After seeing Prince perform last night, I can understand why he has earned his reputation as a consummate entertainer. I can’t think of any other pop musician who is equally adept at musicianship, singing, and dancing. He opened with a rousing rendition of “Purple Rain”, but I especially enjoyed the stripped-down set with former Revolution member Wendy Melvoin that included “Little Red Corvette” and “Raspberry Beret”. Prince was also generous with lending performance time to his fellow performers, many of whom engaged in vigorous jam sessions. I’m not an ardent Prince fan, but I’m happy I had the opportunity to see him.
After the concert, I was waiting for the elevator to take me down to street level when the doors opened. A big man in a sharp suit stood in the elevator and gestured to someone in line behind me for the elevator. He said something about coming to get Prince’s dad. An elderly gentleman was wheeled onto the elevator ahead of us and it looked as if the flunkie wasn’t going to let us on. My nurse appealed to his sense of fairness and he agreed to make room for us. And thus I briefly shared an elevator with Prince’s father.
