http://www.timesanddemocr...tures1.txt

Concert review: Prince rocks the Colonial Center

By JOHN KAMMERER, Special to the T&D

During Chris Rock's last HBO comedy special, he asked audience members if they remembered the 1980's debate about who was the better pop artist -- Prince or Michael Jackson. Answering his own question, Rock responded, "Prince won."

On Wednesday night, while Michael Jackson was learning that he had been indicted by a grand jury in California, the Colonial Center crowd saw why Prince, not the King of Pop, will be viewed as the most influential artist of the '80s. Concert-goers were greeted with a copy of Prince's new CD "Musicology" at the door, and a version of the title track opened the show.

From there, Prince rolled through almost 160 minutes of his indelible mix of soul, funk, jazz, pop and R&B. He even saluted the new generation of artists he inspired, performing snippets of Beyonce Knowles' "Crazy in Love" and Outkast's "I Like the Way U Move."

Prince has told fans that this tour would be the last opportunity to hear his catalog of greatest hits, and perhaps that knowledge is what kept the crowd on its feet from the opening moments of the show. During the longer jam sessions that punctuated about a half-dozen numbers, the concert felt more like a big house party than an arena rock event.


Prince was in a delightful mood, prancing up and down the runways on the cross-shaped stage in light-up high heels. Although his lascivious dancing may be a thing of the past, Prince still managed to end up shaking rhythmically on at least two occasions, sending the female audience members into pure bliss.

Though Prince claims this is not a comeback, Wednesday night's concert was a return of sorts for Columbia native John Blackwell, the drummer in Prince's New Power Generation band. Prince gave Blackwell numerous opportunities to shine, and Blackwell never disappointed.

The Musicology Tour has also included an acoustic set in which Prince, alone on stage except for a guitar and a swivel chair, performs stripped-down versions of hits including "Little Red Corvette" (no, it's not really about a car), and "Adore." Prince shone in this setting, his charisma and showmanship allowing him both to maintain a sense of intimacy and power.

While singing the refrain to "Cream," which includes the lyric "Baby, there ain't nobody better," Prince admonished the crowd to sing that song in the mirror before bed. Later, Prince playfully requested that the audience help him out on back-up vocals. The audience responded a bit too enthusiastically, prompting Prince to mention that he still sang lead. After the NPG came back on stage, Prince tore through 10 more songs, with the help of about a dozen audience members who served as backup dancers for the closing numbers.

Following a brief absence, Prince returned for an encore, closing, as always, with an extended version of "Purple Rain," where he displayed his guitar mastery with flair.

At one point during the acoustic set, Prince started strumming the opening lines of an Elvis Presley song before jokingly admitting that, sometimes, while his name might be Prince, he gets carried away into thinking he's the King. He may not be the King of Rock or the King of Pop, but in 2004, Prince proves it's not bad to be first in line for the throne.

"At one point during the acoustic set, Prince started strumming the opening lines of an Elvis Presley song before jokingly admitting that, sometimes, while his name might be Prince, he gets carried away into thinking he's the King."