Prince
(3 1/2 stars)
March 24, 3121
Conceived as an after-hours party in a vibrant nightclub with Prince and his band standing in for customary DJ entertainment, 3121 has instead, in large part, become just another stop along the Vegas tour route: Shark Reef? Yep. Cirque? Done. Celine? Check. Prince? And for a total-energy performer accustomed to equally jazzed crowds, it must surely be strange to gaze across the circular, 900-capacity room and find much of it filled not with boogieing revelers, but rather curious onlookers, parked in chairs or fixed motionless on the dance floor, glancing at watches during guitar solos while awaiting the next greatest hit.
As rumors of the headliner's imminent departure have mounted, so have the rubberneckers, hoping to catch a glimpse before it's too late to call their golfing buddies during "Purple Rain." Last Saturday night, an older gentleman at a back table typified the sightseeing breed, appearing annoyed not only that Prince kept him waiting until midnight but also that those nearby dared interfere with his sightline, as if 3121 were a showroom and someone stood between him and Zumanity.
Prince had to notice the divide between true fan and poseur from the start, when the sold-out venue failed to respond to the sublimely sung new ballad that opened his set. From there, he often sought refuge where he knew he'd find love, in a VIP area packed with friends and musical collaborators, including ex-Sly and the Family Stone regular Larry Graham. Prince even managed to surround himself with allies onstage, inviting Graham to join the band, and handpicking a few of his friskiest followers to come up and dance—and, in one instance, sing into his mic—during a smoking-hot medley featuring James Brown's "Pass the Peas," disco covers "Play That Funky Music" and "Love Rollercoaster" and his own "Musicology" and "A Love Bizarre."
That jam, the most animated stretch of an enjoyable though hardly over-the-top gig, finally shook the lethargy from the club, but for Prince, the enthusiasm seemed to arrive too late. After leaving the stage to ace saxophonist Mike Phillips for a smooth take on "What a Wonderful World," Prince returned for just four more songs, parting rather abruptly at 1:30 with the spoken message "My house is your house." Sooner than we'd like, it appears we'll have the place all to ourselves.