{{{the Orange county register had the following article about Princehere.
Daddypop

Stage is Prince's pulpit
But, hey, with a show as rockin' as the Kodak gig, we can live with a little activism.

April 22, 2002
By BEN WENER
The Orange County Register

Friday night at Hollywood's resplendent Kodak Theatre for what's billed as "One Nite Alone With Prince," and the joint is brimming with beautiful ones eager to party. The little giant in the slick red suit, no, not warming up by nonchalantly tossing out intense Hendrixian licks, he's about a half-hour into a three-hour tour de force that ultimately will be so extraordinarily uplifting it could put a death-row inmate at ease.}}}

Forgive the overstatement, but an evening of the mercurial master preaching about the power of love, about people championing their similarities and rising to a higher plane - it may sound like any Sunday sermon, but from his funky falsetto, it's mighty powerful, now more than ever.

For where once it was his musical prowess that put him in league with James Brown, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder - groundbreakers whose chops and vision he long since surpassed - these days, with his spiritual resolve thicker than concrete and the profanities of his youth put into perspective, he has taken to indulging his Al Green, delivering intelligent, informed messages of holy peace that matches any icon's stabs at social reform.

Which, of course, doesn't mean jack if you can't dance to it, let alone justify the $100-plus entrance fee.

So back to 30 minutes in: "This ain't no 1984," he says, inching into the religious intricacies of his latest opus, "The Rainbow Children." "If you came to get your 'Purple Rain' on in here, you've come to the wrong party."

That wasn't entirely true. Yes, he did sprinkle in most of "Rainbow," and in such a dramatic manner that its chief goal (achieving racial colorblindness) came across with far greater potency. But along with that conceptual piece came smashes and obscurities, the combination of which made this one of the most memorable tours he's presented since giving the Revolution its walking papers.

Laudably, he traded the flash and sprawl of yesteryear for leaner staging, an immensely talented five-piece band (featuring Candy Dulfer on sax and the dapper John Blackwell on drums) and room to lecture with heart and humor. And his arguments on everything from the prefabrication of modern music to the legacy of slavery were profound and perceptive - if also more than plentiful.

The crux: God is love, multinational corporations are destroying humanity, Abraham Lincoln was a racist we should stop revering, cuss words no longer serve a purpose, these darn kids today, they wouldn't know real music if it split their heads open, join his NPG Music Club, take back the airwaves and, hey, see if you can make him famous again while you're at it.

In short, Prince is mad as hell and he's not gonna take it anymore. Traces of that attitude surfaced as early as 1981's "Controversy," yet no prior statements measure up to, say, the defiant revisionist history of the new "Family Name." He's never been so brazenly political, and it suits him, keeps him fully energized for maximum impact.

Granted, I'd wager huge that only his orchestra-stuffing devotees (Prince's parrotheads) cared about anything other than the obvious. But no one should have gone home disappointed.

The set was designed to please: "When You Were Mine," "Take Me With U" and "Raspberry Beret," all faithfully resurrected; a great soul-jazz rendition of Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You" and a heartwarming version of the Delfonics' "La-La (Means I Love You)"; his own "Strange Relationship" meshed with Sly Stone's "Sing a Simple Song," featuring a cameo from Larry Graham, as spry as Morris Day in his prime; and, despite his earlier announcement, "Purple Rain."

What's more, he offered full versions of those tunes, a shock considering the scant attention paid to such oldies on previous outings. Indeed, he offered only one medley, for his first encore. And what a medley: "Adore" into "I Wanna Be Your Lover" into "Do Me, Baby" into "Diamonds and Pearls" into "The Beautiful Ones" into (I was stunned) "Girls & Boys" into "Nothing Compares 2 U."

His pacing was impeccable. His charisma, electrifying. His solos soared with such passion that one was reminded that he ranks with the strongest six-stringers ever. And the way he nails high notes, slipping into that squealing, soulful falsetto so easily, well, you'd never detect the slightest wear and tear from more than two decades of overuse.

Let him babble about whatever well-meaning ideology he adheres to; its roots are good. But as far as I'm concerned, this was merely more proof that he remains the most accomplished talent of his generation.

Copyright 2002 The Orange County Register

AMEN!!!

Anyone notices the praise Prince has started to receive again during the last year? During the 90's almost everyone thought he had lost it. The name change, a string of weak albums, the 'slave' thing etc, it was just too much for most people.

But now, after the release of TRC and the start of the ONA tour (with Prince focussing more on the music), positive reviews show up everywhere. And today's RnB and rap stars (Jill Scott, ?uestlove, the Neptunes, d'Angelo, Common, Alicia Keyes etc.) are giving mad props to Prince.

I believe after a very difficult decade Prince will finally get some recognition for his legacy and musical skills. And although he will never again be the big superstar he once was, at least he will regain some dignity and get the recognition he deserves. And that's about time if you ask me...

Wow. I agree completely.

So there I was reading the paper at work....A miracle has happened!!.....Ben Wener & I agree on SOMETHING!!

A long overdue & splendid account of an evenings happenings.

As for reviews of the entire weekend-"props & pounds" to Ben Wener & Alan D

U (2) ROCK!

FISH!!

Princes parrotheads never heard that one before.

don't know how to do a parrot