Michael Jackson may have had more hits—they called him the King of Pop—but in those final decades of the last century, Prince was the more ambitious musical talent. He had deep roots that reached all over, entangling across borders. Prince achieved nothing less than the reintegration of American music, which had largely segregated into soul-R&B and rock by the end of the ‘60s. It’s not that no one had been doing anything like that—it’s that Prince had the showmanship, the star power, to take his music to the largest arenas.
Just listen to the opening track on It Ain’t Over!—one of the four discs that comprise Up All Nite, the box set of live and studio material Prince recorded in 2002. “How long you been waiting?” the apologetic performer asked the audience. Promising to make it up to them, he launched into a blast of bluesy Hendrix guitar pyrotechnics before channeling the voice of Sly Stone. The next number, “We Do This” featuring George Clinton, included more of Prince’s searing rock guitar over a tune as bouncy-funky as anything by the Gap Band. And the New Power Generation, Prince’s band could really jam.
Another disc in the set, Solo Piano and Voice by Prince, finds him in a quiet, dreamy mood—but no less inwardly intense than in his show-stopping performances. Some of the Solo Piano material could have been sketches for pop masterpieces unrealized. One Nite Alone…Live! reveals a more experimental side. Opening cut “Rainbow Children” suggests German electronica segueing into low-key jazz-funk.
Up All Nite also includes a DVD of Prince’s semi-private December 2002 concert in Las Vegas’ Aladdin casino. Surrounded by an elegantly-conceived light show and a large band, including Sheila E and Maceo Parker, Prince was suave and natty, a poised performer who understood how to project a song and—as they used to say—get that party going
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Prince wasn’t as applauded as MJ for dancing but Live at the Aladdin Las Vegas shows his moves were damn good.
