Jammin' With Prince in Chi-Town

Prince treated loyal fans who turned up for his Sept. 24-26 shows at Chicago’s United Center to a greatest-hits extravaganza. He was in rare form, serving up a “vintage Prince” performance worthy of his “Purple Rain” heyday and proving that he still has the showmanship and stamina to rival any artist young or old. 

Opening with “Let’s Go Crazy,” Prince brought the nearly sold-out crowd of 17,000 to a frenzy by rising from below the stage, which was colored purple and shaped like the symbol he once used as his show-business name. 

At 54, he still has the slender, muscular physique of his youth, as well as the unique fashion sense. He took the stage in a multicolored turtleneck, clingy banana-yellow slacks and matching high-heeled boots. Surprisingly, he did not change costumes, suggesting that he’s perhaps become a bit more practical in middle age.    

The nearly three-hour set concentrated on Prince’s tenure with former label Warner Bros. Records, spanning from early ‘80s hits such as “Controversy,” the title track and other songs from 1984’s landmark “Purple Rain” soundtrack, to the 1992 chart-topper “Cream” from the “Diamonds and Pearls” album. The diverse crowd sang along to the familiar tunes, and even young fans seemed to know the lyrics.

While Prince certainly commands the stage, he’s generous enough to share it. A major highlight was when R&B diva and Chicago native Jennifer Hudson joined him for a duet of “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Hudson showed off her svelte figure in a short, clingy dress, towering above Prince in platform heels.

Prince, known for bringing The Time and Sheila E. among others into the limelight, continues to groom new talent. Latest protegee Andy Allo, who resembles Grammy-winning bassist Esperanza Spalding with her beauty and funky afro, dueted with Prince on “Take Me With U” and showcased a respectable voice and stage presence by performing a dance tune from her new album “Superconductor.”

After closing the United Center show with a medley of hits that encompassed everything from “Let’s Work” mixed with Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” to the popular B-side “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore,” Prince treated fans to another 90-minute set at the more intimate House of Blues.

Prince has not yet announced any upcoming Ohio concert dates. But if the “Welcome 2 Chicago” shows were any indication, he’ll be bringing the funk for many years to come.

This review appeared in the Oct. 3, 2012, edition of the Call and Post newspaper.

Drawing Inspiration from 'The Elephant Man'

I found Bradley Cooper's interview on Fresh Air last week interesting, found out things about him that I didn't know - mainly that he has a master's degree. Seems like most celebrities graduated from the school of life and don't hold advanced degrees, but Mr. Cooper is an exception.

Another thing I found interesting about the interview is that he said he had a movie theater practically in his backyard growing up in suburban Philadelphia, and the movie that inspired him to become an actor is The Elephant Man. It's kind of ironic that someone who is known so much for his looks was inspired by the story of a man who was physically deformed.

The Coffee Shop Dream

Had a dream the other night that I accidentally threw out a whole slew of library items while doing some cleaning. When I realized the mistake and went back to the charity donation box where I had inadvertently tossed the books, audiobooks, DVDs, etc., from the library,  to my dismay, I found someone had stolen them.

A couple days later, I visited a new coffee shop that had just opened. Near the register was a bookcase with books, etc., that customers could borrow for free. On this bookcase was all the library items I happened to toss out.

What’s the moral to the story? Drink more coffee?

Book Chronicles First Black Boxing Champ

The book The Longest Fight by journalist William Gildea provides an intriguing look into the life of Joe Gans, who gained fame in the early 1900s as America’s first African-American boxing champ. 

Gans overcame racism to be hailed as the greatest lightweight boxing champ of all time. In spite of the fact that sports writers at the time often referred to him by the most offensive racial epithets, Gans won over fans both black and white because of his reputation as a hard-working athlete with serious skills.

The Longest Fight has short, breezy chapters and is quick read, yet provides plenty of details about the dramatic peaks and valleys of Gans’ life and career.

The book is titled The Longest Fight, in part, because Gans defeated a Caucasian fighter known as Oscar “Battling” Nelson in a 42-round match on Sept. 3, 1906, that lasted an unprecedented two hours and 48 minutes in the blazing sun in Goldfield, Nevada.

The Longest Fight not only chronicles Gans’s too-brief life, which ended in August 1910 at the age of 35 after a long bout with tuberculosis, but also the history of boxing. For example, the book documents the rise and fall of Goldfield, Nevada, a mining town where fights were sometimes staged – a precursor to the glittering lights of Las Vegas.

During the match with Nelson in Goldfield, Gans was in the odd position of having white fans rooting for him and betting on him instead of his white opponent. Part of Gans’ popularity may have been that, unlike future African-American boxing champion Jack Johnson, who was known as being flashy and boastful, Gans was perceived as humble.

When he wasn’t in the boxing ring, Gans made thousands of dollars by touring with vaudeville shows and opening a popular bar and hotel in his native Baltimore.

It’s too bad that Gans’ name isn’t more widely known these days. A filmmaker would be wise to buy the rights to The Longest Fight and turn Gans’ story into either a Ken Burns-style documentary or a dramatic movie that would preserve his legacy for generations to come.    

Super Bowl Power Outage: New Orleans 'Hoo Doo'?

When the power outage occurred at last night’s Super Bowl, my first thought was there must be some of that strange black magic that New Orleans is known for going on. The San Francisco 49ers did manage to make a miraculous comeback after the power outage, although they ultimately ended up losing to the Baltimore Ravens 34-31.
  
Seeing the Superdome dimly lit and crowded with people brought back unfortunate images of Katrina. Hard to believe the storm of the century was almost 10 years ago. 

One thing that really struck me during the Super Bowl power outage was seeing the football players lying on the turf and stretching. Seeing how limber many of them are was a reminder that even though football players are known for their brute force, many of them have the agility and flexibility of dancers. NFL players are like ballerinas - who knew!

Mariah vs. Nicki?

The so-called “feud” between new American Idol Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj has been exaggerated in the media, as Wednesday’s episode revealed. 

In the much-hyped episode, Minaj stormed out of a room where Idol hopefuls were auditioning after Mariah and fellow judges Randy Jackson and Keith Urban grilled a contestant about whether she saw herself as a country singer or not. As Minaj rightfully pointed out, the judges were overemphasizing the twangy tone of the girl’s voice and intimidating her to admit, as a condition of receiving a “yes” to go on to the Hollywood round, that she liked country music and saw herself as a country singer.

Interestingly, Minaj stormed out after Jackson – not Mariah – made a remark that implied Minaj didn’t have enough experience to accurately gauge a singer’s vocal ability. Minaj made angry comments directed at all the judges, not just Mariah.

But of course the media plays up the mini-scandal as a catfight between the two women on the panel. I guess a Randy Jackson/Keith Urban fight wouldn’t make for titillating viewing.

I’ve only caught a little bit here and there of the new Idol season and haven’t watched it regularly since Simon Cowell left the show. When Mariah and Nicki Minaj were announced as judges, I assumed I’d be more partial to Mariah since I grew up with her music and there’s no disputing her vocal prowess.

But I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Nicki Minaj. Maybe she’s not a “singer’s singer” and her rap style might be a bit derivative (she’s often been compared to Lil’ Kim, but I actually here more of an influence of the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes from TLC). But on the Idol panel, she has proven herself to be articulate, able to dish out criticism without being mean and fair-minded when it comes to judging talent. I have to respect the fact that she has an opinion and she’s not afraid to express it.