777 Update*

"the news, not the bull...."

*(special celebration edition)



hello and welcome 2 another edition of the 777 update, a Prince/0(+>/Artist
news update which is not affiliated with Paisley Park in any way. This is a
special Prince Celebration edition of the Update, So if u had heard enough
about the event and other things concerning the Celebration, check out the
other news items if u so please. 4 all others who want the most in-depth
report on the celebration happenings, read on. It is very long and it may
take coming back to it later. I hope y'll appreciate it, it took bout 3
hours 2 write.....so R U ReAdY? Then let's go.....



Item#1- "the Paisley Park Tour "

Contrary to rumored reports that registration was going to be difficult, It
was a breeze. Along with a V.I.P. pass came an empty cd jewelcase and
concert tickets for the final night of the celebration, June 13th. When you
are given the tour of Paisley Park, u r first shown his trophy case, which
they say was set up 4 the "purpleheadz" 2 see. In actuality, the awards r
always there in the same place. U r given a tour of studio's A, B, and C.
During our tour, instead of just Studio b, we were invited in by Kirky j. to
hear a brand new track. It sounded like someone trying to sing like Prince
as Paul Peterson did on the family track "screams of passion". After seeing
the doves and all the platinum plaques,(all were received or given to Prince
except 4 "come" which was presented 2 mayte), we were taken by an indoors
basketball court, which is covered with mirrors all around the side of
it.(made me think of the scandalous sex suite when he sings"let's do it in
front of a mirror baby so i can see what i want 2 see", 4 some reason i am
sure this room has had more then basketBallz used in it). u r as well shown
countless rooms including where most of the bandmates instruments hang and a
weight room. the weight room upstairs is very close 2 where Prince's
apartment is inside Paisley. Some people on the tour were brought directly
inside the vault room while others were just allowed 2 stand by the door. U
r then brought down a time-line of all the different looks Prince has went
thru from 1978 to the present. U r also lead thru the garage 2 where the
sexy mf video was filmed. The most interesting thing I thought were the
studio's where lies the mixing board that was in his basement of his purple
house. Just suprised how big it was and how so many unreleased tracks and
released were remixed on this soundboard, as well as "Sign "o" the times".
Also impressive was that he copied the entire design of the sunset sound
studio mixing board in California 2 a "T". The end of the tour dropped u
off 2 check out countless cars used in his music videos. in the far
right-hand corner were his instruments, the "habibi" guitar and the cloud
plus drum set , keyboards, purpleaxxe, and hanging from nothing but string
was his gun microphone(kinda ironic it would have been easy 4 people over 6
feet 2 reach). 2 the left of the instruments were clothes that he wore in
videos and concert tours. They were held higher then the microphone and was
provided with a sheet under the clothes item describing what it was used 4.
On the complete other side were 7 imac computers set to NPGONLINELTD 4 people
2 read the news updates and vote on the next release, including the next
crystal ball single disc, "Roadhouse Garden" with the Revolution, a piano
disc, a guitar disc, the choice of a new studio album, and a ballad
disc (which is what Prince was wanting 2 release later this year with 3 new
tracks, but had trouble with Warner Bros. since 90 percent of the songs would
have been from their catalog). The top two were the guitar cd and crystal
ball 2. In all honesty, expect a crystal ball 2 b4 an all guitar
record(wouldn't it be nice if the guitar record was added as a bonus cd 2
crystal ball 2? hmmm...)On the other side was the 1800new funk clearance sale
including very hard 2 find items and xtra shirts of the 1999 the new master
and npg dance company. Playing on the walls of the soundstage where
everything was set up and in the love4oneanother room was video clips
circling prince's entire career showing rare performances including the 1983
show at first avenue where new songs that would make up "purple rain"were
being played 4 the first time. other clips offered the 1986 MTV interview 2
promote "under the cherry moon" , the 1987 performance of "play in the
sunshine" at the MTV music awards, his performance of "Electric Chair" on
Saturday night live's 15th anniversary show, the live version of "partyup" on
Saturday night live in early 1981, plus 1990 and 1995s American music award
of achievement ceremonies, the soul train heritage award for 1992. The video
would both end and begin with the purple medley added with "rave "tracks and
"My name is prince". By the end of the week, the footage would be replaced
with Prince and the N. P. G. performing overseas the 1993 act II tour.
Professionally shot footage, which was absolutely immaculate and had many
"purpleheadz" wanting both videotapes, no matter the cost. Upon leaving the
room, and by the restrooms and exit of Paisley was a side room which was
selling new NPG merchandise and Prince: a celebration T-shirts and posters. The design was not very good and hard 2 see on Purple. Definitely not one of
Steve Parke's best. Each day, there would be a new item added 4 sale. the
first was the "beautiful Strange" video, the second night was Come on/the one
remixes, the third night had a different design of a celebration baby t, and
the fourth night had Kirk Johnson's new group(the funky baldheads) T-shirts,
and the fourth night had a Prince: a celebration photo album to put u're
pictures in. The 5 and sixth would have different flats(a promo picture of
rave or the hits on 4 sale 4 about a buck each. If u spent over 50 dollars
in the room u were given a free GCS2000 necklace pendant. Celebration
balloons wee going for about 1 dollar 4 2. OK, now time 4 the dance
parties(are we writing a novel?).....



Item#2-"the paisley parties"

The first 2 nights we were allowed inside the back parking lot of paisley.
There were less then a 1,000 people there at the time so when we were let
inside we were allowed 2 flow freely between the sound stage room and the
love4oneanother room. By Friday, it became a problem as now more then 2,000
people were in attendance. Their was also a problem of counterfeit passes
being made as well. The fire department was there and only close 2 about 2oo
people were allowed in the love4oneanother room. U would have 2 wait outside
a gated area 4 a few hours or a few minutes if u just wanted 2 push thru when
they finally let the gate open. If u had 2 leave the love4oneanother room 2
use the restroom, u were not allowed back in and had 2 wait in line again.
The first night of the celebration, the footage from earlier in the day was
shown and a Dj was mixing tracks while all thought a Prince performance might
take place later in the night(this was fueled by Billy, the club owner in
"purple Rain" when asked if prince would perform, he replied" u won't be
disappointed"). A lil after 1 o'clock, Macy Gray took the stage. Their were
incredible sound problems with the Mic and feedback on macy's Mic most of the
night. By that time Prince was already there and working the soundboard. He
then sat up above on the side of the stage with his lady friend. During one
song the man could not help himself but to come up on stage and play the
keyboard 4 about 30 seconds which brought a roar the room. Later on, Macy
had the entire room sing happy birthday 2 Prince. The second night, Taja
Sevelle performed. I was looking very 4ward 2 her performance because her
last cd"toys of vanity" was absolutely amazing. Lack of promotion by Sony
made it a non-hit despite every song on their having crossover potential.
She rocked Paisley Park and was very well received. Almost everyone that I
had talked to, thought that she was much better then Macy Gray. outside the
event that night were copies of a 5 track sample of Taja's new cd and promo
photo's plus autographed promo photo's. u can order her cd at http://www.tajasevelle.com/
Taja Sevelle - Fire, hot new music from a
true pop diva . It includes her new remake of "good times" which is off
the hook. prince was seen at the soundboard the entire night .On the third
night, the funky baldheads along with TKO and BKS(best kept secret)
performed. They all played hard and people were listening with open ears
since most of the songs they played no one had heard b4. Later on in the
night, Prince was sitting atop the stairway above the dance floor and
watching people get their freak on. He seemed very in2 it as his lady friend
joined him and were whispering in each others ear(no small task in paisley
cuz prince loves loud bass). After a crowd participation by the bay area
purpleheadz of California 2 "u got the look", prince's lady friend could not
stand still any longer and just had 2 dance with us. Mostly dancing with
Bobby, the leader of a group called "the dream factory",in San Francisco
California, simply put, it made Bobby's night. the 4th night was a prince
cover band , "days of wild" who clocked in the longest performance of the
week so far, playing 4 close 2 3 hours. The lead singer had a high falsetto
u would not xpect from a man that big. Main highlight was "days of wild" and
"Gold". Prince was een around 3 in the morning shaking peoples hands round
the stage. The fifth night was Minneapolis's own mint condition. They
played with raw emotion and made the crowd very happy by playing all of their
mainstream hits. Prince made his way up 2 the stage several times but never
took it. It was obvious he wanted 2 but since their was such a long line of
people waiting outside 2 get in2 the love4oneanother room, he decided not 2
since it may have caused a small riot. The sixth night was just a dance
party with no performers as Prince took all of the equipment and was already
rehearsing at the Northrop center. While waiting outside paisley it began 2
rain and people were standing out their 4 a lil while until the doors opened.
The rain stopped bout 45 minutes before 9, leaving a very beautiful rainbow
directly over paisley Park. Prince was very friendly thoughout each night.
While being escorted by his security guards, if someone yelled or tried
talking to him, he would say hello and thank u them depending on their
comment, without looking at them most of the time . His Mom attended one of
the last nights but his father was no where in sight. every night Larry
Graham and his wife were their as well as npg members. the parties would
last from entry(9:30) until about 4-430 in the morning, except 4 the first
night which ended after 2. They would play different video footage each night
depending on what night it was. Sunday night, he played the new tracks
"splash" "cybersingle" "peace" and the unreleased long version of "kiss"plus
a new jam called"why should i do that when i can do this?"which was all
leading up 2.....



Item#3-"Prince in concert with special guests"

In Minnesota, the man is ridiculed, they could give a damn about him, made
fun of in the press almost every day we were there. There r some that know
he is a brilliant musician but the fact of the matter is, they see him as a
rude neighbor. Well, the neighbor invited the already attending v.i.p.
"Purpleheadz" and 3,000 other neighbors in2 the Northrop auditorium. Around
9 o'clock, Prince a celebration and purple medley footage was shown. Right
after, 1 by 1 each npg member took the stage. Morris, then Kirk, then
hornheadz, then Larry Graham. Morris started 2 play the boards, preferably a
long note with each one, then coming from the back came Prince, acknowledging
the crowd and with his hands 2gether bowing. And with one touch of his
keyboard, which was on it's own platform, it was on. The begging of "Anna
Stesia" was played on the crowd cheered even louder, not believing he was
goin 2 do this song. He performed it fully and got the crowd 2 chant the
"Love IS God, God is Love, girls and boys love God above". He seemed very
much at peace and wanting 2 break out and party. He then rolled in2 "the
greatest romance ever sold" after the first verse he changed it in2 "the
greatest" which was a tribute 2 God and incorporated words from "4 the tears
in u're eyes". He told the crowd they were going 2 get it all. Picking up his
cloud guitar, he then leaned in2 what looked like a song book with the symbol
on it and started flipping the pages franticly. Kinda disturbed by it, I was
wondering if he is 4getting certain songs. He then ripped in2 "Uptown" and
again the crowd went nuts. He did 4get some of the lyrics but was smiling so
much u just did not care. It was a brilliant performance and from then on he
just kicked off. Tearing in2 "lets work/Delirious" the party was rolling.
He then slowed it down 4 a not so special version of "purple rain" but always
very appreciative 2 hear. He still plays it like it's new. he then called
out Dr. Fink in the audience and the spotlight was put on him. referring 2
the comments put recently on Prince.org about Dr. Fink not aging well. Prince
said "when people try 2 put u down, u know what u say 2 him DR.?" u then
heard looped the begging of "prettyman" cry out, "don't hate me cuz I'm
Beautiful". Dr. Fink was laughing hysterically and was dressed in full scrubs
as well. Prince changed the lyrics 2 incorporate Elton John in2 it and had
the band stop playing so he could sing the line " i walk by the mirror n kiss
it twice" 3 times!!!! He was having fun and was showing just how playful he
can be. He then left the stage and changed outfits. During the first set
people were claiming he was not wearing any shoes only socks. I coulda sworn
i saw white heels. He appeared in a gold mesh outfit with npg written on it.
The entire outfit looked 2 be made of cashmere. He jammed and xclaimed, "u
r getting it all 2night, 4get curfew" he then called Q-tip out and Q-tip
jammed on 2 of his hit songs including "Vivrant thing". During Q-tip's
performance, Kirk Johnson's daughter and what looked 2 be Q-tip's son got on
stage n were groovin. it brought a tremendous smile 2 Prince's face and q-tip
thought it was cool as well. Doug E fresh then came out and did his thing.
Doug looked like he was in better shape then the new power soul concert digs
and was very well received by the crowd having them chant N.P.G. prince then
went in2 come on and went from 1st verse 2 3rd, so after doing one line from
the 3rd verse, he ordered a dance contest on stage, he then proceeded in2 the
2nd verse of the song and took 4ever 2 get in2 the 3rd verse. He was
impressed with this white man's funky dance on stage and asked him where he
was from replying "chicago" (i hope that was it), the Chicago nation went crazy. the one intro was played but instead Prince playe d an instrumental
version of the "Question of U". He then talked about some well known rapper
who was telling him yo G, u got 2 make more commercial sounds. as Prince
would reply over n over "why should i do that, when i can do this" he then
invited women up 2 the stage and went in2 "when u were mine". while playing
"days of wild" a chant in the crowd of play that mfing bass" made prince stop
and tell the crowd, no more cursing throw the wild sign high. He then said
"he has an army of people. u r my army. u got my back. And in order 2 be in
my army, u have 2 have Kirk's back and Larry's back. Kirk Johnson has
improved very much since the last tour, still not Michael b., he will never
be, but Kirk improved 200 percent. Larry looked like he was having a good
time and sorta reminiscing and he had reason 2 as we will explain later. B4
bringing Angie Stone out, he went to the right hand side of the stage and
said " i have a present 4 u" he bent down and took off his gold anklet, sorta
twirling it like he did 2 appolonia's in purple rain. He continued," if I
give u this, u have 2 make me a promise. U can no longer celebrate birthdays.
U celebrate when u r born. That is the only way u can stay young. Look at
me" the then touched both sides of his cheeks and smiled. "do u promise? No
more birthdays? OK." he then thru the anklet 2 the right hand of the stage 2
some lucky girl. Angie Stone came on n Prince seemed pleased as punch. When
she xited the stage, Prince called her back 2 do an impromptu version of
aretha Franklin's "dr. feelgood", which he used 2 do with rosie, who was not
there. He then sat back behind the keyboard console n said "my dad always
told me, always play a ballad when someone rocks the house. I made that
mistake playing "come on" after Q-tip. I will not make that mistake again"
he then played "nothing compares 2 u "being joined by a member of the gospel
group God's voices. After doing the "take me with u/raspberry beret" medley,
he talked about one of the members of God's voices wanting 2 wear a silver
suit. Prince said" sorry man, their is no way u r upstaging me" which brought
a laugh from the crowd. He played a few instrumentals and then said"while me
and Angie were jammin here yesterday she just started sayin we were funky 4
no reason. I told her I thought was so cool. I told her Angie, that is the
title of u're next album n i want a royalty check 4 it." He brought here
back out 2 do the funky 4 no reason chant. He then started talking bout how
Larry turned down playing with jimi Hendrix and thought he must be crazy cuz
he would be pissed. stating that Larry would play with no one else but sly
n family stone. that kicked off the jam with Larry doin it and then later
went in2 "everyday people " with prince chanting "freaks on this side" prince then said "thank u good night". A great girl named allison(hope it is
spelled right)came running to me, and said "did he just say good night?" i
told her it is diva time, cheer loud n he will be back. Diva time lasted bout
10 minutes with several different cheers and much enthusiasm. Morris and
Kirk came backand "the one" was played, but prince had different ideas.
Coming out in a silver suit (like the one from god's voices wanted 2 wear.
Seemingly out of nowhere he went in2 "man o'war" and right after the second
chorus he flipped it again. He then went in2 "adore" which made the crowd
cheer even louder. Doing the full version(1st time ever 4 this song)even
guys turned 2 Jell-O at him performing this and started 2 cry.With each verse
until he put more and more emotion in2 it and had the crowd plain and simple
coming everywhere. Girls were holding their chest thinking it was just 4
them. He showed everyone again and again why there is no one better then him
when it comes 2 live shows. He then started jammin and called out browmark n
challenged him 2 keep up. Browmark, still looking great, played Larry's bass
like it was 1986 all over again, without missing a note. Then came Dr. Fink
who had 2 be told by Morris which keys 2 play since the keyboards were
different models then the ones fink used 2 use. Prince kept making remarks
about how shapely both of theme were. Stating that Dr. Fink looked like he did on the art of "around the world in a day". He then called Bobby Z out 4
drums and then was saying where do we live where do we live. sorta talking
like he did in prettyman where he mentioned Tokyo and Germany being in the
house n said London was kinda messy in paisley. Then they ripped in2
"America" like they did not miss a beat. Dr. Fink doing his lil looks over
the keyboard and brownmark was jammin.....very quickly Bobby z was replaced
because when prince called out 4 a kick drum he missed the cue. he then did
several instrumentals n replaced the revolution members and started his funky
4 no reason chant. playing kiss he kept saying thank u goodnight over n over
again. he did play kiss n while doing gett off kirky's daughter made her way
on stage with the 2 other dancers, who were not mentioned at all in this
article because they really bring nothing new 2 the
table...yet.....following more instrumentals he then ended it with
everyone back on stage first calling q-tip by saying he needs his ears
cleaned. they ended it with push it up with dougies rap in full check. it
was now 12:45 n everyone was in a deep sweat n racing 2 get out 2 try n get 2
a special paisley party which was only attended by people on the guest list
and was a dance party with q-tip and Mr. fresh. Footage was played at the
afterparty of the show earlier in the night and was shown on local morning
shows in Minneapolis.



item#3-"live concert cd promised"

The next day on npgonline, they said they might release a limited edition
live cd of the concert the night b4. But how long will we wait? the rave
concert video and dvd has yet 2 be released;"rave un2 the year 2ooo" in the
states and it has been almost 7 months. The video should have been released
in January or February. Prince likes 2 test the site 2 see what people think
of the idea. But it comes off 2 us like it will be released. And that
upsets people. he does not owe us a thing. But when u start bringing up
things that people want, it is sorta like being teased.



"Beautiful Strange"

it was great meeting people from all over the world; Germany, France, Canada,
Norway, Tokyo, Ohio, Chicago, Washington, NY, La., Colorado, and all the rest
of y'll...it was nice 2 see "purpleheadz" all there 4 the same reason. I
doubt this will be yearly so I will enjoy this experience and 4ever regret
not talking to that girl who was staring me down all week. =) Much luv 2 the
prince.org click that was there and 2 all the members of the n.p.g. and the
paisley park staff, including the security guards, who i understand were not
nice, but would u really want someone nice as a bodyguard? just next time
hire someone else 4 crowd control.
A regular update will follow soon.....hope u enjoyed the novel.....much
luv.....J7



p.s. larry is out of the band, just cuz he can not keep up at the hours of
Prince. Brwonamrk may step in2 replace him. more in next update.