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Prince Shows Genius -- Whenever He Starts

Doors Open At 8, Show Starts ... Sometime
Rick Garman, Vegas4Visitors.com

There is a virtual dictionary's worth of overused words that are thrown around when discussing the musical talent of Prince: "legendary," "iconic" and "genius" are just a few. But with this man there is little risk of hyperbole. He's just that good.

Playing two nights a week in the smallish former Club Rio space at the Rio in Las Vegas may seem like a step down from his arena-packing "Purple Rain" days, but see the show and you'll realize that this is the kind of venue that allows the artist formerly known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince to settle comfortably into his musical brilliance, play the kind of music he wants to play, and perhaps most importantly, just have fun.

Back in the day, Prince used to play those massive arenas and then show up, often unannounced, at small nightclubs and theaters to jam until the wee hours of the morning, eschewing his megahits for lesser known titles and funky, jazz-inspired musical workouts with his band and guests. This show at the Rio is much like those post-concert concerts, with a start time that is at best fluid and a musical spirit that evokes a more relaxed, less structured event. The Rat Pack used to do it in Vegas; why not Prince?

The doors to the theater open at 8 p.m. and a fierce DJ is on hand to keep things lively until the concert starts. Oh yeah -- that starting time thing. Door staff will tell you that Prince usually takes the stage between 11:30 p.m. and 1 a.m. That's right: There is no formal starting time. It happens when it happens, so your choice is to get their early to stake out prime stage-hugging territory and wait several hours or show up later and still stand around with slightly less-optimal viewing space.

On the night I visited, I staked my claim at around 10:45 p.m. 3121 is the name of the former Club Rio now, a round theater with a dance floor in the middle and booths and tables lining the edges. General admission tickets allow you to stand on the periphery or get right up close to the stage on the floor, which, by the way, is the best nonseat in the house. VIP packages get you the booths and tables, some with bottle service, but no worries -- there are several bars along the back wall. As concert venues go, it's a fine one, since you're pretty close no matter where you land; no binoculars needed here.

The curtain finally went up at around 12:30 a.m., revealing a largely undressed stage -- some fluorescent paint on the exposed electrical conduits and a circular staircase to a "lounge" for the horn section of the band were about it. Backed by a small combo -- bass, drums one or two keyboardists, three horn players, plus two dancers-backup singers -- Prince launched into the funky title track from his latest album, "3121," followed quickly by more cuts from that disc including "Lolita" and "Black Sweat."

For the next two-plus hours, he worked his way through a nonstop barrage of some of his best music, although for casual fans the monster-sized hits were mostly absent. He did do "Kiss," and for an encore "Purple Rain" and "Let's Go Crazy," but those were abbreviated and revamped versions. So no "Controversy," "1999," "Little Red Corvette," "When Doves Cry," "Raspberry Beret" or "Diamonds and Pearls." Instead, the Prince faithful got rarely performed gems such as "Anotherloverholenyohead," "If I Was Your Girlfriend," "Joy in Repetition," "7" and "Pink Cashmere," mixed in with a cover of Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music" and several extended instrumental jams featuring guest saxophonist Maceo Parker.

For some in the audience, this was an obvious disappointment -- the club was definitely less crowded when the show ended at around 2:45 a.m. than when it started. If you are one of those casual fans, that shouldn't preclude you from going to see the show. As I understand it, the concert is different almost every night and what gets played depends heavily on Prince's moods and whims, so you might get two hours of nonstop hits or two hours of even more obscure tracks than the ones I heard.

But dedicated Prince fans and anyone with an appreciation for genius-level musicianship couldn't have been pried away with a crowbar. Watching the man sing, dance and play almost every instrument on stage with virtuoso accomplishment is stunning and at times breathtaking.

I am one of those dedicated Prince fans and have seen him in concert many times, but something is different now. I've never seen him so relaxed, so jovial and comfortable. Whether he was joking with the audience or wading into it to pull people on stage to dance with him, his energy came off as distinctly more playful, approachable and human than the cipher of days past.

Perhaps that spirit is best summed up from the lyrics of one of my all-time favorite Prince tracks -- one he performed to my delight during the show -- "Forever in My Life" from the 1987 "Sign O' The Times" album: "There comes a time, in every man's life/when he gets tired of foolin' around ... I never imagined that love would rain on me/and make me want to settle down."

Whatever the reason for settling down in Vegas, we are thankful. I've always said that in 200 years people will look back at Prince's music the way we look at Beethoven's today, and while some will say that crosses over into the hyperbole I was having trouble finding earlier, go see this show and you'll understand why it isn't.

Prince performs every Friday and Saturday and presents other artists on Wednesday nights in the 3121 club. Recent guests have included Chaka Kahn, Esthero, Larry Graham with Maceo Parker, and more, but for a schedule of who will be playing when you are in town, visit the official 3121.com Web site.

Vegas4Visitors Grade: A

Prince
Rio Suites
3700 W. Flamingo Rd.
Las Vegas, NV 89103
702-777-7776
3121.com
Showtimes:
Friday and Saturday, start time varies
Tickets:

$125 general admission
$350 VIP package includes dinner and booth with bottle service
Thanks 2 llf553 4 sending this in!

j7

Http://www.thebumpsquad.com

Sounds like something I'd write. Thanks 4 sharing.

Hi JSeven, How are you?

Cool report. I like the part where the writer spoke of "Forever in my Life" being their favorite Prince song. It's one of my favorites too along with "Joy in Repetition".

(I would love it if Prince would also add "Stand" by Sly and the Family Stone to his setlists one of these days, that would be cool..but wishful thinking)
[Edited 12/8/06 10:29am]
[Edited 12/8/06 10:52am]

i always wonder what prince is doing that makes him wait so long to go on stage. is he addicted to playstation and he won't go onstage until he finishes a level? is he baking something and he doesn't trust his assistants to take it out of the oven on time? is he on the phone? what's the deal? i mean, okay, 'time is a trick', etc. - but what's he DOING?
[Edited 12/8/06 10:41am]

Sounds like he went to the Dec. 1st show! Great review thanks for posting!


MAN! i wish i was there tonight!!!


<--- Jealous

As always, thanks to J7. Set list sounds great. I don't know about the Forever in my life lyric. Never had Vegas in mind in relation to avoiding a 3 ring circus!? Again thanks J7

so you might get two hours of nonstop hits or two hours of even more obscure tracks than the ones I heard.

You might, but actually you get more or less the same setlist every night apart from the odd song, at least so far. Not that I'm knocking the setlist.

Anx said:

I wonder about that to.


If he was taking a bath... nevermind.