SXSW 2013: Prince Closes Festival With Epic Concert

Prince performs at Samsung Galaxy presents Prince and A Tribe Called Quest in Austin, Texas on March 16th, 2013. John Sciulli/Getty Images for Samsung

Prince gave fair warning last night somewhere between his second and third encores. "Don't make me hurt you – you know how many hits I have?" he asked the crowd packed into La Zona Rosa in Austin as SXSW drew to a close.

Enough that he didn't get to them all. Not even close, in fact, though he performed for two hours and 40 minutes, returning to the stage time and again for six or seven encores in all. At a festival where special guests and counterintuitive collaborations are the currency of much-coveted buzz, Prince relied on himself – and on a band that was tighter than a Marine Corps top sheet.

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As much jam session for the NPG as it was a concert, Prince sang, danced, played a little piano and was generous in spotlighting his backing musicians, who included 11 horn players, two guitarists, a bass player, a drummer, a percussionist and a host of vocalists. The only thing Prince didn't do was play guitar, but then "Purple Rain" didn't include the outro guitar solo, either.

He was probably just too busy directing the show, as if sampling and savoring each ingredient and adjusting to taste. The songs rarely seemed to start or stop, only to shift and flow in new directions as "Shhh" became "Musicology," which transformed into "Extra Lovable," with a bursts of brass tumbling over Prince's vocals. The band did the same thing without him during instrumental sections, sliding from tight, funky soul laced with horns into an impressionistic jazz-tinted section that featured a horn solo, followed by a ripping guitar break.

They stretched out on "Purple Rain," and Prince urged the crowd to sing wordless vocals in place of the guitar solo, and reflected on his career choice. "I love being a musician," he said. "It feels like a servant. A servant for you."

That song ended a 50-minute main set that began with the horn players taking the stage by parading through the crowd like a New Orleans second line, and also included a ringing burst of synths and horns on "1999." For the string of encores, Prince pulled out covers of songs by Curtis Mayfield, Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson, and soul and funk workouts "like we do in Minneapolis." He dipped into Morris Day and the Time's catalog with "Jungle Love," played Sheila E.'s hit "The Glamorous Life" (which Prince wrote) and unearthed his own rarity, "Something in the Water (Does Not Compute)," singing anguished lyrics accompanied by piano on a darkened stage.

Finally, as the clock ticked toward 3 a.m., Prince wrapped up, even as diehards called for one more song. 

A Tribe Called Quest opened the show with a set of songs that included "Can I Kick It," "Bonita Applebum" and "Award Tour." The show, dubbed "The Next Big Thing," was presented by Samsung, which gave away 200 tickets to people who used the company's tablet-like Galaxy cell phone to complete an 11-item scavenger hunt around Austin. 

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Jay-Z's Atlantic City Nightclub Closes

Jay-Z's nightclub outpost in Atlantic City closed last fall after ending its lease early, The Press of Atlantic City reports. The rapper co-owned the 40/40 Club, which shut its doors October 27th in preparation for Hurricane Sandy, and never re-opened. A spokesman for the club said the hurricane damaged the building that housed the upscale sports bar, though a representative for the landlord, Tanger Outlets, disputed that claim.

The 40/40 Club opened in Atlantic City in October 2005 and had hosted a plethora of stars, including Beyoncé, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj. The club's lease extended through 2015, but a dispute last year between Tanger Outlets and Jay-Z's partners, Juan Perez and Desiree Gonzalez, led both sides to agree to end the contract in 2012 instead. Tanger last year filed a civil suit against Perez and Gonzalez, claiming they owed the company more than $115,000 in rent and other charges.

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While a spokesman for the 40/40 Club said Hurricane Sandy left a hole in the roof and caused water damage, Tanger Outlets said the only damage they found in the building was left over from when the club closed. "There was no water damage to the space and no hole in the ceiling," Donna Danielson, the general manager of the retail center that included the bar, told The Press in a statement. "The club was in disarray from (operations) prior to the storm, and Tanger incurred costs of $4,970 to clean the space."

There were no reports of flooding near the club's address, which is one of the highest points in the city, according to The Press.

Jay-Z is also part owner of a 40/40 Club in Manhattan, which he renovated last year, and one at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, home of the Brooklyn Nets NBA team, of which Jay-Z is a minority owner. The rapper has also eyed a deal to bring the club to as many as 20 airports. He's been busy more recently preparing for a summer tour with Justin Timberlake.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Jay-Z's Atlantic City Nightclub Closes

Jay-Z's nightclub outpost in Atlantic City closed last fall after ending its lease early, The Press of Atlantic City reports. The rapper co-owned the 40/40 Club, which shut its doors October 27th in preparation for Hurricane Sandy, and never re-opened. A spokesman for the club said the hurricane damaged the building that housed the upscale sports bar, though a representative for the landlord, Tanger Outlets, disputed that claim.

The 40/40 Club opened in Atlantic City in October 2005 and had hosted a plethora of stars, including Beyoncé, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj. The club's lease extended through 2015, but a dispute last year between Tanger Outlets and Jay-Z's partners, Juan Perez and Desiree Gonzalez, led both sides to agree to end the contract in 2012 instead. Tanger last year filed a civil suit against Perez and Gonzalez, claiming they owed the company more than $115,000 in rent and other charges.

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While a spokesman for the 40/40 Club said Hurricane Sandy left a hole in the roof and caused water damage, Tanger Outlets said the only damage they found in the building was left over from when the club closed. "There was no water damage to the space and no hole in the ceiling," Donna Danielson, the general manager of the retail center that included the bar, told The Press in a statement. "The club was in disarray from (operations) prior to the storm, and Tanger incurred costs of $4,970 to clean the space."

There were no reports of flooding near the club's address, which is one of the highest points in the city, according to The Press.

Jay-Z is also part owner of a 40/40 Club in Manhattan, which he renovated last year, and one at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, home of the Brooklyn Nets NBA team, of which Jay-Z is a minority owner. The rapper has also eyed a deal to bring the club to as many as 20 airports. He's been busy more recently preparing for a summer tour with Justin Timberlake.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Electronics Review Center

Read more »

Jay-Z's Atlantic City Nightclub Closes

Jay-Z's nightclub outpost in Atlantic City closed last fall after ending its lease early, The Press of Atlantic City reports. The rapper co-owned the 40/40 Club, which shut its doors October 27th in preparation for Hurricane Sandy, and never re-opened. A spokesman for the club said the hurricane damaged the building that housed the upscale sports bar, though a representative for the landlord, Tanger Outlets, disputed that claim.

The 40/40 Club opened in Atlantic City in October 2005 and had hosted a plethora of stars, including Beyoncé, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj. The club's lease extended through 2015, but a dispute last year between Tanger Outlets and Jay-Z's partners, Juan Perez and Desiree Gonzalez, led both sides to agree to end the contract in 2012 instead. Tanger last year filed a civil suit against Perez and Gonzalez, claiming they owed the company more than $115,000 in rent and other charges.

The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time: Jay-Z, '99 Problems'

While a spokesman for the 40/40 Club said Hurricane Sandy left a hole in the roof and caused water damage, Tanger Outlets said the only damage they found in the building was left over from when the club closed. "There was no water damage to the space and no hole in the ceiling," Donna Danielson, the general manager of the retail center that included the bar, told The Press in a statement. "The club was in disarray from (operations) prior to the storm, and Tanger incurred costs of $4,970 to clean the space."

There were no reports of flooding near the club's address, which is one of the highest points in the city, according to The Press.

Jay-Z is also part owner of a 40/40 Club in Manhattan, which he renovated last year, and one at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, home of the Brooklyn Nets NBA team, of which Jay-Z is a minority owner. The rapper has also eyed a deal to bring the club to as many as 20 airports. He's been busy more recently preparing for a summer tour with Justin Timberlake.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Jay-Z's Atlantic City Nightclub Closes

Jay-Z's nightclub outpost in Atlantic City closed last fall after ending its lease early, The Press of Atlantic City reports. The rapper co-owned the 40/40 Club, which shut its doors October 27th in preparation for Hurricane Sandy, and never re-opened. A spokesman for the club said the hurricane damaged the building that housed the upscale sports bar, though a representative for the landlord, Tanger Outlets, disputed that claim.

The 40/40 Club opened in Atlantic City in October 2005 and had hosted a plethora of stars, including Beyoncé, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj. The club's lease extended through 2015, but a dispute last year between Tanger Outlets and Jay-Z's partners, Juan Perez and Desiree Gonzalez, led both sides to agree to end the contract in 2012 instead. Tanger last year filed a civil suit against Perez and Gonzalez, claiming they owed the company more than $115,000 in rent and other charges.

The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time: Jay-Z, '99 Problems'

While a spokesman for the 40/40 Club said Hurricane Sandy left a hole in the roof and caused water damage, Tanger Outlets said the only damage they found in the building was left over from when the club closed. "There was no water damage to the space and no hole in the ceiling," Donna Danielson, the general manager of the retail center that included the bar, told The Press in a statement. "The club was in disarray from (operations) prior to the storm, and Tanger incurred costs of $4,970 to clean the space."

There were no reports of flooding near the club's address, which is one of the highest points in the city, according to The Press.

Jay-Z is also part owner of a 40/40 Club in Manhattan, which he renovated last year, and one at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, home of the Brooklyn Nets NBA team, of which Jay-Z is a minority owner. The rapper has also eyed a deal to bring the club to as many as 20 airports. He's been busy more recently preparing for a summer tour with Justin Timberlake.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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