Prince’s Welcome 2 America tour has been an amazing experience! While he has consistently covered the favorites (e.g. Kiss, Take Me With You, Little Red Corvette, Controversy, etc.), there have been some new tracks (i.e., U Will Be With Me) and other great tracks (e.g. Hot Thing, Forever In My Life, When I Lay My Hands on U, etc.) that have excited those of us who have been “Prince enthusiasts” for decades. A special treat is when Shelby J. gets some time to showcase her strong and engaging voice on such gems as “Nothing Compares to You” or–if we’re lucky–”Misty Blue.” I could go on and on…especially since I’ve seen…um…just a few shows on this tour.

There are more shows this weekend at The Forum, and I must say, this really is a concert people don’t want to miss…you never know who you’ll get to see…Chaka Khan…Stevie Wonder…Janelle Monae…Alicia Keys…Amel Larrieux…what a collection of gifts!

But another thing that people shouldn’t miss are the contributions that Prince has made beyond music. Last week, I wrote an article for TheGrio.com, “Why Prince Deserves Props for his Political Activism,” which talks a bit about Prince’s other contributions. For those who want to reduce Prince to “just an artist,” I would venture to say that there appears to be much more.

Copyright 2011 Monique W. Morris