music

Prince recaptures his '80s glory


BY BRIAN MCCOLLUM
FREE PRESS POP MUSIC CRITIC

June 20, 2004

You could see it in Prince's eyes back in March, onstage at a ritzy New York hotel where music's movers and shakers had gathered for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions.

Actually, as he tore through a blistering guitar solo to inject heat into the otherwise staid affair, you had to look at his closed eyes. Prince had slipped into the moment, his moment. He'd escaped, the way he does, entranced by the sounds teeming in his brain and getting translated through his fingers.

As he'd done during a fiery Grammy Awards performance a month earlier, Prince became himself again. Tuxedoed guests found themselves lured out of their chairs, onto their feet, finally moving their hips as the night's leading inductee found that magic spot. Some of them hadn't seen it in years. Not because Prince had disappeared. But because Prince had let Prince slip away.

In 2004, as the Minneapolis legend benefits from the most substantial resurgence he's enjoyed in years, credit goes to just one person: Prince himself. It's not about Sony, which is now distributing his records, and it's not about the Grammys or Hall of Fame. It's about Prince, who has rediscovered how to speak the musical language that made him one of the signature stars of the '80s.

There could be another factor involved. Across the country, concert industry executives are fretting about slow ticket sales, already chalking up the summer as the biggest downward turn in years. Unlike previous seasons, when classic rock acts such as the Rolling Stones and the Who dominated box-office action, the big names this year are icons of the '80s: Prince, Van Halen, Madonna.

Prince is commandeering the country: seven capacity shows in Los Angeles, five in Chicago, seven in New York. In Detroit, where Prince flourished long before he broke out nationally, anticipation is high as the enigmatic artist drops four dates on the metro area this summer, starting with shows tonight and Monday at the Palace. He'll return to the Palace on July 31, a day after performing at Joe Louis Arena with his veteran NPG band. With April's release of "Musicology," his finest album in ages, the Prince publicity machine is rolling more heavily than it has since the early 1990s, and attention is peaking.

"He's always been strong here," says Marilyn Hauser, senior vice president of booking and marketing for the Palace. "But when he did that Hall of Fame performance, it was just unbelievable. Then they kicked off the tour with this phenomenal PR. And it's made it even stronger than ever."

Those close to Prince are hesistant to describe this as a comeback. After all, they'll remind you, he never left, and they're right: Though it had been nearly a decade since he scored a platinum record -- the double-disc "Emancipation" -- Prince continued to tour regularly, including ample stops in Detroit.

"People are saying he's back," says Detroiter Billy Sparks, a longtime Prince confidant. "He never went anywhere."

But 2004 IS a return of sorts for Prince, who turned 46 earlier this month. "Back to the old school" -- that's been the reigning mantra for the diminutive star, who has consciously, and quite effectively, recaptured the sound and spirit of his definitive work. After several years of confounding observers -- including devoted fans -- with adventurous forays into obscure sonic territory, he has deliberately slipped back into the straight-up, get-down mode that made him a superstar.

It's not just the two-hour set list rich with familiar classics, including the '80s fare he has vowed to retire once this tour wraps up. And it isn't just the time-tested psychedelic funk that dominates the new "Musicology," his best-selling record in a decade. Where it truly shines through is in the spirit, the attitude, the sly grin that occasionally creeps across his face while onstage.

Quite a change from the artist fans witnessed at the State Theatre in 2000 during a lackluster show that seemed to run through the motions. Prince played, but he didn't look playful. Something was missing, and it wasn't just the bass line in "When Doves Cry."

The shift, says Sparks, comes from deep within the artist himself. Even casual listeners could hear young Prince in the early '80s -- the days when disc jockey Electrifying Mojo turned him into a Detroit sensation -- and pinpoint the source of inspiration. The stylistic vocabulary may have been vast, the chops tight, the songwriting off the hook. But what made it click was easy to see: This guy had musical vibrations pumping through his veins.

And that's what has been restored.

"He's a Jehovah's Witness now, which has helped with his spirituality," says Sparks. "When you're at home with yourself and God, you're at peace. His personal life is wonderful now. The stars are just lining up for the brother. I'm so glad for the guy. It's like people have woken up and realized again that Prince is really passionate about what he believes in."

Although Prince has always been marked as something of an obsessive -- both in the studio and onstage -- associates have noted a fresh work ethic during the past year. Sparks says timing on the Detroit visit is apt, equating Prince to the blue-collar Detroit Pistons. The Palace has already delivered Pistons apparel to its weekend performer -- the not-so-subtle jersey of player Tayshaun Prince.

"It's that same mode -- hard-working, banging, working his tail off every night," says Sparks. "Taking no prisoners. The visibility for Prince is kicking back in for one big reason: Prince comes to work, and people are in the mood these days for the real thing."


Contact BRIAN McCOLLUM at 313-223-4450 or mccollum@freepress.com.

Brian McCollum review of June 20 gig at The Palace can be found here ...

http://www.prince.org/msg/12/98870

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