Prince delivers funk-filled finale at week-long SXSW music fest
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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - How else would Prince shut down the South by Southwest Music Festival that is basically a week-long showcase of rock n' roll? By throwing a totally different kind party: a grooving, brass band-backed funkfest that stretched to 3am and outlasted many fans lucky to get inside in the first place.
As Justin Timberlake and the Smashing Pumpkins headlined other SXSW wrap-ups nearby, Prince prevailed as the toughest ticket on Saturday night by performing for only 300 people in his first appearance at the annual music smorgasboard that featured 2,200 bands and artists this year.
Prince towered over them all - but his concert at the tiny La Zona Rosa club that sits on the fringe of the SXSW mayhem was no grandiose spectacle. He performed on a spartan stage behind a giant video board, and contentedly played bandleader instead of superstar for this funk-filled SXSW finale.
"They called our people and said they wanted some funk in Austin," said Prince, before belting out the last bars of a gentle rendition of Purple Rain.
