Prince fans expecting a night at the improv

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Dec. 13, 2002 | 9:24 a.m.

Has Prince saved his best for last?

That's what Las Vegas fans are hoping, as the Purple One wraps up his nine-month "One Nite Alone" tour Sunday night at 8 at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Backed by a six-piece jazz/funk combo, the 44-year-old artist has traveled throughout North America, Europe and Japan this year, performing long shows heavy on improvisation.

Concert-goers hoping to hear some of Prince's raunchier early material may be in for a letdown, however. Since becoming a Jehovah's Witness recently, he has abstained from singing his more explicit lyrics, focusing instead on recent compositions.

Fans who enjoy Sunday's show will also be able to take the live experience home with them. On Tuesday Prince will release his first boxed set, a three-disc collection of music from his 2002 live dates.

Who: Prince.

Where: Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts.

When: 8 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets: $75, $100, $150.

Call: 785-5000.

Opening act: None.

Personnel: Prince (vocals, guitar, piano), Maceo Parker (saxophone), Candy Dulfer (saxophone), Greg Boyer (trombone), Renato Neto (keyboard), Rhonda Smith (bass, vocals), John Blackwell (drums).

Latest release: "The Rainbow Children" (Redline, 2001).

Album feedback: "It cops jazz forms without swinging, gets James Brownishly funky minus the urgency, and offers church interludes that are too mystical to carry earthly convention." (Rolling Stone, 2 stars); "Bible-thumping sincerity doesn't suit Prince well; the album's light jazz-funk grooves sink under the weight of his sanctimony." (Entertainment Weekly, C+).

Essential releases: "Dirty Mind" (1980), "1999" (1983), "Purple Rain" (1984), "Sign o' the Times" (1987), Symbol (1992), "Emancipation" (1996).

What to expect: Throughout 2002, Prince has been forsaking most of his hits for lesser-known material. That's not necessarily a bad thing, however, as most reviews of the two-plus hour shows have praised his band's funky/jazzy workouts and improvisational skills. Expect a song list heavy on newer numbers, with a sprinkling of old favorites and a cover or two.

Recent set list: Sun Palace, Fukuoka, Japan, Nov. 26: drum intro, "The Rainbow Children," "Mellow," "Money Don't Matter 2 Night," "The Work, Pt. 1," "Push & Pull," "1+1+1=3," "Housequake," "Strollin'," "U Want Me," "Pop Life," "Purple Rain," "Strange Relationship," "Pass the Peas," "Hair/777-9311/The Stick," "Brick House," "Sign o' the Times," "Take Me With U," "The Everlasting Now." Encores: "Gotta Broken Heart Again," "Empty Room," "How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore," "Anna Stesia," "Rise Up," "Last December." (from fansite prince.org)

Tour feedback: "Prince and his band brought such emotional fire to the new songs that it scarcely matter his most famous songs were ignored." (Louisville Courier-Journal); "If ever a pop star could get away with leading a jazz band in a small space and then, after two-and-a-half hours of non-stop workouts, leave you desperate to find out whether there is an aftershow jam, it's this one." (London Observer).

Recent Las Vegas appearances: Oct. 24, 1997 (MGM), Oct. 25, 1997 (Club Utopia), Jan. 1, 1999 (Studio 54), Jan. 2, 1999 (Studio 54), May 29, 1999 (MGM), May. 31, 1999 (Studio 54), Dec. 9, 2000 (Aladdin), Dec. 10, 2000 (Studio 54).

Says Prince: "On Dec. 31, 1999, my publishing contract with Warner/ Chappell expired, this emancipating the name that I was given before birth, Prince, from all long-term, restrictive documents. I will now go back to using my name instead of the symbol I adopted as a means to free myself from undesirable relationships." (news conference, May 2000).