Fifteen weeks to the day since 3rdEyeGirl burst into London life with his sound check at the Electric Ballroom, Prince was back. This time it was for a charity gig in the more up market, Cafe de Paris, in central London.
Prince emerged in mirrored glasses and an incredible jacked. The stage was only about 9 inches high and was roped off. The front row was no more than a meter from the microphone.
He started with lets go crazy and that set the scene for the evening. People were going crazy – in the balcony, on dance floor, even behind the bar.
“Thirty years ago this was the music we listened to”, Prince told us before busting out his old hits. Later in the show Prince left the stage and disappeared into the crowd. The rest of the band was left playing. Ida and Donna looked at each other and it was clear that they had no idea what was going on. This wan’t in the script! This is what makes Prince gigs so entertaining. You never know what’s going to happen. Prince returned after a few minutes later and blew us all away with Purple Rain.
The highlights? So many – maybe for me it was the drum and bass solos during Sign O Times. But for many it would be the epic version of controversy he played.
In summary: a great evening with Prince on form – a smiling troop of musicians behind him and a smiling troop of punters in front of him.
