Prince w̶a̶s̶ is a Rocker. And Prince w̶a̶s̶ is Black music. No contradiction at all.
Prince: Question — You like Rock & Roll?
[Audience cheers]
Prince: Me too. One difference though, I like Rock and Roll — Fun-kay.
—Prince, live in Montreux, Switzerland; July 15, 2013
Can’t forget Prince’s birthday today!
We all miss him. One of the greatest performers I’ve ever seen.
While Prince clearly earned all of his Pop Music creds, He doesn’t get enough props for being one of the most important purveyors of Black music — ever.
I just watched the third day of his 2013 Montreux performance today, where he and his band 3RDEYGIRL smashed down another music history lesson. The NPG Horns and Funk legend Larry Graham also joined in to teach. Prince connected diasporic nodes for the audience by laying down styles of early-Van Halen Rock, Blues, Funk, New Wave, and EDM. I embedded the show below.
The band’s opener, a 76-or-so-bpm version of “Let’s Go Crazy”, beats the original, in my ear. The sly “Frankenstein” tease in the middle was yet another gorgeous et cetera out of many gorgeous et ceteras Prince tends to throw at audiences.
I wished the YouTube uploader submitted a better-quality video, though. Still, I’m thankful. Another heads-up: you’ll clearly notice some audio problems near the 1:38:20 mark.
Listen and dance. You deserve this moment.
I’m always open to hear or see a Prince show. Feel free to send your YouTube or audio cloud links my way!
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