Princess
Neptune Theatre, Seattle, WA
06.01.17
The Neptune Theater was a sea of purple, pink, big hair, and lots of flair as Princess descended upon Seattle. The duo—made up of SNL alum Maya Rudolph and LA singer-songwriter Gretchen Lieberum— brought with them some bold fashion choices and a whole lot of funk.
Planned or not, their set began on rock-star-time, which is to say about 20 minutes late. But it truly amped up the crowd because when Rudolph and Lieberum appeared hand-in-hand in a Michael Jackson-esque pose, the screams were deafening.
That deafening turned into berserk when Rudolph began the opening song to their set, “Dearly beloved/We are gathered here to get through this thing called life.” The crowd knew what to do, the band knew what to do, and the two ladies on stage implored the masses, “Let’s Go Crazy”! And the dance party began.
“You may not realize this, but I love Prince…his music is my religion,” expressed Rudolph before beginning a super spirited version of “D.M.S.R” with the Vanity 6 jam, “Nasty Girl” that made up the breakdown.
Rudolph and Lieberum had an undeniably positive vibe and musical chops to boot. This was no surprise as Lieberum has fronted funk bands in her past and Rudolph, well it seems like she can do anything in the entertainment arena.
The fans got exactly what you’d expect from a Prince super-tribute band, a performance that oozed the rhythm, sex, and attitude of the man himself, and it reached its peak during the encore of “Purple Rain.” With purple lights washing over the theater and the collective of fans singing along as one voice, it was a beautiful, cathartic tribute to the dearly beloved, and departed icon.
Review and photos by Phillip Johnson
Princess
