10 Reasons There Won't Ever Be Another Prince
8. Prince Was A Consummate Showman
My girlfriend and I used to have this argument about vocalists who didn't play any instruments during concerts. She'd say that, by default, the lead singer of a band who didn't play an instrument was less talented than one who did.
My argument was always that singers who didn't play any instruments on stage tended to be better showman, and that aspect of performing showed a different kind of talent.
Prince made both sides of that argument invalid. Because it didn't matter which version of Prince was up on stage - Prince with guitar, Prince at piano, Prince with "just" the microphone - he was going to be entertaining as f--k. And regardless of what he had in his hands, you weren't going to say he was less talented than any other musician you could name.
That's an amazing and often undervalued trait in a live performer. Whereas some singer/guitarists might look a little hindered by having to lug their instrument around on stage, Prince just incorporated it into his vibe and rolled on.
He still looked sexy, he still moved around the stage, he still danced, and he did it all while singing and playing like no one else could.