Sasha Frere-Jones: A Tribute Concert for Prince, at Carnegie Hall: The New Yorker "The Music of Prince," a tribute concert at Carnegie Hall on March 7, is the ultimate no-brainer. Who besides Prince has built up such a durable pop songbook in the past three decades? There are ballads. There are anthems. There are rave-ups. There are invitations 4 U 2 dance. One of his closest competitors in back-catalogue strength, Elvis Costello, will be on hand, hopefully doing "The Beautiful Ones." Questlove will lead the Roots as the night's house band, and I wouldn't be upset if Bilal and D'Angelo perform multiple songs. D'Angelo is maybe the only other singer who can do justice to a diaphanous slice of ache like "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" And, if Bettye LaVette doesn't sing "Nothing Compares 2 U," it better be because the early-nineties Sinéad O'Connor has materialized to do so. I am not sure what Sandra Bernhard or the Waterboys have to contribute in this context, but Maya Rudolph will show up with her cover band, Princess, and that is reason enough to put "Sign "O" the Times" on pause and head to midtown. ♦