Event: Prince and the NPG at Montreal Jazz Fest
Date: July 6th, 2001
Venue: Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier in Montreal, Quebec
Show Length: 3 hours and 15 minutes with a ten minute intermission

Musicians: Prince (guitars, bass, keyboards, percussion, vocoder, and vox), Rhonda Smith (bass and vox), Mr. Hayes (keys), Kirk Johnson (percussion), John Blackwell (drums), Najee (sax and flute), Kip Blackshire (keys and vox), Rev. Mike Scott (guitar), Geneva (dance steps) and Larry Graham (bass and vox).

Guest spots: Roy Hargrove (trumpet), Tina Graham, and DJ Dudley.

This night was a truly incredible experience in which I will try to convey some of the music that I witnessed. I spent the whole week in Montreal visiting friends and seeing some great concerts at the Jazz Fest. Friday's Prince and the NPG was the topper to a great seven days in Montreal. My lady, Gi, and my brother, Prince JYT, made our way to our seats at about 8:20 pm. Thanks to JYT, our seats were in the second row positioned right between Prince and Rhonda's spots on the stage. Just before the concert commenced, I spoke with Kirk Johnson and thanked him for appearing on my MPLS radio special in June. He told me the new Fonky Bald Heads release is available. I asked Kirk if there were going to be any surprises tonight. He said, " We're just gonna play and see what happens."

SHOWTIME: Many folks have stated that the first portion of the concert was Prince's "jazz concert". I beg to differ. It was simply "Prince and the NPG music" done like no other musicians can do it. Yes, there were heavy touches of jazz throughout the first portion of the show, and perhaps a nod to performing at the great Montreal Jazz Fest. But the mix of music also featured funk, rock, and soul. So much music and turns to digest that the performance really was striking.

(First Part) I stay away from complete setlists as I would rather thoroughly enjoy a show than take notes. Yet, I will give the highlights. As John Blackwell's drums swelled slowly, Prince appeared on stage in a shadow as the lights were dim for a majority of the first hour plus. Prince strolled to Kip Blackshire's keys and proceeded to improvise. He added a touch of vocoder a la Roger Troutman. Prince could be heard exhorting Montreal to get it on and yes, we did. This lengthy band intro kicked into "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker". Standout version which gave the NPG a little time to stretch out.

Prince was in his musical laboratory and it was similiar to witnessing a late night private jam at Paisley Park or an aftershow at a dimly lit nightclub. The first part had it all: creativity, band interaction, sound glitches, improvisation, and magical moments. Prince would start a song or groove then decide in an instant to go in another direction. He would riff on the keys and then walk over to the edge of the stage and ask his guitar tech for a particular guitar, or join Kirk for a percussion battle. You could never tell what was going to happen next and that was the aspect which made it so exciting. Certainly, some parts were rehearsed but many times Prince would do something "off -the-cuff" . He paid particular attention to cuing band members in to play. Many times you would see him raise his hand and ask John Blackwell to bring the tempo up or down. Or he would ask Rhonda Smith to come up and jam with Mike Scott where they traded some incredible grooves.

Particular songs that I enjoyed in the first set were "Girls and Boys", "Forever In My Life" and " A Case of U". These were all performed on the keys. The lighting on Prince on the keys was similiar to a portion in "Sign Of the Times when he was introing " Hot Thing". At one point, Prince had the NPG cookin' and he sat in the middle of the stage just admiring this amazingly talented cast of musicians. This set had a touch of Miles with his back to the audience in the latter days. Two things will always stand out in mind about this first set: One time, Prince asked Mike Scott to do a guitar solo and as Mike was tearin' it up, Prince had his foot on Mike's guitar pedal and they did a joint solo. Another occasion, the band was getting ready to kick into "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothin'". I could hear the faint vocals of the song title. The sound got louder. I thought it was a vocal loop as Prince had his back turned to the mics. However, Prince was actually singing really loud onstage and the mic was picking it up. Really cool intro to the song.

The first part of the concert ended with a powerful version of Graham Central Station's " Eye'Magettin" with Larry Graham in full funk face overdrive. He was tearin' up the four string and strolled into the crowd and stood up on a chair and continued to tear it up as only this Rock and Roll Hall of Famer can. Kirk Johnson took over drum duties on this song and together with Larry created a modern NPG drum n bass opus. I looked at Kirk's smile as he and Larry blended together. Priceless.

10 minute intermission: New songs from Prince and the NPG were played over the PA. Kirk, Kip and Mike vibed with the crowd.

(Second Part).: Prince made a comment like " Who was that on stage ten minutes ago? You want to rock and roll." He also said sumptin' about we don't drink alcohol (Cool as I don't imbibe and who needs to have adult beverages to have a good time). One aspect that stood out during the second half of the concert was how much the NPG and Prince are having fun together playing music. It was so much more evident from the last time I saw them in Philly in Nov. 2000. Smiles abounded and they vibed off each other's prowess on their respective instruments. Lots of smelly funk faces
onstage in Montreal.

This concert portion was a somewhat abbreviated (probably due to the length of the first set) Hit and Run tour set. "Mutiny" was taken out and "Let's Work" segued with "Uptown/Controversy". Prince's vocals and guitar playing were nasty and in top form. Funny thing. I used to be a baseball all-star at 15 years old. However, my skills have deteriorated as Prince flung his NPG Music Club black hat and it was in my hands and the lady behind me snatched it right out from me.

Vocal standout for Prince was "Scandalous" as his voice took so many leaps and bounds with the falsetto still as vibrant as 23 years ago. Another higlight was the guest spot with trumpeter Roy Hargrove. Roy is a young brother from Texas who was a featured musician in a Jazz Fest series where he played with different contemporaries for 3 nights. I saw Roy in concert on Thursday in which he played in an elite trio with Christian McBride and Russell Malone. Roy is a serious cat. When he played trumpet during " I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man", you knew he was in heaven. He finished and looked down at Prince in admiration and shyness. Prince gave Roy much respect and told Roy he was sharp. Yes, indeed. I saw Roy Hargrove at the hotel elevator the previous night and he was dap in a nice blue suit.

During "The Work-Pt. 1", Prince's guitar tech placed a small lyric stand at the foot of the stage. However, Prince never glanced at it. I particularly loved the funk of " Sexy Dancer" and " Housequake" . Nearly jumped out of my shoes on "Housequake" . Larry came out and funked it up with " The Jam". Funny moment was Prince asking Larry to intro Kip as the guy on the keys and vox. Prince held up two fingers. A smokin' version of "Purple Rain" was the finale. Yes, we wanted more but what we witnessed was more than enough.

Commentary: This concert was extra special. It contained creativity, uneasiness, excitement, musical virtuosity and so much more. I believe it is a show that many of us will be sitting a few weeks from now and all of a sudden remember a nuance of the show that we had forgotten. So much had taken place. I would never say this was the best Prince show I have ever seen as I have seen so many great ones and I am sure many more to come. But the Montreal show was an experience I will never forget and it was show that was needed by Prince and his fams. It really highlighted the mixed feelings amongst Prince concertgoers. Some people were definitely uneasy about the first part. I even heard one fellow yell, " Wake Up" . However, many people including myself loved it. No, I wouldn't want to see the first portion every night as it would then seem to be rehearsed but for that moment it was special. I still would love to see a Prince show composed of two thirds new material and a third of the older jams. To really understand what Prince and the NPG did on this night, you had to have been following Prince for a long time. Otherwise, you may have misinterpreted.

Much love and respect to the Prince and the NPG: The world's top musician and band. True showmen. Thanks for the night of music.

Kirk Johnson: Gracious guy and a talented drummer and percussionist. Plus, he's Prince's good brother.

Rhonda Smith: She's is Prince's insurance that the bottom never drops out the songs. Tastefully and skillfully vibes on the six string bass and upright bass. Plus, her solo album is a must for your ears.

Mr. Hayes: The musical quarterback whose keyboard flourishes bring me back to the church days. Obviously Prince relies on his talents heavily.

John Blackwell: A tremendous drummer. One highlight was Blackwell breaking it down lightly like Max Roach on the brushes and then thunderfootin' it.

Rev. Mike Scott: Nice to see Mike back in the NPG jammin on guitars with Prince. His solos were great and Mike and I talked after the show about the Latin Jazz group in MPLS in which he participates with Estaire Godinez and Eric Leeds.

Najee: He is a true gentleman and is a true musician who can add accompaniment or take solos. Plus, he's a great dresser.

Kip Blackshire: Looking forward to a solo album from this brother. Yes, they do have soul in Arkansas.

Larry Graham: A treasure on the bass. Great to see you onstage again LG.

Prince: Never ceases to amaze me . As always thanks for the musicianship and positivity and love of music.

[Thanks for the great review, Joe! -Ben]