The sounds of Prince receive a wonderful homage at Purple Reign, The Prince Tribute Show, which is currently in residency at the Tropicana in Las Vegas. Jason Tenner assumes the role of Prince and makes the wise choice to avoid a full-on impersonation of the icon. Instead, he takes the route of adulation. Tenner opens the show with an energetic performance of "Let's Go Crazy" and over the course of 75-minutes, takes the audience on an abridged version of Prince’s classic film, Purple Rain.
One of the show's highlights was Tenner using the same backing band for himself and both support acts. Naturally, this means we get versions of Vanity 6/ Apollonia 6 who perform animated versions of "Sex Shooter" and "Nasty Girl" with the costumes to match. In addition, the show gives us a Morris Day & Jerome duo, who perform The Time hits "Jungle Love" and "The Bird", then engages in a humorous round of the dozens with Tenner's, Prince.
Early on, Tenner points out that we would be here all night for him to even touch the surface of Prince's extensive catalog. I'm a massive fan of Prince's slow cuts and would've loved to hear a line or two from these hits, such as "Adore," "Do Me Baby," "Scandalous," or "Insatiable". In addition, my favorite up-tempo song, "Baby I'm A Star," isn't performed either. Thankfully, Tenner throws in other Prince hits such as "Kiss," "Raspberry Beret," and "1999" that help make up for the omissions. Purple Reign, The Prince Tribute Show then closes out with a performance of the album's title track.
Featuring an immensely talented cast of musicians and vocalists, Purple Reign, The Prince Tribute Show is highly recommended while visiting Sin City.
Final Grade: A -