For a few lucky thousand at Rogers Arena, a lesson in true swagger and captivating presence was given with a sparkly wet bullet. The incomparable artist currently known as Prince didn’t just take the stage, he brought one of his own and worked it like a rented mule and everyone in attendance was left sweating like they had just had the lay of their lives, one that was worth waiting almost an hour past the planned start time for.
Forget the decades of hits mixed with experimental side projects and personas, forget the world-class guitar solos and the undeniably distinct vocals, what Prince brings to the table that no one else does is 100% pure incarnation. The man is not from this world. And there is no one, absolutely no one, like him.
When Prince addresses the crowd, he does so with the same unapologetic soul of James Brown but with a confidence that isn’t sprung from bravado:
“We ‘bout to turn this place all the way out”. And we knew he was telling the truth.
When he says your city’s name, it sounds different than when anyone else says it. Like when someone you love whispers your name in your ear…so I’ve heard. He was able to get the normally reserved Vancouver populace responding to his calls with a feverish intensity; we wanted to be part of his show so badly, and he knew it. It was intoxicating.
From the beautiful vista of my 10th row floor seat, which I had to scramble to after arriving late because I forgot my ticket at home, I was trapped in suspended animation the minute my eyes fell upon him. Prince is a vision. 53 years old but not looking a day over 30, he is one of the most beautiful men I have ever seen in person. His face and physique ooze sex and it’s because every move he makes flows naturally like pure instinct. Never is this more awe inspiring than when he is holding his guitar, an instrument which in his hands is more like an extension of man than it ever has been.
Prince has created a voice for the guitar that is just as ineffaceable in the world of rock music as that of Jimmy Page and the like. There is a very unique growl to it that you can hear every time his hand hits the fret board. As he grips it and fluidly strokes it like he is giving it a hand job, the noise it makes is a groan with teeth that no one else manages to inject so sneakily into their solos. It is the taste of Prince and we were given SO much of it last night. The guitar spent most of the evening in his hands or strapped to his back like a weapon of choice as he worked the mic. If you are one of the few people unaware of his top notch abilities with this instrument, behold (skip to 3:30 and bask):
He spent the evening in a pair of gold sparkle pants that lit up like a disco ball under the stage lights and they made it impossible, not that it wasn’t anyway, to take your eyes of his signature strut. He moved from end to end of the stage, which was in the shape of his notorious symbol, with fluid power. Regardless of whether it was a show stopper like Kiss or a deliciously Prince-ified cover like Come Together, he gave it to all corners of the venue with a flick of his tongue and a wag of his hips. After playing Kiss, one of his biggest hits, like it was the first time, he froze in a bright yellow spotlight and then treated us to a dance solo so electric it was enough to power the lights on its own. He is untouchable…not that you didn’t want to try. When he asked the crowd for someone to come dance with him as he launched into Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough, I was seconds away from becoming a societal safety risk.
Controversy was another noteworthy number, a song that could be considered his title track, he delivered it with the same nose-thumbing conviction that he would have back when he was an upstart writing it.
“People call me rude, I wish we were all nude
I wish there was no black and white, I wish there were no rules”
Outstanding. And he left it with the perfect sentiment: “I ain’t scared of none of ya’ll”. Bam!
Flanked by his band and some ballsy backup singers, known as New Power Generation, Prince turned his career into a two hour long medley and left very little stones unturned. The climactic Nothing Compares 2 U duet with singer Shelby Johnson sealed the deal with a sloppy kiss. The powerhouse vocal sparring match took the song back from the iconic hands of Sinead O’Connor and spread it open on the stage for all to see, reminding all of us whose song it really was. The lyrics took a whole new light and I won’t lie, this time it broke me more than it has before. There is courageous power behind vulnerability, especially vulnerability in the wake of loss, and it was great to have those raw words delivered with so much chest pounding conviction. Prince reminded me that fate loves the fearless. Just in time.
This was the kind of show that remains on the tip of your tongue for the rest of your life. When someone asks one of the 12,000 in attendance last night what the best show they have ever been to is, this show will spring to mind effortlessly. I’ve been to my share of remarkable performances but I can legitimately say that when it comes to Prince, I have never seen his equal. Brings me back to the lyrics of Controversy:
“Was it good for you? Was I what you wanted me to be?
Do you get high? Does your daddy cry?”
Yes. More than yes. Yes. And he would have if he had been there. Thank you, you splendid, fearless, swaggering, enigmatic monster. Whew….I need a cigarette.
Review by: Jennie Orton
