Review: Prince At Northrop Auditorium, Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS--After the week-long, self-aggrandizing " Prince: a Celebration," those exhausted souls who partied at Prince's Paisley Park studios until the wee hours, hoping for a few live moments from the man ended up sorely disappointed, poorer and in dire need of naps.

But Prince's nearly four-hour Tuesday (6/13) concert at Northrop Auditorium--featuring a load of special guests (including a mini-reunion of his prolific Revolution), inspired jams and the artist at his most playful--was the sort of homecoming Twin Citians have waited for since Prince's meteoric rise to superstardom in the early '80s.

With the help of recent collaborator and ex-Sly Stone bassist Larry Graham, rappers Doug E. Fresh and Q-Tip, soul diva Angie Stone, and saxophonists Maceo Parker and Najee, Prince showed the sold-out crowd what he does with his downtime: jam with like-minded pals.

"It's time we all reach out for something new and that means me too," he emphasized during a loose workout of his epic "Purple Rain." That's exactly what audiences got: no wacky costumes (keep in mind, this is Prince), no unpronounceable glyphs, no mile-high stage sets (Tuesday's show featured a ramshackle assembly of platforms and a video screen) and no record company protests scribbled on his face. It really was about pleasing the crowd by demonstrating his indefinable craft (he was the lone guitarist on stage).

Apart from the guest spots, and the jams accented with snips of hits ("Delirious," "Raspberry Beret," "Gett Off"), the show's highlights were the honey-like ballads "Anna Stesia" (a rarely played track from 1988's "Lovesexy"), "Nothing Compares 2 U" and a breathtaking rendition of "Adore" (from 1987's "Sign o' the Times") played during the second encore. Even without multi-faceted ornaments Wendy and Lisa, the Revolution-backed (bassist Brown Mark, keyboardist Dr. Fink and drummer Bobby Z) encore of "America" had kick.

During the evening, Prince recounted a chat with Stone, saying that you could be "funky for no reason." That's Prince. The spirit moved him to play like the badass he is and, frankly, one hopes that he builds on the momentum.