It's still pretty hard for me to believe that I FINALLY got to hang out in Uptown, meet up with some amazingly gracious and funky orgers, and visit Paisley Park.

When they announced the parties early in the week, it just so happened that I was looking at about 5 days off of work (a little mini-vacation before I start a new job tomorrow morning), and somehow I convinced my roommate to drive up with me. (I owe him...he can eat all the mac & cheese he wants, for breakfast or otherwise - shudder).

I went on Mapquest Wednesday, did some laundry, and talked on the org. To say I was giddy would be a huuuge understatement, hehe.

We woke up early Thursday and we were on the road before 5:30 a.m., headed for Minneapolis, by way of Dayton, Indianapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee, and a whooole lotta nuthin'.

13 hours later, we crossed the Mississippi and pulled into Uptown. We met Endorphin74 and CarrieMPLS for dinner, drinks, and some fantastic Prince stories at the Uptown cafe. Very rarely do you come across people as geniunely sweet as Endorphin and Carrie, Uptown ambassadors of the highest order. They were so sweet, and fun, and genuinely excited by my virginal Paisley ass. These are exactly the kind of people Prince sang about in “Uptown”…it’s all about being there. It wasn’t just a song, y’all.

After dinner, we went our separate ways, and Endorphin gave my roommate and I directions to Paisley Park (he’s such a sweetheart - and a cutie to boot!), and off we drove into the night, giggling like Clara Bow.

We were rolling down I-5 (I think?), and as we made the left onto Audobon, it occurred to me that I’m LOOKING AT PAISLEY PARK, and it was all I could do to not drive off into the ditch. I pulled over across from the Park and just kinda soaked in the excitement for a few minutes, before we pulled into the parking lot of Paisley and parked. We got there around 10:20 the first night, and there was already a bit of a line outside the door. Let me just say that I really feel for the folks who waited out there for those dead-of-winter shows in the 90’s…although of course, y’all are some lucky muthas.

After waiting for maybe 20 minutes and chatting with a guy from Wyoming (not the state – it’s also a town in Minnesota, apparently) who had on some fine-ass lavender pants, the staff came out and announced that no cellphones were allowed and began to let us in. I should say that although I had been expecting the Paisley staff to be surly and menacing, they were in fact gracious, professional and friendly.

After walking in the door, we walked into the foyer. The door to the smaller Love4OneAnother room was open, with booming Prince music emanating from within. As my insides trembled at the surreal (to me, anyway) thrill of listening to Prince’s music in the same place most of it was recorded, my roommate and I walked through the door and into the dance party.

For those who have never been, I should give a quick description of the inside of the room. The first thing I noticed was the NPGMC logo on the center of the dance floor. Hanging from the ceiling in one corner of the room was the largest symbol I’ve ever seen. Underneath that, the DJ had his mixing equipment set up. Next to that was the water bar and a smattering of tables. On the wall where we had entered, there was a metal stairway which later turned into a catwalk and disappeared high up above. On the side of the stairway, there were all these nifty, wrought-iron flowers…pink carnations, it looked like. On the side of the stairway above our heads was the Sign O’ The Times car grill and headlights, which I believe were turned on, and glowed a deep pink color. Farther up the stairs from that hung a large, deep pink neon heart. On the other side of the room, there was a neon blue symbol – not the final version, more like the one on the bike in Graffiti Bridge, but different than that…is it the one from NewPowerSoul? Someone else mentioned that the stage wasn’t set up, so I guess maybe I don’t know what it looks like when it’s actually set up – because it looked it was set up to me. Prince’s guitars were lined up along the drum set, including of course Habibi and (gasp) The Blue Angel. Yes, my dick got hard. I must have looked like quite the grinning fool right about then.

I want to keep it on the plus side, so I won’t say anything about the DJ (DJ Dudley, right?) except that perhaps he should consider dropping the last 3 letters of his name. Y'know, in the interest of fair representation.

However, he DID spin some great Prince jams throughout the night, or sometimes parts of them: America, Poom Poom, My Medallion, Mad Sex, Cool, Nasty Girl, and Cloreen Bacon Skin. The ladies and fellas who tore up the dance floor from the beginning of the night on get ALL of my respect and gratitude….they gave the evening a real loose, funky feeling. A sweet lady with a beautiful smile asked me out to dance with her at one point early on, and I promptly forgot how to dance, but had a helluva time anyway.

After a bit, Endorphin74 arrived with Violett and Handclapsfingasnapz, two of the foinest felines up in the joint. Everything that I said earlier about the Minneapolis/Uptown vibe applies to these ladies as well. And of course Endorphin is just as kick-yer-ass fantastic as his name suggests. Although Paisley itself was a tremendous thrill for me, the best part of my trip by far was meeting all of these beautiful people, and telling stories, and jokes, and smiling.

At one point, I glanced over at the soundboard, and there he was, lookin’ pimptastic, but with class. From my vantage point, I could see him from his chest up, and the top of his outfit reminded me of the one he wore in the Sacrifice of Victor video. This one was maroon and peach (keep in mind that I’m color blind, heh) and the pattern around the neckline looked to me like the ones on African shirts and robes, like the ones my aunt used to bring back from Kenya. His hair also looked like it did in the S.O.V. video, except more tame and not quite as long. Still…it was carefully coiffed, and it made me at once feel jealous and decide I’m going to grow my hair out.

Mani was sitting next to him, and she did indeed look like Vanity, like Handclapsfingasnapz said in her report. Obviously she wasn’t in cheap whore drag like Vanity always was, though (hey, I got nuthin’ against cheap whores, trust me!).

It was funny because everybody acted like they had no idea Prince was even there, but afterwards, when he left, everybody was talking about what he looked like, what he was doing, et cetera. I know that’s how it’s done – I’m just saying it was odd being just a few yards away from one of your heros (musical or otherwise) and not getting all WHOOO!!! with it. I was whooo!!!’ing on the inside…

At one point, a song started that sounded like a Prince song, but wasn’t anything I had heard before, and a wave of excitement shot through the crowd. It was the song that has been referred to as “Musicology,” and I would guess that this will be put up on the site sometime this year (if not, it should be). It’s a funky, horn-laden dance song. Obviously, as with most Prince songs, you can’t pick out anywhere near all of the lyrics on the first listen, but it seemed to be talking about the history of music…at one point he mentioned Chuck D and JB. It seemed like a really long song, but I may have just entered some sort of purple party timewarp. Towards the end, there was a syncopated drum break to make yer backbone slip. Unh!! After what seemed like 6 or 7 minutes, the song turned into another new Prince song. Of course I don’t know the name of it, but it started off with Prince rapping the words to “Prince and The Band,” but then seemed to lead into something else, with a few more NPG references than one of my companions preferred (hehe), but which got that same frisky feline gettin’ SERIOUS about dancing. And I was doin’ the same…that song was the jam, with some 80’s synth action going on and some more horny horns. Was this the song that had the chorus, Get yo body movin’, or was that the Musicology song? The mix of emotions and the sheer act of shakin’ my money maker conspired to make attention to detail much harder than usual. (Speaking of which, the second night I was introduced to RiccoTheArtist by a beautifully dressed foxxx [that’s you, Deja], and not surprisingly, he was a true gentleman. We talked about the fact that remembering details – especially of songs that you’re hearing for the first time - is not as easy as it would seem, and we talked about the fact that despite our sometime different opinions on things, we both love the music, and that’s what it’s all about.)

After all that dance floor action and a couple bottled waters, I had to go to the bathroom to splash some water on my face…my Sicilian roots combined with the excitement of the evening were taking their toll on my sebaceous glands. Plus, with all of the dancing, it DID get mighty hot in there…thankfully, a staff member opened up what looked like a loading bay door so that the cool night air could get in. After using the facilities and returning to the club, all I could think was, Heh…I just pissed in Prince’s toilet…heh heh. Like, sooo mature, man.

Later on, Prince returned to his seat behind the soundboard and on the screens (one on the wall next to the DJ and one behind the instruments on the stage) they played “Push and Pull” with the sound off while the DJ continued to spin, and then they turned the sound on for “1+1+1 is 3,” which was (duh) funky as HAIL. There was no funk-muting mention of the theocratic order, but there was a great cellphone joke, and it happily included the Roller Coaster portion and some killer guitar by the man. At the end, Prince had Maceo pull up some people from the crowd, and one of the ladies who was at Paisley that night (and who did a fantastically funky James Brown on the dance floor earlier in the night) was on the video, and due to her position on the stage, she gets quite a lot of screen time…and she was deservedly freaking out, and jumping up and down, and in all her excitement, she actually fell down on the floor. It was cute – and she’s really fun on the DVD, too…my roommate keeps asking me to “put on that song where the lady fell down.” Heh.

Around 2 a.m., most of the people had left, and a few of us stragglers (including three adorable boys with Converse All-Stars on) sat over by the stage, just talking to our friends and listening to the music. It was fun, but boy, by this time we wuz TIRED. The DJ sloppily unplugged the turntables seemingly mid-song and the lights came up. As we walked out the door, the staff wished us all a good night and asked us to drive safely. My roommate and I were lucky to get the second-to-last room at the Chanhassen Inn just down the road (3 cheers for procrastination and last-minute plans!) and we passed the fuck out.

The next morning (well, early afternoon), we went over to Paisley to get some pictures of the outside of the building. I figured we’d park on the road and I’d take some pictures from outside the gate, but to my surprise the parking lot gate was open. The sign on the gate doesn’t say No Trespassing or Authorized Visitors Only or anything like that; it just says Warning: These Premises Are Under 24 Hour Surveillance…and with the awe-inspiring Minnesota clouds in the background, I figured I’d park in front and we could just snap a few quick pictures, before getting back into the car and leaving. After about a minute, as I was telling my roommate that I think we should go now, one of the staff (well, he was in bouncer mode, if you know what I mean) was angrily walking towards us…so I told my roommate to get in the car and as he was saying to me, “Oh, just go over to the door and I’ll take a picture of you like you’re going in,” (he didn’t see the guy walking towards us), we both looked over and watched a purple Prowler quickly pull through the same gate we just drove through, and quickly turn the corner and disappear into the little courtyard-like parking lot in front of the door we were let into the night before. All the windows were tinted, and the sexy muthaducka driving turned the corner fast and sleek. Nice - looks like the Batmobile. We jumped into our much less awe-inspiring but dependable car and drove out of the lot, feeling giddy and guilty at the same time. What a trip.

After spending the day driving around Minneapolis and being caught walking in at least three sudden but torrential rainstorms, we met up with Endorphin & Co. and went to First Avenue for a few drinks. Walking in, I excitedly said, “This is the door Apollonia stuck her boot in!” I agree with my roommate’s assessment that Minneapolis is a really cool place, full of interesting, non-cookie cutter people, and I wish I could have stayed a few more days, but I had to be at work on Monday.

Friday night at the Park was perhaps not quite as memorable as the first night…it was much more crowded, and Conversation Piece was a good band. I was much more aware of my feet hurting without dancing like we were the first night, but I was thrilled that CarrieMPLS showed up, looking fierce. The band played until maybe 2:30, and they were quite good, although I must admit that a few times I really yearned for a seat. This guy who played trumpet on a song or two was a cute little thing. After the band was finished playing, they played some more songs from the DVD on the screens…at this point, to be honest, I was basically dead on my feet, so I’ll need some help on exactly what songs were played. I can say for sure that there are 14 tracks, plus a bonus track and a commercial for the club, because the first night as we walked in the menu screen was being displayed. Although I’m blanking on what songs were played exactly, he was playing The Blue Angel for a few of them, and that made me happy…guh. I agree with someone else on here who said that the camerawork is too shaky for my tastes, but what can ya do. It’s still funky…and Friday night one of the songs they played off it was “Whole Lotta Love,” which I was thrilled to see included on this set. I wonder what the running time of the disc is?

Friday night they had a little stand set up off the foyer, with a cute chick who looked awfully familiar to me selling some t-shirts, some of the symbol keychains, a few copies of the box set, the Days of Wild single, a couple copies of the Neo Manifesto book, and maybe a few more things. The t-shirts were $10, and I happily bought the NPG gold toof one, cuzzin’ I dig it. And yes, at the door on the way out, Takumi was selling the NEWS disc for $7 a pop. I should have bought some…but I don’t get paid until Tuesday, heh.

Speaking of which, I start my new job in 7 ½ hours and I really should get some sleep…I’m sure I forgot a million things, but I’m also sure that hardly anyone is actually reading this anymore, so screw it. Much love to EVERYONE there, including Endorphin74, CarrieMPLS, Priana (UNGH!!! you KNOW you exude beauty and grace, girl!), Violett, HandClapsFingaSnapz, RiccoTheArtist, and everyone else I met…and everyone I didn’t meet. Y’all gave me an experience that I will never forget…

AWESOME REPORT, theblueangel.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write it. It wasn't that long ago that it was my very first time stepping inside Paisley Park so I truly understand the emotions you were feeling just being there, and it was wonderful to read your recollections of your trip there and to Minneapolis. Thank you for sharing them.

I live here in Minneapolis and I feel sad that I wasn't able to make it to the parties last week. I hope I will the next time and that one day I will also be able to say hello to you. I know you'll be back to Paisley again.

And good luck with your new job.

i am so glad you were able to take advantage of being in mpls! i had to be back at work on saturday night and didn't get to enjoy the city as much as i would have liked (and by the way...endorphin74...next time, man, we are gettin' some drinks on!). i am also really glad that i was not alone in all those "first time" thoughts back when it was my first time. it all sounds so familiar! this week was not (by far) my first trip to mecca...er, uh, paisley park...but i remember all those same thoughts back when it was! congratulations on a fabulous time! hopefully, you'll be back...and maybe with a performance next time!

wow, thank you for the amazing summary, blueangel...

i've tried to type a hundred responses at this point, but BLUR burned my brain and after the past 4 days I'm completely blissed out...

suffice it to say that my experience at paisley thru these 2 parties was so much better because of you. Seeing the way you just glowed as things went down and songs were played and 'sightings' were made reminded me what it's all about.

I'm glad this weekend came together, I'm thrilled you had a good time, I'm ecstatic we were able to meet and, well, what else can I say...

now go make your roomie some mac-n-cheese! and good luck at your 1st day on the job!

to all those who were at the parties in flesh or in spirit

let's hope this was the start of a trend so we all can continue to meet and share these experiences!

:fingerscrossed:

Wonderful report and I read it 'til the last drop.


I'm always amazed that people can give such detailed reports. I can hardly come home from a concert and remember songs, staging, etc.

Thanks!!!

woo-hoo, your very first paisley report!!! and i'm sooo glad i got to meet up with you and that you had fun while you were here, blue-dahling!!!

theblueangel said:

It's so sad that Prince who could get the best DJ's in the world to work for him hired this guy to tour with him.
Dudley actually seems like a very cool dude but he is not the most talented dj I have ever heard.

Hell yeah! Always exciting to hear about a newcomer to Paisley. I remember the first time went. I remember the butterflies in my stomach!

Congrats and good luck on your new job.

chickenman

Yay! blue! thanx for the report it was really great! totally reminded me of my first celly experience (which was in the L4OA room, before the carpet though) Sounds like you had a GREAT time! so happy for you!

A, as always, you blow me away. I read every last drop of your report. You RAWK! Now, all we gotta do is get you to come see me when you are in Chicago again. Peace, love.

Every experience at Paisley seems like my first experience. The vibe surrounding the building, the amazing people, and the possibility of seeing Prince perform makes each Paisley visit seem like a "virginal" experience.

I love that place!

cool report B-angel.
MAn...i wish iwas there with U peeps.

oh well...

if prince ever throws a party in my hometown
(chi-town) maybe U guys will come down.

anyway...yo report was so detailed. i thought i was
there!

(youngca)

theblueangel said:

Hey Blueangel!

I didn't fall down! I did that on purpose! I was literally floored by what I was seeing ... just loving the fact that we were all back at Paisley Park again and overwhelmed by all the great memories from Vegas that seeing that DVD brought back. Handclapfingasnapz referred to my actions as "freakin the f*ck out"! Well, if that's what it was... cool! I'D DO IT AGAIN!! I was just enjoying myself! And from what my friends who saw Prince's reaction to my enjoyment told me, he got a big kick out it too!

Ricco told me he got a chance to meet you! I wish I had gotten to meet you too! Your report was Awesome, baby!!!


[This message was edited Tue Jul 15 10:29:02 PDT 2003 by RedZRyder]

theblueangel said:

Did it really?
Cool report. Too bad I didn't get to meet all of you guys. Next time maybe.

DarlinLaurie said:

I totally agree with every word you said! I feel the same way.

I find it hard to understand those people who say going to Paisley became boring or old hat to them after awhile. And I know of some very hardcore fans who, after being around the Paisley party glory days of the middle 90s, just seem to not care at all anymore about going to PP. They still like Prince and his music, but the thrill of being at Paisley just seems to have worn off for them.

I know everyone is different, but speaking for myself I can't imagine ever becoming jaded to the magic of being out at Paisley Park.

Blueangel you are a Metamucil

BlueAngel:

Great report!!! I'm glad you couldn't find the words to describe that 2nd song either!!! I wish I had a camera to get a pic of you and Ricco together! Priceless!

Much love to you and I'm glad you enjoyed your trip to Paisley Park and your 1st party report!!!

TruthBTold

TBA, thanks for the report - passionate and funny as always!

awww im soo glad we got to meet!! and hope we get to hang out again sometime !!

OOWAA

Great Report, merci , I would like 2 read more threads like this one

jn2 said:

I think we all would like to read more threads like this one, but if there's nothing going on in the Prince world (no "parties", releases, events, etc...), it's like idle minds are the devil's workshop!! A whole bunch of BS topics start sprouting up (not that that doesn't happen even when there is something to talk about, LOL)!

Kitty!

You realize now that you've been here and met us we get to call you that, right?

I sooo enjoyed meeting you and hanging out! Like endorphin said, it was that much more fun seeing everything through your "virgin" eyes.

Just don't be a stranger now. A 13 hour drive isn't too much, so you'll have to come back and visit again. We've discovered Minneapolis is a lot more fun when we get to meet cool new people and show them around.

wow...fabulous report...so vivid and personal...

brought back such fond memories of my first time at the Park

Damn I miss the Cellies!!!

How I wish San Diego was closer to Chanhassen.!!!

Thanx for sharing your experience...

it really brought a tear to my eye!!!

(in a good way)