Guys. Does anyone have the skinny on the Cafe de Paris (UK) performance? I'm thinking that it was a small venue concert in promotion of the New Power Soul album, no?

On other boards, I see people referencing that concert a lot, as if there's something really special about it. Supposedly people from US flew to UK just to go to it.

What gives?

Hey Alta - Yeah, that was the NPS tour... He did Wembley on the Wednesday, Cafe De Paris on the Thurs and Brixton Academy on the Friday.

I don't have the goss on it, and didn't know the gig happened until long after Prince had left the country, so not sure if it was an industry 'do' or what...

The show was broadcasted on Channel 4 a couple of years or so as part of an evening dedicated to Prince. As far as aftershow performances go, it's rather good if lacking in the exciting energy of the aftershow gigs of the '80s. Personal highlights of the show include a sensual slow jam with Prince soloing on guitar before being joined on stage by Chaka Khan for a rendition of 'Sweet Thing' and a rousing performance of 'Mad' where Prince takes of his top and jumps into the crowd a couple of times.

It was an invite only gig for fans and VIPs

All attendees on the ground floor were people that had successfully purchased the limited tickets by phone after receiving a letter inviting them to purchase tickets a couple of days before.

The names and addresses were supplied by a combination of subscribers to Interactive Magazine, The Truth Magazine, and my own database of Prince fans in the UK (mainly made up from people on the ooooold Interactive mailing list).

The concert aired on TV was a highly edited version of the gig on the night which included such highlights as "Days of Wild" with three bass players.

Gav said:

Did you go Gav?

JDINTERACTIVE said:

Yep

As I supplied the names and addresses, I got freebies

Not everyone who got an invite got the chance to get a ticket because of greedy fans who got tickets for their friends who didn't get an invite.

Not that I'm bitter you understand

Although Cafe de Paris sounds like a small place, it actually seems quite a big venue (never been there myself but bands often play there). So it wasn't a proper 'impromptu' aftershow. The edited show was available for sale from the NPG website (not sure if it still is) including an interview with Mel B. of the Spice Girls.

NouveauDance said:

Folks who got a letter were allowed one guest maximum. I took my brother and his missues stayed at home! I didn't tell my brother what we were going to. He was a Prince fan before me. It was good but the after show gig in London in 2002 at the Marquee was better IMHO, even though cafe de Paris was 3x as long.

i filmed my video in cafe de paris
back then the VIP room had a jacuzzi...now they got beds ;lol:

good show.
[Edited 1/30/05 13:11pm]

COMON said:

Trust me, there was some jiggery-pokery going on from over-zealous fans, I wasn't the only one who got an invite that couldn't get a ticket (even though it was supposed to even out exactly - invite+1 guest = number of tickets allocated).

If I remember correctly (which would be a marvel), but there was some sort of password? All people had to do was say the right password, and they could get their 2 tickets.

The VHS of the concert was sold through Prince's website, so of course the CD boots sound excellent. There was a weird interview with P on the tape by Mel B(Spice Girls) as well.


CAFE DE PARIS, LONDON

28th AUGUST 1998

1.BEAUTIFUL STRANGE (INTRO)

2.PUSH IT UP

3.JAM OF THE YEAR

4.TALKIN' LOUD AND SAYIN' NOTHING

5.INSTRUMENTAL

6.SWEET THING

7.BABY I LOVE U (Including I'LL NEVER BE ANOTHER FOOL)

8.DON'T TALK 2 STRANGERS

9.FREE

10.PARTY TIME - COME ON

11.MAD

squirrelgrease said:

It's a shame that Prince used it largely as a promotion for Chaka Khan and Larry Graham (well unless you are big fans!) tracks 4 to 8 being largely them. Plus the truly terrible singing of Doug E. Fresh on Party Time. So really the only Prince performance's are the 2 + 3 which are practically one song joined, the tiny bit of guitar improv on 5 and bits of 9 - 11. Mad is great though - so cool that he performed a then unreleased track and one which is still rare - how many artists rehearse and perform songs that are never gonna even be released on any album?!

metalorange said:

Agreed. If the entire performance was released, we'd all be screaming for this to be on DVD as well. Mad is a wonderful song. Why he leaves out head bobbing, percussive heavy songs like this is beyond me.


.
[Edited 1/30/05 16:38pm]

metalorange said:

The version of Mad on the video contains over-dubs of an extra keyboard part that wasn't played at the show.

NouveauDance said:

We tried to get the promoters to use the list of names and addresses but they refused saying it was too complex. The only option to use was the password system.

Unfortunately some selfish "fans" took it upon themselves to tell half of their friends and family both the phone number and password.

There was also a certain unscrupulous bugger that's well known to most UK fans who was selling the tickets for phenomenal prices on the night

msserendipity said:

That statement is sooooo open to abuse

metalorange said:

Not quite sure what u mean there. Bands often play at the Astoria and Camden Palace where P has also done 'proper' afterwhows. I've been to all 3 venues and the Cafe isn't especially big. It is a club.

Memories coming back now!

Show was ok, not a patch of most of the other london aftershows.

Problem is, like most of Prince's "secret" shows, the arrangements were a complete mess and left a bad feeling for a lot of loyal fans who couldn't get in. I had several friends who couldn't get tickets, even though they had the invite.

As Gav says, the whole password thing was abused. A Large amount of Prince fans cannot be trusted, they are too self centred!

Anyone remember the chaos at the first London ONA show soundcheck as well!? For me, that was the worst cock up of the lot. The management needed firing, and a large portion of "fans" were a disgrace.

Then there was the guest or no guest Marquee show problem.....

Or the "Dawn" ticket and venue conditions.....

Oh Prince, you need a manager!

.

that video was chock filled of Jive assery. it was dark,shitey, looked like badly shot Bootleg by this cat named Kevin from New york LOL

vivid said:

I just meant, it looks big in the video - kinda like a theatre rather than a club! Aftershows are usually small intimate events. But you've been there and I haven't, so I bow to your opinion. I never heard of the Cafe before Prince played there, but I have heard the name a few times since in regards to bands playing and celebrity events, although of course it is not specifically a music venue like those other places.

i was there, front row in front of the mic stand, it was almost like a private show. prince stagedived on me 3 times and i got squashed. the whole show was an hour and 50 mins, but they cut an hour out. outside larry and jerry martini and cynthia robertson were chatting 2 us fans whilst prince soundchecked, and chaka made an appearance, altho this was during her coke period. the manager of the venue was a nice guy, he said prince could play as long as he wanted with no curfew, so its a shame he didnt jam all nite

the venue was so small, they had 2 use the staircase as a stage, with kirky j upstairs, using a mirror 2 c what was going on beneath him

the last couple of songs on the vhs/tv broadcast were in reverse order.

there were only 125 pairs of tickets available 4 fans 4 the show, with guest celebs up in the balcony, including irvine welsh. the guy taking the ticket details over the phone was actually a record company executive and that was his personal direct line 2 his office

unique said:

squashed? by prince???

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

yeah, he took a running jump at me 3 times and slammed right in2 me as i was right in front of him

unique said:

The manager is a friend of mine - unfortunately I couldn't get off work to attend!! (He told me that no-one was allowed eye contact with P, and he had to address his questions through one of P's aides - like an interpreter without the language barrier! Surreal.)