Prince is back with a bang

The music legend may have remained out of the picture but his live shows still have the energy to drive crowds crazy.

Music legend Prince may have remained out of the picture for a long time but the 52-year-old singer’s live shows still have the energy to drive the crowds crazy. And this is exactly what happened as the star continued his Welcome 2 America tour with his Saturday performance at Madison Square Garden, New York.

The singer’s one hour and 45 minutes performance recollected his early hits. Also featuring duets with his former collaborator Sheila E., the concert ended with a 10-minute solo from the artiste. Other celebrities joining the singer on stage included US actor Jamie Foxx, co-host of “The View” Sherri Sheppard who danced with Prince on “Purple Rain,” film director Spike Lee, supermodel Naomi Campbell and talk-show host Tavis Smiley.

Too many celebrities sharing the stage wasn’t a coincidence. The singer heavily promoted his latest second last gig of the tour.

Just a week before his latest show, Prince paid a surprise visit to the ladies on the sets of “The View” to promote his tour, giving each of the hosts a pair of tickets for the December 18 concert.

Welcome 2 America marks Prince’s first run of the East Coast shows since 2004. The tour that began on December 14 was scheduled to have a three-night stand at Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, followed by two shows on December 18 and 29 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

“Bring your friends, bring your children, and bring foot spray, because it’s going to be funky,” the singer said to his fans while announcing the tour dates during his October press conference, reported Billboard.

With his next show being the last instalment of Welcome 2 America tour, the singer is expected to attract even more audiences on December 29.

Concert’s Set List:

1. Welcome to America


2. Dance (Disco Heat) -- Sylvester cover


3. Baby I’m a Star


4. The Beautiful Ones


5. Let’s Go Crazy


6. Delirious


7. 1999


8. Shhh


9. Uptown


10. Raspberry Beret


11. Cream


12. Cool-The Time cover


13. Let’s Work


14. U Got the Look (with Sheila)


15. The Glamorous Life (Sheila)


16. Nothing Compares 2 U


17. Purple Rain

Encore

1. Kiss


2. A Love Bizarre (with Sheila and Questlove)

Guest Performers

• Maceo Parker


• Janelle Monáe


• Mint Condition


• Esperanza Spalding


• Cassandra Wilson


• Sinbad


• Lalah Hathaway


• Sheila

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2010.