Bands/Musicians should take notice. Prince has raised the bar and made it very unfair. His shows are on a completely different level than any other show I’ve ever been to. Now let me be clear, I’ve seen Prince three times including the most amazing appearance at the 2008 Coachella where he brought out Sheila E and Morris Day and the Time. It’s what he does. He’s a Show Man.

Tonight’s show was no exception. With so many local ties (a lot of the Escovedo Family still live in Oakland) it’s no wonder that Sheila E was very visable at the show. She even played her hit “The Glamorous Life” which got an overwhelming ovation.

I will be honest, I would have never guessed that I would see Santana grace the stage though. However, out he came to play an amazing solo during the first part of the show. It was incredible and the place went nuts.

To say that a Prince show is just a mere concert is clearly down playing what it truely is. A Prince show is an exeperience. You feel as though you just went through a sermin and at the end you are exhausted. You find yourself confessing the sins that you commited throughout the show and paying for those sins in the aches and pains you feel the morning after. You have a seat at a Prince show, but it’s safe to say you rarely use it.

I loved that John Blackwell was behind the drums again and found the “Background” Singers to be incredible. One even did a great cover of Rihanna’s “Rude Boy.”

The only thing that disappointed me was that he didn’t play some of his hits like “Little Red Corvette” or “Let’s Go Crazy.” But like the Purple One said, “If I played all my hits we’d be here all night.”

There was so much demand for the Monday and Wednesday show they added a thrid show this Thursday. You can find tickets at LiveNation.com.

Review by -JC (Photo via Flickr)