OTTAWA — Prince sure knows how to host a party. On Saturday night at Scotiabank Place, the rock legend provided the soundtrack for a purplicious good time, packing the evening full of hits so funky that 10,000 people didn’t bother sitting down for more than two hours. Compared to the last time Prince swung through Canada, way back in 2002, when he deconstructed his hits, played covers and preached to excess, this time the Purple One created music that was surprisingly fresh and accessible. Hit after hit bombarded the crowd, like marshmallows fired from a cannon. Dressed in a white suit that wouldn’t have been out of place on Saturday Night Fever, the ageless artist was a consummate showman who carried torches for both James Brown and Michael Jackson as much as he paid tribute to his own success. The diminutive American made his grand entrance from below, rising to the surface of the love symbol-shaped stage in a haze of fog. The configuration was in-the-round, with the crowd surrounding the stage. The concert was not a sellout, but it was one of the biggest turnouts on his Welcome 2 Canada excursion, the final leg of a world tour that started last year. “Ladies and gentlemen, I bring to you real music,†Prince declared. “I bring to you real musicians.†Indeed. The band that accompanied him was fantastic, capable of everything from deep funk to disco to jazz. On sax was the great Maceo Parker, who used to accompany James Brown, and another longtime sideman of Prince’s, drummer John Blackwell. The other three instrumentalists were women: Ida Nielsen on bass, Cassandra O’Neal on keyboards and lithe, attractive Andy Allo on guitar and general booty-shaking. Judging by the smiles they exchanged, she seemed to have a special relationship with Prince. Three female vocalists with stunning voices rounded out the lineup. Prince wasted no time in getting down to business. Condensed versions of What’s My Name, Let’s Go Crazy, Delirious and 1999 flew by, delivered as a medley, before the red lights glowed and Little Red Corvette changed the pace for a moment. Prince’s guitar playing radiated fire and brimstone, while his fluid, soulful voice lent its distinctive character to each musical phrase. Also impressive was his ability to dance: at 53, Prince still moves with a sensual swagger, and the camera made sure we knew how cute his butt was. In a nod to the 80s that was met with shrieks of delight, the artist tore through another string of popular songs, including Take Me With You, Raspberry Beret, Cream and a few bars of Michael Jackson’s Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough, eliciting a massive singalong and as much boogeying as one could get away with in a stadium seat. It was fun, but the clipped format felt rushed. Prince would tease fans by dangling a tidbit of a song, but instead of finishing it, he’d move on to the next one, which kept them dancing but left them longing to hear a whole song. The teasing escalated when Prince bid farewell at the one-hour mark . “Thank you, Canada,†he said. “Good night.†Huh? It wasn’t the end, of course. There was another hour of music, but Prince made the crowd work for it, doling it out in medley-laden encores. In the first chunk, When Doves Cry, Sign of the Times, Hot Thing and I Would Die 4 U led up to a majestic version of Purple Rain that inspired everyone to sing along and wave their arms. There was a long wait for the next encore. Almost 10 minutes went by, the house lights came up and people headed towards the exit before the eccentric bandleader deemed us worthy of more music. Reappearing in a new outfit, he performed If I Was Your Girlfriend and Kiss, which featured his still-riveting falsetto, as well as an eye-popping solo dance routine that oozed sexuality. In the third and final encore, an extended jam found fans on stage dancing with their hero as explosions of purple confetti brought the exhilarating night to a climax.
