Over the 'Rainbow,'
Prince's Gold

By ISAAC GUZMAN
Daily News Feature Writer

{{{On Tuesday night, Prince quickly reminded his Avery Fisher Hall audience that he wasn't there to give them a night of his greatest hits.

Instead, he wanted to introduce his "new personality," as soothsayer for a future in which a generation of "rainbow children" guide humanity into an era of peace.

Restored to Power: Prince is again in top form.
"If you came to get your 'Purple Rain' on," he said a few minutes into the three-hour show, "you might as well hit the door."

Yet, even as the mercurial artist focused on the jazz-fusion jams of his latest album, "The Rainbow Children," he also surprised and delighted the sold-out crowd in the 2,738-seat hall by offering a slew of well-known classics and rarely played cult favorites. Along with the strong medicine of his sometimes bizarre message, he doled out deep spoonfuls of sugar.}}}

Even though its cryptic story line is sometimes muddled, "The Rainbow Children" has rightly been hailed as Prince's most assured work in more than a decade. Melding his pop and R&B instincts with "Bitches Brew"-era Miles Davis and Weather Report, Prince has concocted an elastic sound capable of containing his disparate impulses.

On record, though, long passages of "Rainbow Children" are turned dismal by Prince's insistence on singing through a digital filter, which makes him sound like James Earl Jones with a bad head cold. But on Tuesday, the profoundly deep voice was kept in check.

Still, Prince's biblically inspired prophesy and interpretations of history sometimes felt a bit heavy-handed. At one point, he set about renaming members of the audience to remind them of slavery's awful legacy. Elsewhere, he called Abraham Lincoln a racist, implying that the President who issued the Emancipation Proclamation is responsible for much of America's ongoing racial discord.

The quality of the music, however, elevated the show beyond the Purple musings.

Backed by a superb five-piece band — which included three musicians, James Brown saxman Maceo Parker, trombonist Greg Boyer and drummer John Blackwell, who executed standout solos — Prince was at the height of his power. He moved between guitar and electric piano, ripping out riffs that varied from Santana-inspired Latin fusion to the simplicity of a repeated popcorn-funk chord during the coda of "Strange Relationship."

"That's my solo, just the same part over and over," he said in jest. "When it's good, don't move it."

The show included guest appearances by funk innovator Larry Graham and rapper Q-Tip, but Prince's determination to spark a party in the normally staid hall provided the biggest rush. The new funk workout "1+1+1 Is 3" delivered a dose of old-school rave, while "Family Name" wed dance grooves to political slogans about pride in the face of adversity.

Toward the end of the show, Prince took to his piano for a series of intimate solo performances that included "Condition of the Heart" and "Diamonds and Pearls." Then he began to play "Purple Rain," and the band rejoined him for an inspiring run of "Sometimes It Snows in April," "Nothing Compares 2 U," "Starfish and Coffee" and "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?"

While he has been erratic since leaving the "slavery" of the music industry, Prince's show on Tuesday demonstrated that, despite some artistic meandering, he has thrived on his own. If he can manage to stick with one name for the next few years, perhaps he can again reach the broad commercial success that music this good deserves.

"While he has been erratic since leaving the "slavery" of the music industry, Prince's show on Tuesday demonstrated that, despite some artistic meandering, he has thrived on his own. If he can manage to stick with one name for the next few years, perhaps he can again reach the broad commercial success that music this good deserves."


Just wanted to post that quote...sez it all...

wellbeyond said:

Yes, Prince. Stay Prince. You're getting good reviews in the media capitol of the world with your current name. Don't muck it up with some more silliness. I was pleasantly surprised to see the tour billed as "One Night Alone" didn't mean Prince would be on stage playing for an entirely empty house in NYC! Still, I wouldn't mind hearing a bit from Camille or another "name" if it means a periodic dive into his vaults over the next few years.

I think the boos coming from the audience when Prince asks about their radio stations says a lot.
Radio has become more and more horrible, and yet they ban the great music Prince has been putting out. I'm glad this reviewer realizes that Prince has done just fine without the corporate BS. True, he's made mistakes, but his concerts prove again and again that it wasn't the corporations that made him in the first place. Prince's talent is God given and that will only die when Prince does.
Think about it. Prince hasn't had an impact on the charts in years, and yet his live show would blow most of those artists on the charts now off the charts.
Oh, one question: Is kellyanne now IrishEcho? The similarities are scary.

Butters said:

People booed when Prince asked about radio stations because they knew it was coming. NYC has perhaps the widest variety of radio stations in the country.

Similarities? Well, if I were Kelly Anne, I'd be too busy feeling myself up to waste anytime posting on Prince.org, thanks for the conspiracy theory though.

Butters said:

Revewers always say shit like: how does P expect to get his stuff on the radio whan it sounds like THAT?
If radio were wide open to creativity than it wouldn't be a problem would it?
How about this: they were giving away tickets for the Prince show on the WPLJ morning show and they didn't play a single Prince song in the 3 1/2 hours I was listening to try to win 'em.