On Monday night, Prince rocked Montreal’s Théâtre Maisonneuve in a surprise visit to Québec. Though only a day’s notice was given to get tickets, each red velvet seat in the 1,453-seat theatre was filled with adoring fans, psyched to see the funk-pop legend perform solo. The set was part of Prince’s "Piano & A Microphone" tour, which began in January at Paisley Park in his in hometown, Minnesota, making stops in Melbourne, Australia and Oakland, California.As advertised, Prince strutted out onstage, clad characteristically in bell-bottomed tracksuit and gold chain, and used only his piano and microphone to keep the crowd’s rapt attention for his nearly two-hour performance. For much of the show, Prince sat alone reprising songs center stage, illuminated by kaleidoscopic lights projected on a big screen behind him. The tour is considered his most revealing and raw. No backup band, no flash dancing – just him, and his soulful voice, which, at 57-yeaars old, is still larger-than-life.The set is staged as a kind of musical autobiography, in part an homage to Prince’s father, a jazz pianist. Fluidly morphing from one song into another, Prince canvases the entire first decade of his career by including at least one song from each of his first 10 albums.Familiar songs felt new. “I Would Die 4 U” became a proud anthem. “Little Red Corvette” mixed suffering with sass. And “Rasberry Beret” brought the house down. If fans wanted to hear “Purple Rain” break hearts, they didn’t leave disappointed.The show is like none Prince has given before. But, given his habit of popping in unannounced, where he’ll perform next remains a mystery. We can, however, add Prince’s memoir to the cultural calendar. Titled “The Beautiful Ones,” it will be published by Spiegel & Grau, the Random House imprint, in the fall of 2017.
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