{{{After the Grammys, the real Prince rocks until 3
By Steve Appleford, Special to The Times

The artist known as Prince made the most of his visit to Los Angeles on Sunday, beginning with a gig opening the Grammy Awards at the Staples Center singing a quick medley of his '80s hits with Beyoncé. But the main event came later the same night, as Prince unleashed a fiery, wide-ranging concert at the House of Blues.}}}

Onstage, Prince cut the same elegant, energetic figure that he did at his popular peak:, a master showman filled with ideas. Before the night was over, he was joined by singers Angie Stone, Macy Gray and Nikka Costa, but the main firepower stood behind him: Prince's own version of a classic R&B revue, with enough force in its brassy horn section to keep the groove rolling even when Prince exited the stage.

Late in the evening, Prince declared, "You know I need to play my song," as he stepped into "Purple Rain," his electric blue guitar glowing against his elegant white threads. But he remained there for only a moment, as he drifted into a bluesy, rock tangent, singing, "Are there twins in my bed, or am I going blind? Something's funky, baby / Is it your breath or mine?"

That is a typical move, following his whims onstage without warning, seemingly ready to soar or meander with his band at length. In the late '90s, Prince essentially took himself out of the mainstream recording industry, releasing music on his own label and conducting his career on his own terms, nurturing and challenging his cult with unusual album releases. His newest, "News," is a gathering of jazzy, funky instrumentals.

By 2 a.m. he was saying goodbye, leaving the crowd to beg for more and more, and not for the last time, as Prince and his band returned again and again. And when he returned, Prince seemed content to play as just another member of the band, putting the spotlight on saxophonist Maceo Parker or keyboardist Chance Howard (formerly of the Time), who sang the closing song "No Diggity." And in the final moments, at nearly 3 a.m., Prince could be seen alone with his bass, playing with the feedback like a theremin, an artist following his wildest whims without hesitation or apology.

amen!
now there are a few pics up of this performance on the NPG Music CLub website.. go check it out! he looks good!

also on there are nice pics from the Vegas januari 31 performance.. cool pics all in all.

Can you say"comeback?" I watched the Grammy performance in amazement. Prince is indeed back and in full effect. I thought that he was simply astonishing and it was really good to see him playing and being so in tune with his music. I really see 2004 being a big year for Prince and I think that he will do some astonishing things with his art. It's good to have you back, Prince.

poeticrockstar said:

Prince never left.

Indeed Prince did nver leave, not for us - the hardcore - anyway. Nevertheless, we are too selfish. He arguably gave himself to us - the hardcore - for last decade. In a world today where music genius is almost completely a thing of old and budding talent isn't getting through, perhaps it's about time we swallowed our pride and let everyone else have him for a while. Music needs Prince to bring about a new revolution. He himself deserves wider acclaim even if it is shallow in places. But I don't think it will be shallow, he's no longer the new kid on the block, no longer the mysterious megastar of the eighties, but a true legend at the peak of his powers to educate and influence once again without the pressure of releasing hit single after hit single. As true fans, almost like parents watching there children leave home, we have to let him go from our control - it's for the best for him and the moron buying crap at the record store because that's all they've been fed!

You may or may not be surprised that a top exec at Warner Music who I worked with on a film in london, has confirmed that there is every possibility that under their new ownership, Prince may resign! Although shocking initially, when you scratch beneath the surface it make some sense. Like they do with Maverick, NPG Records would become a part subsidiary with Prince having full control over his career but with the financial backing needed to get to people commercially. The new owner and team of investors are Prince fans and loyalists. This way he has control of his masters and his career but with infinite potential.

'Prince the greatest of all time'.

DOROTHYPARK said:

Co-sign, I will be doing that too.

He is doing some funny lyrics again.

Good to see him get sexy again.

Byron said:

Damn, damn damn - I missed his last concert in Hamburg (work...) - how I wished he comes back here for another tour - maybe the "20 years of Purple Rain - and then some" tour, with a funky groovy rocky new album under his belt...

Sounds like he's got this really good band now rolling with him. Well, any band that Maceo is in is amazing - I will never forget his concert here that lasted for almost 5 hours in a smoky club, supported by a New Orleans Brass band, and featuring Fred Wesley... now, there was the funk alive and kickin... I think they even made a movie out of that...

Good to hear that P is alive and kicking - and getting attention for it.

superstarolly said:

Well, I'd much rather have it that somebody with guts and credibility will help Prince in considering some of his artistic moves - at least those that are aimed at the mainstream... Judging from the past (and from what else can you judge), he has not always made the wisest choices in that respect

But maybe he already has found that person - just look at that brillant PR move of teaming up with Beyonce

Peace y'all

are we in a cult? where's my robe, dammit!!!

The show was cool. Thanks Byron for posting the review. Saw you when you first arrived and pointed you out to BlueAgave, but I guess your ass vanished after the show because you were nowhere in site. Hmm. Guess I should have checked Candy's dressing room. And all this time I thought she was flirting with me.

NPGFACE said:

TOTALLY agree with that reply.

jseven said:

LoL...Damn, you saw me??...I was looking all over for pretty much anyone who I even might slightly possibly know...shudda yelled my name out or something...

And leave Candy alone...she's mine.

Yeah, I agree. In a sense, he never really left. What I hope for is that the man gets his just due because he is a genius and I would love for him to just bring the funky element of music that today's climate is missing. What I really want for Prince: is for him to get his Masters back.

GoldiesParade said:

I hope there is a bootleg available soon...

I'm so upset that i can't see those pics on the npg music site. I bet he looks good indeed. Beyonce is cool but i wouldn't like her to do a cut with Prince , well I think he'll look better with me.

Oh yes, they will recognize! It's so awesome to see Prince prevail after doing things his way. A legend in his own time, long live the NPG!

Set list, anyone???

Byron said:

U can have Candy, Rhonda's mine.

NPGFACE said:

if he has never left, where has he been? compare the first twenty years of his career to the last six, and it is safe to say he went away for a bit.

just because a few people know where someone is hiding doesn't mean they aren't hiding to the rest of the world.

meltwithu said:

gigglin'


I have some purple kool-aid for you..find your robe first.

.
[This message was edited Thu Feb 12 14:19:05 PST 2004 by beautifulone7]

beautifulone7 said:[quote]

Byron said:

When I read this, I thought the same thing? I'm in a cult??? Why didn't anybody tell me???

How do we get out???
[This message was edited Thu Feb 12 14:18:42 PST 2004 by beautifulone7]