He won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, seven Grammys, and in 1984, Prince accomplished something only the Beatles had done before him: He was topping charts simultaneously with an album, a film, and a single. Prince was a sex symbol, a rebel, and a lyrical genius who wrote, composed, mixed, and recorded his first album all by himself. "Is this the funkiest band in the world?" and "Is this the funkiest town?"- he told folks "this Prince isn't going anywhere" and "we're all staying around." Most of the time, he decided what they’d play on the fly! You see, his band members were required to learn more than 400 songs to be ready at a moment’s notice since Prince never settled on a firm setlist. That night, Prince’s lineup consisted of John Blackwell on drums, Ida Nielsen on bass, Morris Hayes and Cassandra O’Neal on keyboards, and newcomer Andy Gallo on guitar- all of whom should also be applauded. Instead, he and the band gave half a dozen encores, not letting up until early in the morning. After a ridiculously hot 80-minute set, Prince could have called it a night. In addition, he performed with such enthusiasm, incredible visual flair, and he was always an enthralling live performer, even at the then- age of 43.Īny way you cut it, his concert at Métropolis will be remembered as a monumental event in the annals of the international jazz festival. His ability to experiment with a mix of musical styles, from funk, soul, gospel, and rock to jazz, hip-hop, and psychedelia, made him one-of-a-kind. You see Prince wasn’t just a vocalist, he was a self-taught musician and a multi-instrumentalist who could easily switch from playing several instruments at a time- and that he did. On Prince’s biggest hits, he sang passionately, and whenever he performed a cover, the original recording always paled in comparison. It was one of two out-of-the-blue impromptu shows (June 24 and 25) at Métropolis- and if you were one of the 2000 lucky fans in attendance, you got to see Prince up close and personal in a show that lasted until 3 am and featured … count em… six encores! Imagine his Super Bowl Halftime Show only with four hours of non-stop hits, several encores and the pleasure of watching this genius a few feet away, doing his magic live on stage. Of all his incredible performances, however, his genius was never more on display than during his epic four-hour concert at Montreal’s Jazz Festival in 2001.
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