The thread about Prince's 90's music got me all nostalgic for the legendary late night Paisley Park jams/concerts of the mid to late 90's.

I remember that Prince, unlike today, was sort of the mainstream radar and going to those shows/parties it was like being privy to the most talented indie/underground act ever.

Prince, or , was pissed at WB and very cocky, and funny at the same time. At those shows I have fond memories of seeing Prince at home, and as a real person. I also have fond memories of meeting many members of the NPG, Larry Graham, and his towel swinging wife.

Looking back it was a fun, yet silly, time. One time me and a bunch of my friends went to Paisley Park hoping/waiting to see Prince play. They set up the instruments. The dj spun tunes, and Austin Powers played on the wall w/o sound. After Austin Powers was over, the dj stopped playing music, the lights came on, and it was time to go home. 3AM and no show. Sad at the time, but funny now.

As cool as it is to see Prince back in the mainstream media again, part of me misses MPLS having him all to ourselves every weekend (for $7 more or less). I imagine it is a bit what Prince fans experienced around '83 and '84 when the rest of the world found out about him.

Anyone else care to reminisce about those late night Paisley Park "experiences"?

[Edited 7/6/10 20:01pm]

I hear you. Miss those days too. Summer of 2005 everyone thought he was washed up, little did they know he was rocking out at Paisley with some of the best music (Gold Experience) of his career. Crowds were thin...ok there were no crowds a few hundred people is all, you could park right in his parking lot because the word didn't get out as fast (internet has come along way), his band was funky and tight and fun, Mayte was forever beautiful, we chanted play that motherfuc%en base and his royal badness tore it up. True days of Wild!

I was there last October which was fantastic, I think he's only getting better as a musician but as you said it didn't have that indie/underground vibe it had before and thousands of people turned up. Time changes, He's in the Hall of fame, played the Grammys, played the SuperBowl, Icon, legend, Major A lister, which I was hoping he would return to, but be careful what you wish for. 95 the Legend was truly viewed in many eyes as face down on the washed up singers list.

97 he moved his stage to the smaller "club felt" room, one night I was chatting on the side next to the sound board with a very attractive girl who was in town recording some stuff with Prince and we're chatting a little of what he is like to record with while watching prince jam out in front of maybe 300 people at 3 in the morning in his freaking studio for basically free. Once in a while he would run over next to us to tweak the sound on the soundboard. Back then it was like... yeah this is pretty cool...looking at it today...Wow!

I mean summer of 1995.

Oh how I miss those days. For a stretch, I would start looking forward to Friday nights...on Monday morning. It was a time when I could unwind and just get immersed in the music. It was not a show...it was not a production...it was a room full of music...incredible music. Some of it rehersed, some of it exploratory.

I remember one night getting invited to one of his small studios and getting to watch him and his band jam...there were maybe 30 of us back there...as you have said - looking back on that now...wow.

I would love it if he would do that again...even if it's just a few times a year.

I count the days...

the time i spent there that sept 95 and saw i think 4 shows was my favorite prince experience