Seeing recording artist Prince at 3121,
his new performance venue at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino in
Las Vegas, requires a certain kind of patience.
That's because
ticket-holders are told at the box office that Prince "does not
have a scheduled time he will perform."
3121, named after
a 2005 album by Prince -- and, reportedly, the street address of
his home -- was converted from an existing showroom. It's a
bare-bones set-up, but it does have an amazing sound system. Most
of the audience stands, as limited table seating is available in
raised sections along the walls.
Prince's set the
evening I attended didn't include one of his biggest hits from the
1980s, "When Doves Cry," although the audience quite forcefully
requested it. But he did play other popular songs: "Black Sweat,"
"Kiss" and "Te Amo Corazon."
His musical
backing was tight and spot on. His backup singers, known as the
Twins, sang, danced and served as eye candy for the men in the
audience.
I met a man whose
vacations of late are trips around the country so his wife can see
Prince. She stood next to the stage from the time the doors opened
at 9 p.m. until Prince, who finally came on at 12:30 a.m., left the
stage at 2:30 a.m. She wasn't the only one.
The stage at 3121
is as distinctive as Prince himself. It was rather small and
featured steps reminiscent of a tenement fire escape. The musicians
played on different levels, although keyboards and drums were
planted firmly on the ground.
Most notably, the
stage was lit as if electricity was at a premium. When he can, it
is said, Prince performs with a minimum of lighting. Rather than
finding the low light off-putting, I found myself paying closer
attention, looking and listening more carefully. It wasn't, oddly
enough, a negative.
In these days of
over-produced spectacles in which performers are interchangeable
and shows of even the best entertainers hold few surprises, seeing
Prince, with his "I'll play what I want and when I want"
philosophy, is an amazing experience.
Prince's schedule
at the Rio is as ephemeral as he is. Sometimes tickets are sold a
few weeks in advance, sometimes just one week. The word is that
Prince will be in residence there through March and will go on tour
after that. Will he return? No one will say.
Prince plays at
3121 on Friday and Saturday nights. General admission tickets are
$125 per person. A table for two to four people is $375 plus the
individual ticket price, which for four comes to $875; an
additional $375 is tacked on for any number greater than
four.
A $700 package
for two includes dinner in Prince's 3121 Jazz Cuisine Restaurant,
next door to the performance space.
For tickets,
visit www.riolasvegas.com or call (702) 777-7776.
To contact the reporter who wrote this article, send e-mail
to [email protected].