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NEWS : STORIES
LAS VEGAS -- The Artist Formerly Known As Prince celebrated the first day of 1999 -- a year he's been singing about since 1982 -- by joining his old pals the Time onstage for the first time in a decade and, later, debuting two new mixes of
On Jan. 2, The Artist returned for a full show at the disco, at what had been billed as a Larry Graham and the New Power Generation show, according to the unofficial Artist website "Le Grind." At that show, according to a report posted on the site, The Artist joined former Sly and the Family Stone bassist Graham during his opening set, then he played a headlining set that included appearances by soul singer Rosie Gaines and rapper Doug E. Fresh. The Jan. 1 show was billed as a release party for The Artist's New Master versions of "1999" (RealAudio excerpt). Hundreds of fans came from such cites as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle. They paid $100 to see the intimate show by the Time and hear the new mixes. They also seemed to be hoping for one of The Artist's legendary after-hours jam sessions. "I came all the way from Phoenix, and while I love the Time, I didn't spend all this money to see them and to listen to a CD," John Reff, 32, said while waiting for the show to start. "I'm counting on a Prince concert." Reff's wish didn't come true, but he did get to see a historic R&B show. Minneapolis funksters the Time opened for Prince, as The Artist was then known, throughout the early '80s, but the two acts hadn't appeared onstage together since Prince's Purple Rain tour. In addition to playing guitar and keyboards on two songs, The Artist stood behind the soundboard and handled the Time's sound for much of the show. The show also marked original bassist/guitarist Terry Lewis' first appearance with the Time since he and bandmate Jimmy Jam missed a show because of a freak snowstorm in Atlanta in 1983. Prince, who has been credited with guiding the Time's career, fired the pair, who went on to become successful producers, most notably with pop star Janet Jackson. The Time, which also included singer Morris Day, his sidekick Jerome Benton, drummer Jellybean Johnson and keyboardist Monte Moir along with a bassist, guitarist and keyboard player who went unidentified, played a tight, hour-long show. They did extended funk workouts of such songs as "Get It Up," "My Drawers," "The Bird" and "Gigolos Get Lonely Too." The Artist played rhythm guitar on "Cool" and rhythm guitar and keyboards on "Jungle Love." Dressed head to toe in purple, he didn't do much musically to stand out from the rest of the players in the group. He played a brief guitar solo toward the end of "Jungle Love" before turning his attention to the keyboard. The bandmembers all wore pinstripe suits except Day, who wore an animal-print jacket, and Benton, who wore a brown suit. "I can't believe Terry Lewis was there," concert-goer Jessica Roberts, 22, said afterward. "I'm still pissed that Prince didn't play longer, but seeing Terry Lewis back with the Time and seeing Prince play with them was still pretty exciting." After the concert, The Artist debuted two new mixes of "1999." The first version played was dance friendly, with the bass pumped up and sped up, along with the drums, to more of a techno beat. The original vocals were left intact, though some gospel wailing from Gaines and rapping by Doug E. Fresh were added. Midway through the song, a Latin-flavored loop came in underneath the original vocal, drums, guitar and bass. The second mix The Artist played was considerably different from the original "1999." It used the hit version as a springboard into the worlds of drum & bass and techno. Between the two songs, The Artist came back onstage, thanked fans for their support and said, "This is not meant as anything against Warner Bros. They got their music out there first and that's fine. What we're doing here is making sure that artists get paid for their work." Warner Bros., the label on which The Artist has recorded for most of his career, has re-released the original version of "1999" to radio stations to cash in on the namesake year. The Artist, in turn, will release an EP, 1999: The New Master, featuring seven new mixes of the song, this month. After showcasing the new mixes, The Artist tipped his hat to the Time. In the movie "Purple Rain," which helped propel both artists' careers, the Prince whips the Time in a battle of the bands. But on this night, uttering words that fans did not want to hear, The Artist humbly said, "You know I'm not going to try and play after that, right?"
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