Prince and his 22-piece band were the last musicians standing as SXSW drew to a close at about 3am Sunday morning, after a blistering 3hr funk-filled concert at La Zona Rosa.
Prince at SXSW
With a capacity of only about 1300, La Zona Rosa played host to Prince and the NPG as part of Samsung Galaxy’s SXSW party, that included A Tribe Called Quest earlier in the night.
The band, half of which was made up of horn players, was particularly tight, so much so that Prince didn’t feel the need to pick up the guitar at any point during the night.
“I didn’t have to. The band was on point,” he explained later to a fan who was invited to meet Prince and other members of the NPG after the concert.
His versatility on show, Prince kept the party going for about three hours, including six encores.
The setlist however stayed mainly in the 80s, with no reports of his new music, now for sale on his new website, 3rd Eye Girl, making an appearance.
Some funky Jackson tunes that did make it in were Janet’s ‘What Have You Done For Me Lately’, the Jackson Five’s ‘Dancing Machine’ and Michael’s ‘Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough’. Other classic covers included Curtis Mayfield’s “We’re a Winner”.
Of course, the Prince party favourite ‘1999’, as well as his famous anthem, ‘Purple Rain’, made the list, even without him on guitar.
After teasing the crowd numerous times about breaking the curfew, the concert finally drew to a close just after 3am, with fans and band members alike leaving on that infamous “purple high”.
“Once again I must say, NOBODY puts on a show like Prince. Best night of my life yet! So satisfied with life right now…. WOW” tweeted NPG member, Adrian Crutchfield.
Leslee LaCrosse tweeted, “Well that was one hell of a SXSW! #Prince and all his glory! Time to rest my face from the constant grin.”
