The Beautiful Experience was very special. I was right up front. But being at my first after show in Chicago for the Act ! tour was mind blowing! One of the limo drivers got me and five others in for free!!!

Defintily 1987 Sign O' the times tour Antwerp Belgium, second best Paris august 1988 in the Zénith

oops , I meant Paris 1998

1)Lovesexy 1988-Loved the show, music, stage, lights.

2)ONA this is a close second. The pre-performance answer and questions session with Prince, followed by a 45 min jam warm up--loved it! 3 hour concert. Followed by an after party.

Musicology in Philadelphia, PA was FANTASTIC! I went to back-to-back-to-back shows! Amazing! Each show was more special than the next. Even Morris Day and the time make a special appearance during the 3rd and final night.

Also, Prince in Philadelphia in 1999. (Might have been 2000. Not sure.)

It was at the Academy of Music downtown. I was in row 2, but when Prince came on, everyone rushed the stage, and I wound up front row, with my arms draped on the stage the whole show.

Yes, I grabbed Prince's leg during the show. I'm a guy. I'm not ashamed. I also caught a symbol guitar pic that popped out of his fingers while he was playing.

Great shows!

squirrelgrease said:

For me...

June 24, 2002 Xenophobia Celebration - Night 4

Holy shit... an acoustic set. I couldn't believe my eyes and ears. Sure, he played Empty Room later in the week, but this show stands out for me.

	Don't Play Me
	Whole Lotta Love [Led Zeppelin]
	7
	Tangerine
	A Case Of U [Joni Mitchell]
	Pink Cashmere
	One Kiss At A Time
	Alphabet St.
	Girls & Boys
	(Sometimes I Feel Like A) Motherless Child
	The Truth
	Guitar Playin' Man Jam
	The Other Side Of The Pillow
	She Loves Me 4 Me
	Peach
	It Ain't Over
	Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do
	Forever In My Life
	Last December
	Asswoop
	Strollin'
	Take The A Train [Billy Strayhorn]
	How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore
	Diamonds And Pearls
	The Beautiful Ones
	Free
	Starfish And Coffee
	Sometimes It Snows In April
	Eye Love U, But Eye Don't Trust U Anymore
	Jazz Jam
	Prince & The Band
	Xenophobia

i've seen prince too many times to count, i've seen him front row at huge gigs, front row at the tiniest of gigs, i've seen him rehearse, i've seen him soundcheck, main shows, aftershows, been onstage at shows, even at paisley, been in the studio with him at paisley, i've seen and heard pretty much every show he's ever done in his life, but when you have to boil it all right down, out of every gig he's ever done, there are a lot of great great shows, but there are a few that just stand out, and the accoustic night at paisley, his only ever accoustic show, ever, is right up there with the best of them. it's probably the best show he's ever done. you've all seen the infamous 3rd august 1983 first avenue show where he debuted purple rain to an unsuspecting crowd, well if that was the best gig, then the accoustic night at the celly was the second best gig, and thus the best gig i ever went to. starting off the show we had norah jones playing pretty much her first cd live, completely chilled out, before she was a star, she was impressing a bunch of people who didn't know who she was with a fantastic set, unbeknownst to her as a warm up for such an amazing night

it's was so fucking hot that week, and that night they laid out chairs for people to chill out on. out comes prince on his own, no band, just his accoustic guitar, and played the mtv unplugged set we'd been waiting on for years, but without tv cameras, and without 25 people standing behind him with bongos and forming a choir to back the sound. this is what unplugged should have been like, but instead of being in a tv studio filled with execs and competition winners, prince was surrounded by his most hardcore fans. he did a celly before, so most fans got the first chance to visit paisley then, the second time around didn't have quite the same level of excitment, it was way more laid back, it was far better than the first

the thing is, as squirrelgrease points out, ever night was amazing. one night was a rock night, where he did not only his rock numbers, but other tracks we knew in a rock and blues style. if the accoustic show was the best night, the rock night was the second best. and then the following night the AC broke down, sheila e played an instead of the planned piano solo night we got a laid back jazzy jam session before being taken to the movies, whilst wearing out pyjamas as it was pyjama party night

he can play empty room, get us onstage, have a karoeke session, hand me the mic, pull me onstage (and i mean pull in the literal sense, physically pull me onstage), play piano whilst i'm in the studio with him, rehearse tracks in front of me that he's never once played on stage to date, but just prince and the guitar in front of you with no band, no show either, just songs, prince and a guitar without the show, it was fucking amazing. what people saw during the ONA and musicology tours was nothing compared 2 that nite

Genesia said:

3121 aftershow...Friday, February 9, 2007. (Actually, it was Saturday morning when he played.) Two hours...in a room of 50 people...front row...barely five feet away from the man (close enough to have picked his pocket or pinched his ass)...with Sheila E for the second half.

One of my favorites was the 3121 After Show on Fri, Dec 8, 2006 (really Saturday a.m) not only was the after show off the hook but, my wife and I met Prince and said a few words. On his way out he almost ran into her walking fast in front of one of his bodyguards and she turned around and she was close enough to kiss him. Ahem !!!

I was blessed enough that year to have seen P at 3121 Las Vegas two times within six months. My second favorite show, and it's up there, the Paisley Park Show in Oct. 2009, great show, stripped down and it was the first time I was able to go 'in' Paisley Park. That was a rare gift. I hope and pray P does that again ...

[img:$uid]http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/113.gif[/img:$uid]

DaddySmooth said:

The Beautiful Experience was very special. I was right up front. But being at my first after show in Chicago for the Act ! tour was mind blowing! One of the limo drivers got me and five others in for free!!!

Do I know you??? I was at both of these shows as well. When I saw the film the Beautiful Experience and saw myself dancing in the front row I was like... The first time he did Interactive, Days of Wild, Now, Shhh,...amazing night. I got a drum stick from Michael B too. Having the opportunity to roam Paisley Park was cool as hell too. I also went to the 2 first main shows in Chicago for ACT I and the aftershow as well on the 2nd night. Remember him having someone bring out his purple notebook with the lyrics for Papa? 3 shows in 24 hours...ahhh those were the days!

unique said:

squirrelgrease said:

For me...

June 24, 2002 Xenophobia Celebration - Night 4

Holy shit... an acoustic set. I couldn't believe my eyes and ears. Sure, he played Empty Room later in the week, but this show stands out for me.

	Don't Play Me
	Whole Lotta Love [Led Zeppelin]
	7
	Tangerine
	A Case Of U [Joni Mitchell]
	Pink Cashmere
	One Kiss At A Time
	Alphabet St.
	Girls & Boys
	(Sometimes I Feel Like A) Motherless Child
	The Truth
	Guitar Playin' Man Jam
	The Other Side Of The Pillow
	She Loves Me 4 Me
	Peach
	It Ain't Over
	Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do
	Forever In My Life
	Last December
	Asswoop
	Strollin'
	Take The A Train [Billy Strayhorn]
	How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore
	Diamonds And Pearls
	The Beautiful Ones
	Free
	Starfish And Coffee
	Sometimes It Snows In April
	Eye Love U, But Eye Don't Trust U Anymore
	Jazz Jam
	Prince & The Band
	Xenophobia

i've seen prince too many times to count, i've seen him front row at huge gigs, front row at the tiniest of gigs, i've seen him rehearse, i've seen him soundcheck, main shows, aftershows, been onstage at shows, even at paisley, been in the studio with him at paisley, i've seen and heard pretty much every show he's ever done in his life, but when you have to boil it all right down, out of every gig he's ever done, there are a lot of great great shows, but there are a few that just stand out, and the accoustic night at paisley, his only ever accoustic show, ever, is right up there with the best of them. it's probably the best show he's ever done. you've all seen the infamous 3rd august 1983 first avenue show where he debuted purple rain to an unsuspecting crowd, well if that was the best gig, then the accoustic night at the celly was the second best gig, and thus the best gig i ever went to. starting off the show we had norah jones playing pretty much her first cd live, completely chilled out, before she was a star, she was impressing a bunch of people who didn't know who she was with a fantastic set, unbeknownst to her as a warm up for such an amazing night

it's was so fucking hot that week, and that night they laid out chairs for people to chill out on. out comes prince on his own, no band, just his accoustic guitar, and played the mtv unplugged set we'd been waiting on for years, but without tv cameras, and without 25 people standing behind him with bongos and forming a choir to back the sound. this is what unplugged should have been like, but instead of being in a tv studio filled with execs and competition winners, prince was surrounded by his most hardcore fans. he did a celly before, so most fans got the first chance to visit paisley then, the second time around didn't have quite the same level of excitment, it was way more laid back, it was far better than the first

the thing is, as squirrelgrease points out, ever night was amazing. one night was a rock night, where he did not only his rock numbers, but other tracks we knew in a rock and blues style. if the accoustic show was the best night, the rock night was the second best. and then the following night the AC broke down, sheila e played an instead of the planned piano solo night we got a laid back jazzy jam session before being taken to the movies, whilst wearing out pyjamas as it was pyjama party night

he can play empty room, get us onstage, have a karoeke session, hand me the mic, pull me onstage (and i mean pull in the literal sense, physically pull me onstage), play piano whilst i'm in the studio with him, rehearse tracks in front of me that he's never once played on stage to date, but just prince and the guitar in front of you with no band, no show either, just songs, prince and a guitar without the show, it was fucking amazing. what people saw during the ONA and musicology tours was nothing compared 2 that nite

I was there too every night, and many of those nights were amazing. Prince walking right by me (and just me at that point) with no one else around him was kind of cool too. That was during the Wooten set.

squirrelgrease said:

For me...

June 21, 2002 Xenophobia Celebration - Night 1

Expectations were high and Prince and Company brought the goods. Say what you will about The Rainbow Children material - when performed live, those songs took on a whole different vibe. For me, the incredible band interaction and musicianship brought Prince's game to new heights.

	Rainbow Children
	Muse 2 The Pharaoh
	Xenophobia
	A Case Of U [Joni Mitchell]
	Mellow
	1+1+1=3
	Love Rollercoaster [Ohio Players]
	The Ride
	Alphabet St.
	The Other Side Of The Pillow
	Strange Relationship
	Sing A Simple Song [Sly & The Family Stone]
	La, La, La Means I Love U
	Didn't Cha Know
	When You Were Mine
	Avalanche
	Family Name
	Take Me With U
	Raspberry Beret
	The Everlasting Now
	Joy In Repetition
	Prince & The Band June 24, 2002 Xenophobia Celebration - Night 4

Holy shit... an acoustic set. I couldn't believe my eyes and ears. Sure, he played Empty Room later in the week, but this show stands out for me.

	Don't Play Me
	Whole Lotta Love [Led Zeppelin]
	7
	Tangerine
	A Case Of U [Joni Mitchell]
	Pink Cashmere
	One Kiss At A Time
	Alphabet St.
	Girls & Boys
	(Sometimes I Feel Like A) Motherless Child
	The Truth
	Guitar Playin' Man Jam
	The Other Side Of The Pillow
	She Loves Me 4 Me
	Peach
	It Ain't Over
	Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do
	Forever In My Life
	Last December
	Asswoop
	Strollin'
	Take The A Train [Billy Strayhorn]
	How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore
	Diamonds And Pearls
	The Beautiful Ones
	Free
	Starfish And Coffee
	Sometimes It Snows In April
	Eye Love U, But Eye Don't Trust U Anymore
	Jazz Jam
	Prince & The Band
	Xenophobia

	September 6, 1999 - Mill City Music Festival The setlist may not look great on paper, or even sound that exciting on bootleg audio, but it was a fantastic experience. It was an outdoor show downtown and the weather was beautiful under the night sky. We just came from a performance by The Time a couple blocks away, so we were primed for more Minneapolis Sound. Prince was in a great mood and we heard songs that were fairly new to his catalog being played live - very cool. The crowd was mellow and appreciative. Sometimes it's all the little things that make the best memories. I still wear my Mill City t-shirt all the time. The One
	Sign 'O' The Times
	I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
	Summertime
	The Christ
	Let's Go Crazy
	She's Always In My Hair
	U Got The Look
	Pop Life
	Kiss
	Gett Off
	Come And Dance With Me
	Gett Off (Housestyle)
	I Like Funky Music
	Talkin' Loud And Sayin' Nothing
	Let's Work
	Delirious
	Everyday Is A Winding Road
	Funky Love
	Motherless Child
	Prettyman
	Purple Rain
	Come On
	Baby I'm A Star
	1999

Motherless Child OMG

I´m jealous

ufoclub said:

I was there too every night, and many of those nights were amazing. Prince walking right by me (and just me at that point) with no one else around him was kind of cool too. That was during the Wooten set.

he used to creep up and just stand behind or beside people who were watching the other bands and see how long it would take for them to realise he was standing next to them. when i was watching erykah badu i turned round and prince was standing next 2 me but i just turned back round and watched the show. a few minutes later i turned round again and he was still there, as if he was waiting on a reaction before moving. i ended up in the studio with him that night after he fell out with erykah for saying "shit" on stage. i met erykah after the show too

having seen around 35 shows it's a close call between :

1) 20ten in Vienna, great performance with a really great Sheila E and an absolutely amazing setlist.(only pity was teh omission of Forever In My Life which would have made this an absolute standout show) The inclusion of the little child (elisa's daughter??) and the natural and relaxed behaviour of Prince made for a really nice performance. Also his thanking the crowd somehow came over as genuine instead of generic

2) ONA in Oberhause, including the soundcheck with the silly jokes (Ausfahrt anyone?) and the nice crowd interaction and even his discussion with fans about teh steep prices for the Rotterdam and Paris aftershows. Performance was also great, as any ONA show was

eelco said:

having seen around 35 shows it's a close call between :

1) 20ten in Vienna, great performance with a really great Sheila E and an absolutely amazing setlist.(only pity was teh omission of Forever In My Life which would have made this an absolute standout show) The inclusion of the little child (elisa's daughter??) and the natural and relaxed behaviour of Prince made for a really nice performance. Also his thanking the crowd somehow came over as genuine instead of generic

2) ONA in Oberhause, including the soundcheck with the silly jokes (Ausfahrt anyone?) and the nice crowd interaction and even his discussion with fans about teh steep prices for the Rotterdam and Paris aftershows. Performance was also great, as any ONA show was

I am very sure she was just in the audience and Sheila picked her to come on stage. After the concert I saw here leave the area where the photographers usually are and she was looking around in the audience as if she was looking for her parents.

I agree about the thanking of the crowd .

unique said:

ufoclub said:

I was there too every night, and many of those nights were amazing. Prince walking right by me (and just me at that point) with no one else around him was kind of cool too. That was during the Wooten set.

he used to creep up and just stand behind or beside people who were watching the other bands and see how long it would take for them to realise he was standing next to them. when i was watching erykah badu i turned round and prince was standing next 2 me but i just turned back round and watched the show. a few minutes later i turned round again and he was still there, as if he was waiting on a reaction before moving. i ended up in the studio with him that night after he fell out with erykah for saying "shit" on stage. i met erykah after the show too

did you get a chance to talk to him unique?....i was at the 2001 celebration when i was next to him a few times.....had to listen to larry graham preaching for almost 3 hours while prince floated around after listening to the rainbow children with a group of fans in paisley park.....i admit i was dumbstruck when he was next to me.....someone who has made such a big impact on my life suddenly standing right next to you was a lot to take in....i managed a hello and he said hi back but thats all i managed....i would have bored him silly with a torrent of questions so its probably just as well.....

I am not sure. Maybe my first nightclub show ever that I saw the day before my second Prince concert when I was right in front of his mike, less than half a meter away from him . But it's hard to decide.

unique said:

squirrelgrease said:

For me...

June 24, 2002 Xenophobia Celebration - Night 4

Holy shit... an acoustic set. I couldn't believe my eyes and ears. Sure, he played Empty Room later in the week, but this show stands out for me.

	Don't Play Me
	Whole Lotta Love [Led Zeppelin]
	7
	Tangerine
	A Case Of U [Joni Mitchell]
	Pink Cashmere
	One Kiss At A Time
	Alphabet St.
	Girls & Boys
	(Sometimes I Feel Like A) Motherless Child
	The Truth
	Guitar Playin' Man Jam
	The Other Side Of The Pillow
	She Loves Me 4 Me
	Peach
	It Ain't Over
	Wherever U Go, Whatever U Do
	Forever In My Life
	Last December
	Asswoop
	Strollin'
	Take The A Train [Billy Strayhorn]
	How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore
	Diamonds And Pearls
	The Beautiful Ones
	Free
	Starfish And Coffee
	Sometimes It Snows In April
	Eye Love U, But Eye Don't Trust U Anymore
	Jazz Jam
	Prince & The Band
	Xenophobia

i've seen prince too many times to count, i've seen him front row at huge gigs, front row at the tiniest of gigs, i've seen him rehearse, i've seen him soundcheck, main shows, aftershows, been onstage at shows, even at paisley, been in the studio with him at paisley, i've seen and heard pretty much every show he's ever done in his life, but when you have to boil it all right down, out of every gig he's ever done, there are a lot of great great shows, but there are a few that just stand out, and the accoustic night at paisley, his only ever accoustic show, ever, is right up there with the best of them. it's probably the best show he's ever done. you've all seen the infamous 3rd august 1983 first avenue show where he debuted purple rain to an unsuspecting crowd, well if that was the best gig, then the accoustic night at the celly was the second best gig, and thus the best gig i ever went to. starting off the show we had norah jones playing pretty much her first cd live, completely chilled out, before she was a star, she was impressing a bunch of people who didn't know who she was with a fantastic set, unbeknownst to her as a warm up for such an amazing night

it's was so fucking hot that week, and that night they laid out chairs for people to chill out on. out comes prince on his own, no band, just his accoustic guitar, and played the mtv unplugged set we'd been waiting on for years, but without tv cameras, and without 25 people standing behind him with bongos and forming a choir to back the sound. this is what unplugged should have been like, but instead of being in a tv studio filled with execs and competition winners, prince was surrounded by his most hardcore fans. he did a celly before, so most fans got the first chance to visit paisley then, the second time around didn't have quite the same level of excitment, it was way more laid back, it was far better than the first

the thing is, as squirrelgrease points out, ever night was amazing. one night was a rock night, where he did not only his rock numbers, but other tracks we knew in a rock and blues style. if the accoustic show was the best night, the rock night was the second best. and then the following night the AC broke down, sheila e played an instead of the planned piano solo night we got a laid back jazzy jam session before being taken to the movies, whilst wearing out pyjamas as it was pyjama party night

he can play empty room, get us onstage, have a karoeke session, hand me the mic, pull me onstage (and i mean pull in the literal sense, physically pull me onstage), play piano whilst i'm in the studio with him, rehearse tracks in front of me that he's never once played on stage to date, but just prince and the guitar in front of you with no band, no show either, just songs, prince and a guitar without the show, it was fucking amazing. what people saw during the ONA and musicology tours was nothing compared 2 that nite

Nice synopsis. I balked a bit at the price for tickets, but I'm so glad my wife talked me into popping for it. It really was a once in a lifetime experience and worth every single penny.

squirrelgrease said:

Nice synopsis. I balked a bit at the price for tickets, but I'm so glad my wife talked me into popping for it. It really was a once in a lifetime experience and worth every single penny.

How much were tickets? After 1998 I pretty much got out of the scene and skipped the whole thing.

Birthday show at Cobo Hall Detroit. Mazarati opened and Andre Cymone performed "The Dance Electric". Every seat had black and silver balloons. Unbeliavable....

motherfunka said:

squirrelgrease said:

Nice synopsis. I balked a bit at the price for tickets, but I'm so glad my wife talked me into popping for it. It really was a once in a lifetime experience and worth every single penny.

How much were tickets? After 1998 I pretty much got out of the scene and skipped the whole thing.

I think they were around $250 a piece, if I remember correctly. Prince did ask prior to ticket sales what people thought would be a fair price. I think the ticket sales were limited to 1,000. Thinking back on it... what a bargain. A week of Prince shows, opening acts every night including stunning sets by Sheila E and Norah Jones. And Purps brought us all to a movie because the AC was broken. We all saw a damn movie with Prince - how crazy is that?

squirrelgrease said:

motherfunka said:

How much were tickets? After 1998 I pretty much got out of the scene and skipped the whole thing.

I think they were around $250 a piece, if I remember correctly. Prince did ask prior to ticket sales what people thought would be a fair price. I think the ticket sales were limited to 1,000. Thinking back on it... what a bargain. A week of Prince shows, opening acts every night including stunning sets by Sheila E and Norah Jones. And Purps brought us all to a movie because the AC was broken. We all saw a damn movie with Prince - how crazy is that?

So roughly $35 a show? Did you have to buy all 7 nights, or could you pick the nights? That's really not bad at all. The most I paid were $100 each for an Act II warm up at Paisley Park in July 1993 (benefit for KMOJ) , the Beautiful Experience, 2 shows at Glam Slam Minneapolis in July of 1994 (benefits for Kidney Foundation) , and 1 in January 1995 at Paisley Park for mayor SSB.

[Edited 8/14/10 20:51pm]

Purple Rain Tour - Jan. 11, 1985 - Houston, TX - 2nd of 6 shows

I read somewhere that this was listed as an "average" show. Shieeeeeeet! *The Wire's Clay Davis voice*

I don't know what was going on with P that night, but he gave such a passionate show -- I've seen nothing like it since. After he switched from the Hohner to the Cloud and finished the lead-in guitar solo on Purple Rain, standing there with his back to the mic about to sing, the crowd was already giving him the ending Ooooh-Ooh-oo-oo-Ooh with so much love, he straight lost it! I remember like it was yesterday how he wiped his eyes, hit the guitar with his fist three times, and broke off into a highly emotional solo, the likes of which will never be repeated, complete with floor acrobatics and without missing a note. He cried through the whole song; I just could not believe the passion when I knew he was doing this song at EVERY show. I think I was in purple shock for a week after.

KevinLucyMe said:

Purple Rain Tour - Jan. 11, 1985 - Houston, TX - 2nd of 6 shows

I read somewhere that this was listed as an "average" show. Shieeeeeeet! *The Wire's Clay Davis voice*

I don't know what was going on with P that night, but he gave such a passionate show -- I've seen nothing like it since. After he switched from the Hohner to the Cloud and finished the lead-in guitar solo on Purple Rain, standing there with his back to the mic about to sing, the crowd was already giving him the ending Ooooh-Ooh-oo-oo-Ooh with so much love, he straight lost it! I remember like it was yesterday how he wiped his eyes, hit the guitar with his fist three times, and broke off into a highly emotional solo, the likes of which will never be repeated, complete with floor acrobatics and without missing a note. He cried through the whole song; I just could not believe the passion when I knew he was doing this song at EVERY show. I think I was in purple shock for a week after.

Stupidly passed on seeing one of those 6 shows in Houston for free... I just wasn't that into Prince until a bit later... wish I had seen it!

But one of my best friends back then had two sisters with muscular dystrophy who saw Prince perform the secret free concert during the day for handicapped children... and he didn't even publicize it. He is too cool.

blackbob said:

unique said:

he used to creep up and just stand behind or beside people who were watching the other bands and see how long it would take for them to realise he was standing next to them. when i was watching erykah badu i turned round and prince was standing next 2 me but i just turned back round and watched the show. a few minutes later i turned round again and he was still there, as if he was waiting on a reaction before moving. i ended up in the studio with him that night after he fell out with erykah for saying "shit" on stage. i met erykah after the show too

did you get a chance to talk to him unique?....i was at the 2001 celebration when i was next to him a few times.....had to listen to larry graham preaching for almost 3 hours while prince floated around after listening to the rainbow children with a group of fans in paisley park.....i admit i was dumbstruck when he was next to me.....someone who has made such a big impact on my life suddenly standing right next to you was a lot to take in....i managed a hello and he said hi back but thats all i managed....i would have bored him silly with a torrent of questions so its probably just as well.....

i've spoke to him a few times, from a quick hi when he was entering cafe de paris and brief words whilst onstage, to bumping into him backstage at a tv show, a few words at soundchecks and the odd brief word at the various cellys etc, but in respect to a proper chat or two way there was a tv show where after meeting him backstage first, i fired off a string of questions to him whilst he was waiting to perform, and when i asked him to release in all my dreams he started asking me where i got it (the guy i got it from was behind me) and called me a bootlegger. during that conversation i suggested he released the material from the vaults by having a monthly magazine with covemount cd. the following year the NPGMC started. i don't know if i gave him the idea, but he certainly remembered me and that conversation. i also wonder if it planted a seed for planet earth and 20ten to be released

after that i went to paisley for the first time and i was part of the first group to enter paisley for the first tour and there was a photo taken from inside upstairs aimed at the main reception doorway of us lining to enter. in the evening i was talking to a girl i met at brixton academy who had moved to mpls, and as i was talking to her morris hayes came in and came to her to say hi as she was a paisley party regular, so i told him i heard they had been showing the TFI friday performance on the video screens during recent parties (it was also on npgmc) and he said it was a great time, so i reminded him of the time after TFI and the following day at the Tube Apocalypse in newcastle and he said prince was only joking, they all remembered it. after morris left i was standing at the bottom of the steps in the npgmc/l4oa room (the small room with stage) and prince came downstairs with a vhs in his hand, popped behind the soundboard and put on the tape and TFI friday came on. prince had a knack of zipping about paisley on his own with no security and not being spotted, and it was early doors no-one else seemed to have noticed him apart from me, and i think he knew that too. we both stood watching the performance on the screen, i'm watching prince watch a video of himself that i was at a few months earlier, and prince musta been thinking "this will freak him out" or something. obviously morris must have told him about bumping into me and he dug out the tape. later that day i was walking about and larrys wife pointed out me to larry and said "it's that scottish guy" and larry came over to chat. they must meet loads of people at gigs so for them to notice you before you even noticed they were there is pretty mad

anyways at one of the cellys they had the bible chats after the rainbow children playback, but they didn't do that on the first day. i was in the first group again that year so we were the first people to hear TRC. we were given lyric books first and we were laughing at the lyrics before we had heard a note. they played the album which blew us away, but in a weird way, and then they had an open mic for people to chat about the cd. most people were talking about the religious asect of things, i had a bit of a dig saying stuff like wedding feast made it sound like a stage musical and i was saying how it's embarrassing to tell people at work you are a prince fan, with the name change and the weird clothing, and i said how come he just don't wear a nice suit and look normal (next tour he did, and he stuck to that for a while). as i was talking, someone pointed out that they were filming us, which was for prince to watch afterwards, although he was skulking about upstairs etc keeping an eye on us. so we didn't get the bible chat afterwards

but after the eryka badu gig, something happened and i ended up in the studio with prince and the time, plus terry lewis and mani, hans buff and femi jiya, and prince had a conversation for 2 hours from 4am to 6am. this wasn't a conversation about the bible. here i was in the studio where prince literally recorded the music i bought, with the guys from the movie that turned me into a prince fan. it was 4am in the morning mpls time, which is 11am in UK time. at paisley the jetlag goes crazy as you enter at 8pm when it's bright at sunny and come back out at 6am when it's bright and sunny again, as the sun has went down and came back whilst you are inside, so you never see any darkness. so extreme tiredness makes you feel stoned, and there's no alcohol at paisley, so you go the full week on holiday with no booze, which is exceptionally strange for a scotsman, and it's hard enough to cope with being sober. so the whole thing just blew my mind. with the tiredness you aren't hyped and excited, it's just like living a dream where weird shit happens and you just accept it as normal. a few years earlier i was watching purple rain on betamax in the living room with a schoolmate, and now i'm in the studio with prince and the time. i used to get bootlegs and wonder what it would be like at paisley park at the parties, what it would be like in the studio, and here i am behind the wizard of oz's curtain. you can't really get any closer than that from a fan perspective, and i've been onstage a few times, but being onstage at paisley whilst prince is jamming old skool funk covers is pretty mad, likewise seeing him rehearse in front of a handful of people. not many people can say they saw prince rehearse in paisley

all the o2 aftershows were fantastic too. one night the curtain opened and he was right in front of me playing let's go by the cars and walked straight towards me, walked off the stage onto the speaker i was leaning on and then crouched down so i had to crouch down too to avoid being hit by the guitar (he did it on purpose). and the time he started the show on the keyboards in the tangerine suit and hat playing superstitiona and keep on running and use me and ballad of dorothy parker, or the curtain opening on the final night and amy winehouse is right in front of me. i was front row in the same spot at all those shows, to me it's like looking back on miles at the plugged nicol boxset and wishing you could have been there, so i'm so glad i did all the cellys and all the o2 shows as they were historic moments of one of the greatest artists the world has ever known. i keep it quite to people at work as they would just think i was nuts, but due to prince i got to see a few different countries and meet people like paul macartney and robbie williams. in one day i spoke to prince and a beatle, and i'm a big beatles fan too. only the tiniest percentage of beatles fans can say they shook hands with one, a hand that wrote some of the greatest songs ever written, the music my parents danced to when they were young

unique said:

blackbob said:

did you get a chance to talk to him unique?....i was at the 2001 celebration when i was next to him a few times.....had to listen to larry graham preaching for almost 3 hours while prince floated around after listening to the rainbow children with a group of fans in paisley park.....i admit i was dumbstruck when he was next to me.....someone who has made such a big impact on my life suddenly standing right next to you was a lot to take in....i managed a hello and he said hi back but thats all i managed....i would have bored him silly with a torrent of questions so its probably just as well.....

i've spoke to him a few times, from a quick hi when he was entering cafe de paris and brief words whilst onstage, to bumping into him backstage at a tv show, a few words at soundchecks and the odd brief word at the various cellys etc, but in respect to a proper chat or two way there was a tv show where after meeting him backstage first, i fired off a string of questions to him whilst he was waiting to perform, and when i asked him to release in all my dreams he started asking me where i got it (the guy i got it from was behind me) and called me a bootlegger. during that conversation i suggested he released the material from the vaults by having a monthly magazine with covemount cd. the following year the NPGMC started. i don't know if i gave him the idea, but he certainly remembered me and that conversation. i also wonder if it planted a seed for planet earth and 20ten to be released

after that i went to paisley for the first time and i was part of the first group to enter paisley for the first tour and there was a photo taken from inside upstairs aimed at the main reception doorway of us lining to enter. in the evening i was talking to a girl i met at brixton academy who had moved to mpls, and as i was talking to her morris hayes came in and came to her to say hi as she was a paisley party regular, so i told him i heard they had been showing the TFI friday performance on the video screens during recent parties (it was also on npgmc) and he said it was a great time, so i reminded him of the time after TFI and the following day at the Tube Apocalypse in newcastle and he said prince was only joking, they all remembered it. after morris left i was standing at the bottom of the steps in the npgmc/l4oa room (the small room with stage) and prince came downstairs with a vhs in his hand, popped behind the soundboard and put on the tape and TFI friday came on. prince had a knack of zipping about paisley on his own with no security and not being spotted, and it was early doors no-one else seemed to have noticed him apart from me, and i think he knew that too. we both stood watching the performance on the screen, i'm watching prince watch a video of himself that i was at a few months earlier, and prince musta been thinking "this will freak him out" or something. obviously morris must have told him about bumping into me and he dug out the tape. later that day i was walking about and larrys wife pointed out me to larry and said "it's that scottish guy" and larry came over to chat. they must meet loads of people at gigs so for them to notice you before you even noticed they were there is pretty mad

anyways at one of the cellys they had the bible chats after the rainbow children playback, but they didn't do that on the first day. i was in the first group again that year so we were the first people to hear TRC. we were given lyric books first and we were laughing at the lyrics before we had heard a note. they played the album which blew us away, but in a weird way, and then they had an open mic for people to chat about the cd. most people were talking about the religious asect of things, i had a bit of a dig saying stuff like wedding feast made it sound like a stage musical and i was saying how it's embarrassing to tell people at work you are a prince fan, with the name change and the weird clothing, and i said how come he just don't wear a nice suit and look normal (next tour he did, and he stuck to that for a while). as i was talking, someone pointed out that they were filming us, which was for prince to watch afterwards, although he was skulking about upstairs etc keeping an eye on us. so we didn't get the bible chat afterwards

but after the eryka badu gig, something happened and i ended up in the studio with prince and the time, plus terry lewis and mani, hans buff and femi jiya, and prince had a conversation for 2 hours from 4am to 6am. this wasn't a conversation about the bible. here i was in the studio where prince literally recorded the music i bought, with the guys from the movie that turned me into a prince fan. it was 4am in the morning mpls time, which is 11am in UK time. at paisley the jetlag goes crazy as you enter at 8pm when it's bright at sunny and come back out at 6am when it's bright and sunny again, as the sun has went down and came back whilst you are inside, so you never see any darkness. so extreme tiredness makes you feel stoned, and there's no alcohol at paisley, so you go the full week on holiday with no booze, which is exceptionally strange for a scotsman, and it's hard enough to cope with being sober. so the whole thing just blew my mind. with the tiredness you aren't hyped and excited, it's just like living a dream where weird shit happens and you just accept it as normal. a few years earlier i was watching purple rain on betamax in the living room with a schoolmate, and now i'm in the studio with prince and the time. i used to get bootlegs and wonder what it would be like at paisley park at the parties, what it would be like in the studio, and here i am behind the wizard of oz's curtain. you can't really get any closer than that from a fan perspective, and i've been onstage a few times, but being onstage at paisley whilst prince is jamming old skool funk covers is pretty mad, likewise seeing him rehearse in front of a handful of people. not many people can say they saw prince rehearse in paisley

all the o2 aftershows were fantastic too. one night the curtain opened and he was right in front of me playing let's go by the cars and walked straight towards me, walked off the stage onto the speaker i was leaning on and then crouched down so i had to crouch down too to avoid being hit by the guitar (he did it on purpose). and the time he started the show on the keyboards in the tangerine suit and hat playing superstitiona and keep on running and use me and ballad of dorothy parker, or the curtain opening on the final night and amy winehouse is right in front of me. i was front row in the same spot at all those shows, to me it's like looking back on miles at the plugged nicol boxset and wishing you could have been there, so i'm so glad i did all the cellys and all the o2 shows as they were historic moments of one of the greatest artists the world has ever known. i keep it quite to people at work as they would just think i was nuts, but due to prince i got to see a few different countries and meet people like paul macartney and robbie williams. in one day i spoke to prince and a beatle, and i'm a big beatles fan too. only the tiniest percentage of beatles fans can say they shook hands with one, a hand that wrote some of the greatest songs ever written, the music my parents danced to when they were young

cheers unique....you really are a follower of the pfunk of the highest honour...you must have spent a fortune on prince over the years...i remember going to minneapolis for the 2001 celebration and buying my airline ticket the day before i flew out....purely impulse..i remember it cost me a grand for the ticket and a weeks car hire....i didnt have anywhere booked to stay but i am glad i did it....so you were there as well ?.......i just didnt want to miss what was a once in a lifetime chance to get inside paisley park.....i wish i was at the acoustic set in 2002...i would have loved that....hoping to make paris party this year but i am going to lennon's 70th birthday celebration in the cavern club in october so see how the pennies look....need to get a scottish party sorted again......its been too long....cheers again....

motherfunka said:

DaddySmooth said:

The Beautiful Experience was very special. I was right up front. But being at my first after show in Chicago for the Act ! tour was mind blowing! One of the limo drivers got me and five others in for free!!!

Do I know you??? I was at both of these shows as well. When I saw the film the Beautiful Experience and saw myself dancing in the front row I was like... The first time he did Interactive, Days of Wild, Now, Shhh,...amazing night. I got a drum stick from Michael B too. Having the opportunity to roam Paisley Park was cool as hell too. I also went to the 2 first main shows in Chicago for ACT I and the aftershow as well on the 2nd night. Remember him having someone bring out his purple notebook with the lyrics for Papa? 3 shows in 24 hours...ahhh those were the days!

I don't know, what's your name. I'm Mike. I also have a drum stick from that show. Remember waiting around hopeing he would come back on? You can check me on Facebook if you like. We should talk.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1306465279&ref=name#!/profile.php?id=1306465279

unique said:

so i'm so glad i did all the cellys and all the o2 shows as they were historic moments of one of the greatest artists the world has ever known. i keep it quite to people at work as they would just think i was nuts, but due to prince i got to see a few different countries and meet people like paul macartney and robbie williams. in one day i spoke to prince and a beatle, and i'm a big beatles fan too. only the tiniest percentage of beatles fans can say they shook hands with one, a hand that wrote some of the greatest songs ever written, the music my parents danced to when they were young

GREAT. I'm jealous of that handshake.

blackbob said:

unique said:

i've spoke to him a few times, from a quick hi when he was entering cafe de paris and brief words whilst onstage, to bumping into him backstage at a tv show, a few words at soundchecks and the odd brief word at the various cellys etc, but in respect to a proper chat or two way there was a tv show where after meeting him backstage first, i fired off a string of questions to him whilst he was waiting to perform, and when i asked him to release in all my dreams he started asking me where i got it (the guy i got it from was behind me) and called me a bootlegger. during that conversation i suggested he released the material from the vaults by having a monthly magazine with covemount cd. the following year the NPGMC started. i don't know if i gave him the idea, but he certainly remembered me and that conversation. i also wonder if it planted a seed for planet earth and 20ten to be released

after that i went to paisley for the first time and i was part of the first group to enter paisley for the first tour and there was a photo taken from inside upstairs aimed at the main reception doorway of us lining to enter. in the evening i was talking to a girl i met at brixton academy who had moved to mpls, and as i was talking to her morris hayes came in and came to her to say hi as she was a paisley party regular, so i told him i heard they had been showing the TFI friday performance on the video screens during recent parties (it was also on npgmc) and he said it was a great time, so i reminded him of the time after TFI and the following day at the Tube Apocalypse in newcastle and he said prince was only joking, they all remembered it. after morris left i was standing at the bottom of the steps in the npgmc/l4oa room (the small room with stage) and prince came downstairs with a vhs in his hand, popped behind the soundboard and put on the tape and TFI friday came on. prince had a knack of zipping about paisley on his own with no security and not being spotted, and it was early doors no-one else seemed to have noticed him apart from me, and i think he knew that too. we both stood watching the performance on the screen, i'm watching prince watch a video of himself that i was at a few months earlier, and prince musta been thinking "this will freak him out" or something. obviously morris must have told him about bumping into me and he dug out the tape. later that day i was walking about and larrys wife pointed out me to larry and said "it's that scottish guy" and larry came over to chat. they must meet loads of people at gigs so for them to notice you before you even noticed they were there is pretty mad

anyways at one of the cellys they had the bible chats after the rainbow children playback, but they didn't do that on the first day. i was in the first group again that year so we were the first people to hear TRC. we were given lyric books first and we were laughing at the lyrics before we had heard a note. they played the album which blew us away, but in a weird way, and then they had an open mic for people to chat about the cd. most people were talking about the religious asect of things, i had a bit of a dig saying stuff like wedding feast made it sound like a stage musical and i was saying how it's embarrassing to tell people at work you are a prince fan, with the name change and the weird clothing, and i said how come he just don't wear a nice suit and look normal (next tour he did, and he stuck to that for a while). as i was talking, someone pointed out that they were filming us, which was for prince to watch afterwards, although he was skulking about upstairs etc keeping an eye on us. so we didn't get the bible chat afterwards

but after the eryka badu gig, something happened and i ended up in the studio with prince and the time, plus terry lewis and mani, hans buff and femi jiya, and prince had a conversation for 2 hours from 4am to 6am. this wasn't a conversation about the bible. here i was in the studio where prince literally recorded the music i bought, with the guys from the movie that turned me into a prince fan. it was 4am in the morning mpls time, which is 11am in UK time. at paisley the jetlag goes crazy as you enter at 8pm when it's bright at sunny and come back out at 6am when it's bright and sunny again, as the sun has went down and came back whilst you are inside, so you never see any darkness. so extreme tiredness makes you feel stoned, and there's no alcohol at paisley, so you go the full week on holiday with no booze, which is exceptionally strange for a scotsman, and it's hard enough to cope with being sober. so the whole thing just blew my mind. with the tiredness you aren't hyped and excited, it's just like living a dream where weird shit happens and you just accept it as normal. a few years earlier i was watching purple rain on betamax in the living room with a schoolmate, and now i'm in the studio with prince and the time. i used to get bootlegs and wonder what it would be like at paisley park at the parties, what it would be like in the studio, and here i am behind the wizard of oz's curtain. you can't really get any closer than that from a fan perspective, and i've been onstage a few times, but being onstage at paisley whilst prince is jamming old skool funk covers is pretty mad, likewise seeing him rehearse in front of a handful of people. not many people can say they saw prince rehearse in paisley

all the o2 aftershows were fantastic too. one night the curtain opened and he was right in front of me playing let's go by the cars and walked straight towards me, walked off the stage onto the speaker i was leaning on and then crouched down so i had to crouch down too to avoid being hit by the guitar (he did it on purpose). and the time he started the show on the keyboards in the tangerine suit and hat playing superstitiona and keep on running and use me and ballad of dorothy parker, or the curtain opening on the final night and amy winehouse is right in front of me. i was front row in the same spot at all those shows, to me it's like looking back on miles at the plugged nicol boxset and wishing you could have been there, so i'm so glad i did all the cellys and all the o2 shows as they were historic moments of one of the greatest artists the world has ever known. i keep it quite to people at work as they would just think i was nuts, but due to prince i got to see a few different countries and meet people like paul macartney and robbie williams. in one day i spoke to prince and a beatle, and i'm a big beatles fan too. only the tiniest percentage of beatles fans can say they shook hands with one, a hand that wrote some of the greatest songs ever written, the music my parents danced to when they were young

cheers unique....you really are a follower of the pfunk of the highest honour...you must have spent a fortune on prince over the years...i remember going to minneapolis for the 2001 celebration and buying my airline ticket the day before i flew out....purely impulse..i remember it cost me a grand for the ticket and a weeks car hire....i didnt have anywhere booked to stay but i am glad i did it....so you were there as well ?.......i just didnt want to miss what was a once in a lifetime chance to get inside paisley park.....i wish i was at the acoustic set in 2002...i would have loved that....hoping to make paris party this year but i am going to lennon's 70th birthday celebration in the cavern club in october so see how the pennies look....need to get a scottish party sorted again......its been too long....cheers again....

i went 2 MPLS 5 years in a row in june, from the first celly to the 2004 mini celly type thing. the first celly was my first time outside the uk, i got my passport and i was going to stay with a couple of other scottish plans but they went ahead of me so i ended up going abroad for the first time without having a hotel booked. i remember i made the mistake of watching final destination the night before i flew, and thats the first movie that has the accident on the plane. so i was up at 5am online in the chatroom worried about everything and i was chatting to a girl who was also going but didn't have a hotel either and said we could share a room together. we never swapped details though...

so i went to MPLS and the first thing i did after getting through the sliding doors past customs was pick up a payphone and dial a cellphone number of an orger i'd chatted to for a few years who offered me a ride. he picked up almost instantly and said he would be there in 10 minutes. within 10 minutes i was outside and his pickup truck was there to greet me. he said he had another person to pickup from the other terminal, someone i knew...

so we drove to the terminal to meet two girls, one of which was the girl i was chatting with in the chatroom just a few hours earlier before i flew, who didn't have the hotel room either. so we went for a ride to find a hotel, found one at a cheap price near enough paisley and that was us set. i remember i went to the shopping mall across from the hotel and thinking it looked familiar. it wasn't until i got back home that i found out it looked familar like something out the movies because it was the mall that kevin smith shot mallrats in.

anyways we got on great, so we hooked up for the next two cellys. and on our first trip to paisley we arrived just before 8am with only a few people around, we videotaped the drive there and out arrival where a local tv station was filming and looking for people to interview. when he saw me with two girls and found out that a scottish guy hooked up with 2 girls from texas, well that was the perfect story for him, so within 10 minutes of arriving at paisley park i was on live tv being interviewed and asked to sing prince songs and dance! i remember jokingly saying that when i get to america everyone will know about it, and i was on live tv for 2 or 3 channels, on radio and on the front of the entertainment section of the star tribune. after leaving paisley we went to the mall to get some supplies and this woman came up to me and said "your the guy from scotland", she saw me on breakfast tv that morning. i hadn't been in the country 24 hours and people were recognising me from the telly. i was on the mpls equivilent of gmtv so people were waking up to watch that, particularly the fans going to paisley, so i was recognised a bit

what was cool was that i went to the tv station and they gave me a tape of all the footage they shot, without the ads and crap, so i have a great memento of my time

i went to mpls for a holiday in june 2003 when there wasn't a celly, he released NEWS online 1 track at a time when i was there and i thought he would do a secret gig but nothing happened so we went to a party at first avenue instead. there were rumours that prince was going to turn up for a secret show but it didn't happen. i think thats when i met bro jules who was late turning up and i talked my way into covering for him on the decks for a bit just as he turned up

in 2004 there were the 3 shows in st paul, i think 1 went on sale after the other, not 3 at once, so i didn't get tickets as it's expensive and a long way to go for 1 show. i remember i had just started a new guy at work a couple of months before and another temp guy was starting on the monday to help over the busy period. i had only literally said on the friday that i had no holiday plans and then got home and found the announcement of 3 aftershows at paisley after the st paul shows that were going on sale the next morning, with the shows starting the following wednesday. the next day i got all 3 aftershow tickets then managed to get pretty decent seats from ticketmaster for the main shows, all floor seats near the stage (it was in the round like the o2), and then i booked my flight, then called the chanhassen inn who remembered me from my voice (i'm probably the only scottish person who's stayed there) and i booked my room. and that was the entire trip booked in about an hour. so i went to work on the monday and told my collegues then my boss that i wasn't going to be in for the next week as i was flying to america the next day to see prince, and i left the 2 new guys in charge of my department whilst i was away for a week. i think the previous year i had booked a trip or two to the states one day and flew the next so i had a bit more confidence of doing this

but it's being flexible and able to go somewhere at the drop of a hat that works in favour of prince fans. in 98 i didn't have tickets for wembley or brixton until i got the invite to cafe de paris which i think was 8am on the monday with the show the following thursday, with wembley the day before and brixton the day after, and the fucking amazing hippodrome aftershow where he played the war, the show went on from 3am to 5am

and also TFI friday and the tube apocalyplse. i remember watching TFI friday which was a bit crap by then, and i turned the show off just before the end as some crap band was playing and i went online to the org chatroom and someone said chris evans just said prince is playing next week and i missed it. but due to meeting the right people at brixton academy who let me in at the front of the line cuz they knew i was at cafe de paris and wanted to know about it, i got my way on the guest list to TFI friday and the tube in newcastle. in fact at the tube i travelled from london with the guy who organised the guest list for the tube, and i was his plus 1. prince recorded his section in the afternoon, but the main show was broadcast live that evening with a very strict and limited guestlist, and we got to go to that (the other prince fans in the afternoon didnt). as we were there early in the day on the saturday we say most of the crew etc hanging about, we met beverley knight who wasn't famous then but the other guy knew she was a prince fan so we got talking to her about the night before and she was really nice. as we had been there earlier i think some of the crew thought we were working. i remember at the very end of the show i went looking for the bathroom and someone pointed me to the closest loo and i found out it was the backstage loo and robbie williams band were in there drinking champaigne from a bottle, contractulating me for a great show! i met them with robbie in the hotel bar beforehand, after we saw prince we found the hotel he and robbie etc were at by accident so went for a drink. i got a round in, which is hard to believe i know (being scottish) and when i put the drinks down there wasn't a seat for me, so i went to the next table to ask if the chair was free and they said nothing, then i looked properly and noticed i was just asking robbie for a chair, he musta presumed i wanted to sit at their table. so the band must have recognised me from that but not put 2 and 2 together and thought i was part of the crew as i'd been around all day. i'll tell you the story about meeting macca another time

hopefully you can make the paris party. i tried to arrange a scottish meetup for next weekend but as usually people say they will go and then cancel, so i had to cancel it

at the (Musicology) show in Indpls I had front row seats right next to John Blackwell and got to talk to him for a bit. also got to shake Takumes (spelling?) hand and say what's up. He asked me if I had seen his friend? I had no idea who he was talking about? Oh and I also got to give John and Prince some of my incense

But the best show experience was when i got to meet and hang out with Larry G. and his fam for a bit before the (New power soul) show. I also got to say hello to Kirky J. who had his daughter with him.

To top it off I had worked my way to the front of the stage during the show and Prince reached down and shook my hand.

motherfunka said:

squirrelgrease said:

I think they were around $250 a piece, if I remember correctly. Prince did ask prior to ticket sales what people thought would be a fair price. I think the ticket sales were limited to 1,000. Thinking back on it... what a bargain. A week of Prince shows, opening acts every night including stunning sets by Sheila E and Norah Jones. And Purps brought us all to a movie because the AC was broken. We all saw a damn movie with Prince - how crazy is that?

So roughly $35 a show? Did you have to buy all 7 nights, or could you pick the nights? That's really not bad at all. The most I paid were $100 each for an Act II warm up at Paisley Park in July 1993 (benefit for KMOJ) , the Beautiful Experience, 2 shows at Glam Slam Minneapolis in July of 1994 (benefits for Kidney Foundation) , and 1 in January 1995 at Paisley Park for mayor SSB.

[Edited 8/14/10 20:51pm]

You did have to buy the whole package deal. But like you say, it was a good deal if you could attend all the shows.