If I haven't mentioned it before, the NPGMC Premium Membership has it's benefits!



My sister and I arrive to find a short line whereby at 6pm, one of Prince's security staff brings out "the list" of members and we walk in through a backstage entrance. The usher takes us around the back of the stage to the front where Prince and the NPG are rehearsing songs for tonight's aftershow at the Fillmore. Prince is at his most intimate.



The usher leads us to seats on the side of the stage and Prince jokingly introduces us as his cousins. A partial setlist of the aftershow will include Daisy Chain, Alphabet ST, Paisley Park, and Joy in Repetition (he hadn't done Joy In Repetition is so long that he needed to use his lyric book, to which he also joked about). Prince asked a fan to see her ticket and eventually says that we can take our actual seats. Everyone grabs seats in front of the stage. Eventually, Mike Scott, Rosie Gaines (who was sitting in the back of the Arena all this time), and Millenia join him onstage.



After the soundcheck/rehersal was winding down, Prince sits on the edge of the stage and holds an impromptu press conference where we get to ask all of the questions! He accepted gifts from us and was very cordial and said to simply shout out your questions. He must have answered about 50-75 questions on anything and everything. Someone asked if there was a favorite city on this leg of the tour and he mention that Salt Lake City was off the hook. My sister asked if he was going to release his concert footage on VHS and DVD to which he stated that he will and is now compiling a database of them. I asked what the name of the new album is and he said that there are 3 albums but didn't mention any specific names or titles. If anyone who was there can remember other questions and answers, please post them in a response as Prince answered most all of the questions Prince.org members have been asking for months.



I also happen to ask Prince if I can play too and he actually nods and says yes! So I walk right up on stage with him, pick up the leopard guitar and strum a note or two. I made like I couldn't get sound out of it so Prince's guitar engineer hands me Prince's personal blue Cloud guitar! I admire it for a moment and strap it on. Mind you, at this time Prince and I are the only people on stage as he was still answering questions. I didn't want to be rude and drown him out so I turned down the volume and broke into a very nervous rendition of Purple Rain. Once Prince recognized the song he stops and looks back at me for a moment and then jokingly addresses the crowd, "ok, he just needs to get this out. I'll wait until he's done". Realizing that I was diverting attention, I stopped and handed the guitar back and got another front row seat to the "interview".



All in all a beautiful night.



BTW, the cloud guitars were still $1000 but they sell out at every concert. They brought 20 to a past show and in Oakland only brought 8 guitars. I bought the only white cloud that they offered and the others were all blue. Perfect replica. At the Celebration, I picked up his Cloud and Habibi and I think the frets where gold which is the only difference.