If the spectacular musical performance of The New Power Generation music group is any indication of what to expect from concerts for 1996, hold on to your hats for a refreshing and heart rocking year.

The NPG, led by its lead singer, "The artist formerly known as Prince," will clearly be a hard act to follow as they opened their five-night Japan concert tour to an enthusiastic and near capacity crowd at the Nippon Budokan Hall.

During the event, sponsored by concert promoter UDO Artist Inc., "The artist formerly known as Prince" was exhilarating, while displaying sense of being born again. He announced with great vengeance that Prince is dead! He also went on to express his displeasure with record companies by saying "they have no place in his equation." His new equation as he put it involves only him and his fans.

The New Power Generation lead singer graced the stage looking better than ever. The band opened with a medley of past and present hits, highlighted by a high-tech laser and light show.

In addition to the glitter, NPG showed why it has secured an everlasting place among the Pop, Rock, Rhythm & Blues and Funk musical giants. Unlike the new bands, many of which rely heavily on looped computer sequencing to produce an average sound, NPG showed that it is composed of accomplished musicians with years of experience.

The band played several hits from its current release entitled "The Gold Experience," some of which will prove to be timeless. But it also kept the audience dancing in the aisles with some of its funky, old-school hits such as "Seven," "If I Was Your Girlfriend" and the very popular "The Most Beautiful Girl."