Prince performs during the 46th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles

"Veering frustratingly between the exhilarating genius we know he is and the self-indulgent guy who lost his mojo in the '90s" ... Prince. Photo: AP

PRINCE

Allphones Arena, May 11


ONLY someone like Prince could start such a hugely anticipated show with an unknown member of his band playing on an acoustic guitar perhaps his biggest hit (Purple Rain) to finally arrive at one of his weaker tunes (Gold) - and still have the audience in the palm of his hand.

Did he deserve such love? Well, only sometimes. Resplendent in glittering tails (and, of course, heels), Prince was on good, if not sensational, form at this first of three shows: in decent voice, playful and engaging - but veering frustratingly between the exhilarating genius we know he is and the self-indulgent guy who lost his mojo in the '90s.

On a stage in the shape of the ''love symbol'' he once adopted instead of his name - positioned in the middle of the arena so that everyone could sometimes get a decent view - he worked the room well, but the songs didn't always match up.

Whether sitting on his purple grand piano or strutting and posing at the end of the runway, he certainly had fun. Yet while breezy funk-pop hits such as a blistering Mountains, and Cream (complete with synthesised horns from one-time protege Jill Jones's For Love) brought the house down, at other times Prince relied a little too heavily on his redoubtable charisma.

Sure, he's 53 (he looks 15 years younger) and can't maintain the pace of yesteryear. It was disappointing to see him do the unthinkable, using the hip-hop conman's trick of bringing fans onstage and then playing a Michael Jackson song (Don't Stop Til You Get Enough) - as if he didn't have enough of his own.

The good news, at least, for both repeat viewers and first-timers is that Prince is all but guaranteed to play a totally different set at his remaining shows. Hopefully he'll get more things right at those.

A full review of this concert will run in the Herald on Monday.