http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin...4VS671.DTL

James Sullivan, Chronicle Pop Culture Critic Monday, February 16, 2004

The Fillmore, damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, reopened a decade ago after major retrofitting. Prince threatened to bring down the old ballroom Saturday with his patented after-hours housequake, but the building survived.

The short-notice event at the 1,200-capacity Fillmore (there was a second show Sunday) registered about a 5.5 on the funky Richter scale: There were some stirring jolts early on, but then an eerie calm settled in. Prince is a seismic entertainer, but he only makes the earth move when he truly feels like it.

These days, Prince is being retrofitted for royalty. Despite the fact that he now operates far outside the music establishment, releasing his own records and bringing his righteousness directly to the people, Jehovah's Witness-style, his opening showcase at the Grammy Awards earlier this month proved he's still a superstar. Beyonce Knowles, the night's biggest winner, gladly played second fiddle.

On Saturday, P. Diddy and Mary J. Blige were in the house, paying respect.

To generations of R&B and hip-hop stars, Prince is Bob Dylan. Bear with me: Both are diminutive, well-coiffed originals who have subsumed fundamental lessons from the musical giants who preceded them (in Prince's case, the molten guitar of Jimi Hendrix and the relentless groove of James Brown). Both have worked out their spiritual yearnings onstage, hauling their fans along for the search. And both are blessed with a profound watchability, even when they are muddling through phases of mediocrity.

The "1999" album was not one of those phases, and when Prince launched into the delirious robotics of "D.M.S.R." -- dance music sex romance -- it seemed as though the night might instigate all of the above. Saturday was Valentine's Day; "April Fools'," Prince said, pointing out that the show didn't start until well after midnight.

Inviting some handpicked members of the audience onstage to dance, he was almost upstaged by an overeager guy in a suit and a red power tie. "Don't know about that haircut," the singer joked, nodding toward the guy's shiny pate.

The quick-change medleys are what make the Prince revue more than just another show. One highlight Saturday featured "I Feel for You," the Prince song that was a smash for Chaka Khan way back in '84, segueing into an extended "Controversy." Special guest Maceo Parker, the pedigreed saxophonist (James Brown, P-Funk), led a lengthy instrumental breakdown while the bandleader stole away for a costume change.

After just an hour, the band bid good night, only to return for an hourlong encore. Prince acknowledged the Bay Area with a taste of Tower of Power's "What Is Hip?", then ran the band through fragments of other funk classics -- "Love Rollercoaster," "Brick House," "Skin Tight." Disappointingly, however, he mostly ignored his own vast catalog.

After the lights went up at 3 a.m., the band came out for one final jam. Led by Parker, they played a raucous, second-line instrumental version of the gospel standard "Down by the Riverside."

It might have been taken as a subtle comment on current events -- "Gonna study war no more," the lyric says -- but Prince was busy slapping his band mates with a towel. He's in his own world; fans are just happy to sneak a peek from time to time.

wow, i wish i was there. someone try to get him over to san diego!