Somewhere deep into his sold out 90 minute set at Denver’s Ogden Theatre, Prince declared to his fans "Aint no party like a purple party ’cause the purple party don’t stop!" This is a mantra Prince and his fans have always seemed to live by, and at this rare intimate theater show, they all definitely lived up to that mantra in full.
The icon and his all female band 3rdEyeGirl, had the intimate, sold out crowd dancing nonstop for a short, but all too sweet 90 minute set of funky jams and rockin’ guitar riffs. This was the fourth how in two nights for Prince, and his band as they played at 8:00pm and then again at 11:30pm on both Sunday and Monday evenings at the Ogden for the last show of his nine city intimate venue run.
The fact that show time was 11:30 pm and priced around $250 didn’t seem to spite anyone who attended. Even a couple hours before the band came on stage, there was a line at least three blocks long, filled with hundreds of smiling faces, feathery purple boas and people from all walks of life.
Starting off the night’s performance from behind his guitar, and in front of a large digital LCD screen, Prince immediately got his hard core fans into it with crowd favorite "Let’s go Crazy." This rendition was slower than the original but still had the audience up and dancing.
Prince, ever the showman, wearing his tight black bell bottom pants and tight black & white shirt, with his slick black guitar slung over his shoulder, held the audience in rapture the entire show. On top of jamming his funky, rockin’ guitar riffs, Prince sat artfully silhouetted behind the piano for a good portion of the set and really let 3rdEyeGirl Donna Grantis show off her skills on lead guitar. She was poised and just what the Dr. ordered considering Prince could have just as well played the lead. but Grantis crushed it when she had her opportunities and with Prince on keys and vocals, it really worked flawlessly.
There’s no doubt some fans who were dying to hear an entire set of Prince’s big time hits came out of the expensive show a bit disappointed. Most of the set list was made up of deeper cuts and covers like Shelia E’s “A Love Bizarre,” “ Bambi,” and “Housequake.” He did play a medley which included “I Would Die for You” and “Hot Thing,” but those songs were short lived. Toward the end of the show “Purple Rain” was of course a crowd favorite that had them loudly singing every word along,
A highlight for a select few very fortunate fans was when Prince was kind enough to invite them up on stage and dance for a few songs including “Nasty Girl,” and “Sign of the Times.” As the show ended with encores of “She’s Always in my Hair” and “You Got the Look, “ one couldn’t help but think how brilliant and unique an artist Prince really is. Once again The Purple One proved he’s worth all the hype and whatever he may charge for a ticket.
FULL SETLIST
1. Let’s Go Crazy
2. Endorphinmachine
3. Screwdriver
4. Stratus
(Billy Cobham cover)
5. The Love We Make
6. How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?
7. I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man
8. Guitar
9. Plectrum Electrum
10. FixUrLifeUp
Sample Set
11. When Doves Cry
12. Nasty Girl
(Vanity 6 cover)
13. Sign O’ The Times
14. The Most Beautiful Girl in the World
15. Housequake
16. I Would Die 4 U
17. A Love Bizarre
(Sheila E. cover)
18. Hot Thing
19. Purple Rain
20. Bambi
21. Encore:
21. She’s Always in My Hair
22. U Got the Look
