If you're on a Prince high right now chances are you were one of the 'Beautiful Ones' to have experienced his first Sydney concert last night (his next concert is tonight, and the last on May 22; check the web for his other Australian concerts).
The experience was like no other.
Prince is... matchless.
Not only is his unique falsetto voice still in completely top form [he could teach the new wave of singers a thing or two about vocal licks], his electric guitar skills are otherworldly.
I can't think of an artist like this [help me here if you can] who can do it all like this: sing like an angel, dance like a demon, and play guitar like a man possessed.
There were a million highlights last night.
His last song - before he came back for an encore [we waited more than ten minutes but it was worth it] - was Purple Rain, and his moving rendition ran for at least 15 minutes. His guitar riffs seared right through your heart. It may sound dramatic, but if you're a true Prince devotee, you'll know what I am talking about.
Notably missing were his raunchy tracks 'Erotic City' and 'Darling Nikki', with reports suggesting this exclusion is a nod to his devotion to his adopted Jehovah's Witness faith.
The concert was far from asexual though. The crowd went absolutely nuts when Prince invitingly asked the crowd: "What are you doing tomorrow? Want to stay the night?"
The set list was squarely devoted to paying homage to his renowned tracks ['Kiss', 'Raspberry Beret', 'I Would Die For You', 'When Doves Cry'... he started the concert off with those words, 'Dearly Beloved' - the crowd lost it].
It was just as his 'old school' fans hoped. [The crowd was a mix of young and old, but the average age of ticket holders was most definitely the fans who immersed themselves in his Purple-ness the first time around... people in their 40s.]
Prince acknowledged these devoted fans, telling the crowd: "Old school, tell the new school how many hits Prince got!"
The old school fans went ballistic! It's a fan's dream to be acknowledged for sticking around, isn't it?
We knew what he was talking about. In the 1990s especially, Prince was King. [It's not like he ever went away. And so strong is his pull, the man doesn't even need to release an album to need an excuse to go on tour.] After all, these songs shaped our youth, captured our imagination, tapped into our teen and twenty-something sexual selves.
A few spoilers, although apparently each night will be different:
Prince re-enters the arena for his encore on a push bike [my friend Sheree took this brilliant shot... she managed to touch him as he tried to pedal through the crowd, with security running around him]:
And Prince gets several people from the crowd on stage to dance with him and his extraordinary fellow singers:
Prince throws his jacket into the crowd. That blew me away... really! Doesn't he need it again? And Prince throws his guitar to his stage hand after one of many mind-blowing guitar solos:
Here are some more Prince pics to feast on:
And here, Prince tells the whole crowd to turn on all our mobile phone lights and camera lights... the effect is breathtaking:
And now, the Daily Telegraph is reporting that Prince has been invited to appear on 'The Voice'.
Says music editor Kathy McCabe [who always gets the music scoops]:
"It is understood Prince has been invited to perform a medley of his greatest hits on the Channel 9 juggernaut on May 21, the night before his third Sydney concert.
Like many of music's biggest names, Prince has embraced opportunities to perform in front of huge television audiences - notably the 2009 finale of American Idol."
Imagine that?
So, did you go last night? Are you going tonight? Will reports on the incredible show make you want to buy a ticket if you haven't already?
It'll be the best money you've spent on a concert. Ever. Yep, I said it. The concert experience of a lifetime. Unforgettable [special mention to my darling husband who bought me the ticket for Mother's Day... what a man.]
Pic credit: all photos [bar last ]: Sheree Grech Neal
