The Artist with Larry Graham

April 21, Electric Factory

photo: Adam Wallacavage

You never know what to expect from The Artist Formerly Known as Prince. Reports from the first concert of his tour—April 10 in New York—were mixed. In a review for the New York Times, critic Ann Powers complained that the set was filled with sloppy versions of old songs by featured guests Larry Graham and Chaka Khan. The gig, scheduled for midnight, didn't start until 3 a.m. and ended at dawn. A friend of mine who paid $200 for a scalped ticket to that show raved about the jam-heavy show, but let's face it, can you completely trust the judgment of someone who'd blow $200 bucks on a gig? Rumors said that the Philly show was pushed back a week from its original date (April 14) so the band could tighten up the set.

Scalped tickets for the sold-out show on Tuesday, April 21, at the Electric Factory could be had for $100, but there was no Chaka, just The Artist, his back-up band New Power Generation and Graham. As the crowd waited for the show to start, the Electric Factory sound system played snippets of songs from the self-titled New Power Generation album (which also includes The Artist), due out in May, and the new Graham Central Station and Chaka Kahn albums, both on The Artist's label, NPG, and scheduled for summer release.

At about 10:15, lasers shot through the warehouse space and The Artist kicked into a slow roadhouse blues riff-song. Even though the reverential vamp proved that The Artist's guitar-playing style has matured since he was riding high on the charts under the name Prince, the light show made the band look like they were lost in an outtake from Purple Rain.

Photographers had been told they could only shoot for the first half of the song and when they were rushed off too soon, The Artist stopped playing and said, "Wait a minute. Let the photographers stay. I didn't get dressed up for nothing."

But given all of the amazing outfits The Artist has appeared in, his pouffy white shirt with a ruffled collar and matching tights seemed like some old thing he threw on at the last minute. The Artist pulled several things out of the musical closet that evening, but he also managed to reinvigorate his golden oldies. He turned the energy level up several notches with the sweet disco-funk of "Bambi" and the crisp thump of "Days of the Wild."

Larry Graham appeared in sailor's whites and rolled out a few tunes from his days with Sly & the Family Stone, including a punchy rendition of "Thank You…" and a backbeat-heavy take on "Everyday People."

"This song ain't about no Toyota," joked The Artist. Though most of the instruments sounded surprisingly clean in the warehouse space, Graham's bass was muddy and lost in the mix. It's a shame because Graham is arguably one of the best electric bass players ever. As a result, the tunes that he helped make famous weren't as invigorating as they could have been.

Graham exited and the stage was filled with a green sea of lasers and smoke for a laid-back rendition of "Purple Rain" that climaxed with a reworked solo of stretched-out notes, hammer-ons and trills. Verses of songs like "18 and Older," "Face Down" and James Brown's "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing" became bridges to instrumental workouts and call-and-response sessions with the audience. Percussion-heavy, rap-influenced tracks like "Gett Off" were fleshed out with Hammond organ and jazzy guitar licks. When the less structured sections of the evening began to lose the audience's interest—such as a long rendition of Graham Central Station's "Jam"—they were quickly followed by supercharged hits such as "Delirious," "Alphabet Street" and "Kiss."

Like many of The Artist's recent albums, the show might have benefited from a little editing, but proved that he hasn't abandoned his musical past. If anything, he's showing more appreciation for his influences and trying to bring them into the present.

-Neil Gladstone