a super bowl full of prince

some people tend to think prince fans are weird. they often categorize them as being freaks in some way: either sexually or...ok just sexually. but prince fans hold a certain truth about this great icon of 20th and 21st century musicianship: he’s friggin’ awesome.

more than just the fact that he’s mastered a bunch of instruments, he’s also one of the few male musicians to constantly reinvent himself. whether some of those reinventions failed or succeeded, he still had the guts to take chances musically throughout his career. i even forgive him for those lame raps he did during the early ‘90’s (although i thoroughly enjoyed “my name is prince.”) bottom line: no matter what he does, he’s so interesting to watch. from his technique, to his body movement to his style--fans are kept on the edge waiting to see what he’ll do next.

2004 was a great year to be a prince fan. he opened the grammys that year, reminding other folks what his admirers have always known: he’s a living legend. his guitar solos during the george harrison rock and roll hall of fame tribute was the zenith of that entire ceremony--and ceremonies to come (the look on harrison’s son dhani's face during “while my guitar gently weeps” spoke volumes!). then came the musicology tour. it became a year-long event that motivated longtime fans to keep believing in him, reintroduced him to one-time fans and earned him several new ones.

i think something’s brewing for next year. he’s spending the end of 2006 bringing great music to vegas on a weekly basis. then over the weekend came the official word that he’s headlining the super bowl half-time show in february. those are the usual clues that prince is up to something whether it be a new album or tour. but he could decide not to do anything after the super bowl and 2007 may just be the year he chills.

i’m hoping his half-time performance will be more memorable than the game itself. not because of any controversy, but because nonbelievers will be forced to watch his brilliance at work.

however, i am a little worried that he’ll do stale renditions of “let’s go crazy” (cue the confetti) and “purple rain.” quite frankly, i’m so tired of those songs. he’s more than those songs! but hey, pepsi’s sponsoring the show, so he probably will perform them. but knowing prince, he’ll have the last word on how they’ll be done.