My girlfriend and I went last night to worship the Purple One; the tickets are a bithc, as is the pricing - but WHAT A SHOW ! ! !
Let it rain, let it rain!! He's back and better than ever !

Prince all over a trademark show
By Patrick Donovan
Music writer
October 22, 2003


Prince performs at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena.

Prince has not performed his hit-heavy 1980s roster much in recent years and says he will retire it after this world tour.

But in the meantime, he is purveying some of the finest pop songs of the past 20 years.

Prince officially opened his world tour in Melbourne at the Rod Laver Arena last night to 10,000 fans after performing a secret warm-up club show at Bennett's Lane on Monday.

He came out to the rapturous crowd in a white, pin-striped suit, red spotted cravat and steep Cuban-heeled boots.

Singing into a microphone shaped like a pistol, he ignited the crowd with an introductory trilogy of songs from his 1984 Purple Rain album: Let's Go Crazy, I Would Die 4 You, and When Doves Cry.

Later, the crowd went wild over hits including, Controversy, Kiss and the epic finale, Purple Rain.

There were no backing tracks: this was a crack, eight-piece band including horn section, which interspersed the hits with stunning jazz workouts.


Throughout the two-hour show, the diminutive perfectionist pranced about the stage, singing in velvet croon, or an orgasmic falsetto in the spirit of Sam Cooke. At 45 years of age, his voice and musicianship are at their peak.

Twenty hardcore Prince fans' dreams came true when they got to meet their hero and watch the show from side-stage as part of a $1000 package.

But 50 fans needed only luck and perseverance to get close to their idol when Prince and the band performed the "secret" warm-up jazz show at Bennett's Lane.

One of the lucky few, Jamie Thomas, 32, queued from 5.30pm until 11pm after being tipped off by a friend.

He said the one-hour show was one he would never forget.

Prince plays again at the Rod Laver Arena tonight.