Music-Survival-Guide

This past Saturday night, the Purple One descended on New Yorks NBC Studios for Saturday Night Live. News was broken through Facebook via the 3RDEYEGIRL Facebook page just about a week or so before. Seems Prince has embraced the Internet a bit more recently after proclaiming, “The Internet’s completely over” a few years back. Gotta love the man…

The night after Halloween, Prince and his 3RDEYEGIRL’s did indeed bring their electricity to the SNL stage, making history with an 8-minute plus medley. Who would have really said, “No, we can’t accommodate that” anyways, right?

Hosting the night was the ever-annoying Chris Rock who proclaimed how lucky we all were as he introduced Prince to the stage to a steadfast and anxious crowd who responded with bluster.

http://vimeo.com/leecocker/princesnl

At first only getting a glimpse of puffy white clouds from a stage screen filled with the bluest of skies as the band started their jam. “Y’all ready?” Prince was behind the keyboard sporting his 3-lensed sunglasses as they opened with “Clouds” off of his new album ARTOFFICIALAGE with singer Lianne La Havas front and center on most of the lead vocal. Then melting seamlessly into some hot riffage from instrumental PLECTRUMELECTRUM from the 3RDEYEGIRL debut of the same name in which Prince then magically appeared where Ms. La Havas seconds before stood embracing his guitar and hitting us with sickening and fuzzy dual 6 string action alongside soon to be guitar hero Donna Grantis who looked like she just stepped out of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, fierce indeed. Then came the fast and fun track MARZ which is just over 2 minutes long and is absolute rock splendor. A quick second pause into the conclusion of the medley with ANOTHERLOVE which is just such a phenomenal piece of music full of even more regal guitar work, one of his finest, reminding us that Prince can write any kind of song at any point in his career as a pioneer of music, endlessly breaking down walls.

Also on stage with the core band was a back-up singer seeming to do some minor percussion, Joshua Welton who worked a bit on both of the new records and another session player on the keyboard Prince had left behind early in the set.

Proving once again that he is untouchable and backed by a fresh band full of strong and brilliant women he left us with a gracious bow and a sweet smirk. Prince and his 3RDEYEGIRL are a force to be reckoned with for sure, fresh and edgy; some of his greatest work in years if you ask me.

At the end of the night when the cast and guests lined up to wish viewers a goodnight all were there except for the little Prince. Was he whisked off to an after party in which he was prepping to play ‘til the sun rose? Was he beamed back to the mother ship, or simply making a trip to the bathroom? Ah, the endless awe of Prince.

Both new records are out now.
Solo: ARTOFFICIALAGE
3RDEYEGIRL: PLECTRUMELECTRUM
http://plectrumelectrum.3rdeyegirl.com

Prince/3RDEYEGIRL/SNL 2014