VANCOUVER -- What do you think of when the topic of Prince comes up? Does "talented" come to mind? Oh, yeah. "Prolific"? Absolutely. How about "risque" or "parental advisory"? Not anymore, friends.

At the same hour that Ms. Britney Spears was undoubtedly shaking her thang around a stripper pole at Vancouver's PNE (with last-minute scalpers tix reportedly going for five bucks) the artist currently known as Prince -- formerly the king of erotic contemporary soul -- was opening his Canadian "One Nite Alone" tour with a solid but reserved performance at Vancouver's Orpheum Theatre, Tuesday evening.

The venue, which seats a cosy 3,000, provided the rare chance to see a big artist in an unusually small space. The catch? The "cheap seats" were $99, while two-thirds of the tickets went for $150 (plus service charges).

At those prices, the room was filled primarily with dedicated fans. The hardest of the hardcore could be found in the first eight rows, where members of the NewPowerGeneration fan club were guaranteed prime spots.

Fans everywhere, old and young, were primed for the night, dressed in their finest velvet, leopard-skin, and lace. When the house lights dimmed, the crowd immediately rose to its feet for a thunderous ovation before the first guitar chord was even struck.

Opening with the jazzy title track to his recent "Rainbow Children" album, Prince and his four-piece band (keyboards, stand-up bass, drums, and sax) managed to be simultaneously improvisational and tight, albeit Maceo Parker-free. (The legendary sax man was nowhere to be found, in spite of recent appearances all over the U.S. leg of the tour.)

The show was occasionally surprising but never shocking. Based on his attire alone -- a tight-fitting blue-gray suit with a black shirt -- one immediately got the sense that Prince's recent conversion to the Jehovah's Witnesses has affected more than his private life. The anticipated bumps and grinds, the graphically sexy songs, and the overall flamboyancy were definitely missed by many an attending fan.

Instead, the night was -- like the "Rainbow Children" album -- a series of blistering jazz jams, often at the expense of the audience"s entertainment.

Were there high points? Absolutely. From his beautifully respectful cover of Joni Mitchell"s "A Case Of You" (included on the new fan-club-only album "One Nite Alone", which gives this tour its name) to Sly & The Family Stone"s "Sing A Simple Song", Prince effectively used part of his set to give credit to his influences.

He also performed some non-"Rainbow" material, although -- save for the third song, "Money Don"t Matter 2 Nite" -- the majority of the familiar Prince-penned tunes didn't appear until right before the encore.

In the meantime, the majority of the audience -- who, it would seem, had yet to purchase the often amazing "Rainbow Children" album -- sat politely and applauded appropriately, though not overly enthusiastically, for much of the night.

Prior to the encore, the evening, surprisingly, fell near tedium at times, as Prince and crew clocked more time performing extended jazz jams than at the microphone.

But the high points did come, eventually, and high they were. The encore arrived with Prince alone at the piano, laying down some gospel-infused gorgeousness via his performance of "Adore". That bled into a medley of sorts, where his now-Purple pant-suited self performed all or part of, among others, "Starfish And Coffee", "Sometimes It Snows In April", "The Beautiful Ones", and "Diamonds And Pearls", the latter a tragically shortened one-minute version.

Thankfully, one spine-tingling highlight was left intact: an emotional version of "Nothing Compares 2 U", which took the house from dead silence to a standing O.

The night itself was a mostly joyful event. Still, for all who sat further than halfway back, justifying the cost of the ticket for the average paycheque-to-paycheque fan is nearly impossible.

Is Prince brilliant? Absolutely. As a musician, you'll have a hard time finding his equal. Does he write incredible songs? Second to none. Was his show entertaining? Sometimes. But in order to keep his talented mind creatively interested, excessive noodling seems destined to be a frequent occurrence on this tour.

As for naysayers who might think this review reads like an anti-jazz tirade, rest easy. It is simply meant as a warning to those considering spending a few hundred dollars hoping to hear a cohesive Prince retrospective. If you're looking for that, fly to Vegas to catch the incredible Purple Reign Tribute -- all yours for the cost of a plane ticket and a one-drink minimum. (More on Prince)

Set List

The Rainbow Children

Muse 2 The Pharaoh

Money Don't Matter 2 Night

Xenophobia

A Case Of You (Joni Mitchell cover)

Mellow

Love Rollercoaster (Ohio Players cover)

1+1+1 Is 3

The Other Side Of The Pillow

Strange Relationship

The "WNPG Radio station":

- Sing A Simple Song (Sly & The Family Stone cover)

- La-La (Means I Love You) (Delfonics cover)

- Didn't Cha Know (Erykah Badu song, featuring bass player Rhonda Smith on lead vocals)

When You Were Mine

Avalanche (from the fan-club CD "One Nite Only")

Family Name

Take Me With U

Raspberry Beret

Encore (varying between solo piano and full band)

Adore

I Wanna Be Your Lover

Free

Starfish And Coffee

Sometimes It Snows In April

Girls & Boys

Diamonds And Pearls

The Beautiful Ones

Nothing Compares 2 U

How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?

Anna Stesia

JAM! Rating: 3 out of 5