo full of sharp angles.

Prince remains one of the greatest pop performers alive, sexy and menacing without any of the awkward self-regard that often afflicts so-called legends. His three-piece band ably joined him on the funk grooves (when he murmured, "On the one," it would come to a dead stop), but the members couldn't quite match his versatility. They turned his anxious new-wave hit "When You Were Mine" into a bland rock 'n' roll singalong. When Prince reappeared for the first of two encores, he was seated at a keyboard, making music his favorite way: alone.

He was joined by a few guest stars, none of whom were really necessary. Maceo Parker spent most of the night playing saxophone in the horn section, and Larry Graham appeared in a white suit. (Prince snapped at him whenever he got too close to the microphone.) The rapper Q-Tip strolled onstage and then couldn't think of anything to do, so he delivered a few rap lines and waited uncomfortably for Prince to excuse him.

Prince's name is no longer hyperbole, and he treats his subjects with a regal mix of amusement and disregard. Twice he invited women onstage to dance, and twice he avoided making eye contact with them.

As the concert was ending, he invited the audience to join his kingdom: for $100 a year, members of his fan club are promised exclusive CD's, exclusive concert tickets and — if they're lucky — exclusive online chats with His Majesty. In essence, he's privatizing his audience, creating his own hermetic world, a radio-free paradise where nothing happens without his approval. And as the 32nd song of the night faded out, it didn't sound like a bad idea."

WOW! what a trip.....that is, I mean U R a trip. if Prince R an1 wants 2 grow, so be it. But if U R still stuck in UR "back N the DAZE" days, well, I guess we all know GREW. peace N B wild!!

Gotta be honest, I can't say I'm against the idea of Prince privatizing his audience. We get the music, the good stuff, and he gets to do the things he would never get 2 do with a major label. I know it goes a bit deeper than that, but the bright side is awfully bright.

What the...??? The When U Were Mine performance is the best he has ever done!

Funny how the reviewer leaves open whether it was the audience who chose for Prince to stay out of the mainstream, or Prince himself.

Probably it was no-one's choice (or God's choice, some will say).