{{{Source: LasVegas Sun Link
Prince closes tour with all-nighter
By Spencer Patterson
LAS VEGAS SUN

When: Sunday.
Where: Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts.
Tickets: $75, $100, $150.
Rating (out of 5 stars): ***

For those who lost track of Prince during his "Artist Formerly Known As" days in the mid-1990s, let's start with a quick refresher:
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After using an unpronounceable symbol in place of a name for seven years, he officially reclaimed 'Prince" as his moniker in 2000 and has used it ever since.
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Prince still releases albums, although these days he does so on his own label, making them available first online to members of his official "NPG Music Club," annual membership to which costs $100.
•••
Recently, Prince became a Jehovah's Witness, quite a change for a musician famous for writing songs about such taboo topics as masturbation and incest during the 1980s.

And oh yeah, the man can still throw one hell of a party.}}}

Sunday night the 44-year-old showman captivated a near-capacity crowd at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts for more than three hours.

The concert marked the completion of Prince's 2002 "One Nite Alone" world tour -- a journey that took him throughout North America, Europe and Japan -- and clearly he didn't want it to end.

After a feverish main set that lasted more than two hours, Prince returned to the stage for a series of encores that stretched for an additional 60 minutes, though many in the audience had long since abandoned their seats as the clock approached midnight.

Diehards who didn't get enough of their hero later headed over to Studio 54 at MGM Grand, where Prince continued the festivities with one of his famous aftershows. He came onstage at 1:45 this morning, and his departure time was said to be around 4:30.

For the almost 7,000 in attendance at the Aladdin, the succss of the show -- Prince's first in Las Vegas since December 2000 -- depended on expectations coming in.

Those who have kept tabs on the entertainer's recent activities knew what was in store: Prince, backed by a band of talented musicians, grooving through a material heavy on instrumentation, much of it built in with long periods of improvisation.

Fans of such music were not disappointed. The eight-piece combo -- supplemented by surprise guest percussionist Sheila E., a one-time Prince disciple, and R&B vocalist Nikki Costa -- tore up everything its leader tossed its way.

But those hoping to hear Prince's more familiar work, who repeatedly shouted for their favorite hits, likely left disgruntled, despite Prince's early warning that "One Nite Alone" would not feature a succession of Top-40 singles.

"I've not come to reminisce about the past. I've come to contemplate the future," he announced soon after arriving onstage in a double-breasted black pinstriped suit.

In other words, "1999," "Little Red Corvette," "Let's Go Crazy" and "Raspberry Beret" were not on the agenda. The closest thing we got to out-and-out hits were "Pop Life," "Diamonds and Pearls" and "Nothing Compares 2 U," the latter made famous by Sinead O'Connor.

"We're not interested in what you know, but what you're willing to learn," Prince explained.

Most of the crowd seemed quite eager for that education, coming as it did from a tight band with tremendous range. One minute, the group would lock into a funky groove, sounding like a cross between Parliament-Funkadelic and mid-1970s James Brown. The next, it would veer off into spacey territory, channeling the likes of such electric jazz-fusion outfits as Weather Report or Return to Forever.

Through all of it, Prince maintained an incredible level of intensity, dancing, singing and urging the crowd to get involved even as he rotated between guitar, keyboard and bass.

And every few songs, he'd drop a memorable line onto his adoring public.

"I'm so funky, I can't even sleep with myself," the diminutive maestro declared at one point.

Then, later on: "Pull your cell phones out and call your next of kin. We're about to get funky."

Prince even took a shot at reality TV's top draw, performing a new dance -- the "Nevada Shake" -- for Ozzy Osbourne, mimicking the Prince of Darkness slowly walking across the stage with arms shaking.

Though his charisma, vocal range and instrumental skills are vast, Prince's greatest attribute may be his ability to piece together a first-rate band. Former James Brown sidekick Maceo Parker sizzled on saxophone, spearheading a three-piece horn section, while drummer John Blackwell, bassist Rhonda Smith and keyboardist Renato Neto routinely turned tough corners with apparent ease.

Not everything Prince tried worked, however. Momentum sagged toward the end of the main set, and a surprise cover of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" went nowhere.

But there were plenty of standout stretches to make up for those shortcomings, most notably Prince's heartfelt rendition of "Purple Rain," during which he played a purple guitar -- one appropriately shaped like the symbol that was once his name.

Great,great show. Prince Made me and all of his fans Smile last Night. The show was Off the Hook.

"Not everything Prince tried worked, however. Momentum sagged toward the end of the main set, and a surprise cover of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" went nowhere"

That's surprising to hear. That was one of the highlights of the Celebration performances.

Yet another glowing concert review. It's amazing how 99% of reviews you read of Prince's shows are positive.

The show certainly did not resemble the One Nite Alone tours in LA this past April. Which I was happy about, just because, I like diversity...
It was as if he was not a on set list at all. Long Jams... Tons of horns.. Maceo, Eric, and Greg.. Man did he use them up this show..
That's what a good Prince concert needs though.. HORNS!

The after show was great (mostly 'cause I had my elbows on the stage.. I had to keep moving them so Prince wouldn't step on me. Despite that I was so close that I could have played his guitar with him, The after show paled to the April LA after shows.. I don't really think he was feeling Vegas this time as he ended the show abruptly without even a good bye. I think the crowd was tired... Sheila kept mentioning it..(Don't fall asleep)...
I wasn't sleeping... It was funky after all...

Guests... Nikka Costa, Sheila E., Maceo Parker, Eric Leeds, (I was on his Southwest Flight out of Burbank on Saturday, so I was able to meet him (Mr. Madhouse himself!!),(Prince's guitar tech and crew were also on that flight) ,Greg Boyer, Kat Dyson, Cindi Lauper...

Although he didn't sing much during the after show, it was a funky good time, ...and he gave me a See's Candy Chocolate . He gave my girlfriend one also.. (She actually saved it...2 funny)...

Does anyone have a tracklist for this show?

One thing I noticed about this review- how come they only had mostly great things to say about the show, but only gave it three stars out of five? That seems low. How could you give a live Prince show an average rating when comparing it to live experiences in general?
[This message was edited Mon Dec 16 19:16:11 PST 2002 by jtgillia]

jtgillia said:

What often happens here is that the person who writes the review and the person who assigns the rating are two different people. The person who gave that rating of 3 stars probably was weighing heavily on two main factors of the review: 1) Hardly any popular hits were played that the public wanted. 2) There was one moment (“Whole Lotta Love”) that went nowhere. Factoring in at all the expectations of the mindless radio listeners in the name of objectivity is just plain stupid if you ask me, but that’s the reality of the mainstream media.

And if that is not the case here, I'd love to see how this writer raves about a five-star concert. He’d surely run out of adjectives.

I drove to Vegas (4 hour drive) for the show only and drove right back home after the show so that I could be to work this morning and it was so worth it!! I thought that the show was beyond phenominal! I saw him in Los Angeles back in April and the show last nite blew that one out of the water! When he broke out with "Purple Rain" that did it for me. He looked beautiful and sounded beautiful (as always!) IMHO he seemed to be totally into the show and his energy was all there. I figured it was probably because it was his last show of the tour. Regardless of what anyone else thought about the show, he left me with memories unforgetable and I thank him for that!

What can eye say about the concert and the aftershow except that the man kicked ASS, the kid was in rare form.

How in the h*ll could anyone just get up and walk out before the end of any PRINCE concert! How RUDE and they must not be fams.

He's so funky he can't sleep with himself. CLASSIC! I love that guy.

Isn't the point of putting on a concert to entertain the people that have paid a lot of money to see you? If you have a point to make, that's cool...nothing wrong with sticking with a theme.

However, play what the people want to hear, too. It's hard to stay successful if you don't. Why pay for something that you don't enjoy, you know? Just an honest thought about his choice of material...

Whole Lotta Love was fine...Show kicked serious ass - had the vibe of an aftershow mixed with ONA. 20 min bass jam was intense!

Not enough hits, huh? Maybe these weren't CHART hits, but...Pop Life, Strange Relationship, POWER FANTASTIC, I said POWER FANTASTIC! Not to mention his jazz version of Gotta Broken Heart Again from Dirty Mind and his piano medley of nothing but classics. Well, I guess I can see how some were disappointed, but not me.

After 17 shows since 1983, December 15, 2002 will go down in my books as the BEST show I've seen Prince put on.

PASS THE PEAS!!! Oh, what a night!

And the only thing wrong with his version of Whole Lotta Love was his falsetto. For some reason it just didn't fit the song, but the instrumentation was FINE!
[This message was edited Mon Dec 16 23:00:16 PST 2002 by VioletBlue]

I came back from the show earlier tonight and I gotta tell you, there are no words in the english language that can explain how amazing the show was. Prince is the best. and for those wanting to know what songs he did here's what I can remember in no particular order:

The Rainbow Children
Pop Life
Xenophobia
Money don't Matter 2nite (he started it but then dropped it 30 seconds later)
The Work (the song he decided to go with after Money...)
Power Fantastic
Gotta Broken Heart Again
The Question of U
1+1+1=3, Housequake, Love Rollercoaster (made into one song)
Adore
Diamonds and Pearls
Condition of the Heart
Sometimes it Snows in April
Pass the Peas
The Everlasting Now
Push and Pull w/Nikka Costa
Strange Relationship
All the Critics love U in New York (he changed it to Las Vegas, sounded like a jingle for a tourist commercial but funky nonetheless)
Take Me With U
Raspberry Beret
Sign O the Times (the Afterparty only)
The Ladder (he ended the show with that)

I know I'm missing a few but as you can tell, we were in heaven with that right there. I'm still floored by it. A great time is an understatment. If he comes to your town the next time he tours, RUN to the theater or hurry up and go to the NPG Music club and get tickets. You'll be so glad that you did.

Peace

Check the link. They gave it 4 stars. Don't know why this post only shows 3.

calldapplwondery83 said:

Thats what i like to know aswell.
Maybe one star got lost during the copy and paste routine?

And here's a wise remark from Housequake himself:
There's no paste without a copy or cut!




---

What's this about Cindi Lauper being in Prince's crew? Is it true? What does she do?

KimmyDee,

Cyndi Lauper did "I Can't Stand the Rain" at the Afterparty at Studio 54. It was wonderful to see her. She looks really good and sings beautifully.

To me though, it seemed as if she were a little out of here element. Not quite knowing where to take the song. The band kept changing up in what seemed to be an attempt to help her out.

All in all, wonderful addition to a wonderfull night.

kimmydee said:

Cyndi Lauper was in Vegas opening for Cher's farewell tour. She stopped by the aftershow at Studio 54 and performed one song - "I Can't Stand the Rain". Her performance was very soulfully... I was hugely impressed!

Seeing Prince imitate Ozzy Osbourne was PRICELESS!!! That rings out as one of the night's most craziest moments! :OMG: :LOL:

The Aladdin show was AWESOME! Not just your usual ONA show! The brotha changed things up and kicked azz BIG TIME in Vegas! I'm so tired!

Props & Pounds, Peace and Big Ups to all the heads from the LA Bump Squad, Dream Factory, The Detroit Crawl and especially my peeps from The Chicago Nation - we had fun, didn't we!!

kusanku said:

true...but his last tour was a Hits tour so...I think this time around it's only natural that he don't do as many hits.

re: the three stars out of five comment earlier in this section...

if you look on the Las Vegas Sun's Web site it's FOUR out of five.

This reviewer writes better than most any Prince reviewer I've read in years. Edna Gunderson, of USA Today, is probably the best. This fellow ranks in the top five, undoubtedly. Great descriptive phrases and a wonderful control of the language. So what if he didn't care for a song or two. That's his right, and his opinion. Fact is, he managed to write a review that not only was great to read, but managed to get everything CORRECT. (unlike some reviewers who manage to screw up song titles, band member names, dates of certain Prince-related history, etc.

Sincerely.
Eric

someone from the inside told me that HBO filmed this show for airing i wonder if it is true.

HRHGregoryAlive said:

I hope it is!

"Not everything Prince tried worked, however. Momentum sagged toward the end of the main set, and a surprise cover of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" went nowhere."

Now let me quote Prince on this crap, Spencer Patterson @ Las Vegas Sun: "Crack kills."
Whole Lotta Love was one of the best live covers I´ve ever heard, if not THE best.

RedZRyder said:

He did that in London too, cracked me up.

incredible show -- one of the greatest i've seen. Prince was in a FABULOUS mood. He looked like he was enjoying himself more than I've ever seen onstage. And it was great to see Sheila up for most of the show. The smiles they give each other on stage! Phew!!! They pull stuff out of each other that doesn't otherwise happen. Sheila was screaming and jumping around at the aftershow, trying to wake us up -- I haven't seen her move like that in years!!!

anyway... i do agree that musically "Whole Lotta Love" kicked ass, but his falsetto on that just doesn't work. That's my thought, at least.

"Gotta Broken Heart Again" -- WOW!!! So totally reworked, and beautifully done.

I would have liked to see Prince and Cyndi sing something 2gether at the after show, but he clearly wasn't interested in that.

As for the lack of radio hits -- this tour has been going around the world since what, March? If you don't know by now that it's not a Greatest Hits show (like the last 5+ years have been) you're ignorant. A friend of mine went to the show with me. She's a casual fan at best, and was so blown away by the music that she didn't care that she didn't know most of the songs. But 2 each his own...

there was a film crew, but I think it was being done just for Paisley Park, not HBO. They filmed the line, the main show, and the aftershow.

4 me it was a great way 2 close out the year. Looking 4ward 2 his next move. Hmmm...

Cyndi Lauper!!

Jeez I hope Prince comes to Australia! I am still gob-smacked by the One Nite Alone Live album, I can't believe how unbelieavably talented Prince and the NPG are. There are so many things on that album to gush about. Like the rhythms in Xenophobia, the guitar and piano solos, gush gush gush.

I remember more songs that he played. They were:

Days of Wild (I made a mistake with The Ladder, this was the last song)
Nothing Compares 2 U
Starfish and Coffee
Purple Rain

If there's more I'll let you know.

Sounded like a fantastic show...If I didn't have 2 sale my ticket, I'd been there until the very end ...2 hell with punching the clock at midnite...The party is only warming up~ Now its time 2 chill until the next tour or show~ I feel 4 the Aussie peeps who had there faith in seeing him end ...at least 4 now.

I found out about the show last Thursday night and bought tickets on Friday. I'm glad I did. It was a great show. I don't think he wanted to finish the tour or the night. I've never seen an after show before so I decided to go. The after show was worth it even though it cost a bill. I only wish he would have sang a little more at the after show though. I thought that the blonde at the after show was Cyndi L. but when she sang the blues cut it threw me off. Nikka Costa was a surprise both times. I've seen her twice in concert and it's nice to see that Prince respects her work. Is there any other connection between the two of them? If you haven't seen her in concert, catch her the next time around. You won't be sorry. I left the after show around 3:30am. I thought it was completely over at that time. Was it? If anyone knows, I would appreciate knowing. I would hate to think that I missed anything. Don't hate me because I'm fabulaus...drop the guitar...walk off the stage. Classic Prince move