Watch Prince Play “FUNKNROLL” On Arsenio
The best episode of the original Arsenio Hall Show that I ever saw was an early-’90s one where Prince essentially took over the entire show for its full running time, performing a bunch of songs and displaying a mind-boggling level of stagecraft and charisma. He’s doing it again tonight. Tonight’s episode of Arsenio is devoted entirely to the Purple One, and the show has shared an early clip, one in which Prince plays “FUNKNROLL,” a new song, from his as-yet-untitled forthcoming album, that he’s played live a few times. Prince performs it with his massive 30-piece backing band 3RDEYEGIRL And The New Power Generation, as well as a whole flock of dancers, and the crowd goes into dance-party mode by the time the song ends. And while the song itself isn’t going to revolutionize music, the performance is a thing to behold. It’s below.
If you’re ever going to check out the newly rebooted Arsenio show, this, it would seem, is a good night to do so.
UPDATE: Watch more clips from the show below.