Prince: Piano and A Microphone
Review Ray Chan
PRINCE with just a piano? You've seen him play searing guitars like Jimi Hendrix and dance frenetically like James Brown, so how would it be like when he’s by himself without his stage entourage?
As it turns out, pretty amazing. The last musical genius of his enigmatic, obscenely talented kind mesmerised everyone for a couple of hours, brilliantly reinventing selections popular and otherwise from his vast catalogue, and showing why tickets sold out in a flash when his Australian tour was first announced barely two weeks ago.
It was an eclectic mix of old and new, familiar and obscure, as he flitted beloved tunes into and out of each other, threw up random odds and sods, and covered some of his favourite songs, ranging from Sly and the Family Stone’s Stand! to Ray Charles’ Unchain My Heart.
But even the teasing was appreciated: a few bars of Condition of the Heart here, fleeting glimpses of Thieves in the Temple there, an improvised Purple Rain – yet just hearing the maestro perform them brought universal joy.
If the first 20 minutes felt mainly for him, the next hour and a half was emphatically for the audience.
Displaying his skills on the keyboard, the virtuoso was as adept at getting fans on their feet to the irresistible funk of Kiss, as at playfully seducing in How Come U Don't Call Me Any More, or even just playing beautifully (Nothing Compares 2U).
I Would Die 4 U, Little Red Corvette and Take Me With U had come early, as did I Feel for You, a hit for Chaka Khan.
A couple of new tracks impressed: Rocknroll Loveaffair and Black Muse, both from his latest album, HITnRUN Phase Two, which was a parting gift to fans after the performance.
Throughout, His Purpleness also shared anecdotes and episodes, and paid tribute to his father, a fine piano player and a “much finer dresser”.
Interestingly, no two setlists throughout the tour have been the same, as Prince favours ad-libbing the selections according to his whims and feelings during any particular show, an advantage of not being encumbered by a backing band that have practised only for particular numbers. It was certainly a testament to his prowess that he could delve into his vast repertoire at a moment’s notice, remembering lyrics and melodies and producing them effortlessly.
There were no signs of the artist’s reported hip problems, although when he departed the stage for each of his three encores, he amusingly did so on a pushbike.
Perth audiences were also privy to an exclusive treat: the Messiah’s purple piano.
Having jetted in from Auckland for the concert, the custom piano he was using had to be left behind as it could not fit on the plane.
To replace it, the piano from his studio at Paisley Park in Minnesota was sent over to Perth for just this show. And how the musician enjoyed it, spreading his lithe form on top of the Yamaha and caressing it like a lover.
Piano and a Microphone is a remarkable tour when you consider the fact that before this year, Prince had never played a solo circuit.
And to do so so masterfully on an instrument that is not his strongest is some achievement indeed.
All in all, it was a purple reign of hypnotic transcendence that ensured everyone would have gone home a monarchist, even if for just one night.
SETLIST
I Would Die 4 U
Big City
Little Red Corvette
Take Me With U
Stand!
Dirty Mind
Controversy
I Feel for You
The Most Beautiful Girl in the World
Rocknroll Loveaffair
The Breakdown
Pop Life
Black Muse
Cream
Thieves in the Temple/It
Purple Rain
Condition of the Heart / Under the Cherry Moon
The Ballad of Dorothy Parker/4
Unchain My Heart
How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore
Starfish and Coffee/Raspberry Beret
Diamonds and Pearls
The Beautiful Ones
Kiss/Black Sweat
Nothing Compares 2 U
Purple Music
Free Urself
