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Prince opens 'Musicology' tour in Los Angeles

TIM MOLLOY

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - Every school should be this much fun.

Prince is billing his "Musicology" tour as a way to educate audiences accustomed to computer-generated hits about the joys of live music - notably his music, that is. He gave them a taste Monday as the tour opened at the Staples Center.

But who was he kidding?

This show is really about the history of Prince, especially given his pledge that this tour will be the last time he plays his hits live.

As he started the night with the title track of the upcoming album "Musicology," followed in quick succession by "Let's Go Crazy," "I Would Die 4 U" and "When Doves Cry," people had to wonder how long he could keep it up. They found out he could go all night.

He's Prince, with hits that span 25 years. And he blasted through it Monday with more panache, whimsy and skill than anyone in music today.

He knew it, too. The 45-year-old recent addition to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame took playful digs at today's teen-pop creations and his aging contemporaries alike.

"We do not believe in lip-syncing," he yelled during "Controversy." Later, he called out, "I ain't never had my nose done!"

Prince has spent much of the last decade in a sort of self-imposed exile from the top of the charts, preferring to focus on jazz- and funk-infused compositions with his formidable backing band, the New Power Generation.

But on Monday, he grabbed as much well-deserved glory as possible, doing anything it took to keep the audience eating out of his hand through whatever he sang.

His in-the-round style speech and constant interplay with the audience gave him and the band room to shine, with saxophonist Candy Dulfer playing comedic foil to his flirtations, the way Wendy and Lisa did in The Revolution.

He also showed he could make do without gimmicks, taking the stage at one point with only an acoustic guitar to prove his mettle as a bluesman - albeit, a charmingly dirty-minded one. That was followed by a moving a solo version of "Little Red Corvette."

At one point during the two-and-a-half-hour show, Prince brought several fans on stage and released so much confetti it felt like being trapped in a snow globe.

Prince pulled several surprises but may have dug too deep at times. When he went into "I Feel For You," a hit he wrote for Chaka Khan in 1984, he teasingly chided people who didn't initially recognize it.

"Ya'll don't know my music," he cried.

Fans at the solidly packed Stapes Center saw no opening act. Instead, the show kicked off with a video featuring Alicia Keys' speech inducting Prince into the rock Hall of Fame. As she spoke, images appeared chronicling his musical career, his fights with his record company and his constantly evolving facial hair.

Prince also referred frequently to the name he once changed into an unpronounceable symbol, asking the audience again and again, "What's my name?"