Let's go crazy: Prince packs 'em in at the Hard Rock Hotel

Author

By Mark Carpowich

Publish Date

May 17, 2013

When Prince sang the words “let’s go crazy” during the third of his four Hard Rock Hotel shows, was he talking about the people who forked over an eye-widening $250 a ticket? Was he referring to those who paid for the hotel’s $38 valet parking or bought the venue’s $12 “Purple Rain” cocktails? Perhaps it was anyone who believed that his new all-girl band — an able yet unspectacular cast of supporting musicians — would somehow be a step up from the NPG ensemble that backed him during his impressive 21-night-stand in L.A. a couple of years ago?

Whatever he meant, Prince opened his show by playing the 1984 hit at half-speed, a fitting metaphor for a 16-song set of mostly newer material that by the singer’s sky-high standards never really got into gear. Arguably the greatest live performer of his (or any) generation, Prince seemed impaired not only by the room’s small stage, but also a 90-minute time limit that accommodated a second set later in the evening.

Mere moments after his two-song encore ended with a cover of “Play That Funky Music,” fans were being ushered back onto the street, where the next thousand people were already lined up for their turn to go crazy.