http://www.fender.com/blog/?p=5537&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Prince has revealed his guests for the first four dates of his highly anticipated Welcome 2 America concerts.

Joining him his first performance on Dec. 15 at the Izod Center will be jazz bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spalding and R&B artist Lalah Hathaway. His second date at the Izod on Dec. 17 will feature Grammy winning jazz performer Cassandra Wilson and funk saxophonist Maceo Parker.

Sheile E will join Prince onstage for the first performance at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 18. The bill will also include comedian Sinbad and famed bassist Larry Graham and his band Graham Central Station. Fans attending the Dec. 29 show at MSG will be treated to Twin City legends Mint Condition and recent double-Grammy nominee Janelle Monae.

Due to overwhelming demand, Prince recently announced an additional date at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 18, although the guests for this show have yet to be announced.

Excellent! So, I get to see Esperanza and Maceo Parker...if not Janelle Monae. That is great. Thanks for the information. I hope everyone enjoys Janelle--she is the best!

Esperanza the first show and wooo hoo sheila e!!!! yes yes woo hoo!!!!

purplemookiebut said:

Esperanza the first show and wooo hoo sheila e!!!! yes yes woo hoo!!!!

Sheila E is tha Bomb in concert and the nicest person! I saw her perform recently and she signed her backwards signature on her drumsticks for me. She even laughed when I said after seeing her perform I needed to go back to the gym! Enjoy--especially her drum sets--simply awesome!

she tweeted back to me 3 times already. i cannot wait to hear her play!!!

purplemookiebut said:

she tweeted back to me 3 times already. i cannot wait to hear her play!!!

Wow! You got tweets from Sheila E! That is great! I told you she was tha Bomb! Wish I could be there to see her and Prince perform together--that is one of my biggest wishes. You gotta let me know what it was like once you see them together... If you get photos--even better!

SHEILA..GREAT! Sinbad...ermm..can do without. Larry...Oh boy. ditto. Ill be having cocktails when larry is on...Sinbad..been there done that.

purplethunder3121 said:

purplemookiebut said:

she tweeted back to me 3 times already. i cannot wait to hear her play!!!

Wow! You got tweets from Sheila E! That is great! I told you she was tha Bomb! Wish I could be there to see her and Prince perform together--that is one of my biggest wishes. You gotta let me know what it was like once you see them together... If you get photos--even better!

i'll leave the pic taking to those with those lexus/caddies of cell phones cause i dont want my camera taken away...even though it broke and wont tranafer pics to computer. i can take out the memory card and put it in the portable video taker thing and transfer it with that. i really wish ithad a flash or light source!! same with my cell. no flash?wtf

LFraze54 said:

http://www.fender.com/blog/?p=5537&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Prince has revealed his guests for the first four dates of his highly anticipated Welcome 2 America concerts.

Joining him his first performance on Dec. 15 at the Izod Center will be jazz bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spalding and R&B artist Lalah Hathaway. His second date at the Izod on Dec. 17 will feature Grammy winning jazz performer Cassandra Wilson and funk saxophonist Maceo Parker.

Sheile E will join Prince onstage for the first performance at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 18. The bill will also include comedian Sinbad and famed bassist Larry Graham and his band Graham Central Station. Fans attending the Dec. 29 show at MSG will be treated to Twin City legends Mint Condition and recent double-Grammy nominee Janelle Monae.

Due to overwhelming demand, Prince recently announced an additional date at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 18, although the guests for this show have yet to be announced.

What an AMAZING line - up. It's gonna be some Beautiful nights

LFraze54 said:

http://www.fender.com/blog/?p=5537&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Prince has revealed his guests for the first four dates of his highly anticipated Welcome 2 America concerts.

Joining him his first performance on Dec. 15 at the Izod Center will be jazz bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spalding and R&B artist Lalah Hathaway. His second date at the Izod on Dec. 17 will feature Grammy winning jazz performer Cassandra Wilson and funk saxophonist Maceo Parker.

Sheile E will join Prince onstage for the first performance at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 18. The bill will also include comedian Sinbad and famed bassist Larry Graham and his band Graham Central Station. Fans attending the Dec. 29 show at MSG will be treated to Twin City legends Mint Condition and recent double-Grammy nominee Janelle Monae.

Due to overwhelming demand, Prince recently announced an additional date at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 18, although the guests for this show have yet to be announced.

Cue Larry Graham haters

Sheila E tweeted me back also. She was so nice.

**cue Larry Graham haters indeed**

SOOOOOOO not feeling Larry Graham. I really have NO desire to sit thru that. I couldn't go on the 29th tho I'm on vacation then. I'd have killed to see Mint Condition... and possibly an aftershow??? I wanna cry.

Oh well. At least Sheila will be at my show... and I saw Sinbad's last comedy special earlier this year on Comedy Central, it was pretty funny. I'm okay with him too.

But Larry Graham???? Really???? REALLLLLLYYYYY????? UGH.

But it's Prince... and I love him... and with Sheila there they may do some old songs he hasn't done live in a while. And maybe there will be A Love Bizarre. So that's a nice trade off. Just looking on the bright side!

[Edited 12/11/10 5:03am]

LeFraze54:

Fans attending the Dec. 29 show at MSG will be treated to Twin City legends Mint Condition and recent double-Grammy nominee Janelle Monae.

::

So cool, on the 29th we get 3 treats Janelle Monae, Mint Condition and Prince! What a way to end the year in NY! Fabulous! I sure hope they participate in some of the Times Square performances on New Year's Eve in NYC. That would be a blast!

It will be interesting to see who will be at the Jan 18th show.

[Edited 12/11/10 7:48am]

So glad I'm going to be able to see Sheila with Prince! Now I can only hope that they're together at an aftershow and I'm able to get in.

I'm excited to see Larry too, and thrilled about Janelle Monae and Cassandra Wilson. I love the lineups at all the shows I'm going to see.

jaybendy said:

Sheila E tweeted me back also. She was so nice.

**cue Larry Graham haters indeed**

SOOOOOOO not feeling Larry Graham. I really have NO desire to sit thru that. I couldn't go on the 29th tho I'm on vacation then. I'd have killed to see Mint Condition... and possibly an aftershow??? I wanna cry.

Oh well. At least Sheila will be at my show... and I saw Sinbad's last comedy special earlier this year on Comedy Central, it was pretty funny. I'm okay with him too.

But Larry Graham???? Really???? REALLLLLLYYYYY????? UGH.

But it's Prince... and I love him... and with Sheila there they may do some old songs he hasn't done live in a while. And maybe there will be A Love Bizarre. So that's a nice trade off. Just looking on the bright side!

[Edited 12/11/10 5:03am]

Remember during the WBLS radio show yesterday though, he said his special guests weren't really opening acts, because he will be performing with them when they appear on stage. (Well, I'm sure with the exception of Sinbad maybe because he's a comedian).

[Edited 12/11/10 7:46am]

theSEAofEVERYTHING said:

What an AMAZING line - up. It's gonna be some Beautiful nights

Yup. Well said.

jaybendy said:

SOOOOOOO not feeling Larry Graham. I really have NO desire to sit thru that. I couldn't go on the 29th tho I'm on vacation then. I'd have killed to see Mint Condition... and possibly an aftershow??? I wanna cry.

[Edited 12/11/10 5:03am]

Saw Mint Condition and Larry Graham open for Prince at the Werchter show this summer.

Mint Condition was pretty poor I thought, Larry Graham blew them away with the pure funk and Larry's enthusiasm. I certainly prefer to have Larry's stuff in his own set and not taking up 20 minutes during Prince's set though...

-dennis-

I'm attending the 18th & 29th of December and I'm psyched! A little bummed that I won't get to see Esperanza perform but definitely amped about seeing Janelle Monae. Besides you never know who'll show up at an aftershow!

dayzofwyld said:

LFraze54 said:

http://www.fender.com/blog/?p=5537&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Prince has revealed his guests for the first four dates of his highly anticipated Welcome 2 America concerts.

Joining him his first performance on Dec. 15 at the Izod Center will be jazz bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spalding and R&B artist Lalah Hathaway. His second date at the Izod on Dec. 17 will feature Grammy winning jazz performer Cassandra Wilson and funk saxophonist Maceo Parker.

Sheile E will join Prince onstage for the first performance at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 18. The bill will also include comedian Sinbad and famed bassist Larry Graham and his band Graham Central Station. Fans attending the Dec. 29 show at MSG will be treated to Twin City legends Mint Condition and recent double-Grammy nominee Janelle Monae.

Due to overwhelming demand, Prince recently announced an additional date at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 18, although the guests for this show have yet to be announced.

Cue Larry Graham haters

glad i dont have to sit thru janelle for all 5 shows. i can sing better then her on rockband..thats gonna remind me of the opening band for korn called MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE that ppl were throwing cheese fries at em. i hope someone uses that big poof on her head for target practice...

purplemookiebut said:

glad i dont have to sit thru janelle for all 5 shows. i can sing better then her on rockband..thats gonna remind me of the opening band for korn called MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE that ppl were throwing cheese fries at em. i hope someone uses that big poof on her head for target practice...

(Bolded part) Yes, but can you please a NY audience with that voice is the question.(j/k)

Anyway, different strokes for different folks. Janelle is no stranger to NYC. She's been performing here several times over the past 2-3 years, and has been well receivedl. Besides, like Prince stated on WBLS, he'll be jamming with his special guests during their appearances. I'm quite sure many New Yorkers at MSG will appreciate Janelle's performance.

[Edited 12/11/10 14:33pm]

i'll be sitting down for her like i did for black eye peas and justin timberlake, mobb depp and run dmc. 98% of the time i wonder who picks the opening acts. staind was awesome for korn as was stonesour coheading..muse for U2 and kings of leon for pearl jam otherwise i never enjoyed that opening band. oh yeah forgot about flyleaf was good live but i bought the cd and only like the one song

dennisversteeg said:

jaybendy said:

SOOOOOOO not feeling Larry Graham. I really have NO desire to sit thru that. I couldn't go on the 29th tho I'm on vacation then. I'd have killed to see Mint Condition... and possibly an aftershow??? I wanna cry.

[Edited 12/11/10 5:03am]

Saw Mint Condition and Larry Graham open for Prince at the Werchter show this summer.

Mint Condition was pretty poor I thought, Larry Graham blew them away with the pure funk and Larry's enthusiasm. I certainly prefer to have Larry's stuff in his own set and not taking up 20 minutes during Prince's set though...

-dennis-

50 eleven ppl keep talking about MC at that Werchter show. I keep saying it musta been an off night (day?) for them because I've seen them plenty of times thru the years and they've always been on point. They are one of my favorite live bands.

2elijah said:

jaybendy said:

Sheila E tweeted me back also. She was so nice.

**cue Larry Graham haters indeed**

SOOOOOOO not feeling Larry Graham. I really have NO desire to sit thru that. I couldn't go on the 29th tho I'm on vacation then. I'd have killed to see Mint Condition... and possibly an aftershow??? I wanna cry.

Oh well. At least Sheila will be at my show... and I saw Sinbad's last comedy special earlier this year on Comedy Central, it was pretty funny. I'm okay with him too.

But Larry Graham???? Really???? REALLLLLLYYYYY????? UGH.

But it's Prince... and I love him... and with Sheila there they may do some old songs he hasn't done live in a while. And maybe there will be A Love Bizarre. So that's a nice trade off. Just looking on the bright side!

[Edited 12/11/10 5:03am]

Remember during the WBLS radio show yesterday though, he said his special guests weren't really opening acts, because he will be performing with them when they appear on stage. (Well, I'm sure with the exception of Sinbad maybe because he's a comedian).

[Edited 12/11/10 7:46am]

True, he did say that, and Larry's been a part of his band during some of the ONA shows if I'm not mistaken. I'm looking on the bright side, Sheila will be there, and of course it's PRINCE so I'm happy. And actually Sinbad plays the drums (not WELL, but u know, passable). In his comedy special on Comedy Central earlier this year he had a band come out on stage and they did the intro to Shhh with Sinbad on drums. It was cute. Who knows, maybe Sinbad will be Prince's drummer during some songs.

I'm kidding, totally kidding. Or maybe not. Prince crazy like that.

the 18th dec is a good combination.. larry graham gets a hard time but he was seriously amazing in europe, very cool & great showman.

2elijah said:

purplemookiebut said:

glad i dont have to sit thru janelle for all 5 shows. i can sing better then her on rockband..thats gonna remind me of the opening band for korn called MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE that ppl were throwing cheese fries at em. i hope someone uses that big poof on her head for target practice...

(Bolded part) Yes, but can you please a NY audience with that voice is the question.(j/k)

Anyway, different strokes for different folks. Janelle is no stranger to NYC. She's been performing here several times over the past 2-3 years, and has been well receivedl. Besides, like Prince stated on WBLS, he'll be jamming with his special guests during their appearances. I'm quite sure many New Yorkers at MSG will appreciate Janelle's performance.

[Edited 12/11/10 14:33pm]

Janelle is an amazing singer and performer, I think the people that do not know much about her will be walking away from this show a fan of hers.

Yay Sheila E! Woohoo! Errr, Sinbad and Larry Graham...I guess Much rather have Maceo and Janelle or Esperanza but it's Prince's choice and not the fans so

AHH! So happy Janelle is playing at one of the shows I'm going 2!!

[Edited 12/11/10 23:54pm]

rmartin70 said:

2elijah said:

(Bolded part) Yes, but can you please a NY audience with that voice is the question.(j/k)

Anyway, different strokes for different folks. Janelle is no stranger to NYC. She's been performing here several times over the past 2-3 years, and has been well receivedl. Besides, like Prince stated on WBLS, he'll be jamming with his special guests during their appearances. I'm quite sure many New Yorkers at MSG will appreciate Janelle's performance.

[Edited 12/11/10 14:33pm]

Janelle is an amazing singer and performer, I think the people that do not know much about her will be walking away from this show a fan of hers.

ill get a snooki poof wig...just watch out!!

metallicjigolo said:

SHEILA..GREAT! Sinbad...ermm..can do without. Larry...Oh boy. ditto. Ill be having cocktails when larry is on...Sinbad..been there done that.

I'll join you for the Larry Graham cocktails. Good grief.