Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson's status as a walking encyclopedia of music is no secret to fans, but his adoration for Prince is almost unparalleled.
The Roots drummer — who was just in Tampa this March — recently put together an album-by-album guide to the Purple One's Warner Bros. catalog, which is pretty much required reading for casual and diehard fans alike. This is an excerpt from Questo's hot take on Prince's 1982 release 1999:
his musicianship and mixing were off the chain. you hear this now and it sounds normal, but i assure you. when they premiered the title cut on radio were heard NOTHING LIKE IT EVER. no claps were ever that LOUD. no drum and kick were ever that punchy and deep. not since “Superstition” has the idea of all keyboards as music been so amazing sounding. jaw was dropped on “Something In The Water” (can he do that?) all 9 mins of “Automatic” was (can he do that?!?!?!??!) “Lady Cab Driver”? forget it.
The post is dense, and it's a delight. That's why it's rad to learn that Questlove has teamed up with Prince's (somewhat volatile) estate to curate an orchestral Prince tribute tour called 4U: A Symphonic Celebration of Prince, which is headed to the USF Sun Dome in Tampa on October 5 as part of a two-month fall tour.
Other Florida stops include Gainesville (October 3 at O'Connell Center), Fr. Lauderdale (October 4 at Broward Center), Jacksonville (October 6 at Florida Theatre) and Orlando (October 7 at Dr. Phillips Center)
The late musician's two former backing bands — the Revolution and New Power Generation — both embarked on their own treks last year, but this is the first major live tour that the estate — which is providing videos and photos for the tour — has officially sanctioned. Questlove isn't touring with the production, but he did pick the songs and work on on the orchestral arrangements, which a live band — Virginia's Wolf Trap Orchestra — and an assortment of vocalists will perform.
Tickets for the show go on sale Friday, May 18 at 10 a.m., and will cost fans $25-$125. Paisley Park is coming to Tampa, y'all. More info — as well as an unreleased studio version of "Nothing Compares 2 U" — is available below.
This article appears in May 10-17, 2018.