When the rain turns purple and the doves start to cry, it can only mean one thing. The royal Prince is nearby. And indeed he was on Saturday, April 28 at the Oakland Arena for his Hit N Run Tour.

The Artist, The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, or Prince, whichever you prefer, rocked the packed house for over two hours, with new hits as well as his unforgettable classics.

Before making his much-anticipated entrance, the arena was warmed up by group Millenia. Consisting of four skin-baring women, this was a typical, all-female r&b group with vocal attitude. It was a mixture of the original En Vogue and original Destiny?s Child.

After Millenia delighted the crowd with its girl-power vocals, a funked-out group called “The Fonky Bald Heads” took the stage. Yes, they were all bald and they were all “fonky.” The band grooved out while a vocalist made some James Brown type of sounds.

Toward the end of their set, the royal purple one sneaked in some additional vocals as he casually took the spotlight. It was now time for the honorable Prince to shed his royalty.

Starting off with some New Power Generation (NPG) tracks, the crowd immediately got on its feet. When the band started to play “Little Red Corvette,” the crowd resounded and chanted the chorus.

“I Wanna Be Your Lover” was the next hit that Prince delivered. Again, the crowd sung along as women pointed to his petite, yet energetic body.

During a mellow interlude, “Someday We Will All Be Free” was sung by Kip Blackshire, who also provided the keyboard talent throughout the night. Prince?s passion for freedom was felt as he took the time to say, “Freedom is a beautiful thing,” and spoke of the freedom to create music without having to go through record labels.

Before teasing the crowd that he was done for the night, he sang “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Arms were in the air, swaying from side to side. Some people lit up their lighters while others shared the moment with green glowsticks.

Before coming back on stage, the band teased the fans with thunderstorm sounds as the stage became purple. But it wasn?t time for that, and Prince knew it. The fans wanted to get even wilder than they already were.

Feeling the energy build, the band played the first chord of “Let?s Go Crazy,” and held it until The Artist was back to lead them. By this time, everyone was off their seats and pumping their fists.

Prince continued through the night with hits such as “Raspberry Beret,” “Darling Nikki,” “When Doves Cry,” and “I Would Die 4 U.”

To bid farewell, Prince closed the night with his unforgettable “Purple Rain.” The storm sounds came back on and the lights turned purple as he sung to the end with unveiled emotion and gratitude.

When he finished the song, the stage lights dimmed and he walked off the stage. The fans, most of them dressed in purple outfits, made their way out of the royally-blessed arena.