The '90s are long gone, but Prince fans can still party like it's 1999 when Jason Tenner gets on stage. Star of Purple Reign, The Prince Tribute Show, Tenner and his band perform Prince's biggest hit songs including "When Doves Cry," "Let's Go Crazy" and "1999."
The show is modeled after the legendary artist's performance in the 1984 hit movie "Purple Rain." Midway through the show, performers representing Morris Day and Jerome Benton are escorted into the showroom and take the stage. They keep the crowd on their feet with Morris Day and the Time's hit songs including "The Bird" and "Jungle Love."
Let's not forget this is Vegas. No show would be complete without a sexy showgirl and this revue delivers. For the song "Raspberry Beret" a buxom brunette in little more than a red beret joins the group on stage. She performs with the band for several numbers adding an ample dose of sex appeal to Tenner's already sultry moves as Prince.
Tenner has been performing his Prince tribute show in Las Vegas for more than 10 years. Dressing up as Prince for Halloween in 1996 sealed the deal for Tenner to turn from everyday band member to tribute artist.
"I went out dressed as Prince to a party at the Hard Rock. People were following me around and wanting to take pictures, and I'm like dang, it's Halloween, this costume is pretty good," says Tenner while recalling his first time dressing as the legendary pop artist.
Before this he was performing in a '70s and '80s cover band called Mothership Connection that also dressed in costume. After Halloween he decided to add more of Prince's songs to the set and soon they became the primary thing his band performed.
"Eventually we dropped the platform shoes and afro wigs and traded them for high heel shoes and eyeliner," jokes Tenner.
The band went from performing at a college bar to playing on the Las Vegas Strip at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay and other venues.
Being able to move and sound like Prince is something he learned from watching the movie "Purple Rain" probably more times than the editors that edited the movie, according to Tenner. He would watch the movie and then pause it and try to mimic Prince's exact movements and facial expressions. To perfect his voice he would sit in his home studio and record himself singing songs and then listen to how they sounded against Prince's voice.
| Show Times: 7:30 p.m Thursday-Tuesday |
| Show Length: 75 minutes |
| Location: Legends in Concert Theater, Tropicana Las Vegas - A Doubletree by Hilton |
| Age Restriction: 5+ |
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Prices: |
*Prices do not include all taxes and fees*