There are only a handful of television performances that have helped reinvent musical artists. Elvis' 1968 Comeback Special and Michael Jackson's Motown Anniversary moonwalk immediately come to mind. Well, there's a new entry in the pantheon. Prince's jaw-dropping performance for his 2004 Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame induction.
I'd fallen off the Prince bandwagon several years ago. I held on tight, though, and for the longest time I thought he was pretty much the pinnacle. Hooks a mile deep, deft lyrics and musicianship of the highest caliber; he was the real deal. Somewhere along the line, though, the ego of TAFKAP or 0)+-> got in the way. By the time "Emancipated" came along I'd pretty much flown the coop. There was also the influence of someone who claimed to hate him, but that's a story for another day.
Fast forward to 2004 and Prince Rodgers Nelson is clearly on the rebound. First came the decision to play entire songs and not merely medleys of his past glory. Second the delirious pairing with Beyonce on the Grammys. Now this performance. I mean, he completely stole the show. Sure, the pistol-shaped microphone is still flat-out stupid. However, he reminded the world of what he could do on any given night with his opening salvo of "Let's Go Crazy," "Sign O' the Times" and "Kiss." He then returned to show up the stalwarts for the annual jam. Was it just me or did Tom Petty look like he just wanted to run from the stage like his pants were on fire when Prince took the solo on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps?" Harrison's son was clearly enjoying it but he was certainly in the minority. It may not have been the classiest move; showing up Petty, Lynne, Windwood, et. al.; but it certainly was damn impressive.
So I'm filled with hope and excitement for a rejuvenated PRN. I've had this hope before, though. The last time was after 1994's "Come." Not a bad record in its own way, but it was followed by a string of forgettable rehashes of old ideas. Here's hoping this is a successful reintroduction. There's only so many times one can listen to the under appreciated brilliance of tracks like "Starfish & Coffee" and not wish for some new nuggets.
I know. You're confused. It's out of character for randomness. It may not be the stuff of hipsterdom and it certainly doesn't twang. However, sooner or later we all needs the funk.
Posted by mikewolf at March 22, 2004 12:03 AMIt's nice to hear this kind of review of my brother. :-) I have been very impressed with his personal changes (obviously). Look at how odd he used to be ~ he was full of attitude. It was like, "This guy's a genuis, but there's no way I could carry on a normal conversation with him. Yo Prince, come back to earth dude." Now, he seems like a pretty normal guy who just happens to be phenomenally talented.
AND, I do like some of Larry Graham's solo material. "One in a Million" is a great song. I also really like "When We Get Married." But beyond that, I believe it is more his bass playing than his actual material that is so amazing. I could listen to that man slap the bass for hours. (I tried all kinds of sentence construction on that. There's just no way to say it without it sounding bad. But you know what I mean.)
Posted by: Meredith on March 22, 2004 03:53 PMMust have been his decision to move to Toronto. :)
Posted by: Jim on March 23, 2004 12:27 AMI'm glad you're back in the "Prince is a genius" fold. Some of us never left it... we were just biding our time for his inevitable rise to glory. Or something.
By the way, I'll be sending in my pledge to the Mike Wolf Imaginary Girlfriend Fund tomorrow.
Posted by: Daniella on March 25, 2004 05:02 PM