Friday, April 26, 2002

Concert Preview
The divine one: Prince adds a 'Rainbow' of religion to his eclectic musical pot

By Pam Sitt
Seattle Times staff reporter

What to expect when the artist formerly known as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince takes the stage at the Paramount Monday?

Don't ask us. Even the Purple One can't seem to make up his mind.

As Prince, 43, nears the end of a 29-date tour, he continues to keep fans guessing. (So what else is new?) At a sold-out show in Lakeland, Fla., three weeks ago, Prince started things off by announcing, "If you came to get your Purple Rain on, you have come to the wrong place. This is not 1984." He later played the hit song in its entirety. But he's shunned fans in other cities who have shouted requests for the song (and other 1980s classics).

Billed as "a stripped-down show that allows the music to speak for itself," "One Nite Alone with Prince" abandons the backup dancers and pyrotechnics and focuses instead on Prince's latest album, the deeply religious "The Rainbow Children." Reports from other tour stops include sprinklings of classic hits such as "Raspberry Beret" and "When You Were Mine"; at least one city was treated to a medley of hits including "Diamonds and Pearls," "Nothing Compares 2 U" and "How Come U Don't Call Me," a song covered by rising star Alicia Keys in her debut album.

Known for his variety of sounds — rock, funk, soul, blues — Prince, a recently converted Jehovah's Witness, delves into his spirituality in the jazz-oriented "The Rainbow Children." His 23rd album is loaded with religious imagery and has been called by critics everything from "challenging" to "rewarding" to "weird." (Fans count at least 50 Prince songs the artist can no longer perform as a Jehovah's Witness due to their explicit content, including hits such as "Little Red Corvette" and "Cream.")

But don't expect to hear any songs from the new album on the radio. Prince hasn't charted a hit in eight years (his last was 1994's "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World"). Not to say that his new stuff isn't good (on the contrary, some critics laud "The Rainbow Children" as his best work in years), but Prince is in control now, and he just doesn't seem interested in doing things the usual way.

After his well-publicized battles with record label Warner Bros. and a brief stint with Arista Records in the '90s, Prince began his own online society, The New Power Generation Music Club (www.npgmusicclub.com), last year. As members of the NPG clan, fans pay $100 annually plus a monthly fee to download Prince's music before anyone else, buy tickets to shows (that'll be another $100, thank you) and get invites to pre-show sound checks. No more music videos, singles or advertising — seemingly, now, Prince is all about the music.

Expect the same for his show. "Real music by real musicians," Prince has said of the tour, which includes appearances by veteran saxophonist Maceo Parker and drummer John Blackwell. There will be no choreography or lip syncing, and — if previous shows are any indicator — good luck searching for any method to a maddening mix of covers, jams, solos and new tunes.

© 2002 Seattle Times