Prince &
Tamar: It Takes Two
Congress Theater-Chicago, IL
by Anthony Kuzminski
.
The last time Prince graced Chicago with
his presence, he was in the midst of reengaging his long time fans by performing
close to 100,000 people over a five nights, proving that he still had the
magic to rock with the best of them. In fact, I'll go on record that his
2004 "Musicology" trek found Prince at his prime live power with the finest
backing group of musicians he ever assembled. A little over a week ago,
on a very cold Chicago night, lines wrapped around five city blocks as
people waited to see Prince's return in a theater around 1am. Instead of
being front and center in the spotlight, Prince's job was musical director
and guitarist. The spotlight shined brightly on Prince's latest protégé,
Tamar (pronounced "Tay-mar"). In the past, Prince has usually picked his
protégé's who were heavy on sex appeal and deficient in musical
talent. Does anyone really think that if not for Prince that Carmen Electra
would still have men slipping dollar bills into her g-string? Because of
Prince's past choices I forked over my $31.21 in the hopes of seeing Prince
astound me with his axe work. However, to my astonishment, I walked away
with more.
Regardless of Prince's past choices, his
newest protégé will sweep you off your feet with her soulful
voice, sultry demeanor and magnetic stage presence. Right from the start
Tamar performed like an industry veteran. Price was to Tamar's right as
he let his fingers flow freely across the frets for close to two hours.
One song into the show it was evident that Tamar has all the makings to
be a star. She lit up the stage as she prowled across it with confidence,
backed by the two twin backing singers (in school girl outfits) who moved
in carefully choreographed seizure-like moves. Besides running through
material from Tamar's new album (due later this spring) other highlights
of the main set included a killer rendition of "When A Man Loves A Woman"
where Tamar soared as her voice reached new heights on this R&B classic
before Prince stepped out at the end for a killer guitar solo. Tamar nailed
every note vocally while the crowd cheered her on. I've seen A-grade acts
try and bring up and coming acts on tour with them only to see crowds treat
them like a virus. Tonight was not one of these nights as they embraced
Tamar and did not seem disappointed that Prince was there in a support
role. However, when Prince did appear in the spotlight, his guitar playing
was trancelike. His playing takes me to another world as he's arguably
the most talented man to throw a six string around his neck since the great
and late Jimi Hendrix. As a musician, Prince is unmatched by anyone on
this Earth and the grace and ease with which he performs leaves me in complete
and total awe.
In the encore Prince, Tamar and the twins
ripped through a classic pair of tunes from the Jackson family. First up
was Michael's "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" which segued right into
sister Janet's "What Have You Done For Me Lately". Both songs sounded magnificent
as Tamar handled lead vocal duties while Prince brought the funk. However,
I found the performance to be bittersweet, as I saw an 80's Pop God shine
under the lights proving he is as relevant as ever, while the person who
wrote "Don't Stop" has sadly drifted from the musical greatness he once
possessed. Whether one loves Prince's new music or not, they can not deny
that he truly loves music more than anything else. No sooner did "What
Have You Done For Me Lately" wind down before "Partyman" kicked into full
gear to the sound of elation from the sold out crowd. Prince's "Batman"
soundtrack from 1989 is a power pop masterpiece. It was not meant to be
a serious piece of art, but it served its purpose marvelously as it is
a fun album and a misplaced classic for Tim Burton's classic comic noir.
It's been years since Prince has recognized any of this material from the
concert stage and it was a welcomed return.
When the band kicked into "Play That Funky
Music" Prince brought about twenty fans on stage with him as they danced,
sang and proved to me that there is a vibrant night life in Chicago on
Monday nights after 2am. By the end of the show the Congress Theater felt
more like a communal gathering rather than a concert as the band needed
the crowd as much as the crowd needed the band. Two nights previously in
Minneapolis, this was where the show came to an end. However, the Chicago
crowd willed the band back to the stage. After a little teasing between
to two they decided on a slow number off of Tamar's album, "Stay With Me
Baby". However, if one thought the evening would end on a slow number like
this, they would be mistaken as "I Want To Take You Higher", the Sly &
The Family Stone classic, brought the house down. The lights were glaring
on the audience as the band tore through the number as if it would be the
last song they ever perform. Prince wailed on his guitar as if there would
be no tomorrow. The finale was completely off the hook and when the music
finally faded most of the people felt their money was well spent for a
nearly 2-hour funk and soul review by one of the greatest acts of the last
quarter century and a up and comer who held her own against this legend.
It may not have been a proper Prince show, however, it was the first chapter
in what is shaping up to be an extraordinary year for the purple one. Regardless
of whether or not his new album ("3121") and tour come close to matching
his previous trek does not matter, as tonight Prince proved he can command
an audience at any time as long as he has a six string in his midst.
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