Koko Full Review & Setlist - 10th May London

[unique]

Prince plays surprise UK gig.

Amy Winehouse and Gnarls Barkley saluted during London show


Prince (http://www.nme.com/artists/prince) played a surprise gig in London tonight (May 10).

The singer, who was in town this week to launch a series of gigs at the O2 Arena (http://www.nme.com/news/prince/28197) later this summer, made the most of his trip staging the show at KOKO.

Taking the stage at around 11.30pm, Prince (http://www.nme.com/artists/prince) performed a set that mixed classics, instrumentals, new tracks, covers and songs that showcased his band.

Kicking off initially with just his brass section performing a instrumental version of 'Get Off' the singer made his entrance wearing all back except for his white hat and white high heel shoes.

Though frustrating at times in his song selection - the set was driven by an rhythm and blues flavour that saw him experiment and just jam at times - Prince (http://www.nme.com/artists/prince) ensured the fans had something to shout about including 'U Got The Look', 'Kiss', 'Cream', 'Let's Go Crazy' and an impassioned version of 'Nothing Compares To U' in his set.

Explaining why he staged a British show, which watched by a packed audience including Damian Hurst, David Furnish, The League Of Gentlemen, David Walliams, Pete Burns, Maxi Jazz and Abi Titmuss among others, Prince (http://www.nme.com/artists/prince) told the crowd:
"People asked me why we're here doing this in London. There's nothing happening in America!"

He also surprised the crowd who had spotted the hints in the listings suggesting the Royal Crown Revue were due to play the venue, by including several covers.

This started with an instrumental version of 'Play That Funky Music White Boy' which Prince (http://www.nme.com/artists/prince) led on guitar, before one of his backing vocalists took the lead on Gnarls Barkley (http://www.nme.com/artists/gnarls-barkley)'s 'Crazy' and Amy Winehouse (http://www.nme.com/artists/amy-winehouse)'s 'Love Is A Losing Game'.

Praising the British singer, who he as expressed a desire to work with, Prince (http://www.nme.com/artists/prince) declared: "Respect to Amy Winehouse (http://www.nme.com/artists/amy-winehouse), respect! What a voice!"

With more instrumentals then following as Prince (http://www.nme.com/artists/prince) intermittantly left the stage, including a version of 'Sometimes It Snows In April' while he was off the stage.

Prince (http://www.nme.com/artists/prince) then concluded the gig by taking the stage to echo his earlier comments about the UK with short speech.

"You're doing it, it's not me! You produce the energy," he told the crowd. "I told my band it was happening in London, now they know."

http://www.nme.com/news/prince/28282


http://www.koko.uk.com (http://www.koko.uk.com/)

setlist...

pass the peas (maceo parker/jb's cover)
satisfied
down by the riverside (traditional cover)
Girls and boys
i never loved a man the way that i loved you (aretha franklin cover)
lolita
black sweat
kiss
shhh
musicology
sing a simple song (sly & family stone cover)
play that funky music (wild cherry cover)
wonderful world (louie armstrong cover)
love is a losing game (amy winehouse cover)
gotta broken heart again
cream
u got the look
crazy (gnarls barkly cover)
nothin compares 2 u
Lets go crazy


(http://www.koko.uk.com/image/201206-1921__koko_int_004.jpg)

[Savage]

Who is in his current Band? Maceo still with him?

What time did he finish?

Chris Moyles is gonna talk about last night soon

[unique]

Who is in his current Band? Maceo still with him?

What time did he finish?

Chris Moyles is gonna talk about last night soon

macoe is still in the band, shelby, etc, i think it's the same as the superbowl and recent vegas shows, cora on drums, morris hayes, etc

show finished at 1.35am approx

[franikins84]

hEY did anyone get pictures of last nights gig?

[unique]

hEY did anyone get pictures of last nights gig?

there's one or two ;) - i'll see about getting the better ones online. these won't be one's you'll find on other sites

[unique]

Prince at Koko, London
10th May, 200
Review by Joe Cohen
In afro-Caribbean religions, adherents have a hole drilled in the top of their head (treppaning) and then a shaman places a mix of psychedelic herbs and plants into the indentation. What follows is described as religious ecstasy that can last for days at a time. We didn't need any of that at Koko tonight as Prince (http://www.seatwave.com/prince-tickets/season) and his 12 piece band delivered the ecstatic experience to 1,500 followers of his ‘purpleness’.
In a show just announced today, Prince (http://www.seatwave.com/prince-tickets/season) played a 2 hour set which mesmerised, energised and revitalised those of us fortunate enough to be there. The man has catalogue like nobody's business and he mixed b sides with classics and some covers to turn Mornington Crescent into holy ground.

The band came out at 11:30pm and the horns spent twenty minutes getting the throng of fans in the mood. Prince then took over and dazed us with hits like Cream, You Got The Look and Diamond and Pearls. He then moved off into a cover of Play That Funky Music White Boy, Maceo Parker then launched into a solo of Louis Armstrong's Wonderful World before the ‘purple’ took it up a notch. With encores of Nothing Compares To You and Gnarls Barkley's Crazy.
If ever a man was certain about why he was put on this earth – Prince is it. His new band will join him back in London in August and is so tight you'd think they're getting government relief.
As an aside, the crowd was filled with peeps I know from the music industry and to their credit all in the house were shakin what they've got, no head noddin’ and toe tappin’ here. So props to all who made it a classic night in the purple church.
I know many feared the death of James Brown would mean the death of soul. The King is dead, long live the king.

http://hq.seatwaveblogs.com/200705/prince_koko_london.php

[unique]

Prince's private gig

Full live review

11 May 07 - Prince played a private party at London's Koko in Camden last night.

Tickets had sold out in half an hour yesterday and fans crammed into the venue to see their idol.

6 Music's Julie Cullen was there:

"It was an amazing performance from Prince, before a dedicated crowd including Beverly Knight, Estelle, David Furnish, Jamie Cullum, Mika, Will Young, The League of Gentlemen and Damien Hurst.

Prince was preceded onstage by a brass section led by Maceo Parker, and considering he'd kept the fans waiting since 9 o'clock his entrance was low key, just him on a darkened stage in a black suit and white beret, whilst his band played an instrumental version of Get Off.

But then he launched into Satisfied and his voice tore the roof off. Joined by two identical twin dancers who were unbelievably nubile.

Master of audience manipulation, he had them eating out of his hand in minutes. He did say: "People keep asking me why so many gigs in London... Well it's cos there ain't nothin happening in America that's why".

As well as tearing through hits like Girls and Boys and Kiss, he played a cover of Gnarls Barkley's Crazy and Amy Winehouse's Love Is A Losing Game, saying "Respect to Amy Winehouse" who wasn't there.

The show was peppered with instrumentals, seeing Prince leave the stage at times to leave his band entertaining the crowd, including an instrumental version of Play That Funky Music White Boy which Prince led on guitar.

Before ending the show Prince told the crowd: "You're doing it, it's not me! You produce the energy... I told my band it was happening in London, now they know."

Prince ended his set with hits Cream, U Got the Look and encores of Nothing Compares 2 U and Let's Go Crazy."

Prince will play 21 concerts in London, kicking off in August, they will be his only European concert dates this year.

He will spend a week singing at the new O2 Arena in addition to playing a number of much smaller venues around the capital.

Speaking at a press launch, Prince said: "I love London. I've had some of my favourite shows here."


Ruth Barnes & Julie Cullen

http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20070510_prince.shtml

[The One]

Prince turns into a Pearly King



Caspar Llewellyn Smith
Sunday May 13, 2007
The Observer (http://www.observer.co.uk/)


Prince
Koko, London NW1


He can't help himself. Not content with arriving in London this week to announce that he will play an unprecedented 21 shows in the capital this summer, Prince snuck in a secret gig at Koko in Camden - secret, but with a healthy dose of celebrities in the house: David Walliams, Damien Hirst, Will Young, Sophie Ellis Bextor, David Furnish, Pete Burns and so on down the food chain, all craning for a view, hanging from the rafters. Inevitably, there was only one star, one genius, Chaplin, Astaire, James Brown, Jimmy Page, Miles Davis and more compacted into his 5ft 2in inch frame. While his band, led by horn players dressed like extras from Robert Altman's jazz movie Kansas City, pumped the room with funk, Prince sidled on, slipped in a pirouette, sang feather-like into the mic, and gently eased himself into the night.

Wearing a knitted hat and a suit possibly intended as a homage to one of London's Pearly Kings, he was quite the tease, mentioning his hits only to shake his head as if to say he wouldn't play any. 'Raspberry Beret? Uh-uh!' But alongside covers of Sly and the Family Stone and his latest discovery, Amy Winehouse (her 'Love Is A Losing Game'), as well as disco anthems including 'Play That Funky Music, White Boy', there was room for a handful of classics: 'U Got the Look', 'Cream' and 'Kiss' - the reference to watching Dynasty switched to Desperate Housewives.

The show might also have included a first for Prince: an attempt at a stage dive. This was his one act that came off half-cocked. He had taken the stage early (by his standards) at 11.40pm and played for nigh on two hours, reappearing for his second encore with an extraordinary version of Gnarls Barkley's 'Crazy', as if to claim his legacy. After a ravishing 'Nothing Compares 2 U' and a final encore of 'Let's Go Crazy' he walked back on stage alone to promise the shows of a lifetime at the O2 Arena in August, and still looked like he'd barely broken sweat. If he'd been allowed, he'd probably have played until dawn.