Faithful renditions, performed with vigour and passion.
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In a previous article, I wrote that tributes tend to fall into one of three categories. ‘There are tributes which attempt to replicate the original recordings as closely as possible with sloppy (at times terrible) execution. There are those which stick closely to the original templates but which ‘add value’ through high quality musicianship. And there are those which combine technical precision with playful innovation.’
As one can expect from the band who recorded, performed, and toured with Prince, last night’s performance at indigo at the O2 fell into the second category: Faithful renditions, performed with vigour and passion. Enlisted by Prince in 1990 and first heard on 1991’s Diamonds and Pearls, the New Power Generation (NPG) performed with His Purple’s Highness for over two decades.
Keyboardist Morris Hayes, who also served as Prince’s musical director, remains the longest running member of the NPG. Having directed the official Prince tribute concert in Minnesota in 2016, Morris decided to take the tribute to various cities around the world. A decision certainly vindicated. While arena concerts like this can drift into wall of sound mayhem, the mixing was slick and the musicians brilliantly on point – covering NPG featured songs such as ‘Gett Off’, ‘Pop Daddy’, and ‘Sexy MF’, as well as classic Prince songs preceding the NPG-era. I would have liked a bit of spiel between songs (particularly from Haynes given his relationship with the Purple One). The band transitioned between numbers in rather workmanlike fashion, but they never lost the sexually-charged, psychedelic funk of Prince’s catalogue.
The band’s new frontman MacKenzie is a remarkable talent. In an interview with Pollstar, he described growing up in a religious, conservative household where secular music was deemed ‘taboo’. ‘Prince’s music was taboo music,’ he says, ‘but it always had a spiritual feel to it for me, like that energy you get from music in church.’ Indeed, MacKenzie was clearly immersed in his performances, sweating through his t-shirt by the end of the evening but always performing with blistering energy . Vocally, his gospel roots are clear through his intricate runs (kudos to him holding his own with Beverley Knight in their riff-off at the end of ‘Diamonds and Pearls’). He can also scream and wail like a 1980s power ballad champion. His falsetto, particularly in ‘Kiss’, was excellent; his performance of ‘The Cross’, Prince’s most spiritual lyric, was utterly absorbing. He is not Prince. Nor does he attempt to imitate Prince vocally or in performance. However, he channels Prince’s effervescent spirit.
British soul chanteuse Beverley Knight, currently in rehearsals for the upcoming R&B/hip-hop/soul musical Sylvia, made a very welcome guest appearance. After ripping through ‘U Got The Look’, she performed the anguished, heartbreaking ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ as a duet with Mackenzie. As Ms Knight tends to do when covering other musicians’ material, she infused the song with her terrific vocal talent and interpretative skill. Particularly in contrast to Sinead O’Connor’s plaintive rendition of the song, Knight brought a frenzied energy to her interpretation, as if trying to fight and resist the longing and loneliness of the lyric.
The full band:
Lead vocals: MacKenzie
Guest co-lead vocals: Kip Blackshire
MD, keyboards: Morris Hayes
Keyboards: Tommy Barbarella
Drums: Chris Bailey
Bass: Sonny T
Guitar: Homer O’Dell
Rap/Guitar/Dance: Tony M
Percussion/Dance: Damon D
(Photo Credits: Peter Lodder from NPG tour in Australia)
