SPOILERS***I went on the tour this evening. It was very surreal. I've been used to walking up to the doors and the building shaking from loud music for 20+ years. It was eerily quiet. We waited in the lobby for awhile and all of the furniture has been removed. Once in the atrium you see the Paisley Park shaped urn at the point of the . You can see the doves on the second level. They have themed rooms for Diamonds and Pearls (outfits) and Sign O' The Times (peach drum kit, peach guitar, and some outfits) and a couple of guitars from earlier periods, the Hohner was one. Prince's office is also in the atrium area. His desk had sunglasses and some CDS. A travel bag with airline tags was on the floor. Then we went into the video editing suite and they showed some unrleased concert footage. The "secret" room was in this suite. It was a video vault. Next was Studio A, unfortunately we didn't get to go into the control room. After that was the Purple Rain room. They were playing the film and there was Prince movie script, the piano from the Purple Rain tour, the white cloud guitar, and a motorcycle. The paintings on the wall were gone. Next was the Under the Cherry Moon/Graffiti Bridge room. The walls are covered with pictures from both eras. I think it was around 2010, Prince was photographed in the room in front of pics of Wendy and Bobby Z for a poster for the W2A shows. They had a UTCM outfit, the one where he is standing on boat dancing with Mary. There was the leather jacket with the symbol from Graffiti Bridge and the black motorcyle. They were showing the Graffiti Bridge movie. Next was Studio B. They had the purple piano he was using for the Piano And A Microphone shows and a blue cloud guitar. We could have our photo taken sitting at the piano bench. They also had a black piano and there was a white fur hat on it, that they said was left there by Prince. No access to the control room in this studio either. After that it was the "piano room" where the black piano used in the Rave 2 concert was with some couches. The soundstage was next. They could do so much more with this area, but there were 5 mini stages set up and all of the couches are gone. They were themed. Jam of the Year tour with a red outfit and the purple Emancipation piano. 3RDEYEGIRL with some outfits, guitars, and Hannah's drum kit. The Gold Experience with the gold guitar, the gold axxe, Sonny's bass, and Michael's drum kit, and an outfit. 1999/Purple Rain tour with a couple outfits and the 1999 drum kit. The purple Yamaha piano was right where it was at when he passed. They were showing unreleased video footage and the one that stood out to me was the Piano And A Microphone show from Paisley Park in January. I would DIE for those 2 shows. Last was the Love 4 One Another room. The stage was still set up and there were couches on it, like there were at the last party. Walking out to the merchandise tent they are showing the Super Bowl performance. The guides need a WHOLE lot more schooling. They need to work out the timing of the tours, as there was a lot of standing around waiting. The tour was supposed to be an hour and 40 minutes, but we were there for 3 hours.

musicfan77 said:

http://www.smobserved.com.../2072.html the ghost of prince. Staff hearing noises.

If I were him, I'd haunt it, too.

motherfunka said:

motherfunka said:

SPOILERS***I went on the tour this evening. It was very surreal. I've been used to walking up to the doors and the building shaking from loud music for 20+ years. It was eerily quiet. We waited in the lobby for awhile and all of the furniture has been removed. Once in the atrium you see the Paisley Park shaped urn at the point of the . You can see the doves on the second level. They have themed rooms for Diamonds and Pearls (outfits) and Sign O' The Times (peach drum kit, peach guitar, and some outfits) and a couple of guitars from earlier periods, the Hohner was one. Prince's office is also in the atrium area. His desk had sunglasses and some CDS. A travel bag with airline tags was on the floor. Then we went into the video editing suite and they showed some unrleased concert footage. The "secret" room was in this suite. It was a video vault. Next was Studio A, unfortunately we didn't get to go into the control room. After that was the Purple Rain room. They were playing the film and there was Prince movie script, the piano from the Purple Rain tour, the white cloud guitar, and a motorcycle. The paintings on the wall were gone. Next was the Under the Cherry Moon/Graffiti Bridge room. The walls are covered with pictures from both eras. I think it was around 2010, Prince was photographed in the room in front of pics of Wendy and Bobby Z for a poster for the W2A shows. They had a UTCM outfit, the one where he is standing on boat dancing with Mary. There was the leather jacket with the symbol from Graffiti Bridge and the black motorcyle. They were showing the Graffiti Bridge movie. Next was Studio B. They had the purple piano he was using for the Piano And A Microphone shows and a blue cloud guitar. We could have our photo taken sitting at the piano bench. They also had a black piano and there was a white fur hat on it, that they said was left there by Prince. No access to the control room in this studio either. After that it was the "piano room" where the black piano used in the Rave 2 concert was with some couches. The soundstage was next. They could do so much more with this area, but there were 5 mini stages set up and all of the couches are gone. They were themed. Jam of the Year tour with a red outfit and the purple Emancipation piano. 3RDEYEGIRL with some outfits, guitars, and Hannah's drum kit. The Gold Experience with the gold guitar, the gold axxe, Sonny's bass, and Michael's drum kit, and an outfit. 1999/Purple Rain tour with a couple outfits and the 1999 drum kit. The purple Yamaha piano was right where it was at when he passed. They were showing unreleased video footage and the one that stood out to me was the Piano And A Microphone show from Paisley Park in January. I would DIE for those 2 shows. Last was the Love 4 One Another room. The stage was still set up and there were couches on it, like there were at the last party. Walking out to the merchandise tent they are showing the Super Bowl performance. The guides need a WHOLE lot more schooling. They need to work out the timing of the tours, as there was a lot of standing around waiting. The tour was supposed to be an hour and 40 minutes, but we were there for 3 hours.

don't blame the poor guides, from what people have been saying they were likely given their training five minutes before the doors opened... and remember, because of the little zoning error snafu many of them can't count on having jobs anymore...

so from what you describe it sounds impossible to use Paisley Park for dance parties, rehearsals and live shows? does it look like dance parties and performances will ever be possible there again? have they changed the construction in such a way as to rule out those possibilities??

[Edited 10/7/16 6:36am]

motherfunka said:

SPOILERS***I went on the tour this evening. It was very surreal. I've been used to walking up to the doors and the building shaking from loud music for 20+ years. It was eerily quiet. We waited in the lobby for awhile and all of the furniture has been removed. Once in the atrium you see the Paisley Park shaped urn at the point of the . You can see the doves on the second level. They have themed rooms for Diamonds and Pearls (outfits) and Sign O' The Times (peach drum kit, peach guitar, and some outfits) and a couple of guitars from earlier periods, the Hohner was one. Prince's office is also in the atrium area. His desk had sunglasses and some CDS. A travel bag with airline tags was on the floor. Then we went into the video editing suite and they showed some unrleased concert footage. The "secret" room was in this suite. It was a video vault. Next was Studio A, unfortunately we didn't get to go into the control room. After that was the Purple Rain room. They were playing the film and there was Prince movie script, the piano from the Purple Rain tour, the white cloud guitar, and a motorcycle. The paintings on the wall were gone. Next was the Under the Cherry Moon/Graffiti Bridge room. The walls are covered with pictures from both eras. I think it was around 2010, Prince was photographed in the room in front of pics of Wendy and Bobby Z for a poster for the W2A shows. They had a UTCM outfit, the one where he is standing on boat dancing with Mary. There was the leather jacket with the symbol from Graffiti Bridge and the black motorcyle. They were showing the Graffiti Bridge movie. Next was Studio B. They had the purple piano he was using for the Piano And A Microphone shows and a blue cloud guitar. We could have our photo taken sitting at the piano bench. They also had a black piano and there was a white fur hat on it, that they said was left there by Prince. No access to the control room in this studio either. After that it was the "piano room" where the black piano used in the Rave 2 concert was with some couches. The soundstage was next. They could do so much more with this area, but there were 5 mini stages set up and all of the couches are gone. They were themed. Jam of the Year tour with a red outfit and the purple Emancipation piano. 3RDEYEGIRL with some outfits, guitars, and Hannah's drum kit. The Gold Experience with the gold guitar, the gold axxe, Sonny's bass, and Michael's drum kit, and an outfit. 1999/Purple Rain tour with a couple outfits and the 1999 drum kit. The purple Yamaha piano was right where it was at when he passed. They were showing unreleased video footage and the one that stood out to me was the Piano And A Microphone show from Paisley Park in January. I would DIE for those 2 shows. Last was the Love 4 One Another room. The stage was still set up and there were couches on it, like there were at the last party. Walking out to the merchandise tent they are showing the Super Bowl performance. The guides need a WHOLE lot more schooling. They need to work out the timing of the tours, as there was a lot of standing around waiting. The tour was supposed to be an hour and 40 minutes, but we were there for 3 hours.

I'm assuming you took the VIP tour. Did you notice much difference between the 2 tours? Is the special photo op in the VIP package the one where you stand in front of the purple piano, since I see several people have posted this pic. Sorry for all the questions. I had to go GA because of budget constraints and I just want to be prepared for the experience.

motherfunka said:

SPOILERS***I went on the tour this evening. It was very surreal. I've been used to walking up to the doors and the building shaking from loud music for 20+ years. It was eerily quiet. We waited in the lobby for awhile and all of the furniture has been removed. Once in the atrium you see the Paisley Park shaped urn at the point of the . You can see the doves on the second level. They have themed rooms for Diamonds and Pearls (outfits) and Sign O' The Times (peach drum kit, peach guitar, and some outfits) and a couple of guitars from earlier periods, the Hohner was one. Prince's office is also in the atrium area. His desk had sunglasses and some CDS. A travel bag with airline tags was on the floor. Then we went into the video editing suite and they showed some unrleased concert footage. The "secret" room was in this suite. It was a video vault. Next was Studio A, unfortunately we didn't get to go into the control room. After that was the Purple Rain room. They were playing the film and there was Prince movie script, the piano from the Purple Rain tour, the white cloud guitar, and a motorcycle. The paintings on the wall were gone. Next was the Under the Cherry Moon/Graffiti Bridge room. The walls are covered with pictures from both eras. I think it was around 2010, Prince was photographed in the room in front of pics of Wendy and Bobby Z for a poster for the W2A shows. They had a UTCM outfit, the one where he is standing on boat dancing with Mary. There was the leather jacket with the symbol from Graffiti Bridge and the black motorcyle. They were showing the Graffiti Bridge movie. Next was Studio B. They had the purple piano he was using for the Piano And A Microphone shows and a blue cloud guitar. We could have our photo taken sitting at the piano bench. They also had a black piano and there was a white fur hat on it, that they said was left there by Prince. No access to the control room in this studio either. After that it was the "piano room" where the black piano used in the Rave 2 concert was with some couches. The soundstage was next. They could do so much more with this area, but there were 5 mini stages set up and all of the couches are gone. They were themed. Jam of the Year tour with a red outfit and the purple Emancipation piano. 3RDEYEGIRL with some outfits, guitars, and Hannah's drum kit. The Gold Experience with the gold guitar, the gold axxe, Sonny's bass, and Michael's drum kit, and an outfit. 1999/Purple Rain tour with a couple outfits and the 1999 drum kit. The purple Yamaha piano was right where it was at when he passed. They were showing unreleased video footage and the one that stood out to me was the Piano And A Microphone show from Paisley Park in January. I would DIE for those 2 shows. Last was the Love 4 One Another room. The stage was still set up and there were couches on it, like there were at the last party. Walking out to the merchandise tent they are showing the Super Bowl performance. The guides need a WHOLE lot more schooling. They need to work out the timing of the tours, as there was a lot of standing around waiting. The tour was supposed to be an hour and 40 minutes, but we were there for 3 hours.

Thank you for sharing this.

From what I've read about these tours, I think I'd be bored out my tits after half an hour. "When's the next bus into town due?"

musicfan77 said:

motherfunka said:

SPOILERS***

Was this the general admission or VIP visit?

VIP. The extra on the VIP tour is the video editing suite, Studio B, the Galaxy room, and the photo ops with the piano and guitar.

XxAxX said:

motherfunka said:

SPOILERS***

don't blame the poor guides, from what people have been saying they were likely given their training five minutes before the doors opened... and remember, because of the little zoning error snafu many of them can't count on having jobs anymore...

so from what you describe it sounds impossible to use Paisley Park for dance parties, rehearsals and live shows? does it look like dance parties and performances will ever be possible there again? have they changed the construction in such a way as to rule out those possibilities??

[Edited 10/7/16 6:36am]

I'm not blaming the tour guides. One of my good friends is a tour guide who has been going to Paisley Park since 1994. They only had short training and given a script on Monday. Then they had test runs on Wednesday. I was just hoping the hiring staff would have hired more people with a vast knowledge of Prince.

The only construction that I noticed was a drive lane between the 2 parking lots, they filled in the open space to the elevator, and they removed the counter where we would go to pay for the parties. Nothing has changed in the L4OA/NPGMC room. The stages in the soundstage area are where all of the couches were set up before. Dance parties and live shows are still possible, just nowhere to sit in the soundstage area.

There are several people working there who worked security and regulars to the parties/concerts. I did see Kirk. If there is a controversy over the urn, I don't see the big deal. It actually gave me some more closure. Paisley Park has always been somewhat of a museum, with memorabilia everywhere. I was thrilled to see all of the outfits, awards, and instruments. I wouldn't imagine any true Prince fan would not be.

motherfunka said:

SPOILERS***I went on the tour this evening. It was very surreal. I've been used to walking up to the doors and the building shaking from loud music for 20+ years. It was eerily quiet. We waited in the lobby for awhile and all of the furniture has been removed. Once in the atrium you see the Paisley Park shaped urn at the point of the . You can see the doves on the second level. They have themed rooms for Diamonds and Pearls (outfits) and Sign O' The Times (peach drum kit, peach guitar, and some outfits) and a couple of guitars from earlier periods, the Hohner was one. Prince's office is also in the atrium area. His desk had sunglasses and some CDS. A travel bag with airline tags was on the floor. Then we went into the video editing suite and they showed some unrleased concert footage. The "secret" room was in this suite. It was a video vault. Next was Studio A, unfortunately we didn't get to go into the control room. After that was the Purple Rain room. They were playing the film and there was Prince movie script, the piano from the Purple Rain tour, the white cloud guitar, and a motorcycle. The paintings on the wall were gone. Next was the Under the Cherry Moon/Graffiti Bridge room. The walls are covered with pictures from both eras. I think it was around 2010, Prince was photographed in the room in front of pics of Wendy and Bobby Z for a poster for the W2A shows. They had a UTCM outfit, the one where he is standing on boat dancing with Mary. There was the leather jacket with the symbol from Graffiti Bridge and the black motorcyle. They were showing the Graffiti Bridge movie. Next was Studio B. They had the purple piano he was using for the Piano And A Microphone shows and a blue cloud guitar. We could have our photo taken sitting at the piano bench. They also had a black piano and there was a white fur hat on it, that they said was left there by Prince. No access to the control room in this studio either. After that it was the "piano room" where the black piano used in the Rave 2 concert was with some couches. The soundstage was next. They could do so much more with this area, but there were 5 mini stages set up and all of the couches are gone. They were themed. Jam of the Year tour with a red outfit and the purple Emancipation piano. 3RDEYEGIRL with some outfits, guitars, and Hannah's drum kit. The Gold Experience with the gold guitar, the gold axxe, Sonny's bass, and Michael's drum kit, and an outfit. 1999/Purple Rain tour with a couple outfits and the 1999 drum kit. The purple Yamaha piano was right where it was at when he passed. They were showing unreleased video footage and the one that stood out to me was the Piano And A Microphone show from Paisley Park in January. I would DIE for those 2 shows. Last was the Love 4 One Another room. The stage was still set up and there were couches on it, like there were at the last party. Walking out to the merchandise tent they are showing the Super Bowl performance. The guides need a WHOLE lot more schooling. They need to work out the timing of the tours, as there was a lot of standing around waiting. The tour was supposed to be an hour and 40 minutes, but we were there for 3 hours.

They should send u a check for this write up! I wonder what happen to the couches and paintings that were removed... Tyka or his half siblings have them?

does anyone know if they are honoring original ticket holders? Or are they only honoring the second purchase of tickets?

My 1st ticket was VIP and now my second one is Gen Admin. Do you think they would let me take the VIP since I have my original ticket (for Oct 13th of course)

Ingela said:

bigtimefan said:

Just saw this. I have no idea who Kirk Miller is, but he sure won't be there....

.

WHY I WILL NEVER VISIT PRINCE’S PAISLEY PARK

The enigmatic singer craved privacy. Let’s respect that.

BY KIRK MILLER

30 AUGUST 2016

The private home and studio used by Prince is going public.

Don’t expect to see me in line.

It's not for lack of curiosity: opened in 1985, the 65,000-square-foot Paisley Park, located in the Minneapolis suburb of Chanhassen, served as the creative nexus for the “Purple Rain” singer. He recorded there, rehearsed there, hosted private parties there ... He had the entire place wired for sound, so he could jam out any moment.

He lived there. Seriously, he lived in his studio. And, tragically, died there, on April 21, from an accidental overdose of the painkiller fentanyl in April.

According to a press release, Paisley Park will open on...aily tours, with a chance to see Prince’s personal archive, “including iconic concert wardrobe, awards, musical instruments, artwork, rare music and video recordings, concert memorabilia, automobiles and motorcycles.”

In honor of the Purple One’s 1993 underappreciated “Seven,” let’s count the seven ways this is a terrible idea.

He was a private man
You know why there’s an air of mystery around Paisley Park? Because Prince didn’t hand out invites to just anybody. This was a man who sued former employees to protect his privacy. He hid hundreds of songs from his record label (which he also sued). He went after YouTube and other sites for posting his music and TV appearances.

Even Prince’s sister Tyka Nelson, who announced the new tours, acknowledged “only a few hundred people have had the rare opportunity to tour the estate in his lifetime.” Kevin Smith once told a great, bizarre storyabout touring the estate in 1999 for a planned documentary of the singer that paints Prince as kind of a Howard Hughes recluse figure. Oh, and that release? Shelved.

He had no will
Nelson can claim that opening Paisley Park was something “that Prince always wanted to do,” but there’s literally no proof of this. Also, given the estimated $300 million up for grabs in the estate ... let’s not trust anyone’s motives right now.

It’s going to be managed by the company that oversees Elvis Presley’s Graceland
So, you know, classy.

It’s a ripoff
Tickets are $38.50 and go up to over $100 for a “VIP experience.” For a 70-minute tour.

There’s an ongoing criminal investigation
The man died at Paisley Park — which, again, was his home. Can we wait until the investigation is finished?

Prince works better as a mystery
The man was inscrutable. Occasionally offputting, it was also part of his charm. Here’s an obit that sums up Prince’s mysterious appeal nicely: “Prince was many things at once yet ultimately remained unknowable and inscrutable — a blank space upon which fans projected their own sense of who they wished him to be. Prince was, in many ways, ill-suited to global celebrity. If the face he presented to the world was debauched with a vengeance, in private the singer was soft-spoken and intensely shy. Indeed, for much of his career he lived a hermit existence, hidden his Paisley Park recording facility in his home town of Minneapolis ...”

He really, really didn't want people getting into his vault
Prince’s legendary vault of unreleased songs was “drilled open” a mere week after his death. Does owning a literal vault sound like a man who liked to share his life?

Side note: There are now plans to release numerous albums from this vaulted archive, which begs the question: name one good posthumous album you still enjoy (seriously doubting you still have Michael Jackson’s Xscape in your playlist).

For once, let's let sleeping gods lie.

.

http://www.insidehook.com/nation/why-i-will-never-visit-princes-paisley-park

[Edited 8/31/16 18:25pm]

I feel the same way. I've always wanted to go when he was alive and invited people over for parties. But without him there, it feels tasteless.

hmmm, so what do you think should be done with PP? Let it deteriorate? Seriously?

He said in interviews that he knew the fans would like to see his awards and stuff. Go ask Sheila E. She also said that opening PP was what he wanted to do. You obviously do not know Prince.

http://www.startribune.com/paisley-park-has-the-look/396234541/

A reporter from the Minneapolis Star Tribune has offered a critique of the PP VIP tour.

motherfunka said:

musicfan77 said:

PURplEMaPLeSyrup said:

thank u every1 4 the very detailed reviews! the tours sound really interesting and the merchandise sounds cool too! so glad they were able to get permits for a few days this year. I pray that everyone who got jobs there was aware of the circumstances and may everyone involved be healed of the effects of this wild wild year. Thankful for all the family and museum staff and fans, every1 who has poured soooo much love into ensuring that Prince will be honored in a big purple way in MSP in 2016. It's gonna be a beautiful week! I'm already excited about my next visit to PP in 2017 to see the lovesexy room, etc. hopefully the museum got a good idea of which hours will be most popular for tours in 2017.

I did see a door in the atrium, with a Prince photo from the Lovesexy era, that had a sign that said coming spring 2017. That is one of my favorite periods and I would have loved to see it represented, but it wasn't. Back in the days of the NPG store in Uptown, they had a showing of the Lovesexy outfits. I wanted to grab the Bob George long coat and jump out the window with it...

When the tours were first advertised by Paisley Park they said there would be cars on display. They now are saying they are preparing an area for the cars to be displayed in the future.

motherfunka said:

PURplEMaPLeSyrup said:

thank u every1 4 the very detailed reviews! the tours sound really interesting and the merchandise sounds cool too! so glad they were able to get permits for a few days this year. I pray that everyone who got jobs there was aware of the circumstances and may everyone involved be healed of the effects of this wild wild year. Thankful for all the family and museum staff and fans, every1 who has poured soooo much love into ensuring that Prince will be honored in a big purple way in MSP in 2016. It's gonna be a beautiful week! I'm already excited about my next visit to PP in 2017 to see the lovesexy room, etc. hopefully the museum got a good idea of which hours will be most popular for tours in 2017.

I did see a door in the atrium, with a Prince photo from the Lovesexy era, that had a sign that said coming spring 2017. That is one of my favorite periods and I would have loved to see it represented, but it wasn't. Back in the days of the NPG store in Uptown, they had a showing of the Lovesexy outfits. I wanted to grab the Bob George long coat and jump out the window with it...

PURplEMaPLeSyrup said:

so, just a few questions for those scheduled for a GA tour on Oct. 14 --

1. are we still waiting for updated shuttle info for that day, or have you already received an email about those details?

and

2. are small backpacks allowed there or can they be stored when you enter the place?

just wanting to make sure I know of any updates and asking here first since the museum staff is probably megabusy, thanks!!!

LovePaisley said:

PURplEMaPLeSyrup said:

so, just a few questions for those scheduled for a GA tour on Oct. 14 -- 1. are we still waiting for updated shuttle info for that day, or have you already received an email about those details? and 2. are small backpacks allowed there or can they be stored when you enter the place? just wanting to make sure I know of any updates and asking here first since the museum staff is probably megabusy, thanks!!!

I haven't recieved anything recently. I assume it's all a go, since my GA ticket has always been for the 14th. I'm guessing they have a bag check since pix and videos aren't allowed. What time are you going on Friday? I'm looking to ride share with someone.

thanks 4 your reply! so i guess GA tour people meet at the chanhassen transit station for a shuttle? my ticket is for the 9:30 am tour

They are opening for 15 more days. For those of you that have done the tour do you feel the VIP tour was worth the extra money or just go with GA

wow! this whole thing rivals prince suspense, lol. that was very considerate of the city council

i24u said:

They are opening for 15 more days. For those of you that have done the tour do you feel the VIP tour was worth the extra money or just go with GA

The difference is that you get to see the video editing suite, the Galaxy Room (lounge area for Studio B), and Studio B and can take a photo with the P&AM piano and blue cloud guitar (in Studio B). Also there are up to 50 people for GA and only 15 for VIP. You decide! I would say the extra $ is worth it, escpecially if you are traveling here and won't be back often.

motherfunka said:

i24u said:

They are opening for 15 more days. For those of you that have done the tour do you feel the VIP tour was worth the extra money or just go with GA

The difference is that you get to see the video editing suite, the Galaxy Room (lounge area for Studio B), and Studio B and can take a photo with the P&AM piano and blue cloud guitar (in Studio B). Also there are up to 50 people for GA and only 15 for VIP. You decide! I would say the extra $ is worth it, escpecially if you are traveling here and won't be back often.

THANK YOU

i24u said:

motherfunka said:

The difference is that you get to see the video editing suite, the Galaxy Room (lounge area for Studio B), and Studio B and can take a photo with the P&AM piano and blue cloud guitar (in Studio B). Also there are up to 50 people for GA and only 15 for VIP. You decide! I would say the extra $ is worth it, escpecially if you are traveling here and won't be back often.

THANK YOU

You're welcome! Enjoy!