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NEW YORK -- It may not have been the Jam Of The Year - as proclaimed in the first song of the same name - but there were moments that sure felt like it.
Prince, or The Artist as he is now known, turned the armoury-like Roseland Ballroom into a revival-like show on Saturday night with a lively, sweaty and sexy performance that saw him diving into the crowd, dancing on his piano, breakdancing on the stage floor and shaking his tiny body while singing his heart out like a man possessed.
The concert, just under two hours long, gave the sold-out audience of 3,000 lucky fans a rare glimpse of The Artist and his scaled-down, four-person New Power Generation band at work in an intimate setting. It raised funds for his recently established Love 4 One Another Charities, which benefits underprivileged children in the U.S.
"I can't thank you enough for coming up to see us tonight. We've got one million dollars so far, thanks to you," said the pop star, dressed initially in a white parka, sunglasses and an eye-straining lime green turtleneck and matching pants before two costume changes.
Hits like Purple Rain, The Most Beautiful Girl In The World, Sexy M.F. and an abbreviated version of Raspberry Beret, registered in a big way with the noisy crowd, who sang, clapped and waved their arms over their heads.
However, new songs from The Artist's three CD set, Emancipation, also scored high marks, in particular Jam, Get Yo Groove On, Face Down, Sleep Around, and a cover of Joan Osborne's One Of Us.
One song The Artist didn't get to - I Would Die 4 You from his Purple Rain album - was supplied by the audience, who chanted the chorus before Prince came out for just one encore.
The Love 4 One Another Charities tour, which began last Tuesday in Philadelphia, was originally slated to be a 15-city trek, but this week just over half of the dates - eight - were cancelled with no explanation.
There was a rumor that the tour would arrive in Toronto at the end of the month, but that now appears out of the question. Fans will just have to wait for his stadium tour, which is expected to begin in the spring.
Tickets were so scarce for the Roseland show that even comedian Eddie Murphy, in town to promote a new film, couldn't get one, and scalpers outside the ballroom were only interested in buying and not selling.
Interestingly, Chris Rock, another comic who is formerly of Saturday Night Live, appeared on stage at the end of the show to help out with Sly And The Family Stone's I Feel Alright.
But by that point, Prince didn't need any help at all.
The audience, packed in like sardines, hugging and kissing one another, and screaming like banshees, just wanted more time with him.