Police pull plug on Prince @ First Ave; read what he didn’t play
Posted on July 8th, 2007 – 5:19 AMBy Jon Bream
“We’re at First Avenue,” Prince said as he strummed the beginning of “Controversy’ “We gotta do it.”
Shortly after he sang “wish there were no rules,” Prince caved into the rules. “The authorities say we gotta go,” he said 70 minutes into his late, late set that started at 2:45 a.m. Sunday.”We always listen to the authorities. I promise I’ll be back.”
He was 15 songs into a planned 24-tune set. Here’s what he played — and didn’t get to play.
1. 3121 2. Girls & Boys 3. Feel 4 U 4. Controversy 5.blues song about a cockeyed woman who asks for pepper but looks at the salt6. Satisfied 7. Down by the Riverside (instrumental featuring horn section)8. Broken Heart Again 9. Love Is a Losing Game (Amy Winehouse tune sung by Shelby J) 10. Love Changes (Mother’s Finest tune, by Shelby again) 11. Thank You (the Sly Stone classic w/ Larry Graham on bass) 12. Hair(a Chaka Khan/Larry Graham oldie)13. Sing a Simple Song (more Sly) 14. Everyday People (you know it’s Sly) 15. Alphabet Street
At this point, Prince and the band exited, and everyone expected an encore — except all we got was Prince’s speech about the authorities.
Here’s what was still left on the set list:
16. Baby Love 17. The Dance 18. Let’s Go 19. Anotherloverholeinyourhead 20. The Question of U 21. Peach 22. Lolita 23. Black Sweat 24. Kiss
What did you think of the late, late show? Please post your opinion here:
58 Responses to "Police pull plug on Prince @ First Ave; read what he didn’t play"
The acoustics at the Target Center were so bad that if it was anyone but Prince, I would have walked out despite the 100.00 ticket. I hope the people at the 1st Ave concert could hear what he was saying/singing.
Jon, I thought it was a great show. I was particularly impressed with the horn section — that performance of “Down by the Riverside” was one of the high points of the show, in my opinion.
It’s too bad the show was shut down at 4; of course, it’s all to bad it didn’t start until after 2:30 a.m. Given the police presence outside First Ave (cops on horseback; lots of cops on foot) do you know whether some incident catalyzed the MPD’s decision to shut down the show? Or does First Ave always have to shut down by 4 a.m.?
April, I had no complaints about the sound at First Ave. Great venue; great sound; great band; great show; and, all in all, a great day.
I agree with April. We had lower level seats and we could barely understand what Prince was saying. Horrible acoustics. I wish I would have bought the 1st Ave or Macy’s tickets.
I agree with the few, the acoustics at the Target Center were horrible!!!!! You really had to listen carefully to figure out what song was what song. But it was great to see Wendy and Shelia E there.
Look foward to his next performance.
Must have gotten lucky on the sound, I was on the lower level left side, section 112, we were right below that large speaker set. It was loud, but we could hear everything clear as a bell. Thought the show itself was amazing, the Purple Rain start was absolutely incredible, and I’ve seen few shows were the bulk of the crowd was dancing/standing the whole time. He is one of those last really great performers, he holds a crowd on charisma alone.
I agree. Sound was horrible at Target Center, we could not hear what he was saying but it was a great show and great to see him jamming. Looking forward to the next gig.
The show was worth the 5 hour wait for tickets, but I was still disappointed when the set was cut short. Any word if he will be making good on his promise to return?
Rather lame to blame the cops. His manager(s) were undoubtedly aware of the curfew time well beforehand, and should have made sure he went on at an earlier time to avoid shorting his fans.
Ron, his crew were busting their butt to get everything transferred over from the Target Center.
while it seemed to take forever to setup, it’s easy to forget that most of that stuff is done hours before you usually arrive at a show @ First Ave normally.
that and the sound was almost spot on from the get go, so they obviously knew what they were doing.
i wasn’t bummed that it was only 70 minutes honestly. heck, i expected an hour, maybe less if we were lucky.
sure there’s a couple songs on that list that i woulda died to hear (Let’s Go (if i’m assuming that’s Let’s Go Crazy), and Kiss), but overall i can’t really complain, even after waiting almost 10 hours for tickets and another 3.5 or so to get in.
I was at the show at First Ave and when Prince exited the stage, I was expecting an encore just like everyone else. When he came out and said the police had pulled the plug, I was disappointed, but his show was so amazing I didn’t let it ruin my night. But wow, I had NO IDEA he still had NINE songs left… NINE?! REALLY?! Ok, NOW I am pissed! I figured he only had 1 or 2 left. I didn’t think he would play first ave longer than his concert at Target Center! This just makes me love Prince even more (as if that were possible)! It just shows what kind of guy he is… rewarding us all for spending 18 hours waiting in line for those tickets! Needless-to-say, Prince definately brought the FUNK back to Minneapolis… I can’t wait for him to come back again!
ah, nevermind, i see now from the Target Center show that “Let’s Go” was a Cars cover, and not Let’s Go Crazy, well that makes me less bummed 
coming from someone who has seen a fair number of the paisley park show’s back in the 90’s, i can honestly say the set at first ave (no matter how short) was off the hook.
my only complaint was that i wanted more wendy. i’ve waited for 20 years for that! but that said, antyime you see wendy, sheila & prince on the same stage - it’s all good with me.
and re; the acoustics in target center - that joint always sounds terrible, but we were in 201 and could hear prince perfect - couldn’t hear sheila at all, but p was spot on!
hard to believe that Sheila E will be 50 in December!
wowza she looked amazing last night!
Cops complaining about having to pay overtime is rediculous! Did they stop to think about how much money that man brought downtown Minneapolis over the weekend?! Hotels, cabs, bars, restaraunts etc. ALL made a ton of money. Ive NEVER seen the city so busy ALL DAY. Leave it to the police to cut short a historical event and piss off Minneapolis party people.
Cops complaining about having to pay overtime is rediculous! Did they stop to think about how much money that man brought downtown Minneapolis over the weekend?! Hotels, cabs, bars, restaraunts etc. ALL made a ton of money. Ive NEVER seen the city so busy ALL DAY. Leave it to the police to cut short a historical event and piss off Minneapolis party people.
I have to say, Prince’s doing this thing at First Avenue is what messed everything up for everyone all day long. When tickets first went on sale for this show, I decided that even though I’m now in my mid 30s, I was going to brave it and stay up all night and go to the after show. I’d been hearing about his legendary after parties that went for up to 6 hours since his Purple Rain days, and I’d always wanted to go. But I didn’t move to the cities until the mid 90s, and the first time I saw Prince was in the late 90s at the Target Center, and I have to admit, I wasn’t enthused about him playing there (I think the XCel center has way better seating, acoustics, etc.). I understand peoples’ complaints about the acoustics, I’ve been to many shows there were I could barely understand what was going on.
So, I did go to the Target Center show, and I had nosebleed seats way up straight back from the stage upper level row U. But from my vantage point, the acoustics were GREAT…I think the sound was probably reflecting off the back wall and reverberating for anyone who wasn’t far enough back, that seems to be the big problem with these types of shows, even at Xcel.
But here was my experience yesterday. I had no interest in the Macy’s show…it was way too expensive, I just plain didn’t need the T-shirt or perfume, and I didn’t care to pay for a floor ticket, I’m happy with nosebleed seats, I paid $31.21 instead of $131.21 or $250, and I could hear everything crystal clear unlike those who spent $100 more a ticket. So, I wanted to go the the Target Center show, mostly because I figured if I DIDN’T go, I wouldn’t know where the aftershow was going to be…I figured he’d pick Chanhassen, but I wanted to be in the know.
So, when on Thursday I heard about the First Ave show, I thought, great, no way I’ll get tickets to this…I had family commitments until at least 2 and tickets were on sale at 3, plus I was already devoting my evening to Prince, I didn’t think I could devote my afternoon, and until who knows when the next morning (I figured he’d play from midnight to 6 based on stories I’d heard, which now seem to be somewhat exaggerated).
So, I finally got to the line at 2:30, I was still there 1/2 an hour before tix went on sale, and I figured I’d wait in line, they’d be able to sell tickets fairly quickly I’m sure. They’re not going to make everyone wait outside in 100 degree temps any longet than they have to, I reasoned. Basically when I got there though, the line was 5 blocks long. I thought, 5 blocks might be enough to get 1500 people, I might not make it. So, it was iffy. But there were people in front of me who asked security, and then there was this guy with a bullhorn walking around, and I heard we were about position 900 in line…eveyone in line would be able to get tickets. We were all very excited. People behind me who were thinking of ditching because their 4 kids were being cared for by a friend decided that they’d stick it out.
We heard on 3 or 4 separate occassions from First Ave staff that there were more than enough tickets to sell to everyone in line. Then about the last hour and a half of the wait, which took us all the way around from 7th street, to Hennepin, to 8th street, to first ave, back to 7th street, cross 7th and continue on 1st ave all the way down to 6th. But we waited until 5:45. I was at the door, 8 people from the door in fact, after nearly 3 1/2 hours in the hot sun, and the same guy with the bullhorn who told us repeatedly that we were 900 people into the line and there were no worries, information we used to decide whether or not we should stay in line, said “I hate to break it to you guys, but we’re sold out.” I asked loudly why we were told repeatedly we were 900 into the line and allowed to think that for 3 hours in this blistering heat, and all I got from a female employee was attitude, “c’mon…it’s Prince at First Avenue, what did you expect? We’ve have people waiting in line since 4 yesterday, if you REALLY WANTED tickets, you should have come earlier then.” She was completely missing my point and insulting the crowd at the same time, after we’d all just invested our entire Saturday afternoon getting nothing to show for it but heatstroke, all due to their gross incompetence.
At about 4:15, this same guy with the bullhorn did come around to say that the Macy’s show would have the doors held until everyone with tickets could get so no need to leave the line. THAT is what held up the Macy’s show for over an hour….First Ave’s inability to find a way to get 1500 people through a line in less than 3 1/2 hours. So, I begrudgingly left, then came back, not in time for the doors to open which was to be at 7:30, but in time for the Target Center show which was set to start at 8:30. At 8:30, doors hadn’t even opened yet. We finally got to our seats after 9, and then waited for an hour for him to take the stage. Everyone said it was the Macy’s show that held it up, but I knew it was the First Ave fiasco.
So, when he took the stage, all was forgiven…it was an amazing show and I’m so glad I got tickets, and now I’m even more glad that a) I saved the money and bought nosebleed tickets so I could hear the show and b) that I didn’t waste my time at the First Ave show because it was maybe 20% of the show I would have expected to see and I would have been quite disappointed, especially since much of his set was the same as what I’d already heard that night, and a great deal of what was left was not even his material. I’d heard about 6 hour shows where he’d play all sorts of his songs, he’d do some covers and improvise and jam…that’s what I’d have wanted, that’s a Prince aftershow, that’s what I’ve always heard about, not 15 songs in 70 minutes.
But I fault First Ave, because they could have found a better way to do tickets, they could have made things easier on the fans who wanted to get tickets, and if they certainly could have avoided adding insult to injury for the fans they’d let down with their incompetence. Their inability to get people through the line in a reasonable amount of time delayed the Macy’s show, that delayed the Target Center show, and that delayed the First Ave show, causing him to cut it short. And they said before the show that they would have to stop serving alcohol at 2 am but he could play as long as he wanted. If he’d done the show on his turf, he could have played whenever he wanted, he could have gotten the real fans…the ones that were willing to still drive an hour at midnight to see him again to come to the show. But instead he relied on First Avenue which is clearly a haven of incompetence and idiocy so bad that aparetnly their employees can’t count to 1500.
I think the cops were still angry over the 10,000 people in the street waiting to get into the Target Center. Rumor has it that the sound check wasn’t to his liking and he didn’t want anyone in the building until it was perfect. I didn’t mind. The show was incredible - even with poor acustics. I wish he’d play the X in St. Paul next time. All in all, the most exciting show I’ve ever seen. Love him and Sheila ROCKED!
To Dale: same set list or not, you haven’t seen Prince at his best until you’ve seen him in a small room. I went to about 8-10 of the PP shows in the 90s and they just blow the doors off any show in an arena or stadium. I would wait 6 hours for a 1 hour show at 1st Ave before waiting seeing a 2+ hour show at Target Center
I traveled from Cedar Rapids, Iowa to see Prince and I do it again in a heartbeat. It was awesome. Like Dale, I had nosebleed seats and thought the sound was great.
BOOOOOOOOOO to the Police for cutting short a historic show that has been 20 years in the making. Do you not even realize that Prince helped to put this city on the map? That’s what makes this city a lesser cultural center, people in other cities laugh at us for this sort of uptight attitude. The crowd wasn’t drinking and was well-behaved, what’s the big deal? It’s not like we were creating a nuisance and the situation hardly required extra police. There crowd didn’t have much time to drink at the show anyway. The show was shaping up to be the best and most amazing show I’ve ever seen - and I’ve been going to First Ave for 20 years! Closing the show early just SUCKED!
BOOOOOOOOOO to the Police for cutting short a historic show that has been 20 years in the making. Do you not even realize that Prince helped to put this city on the map? That’s what makes this city a lesser cultural center, people in other cities laugh at us for this sort of uptight attitude. The crowd wasn’t drinking and was well-behaved, what’s the big deal? It’s not like we were creating a nuisance and the situation hardly required extra police. The crowd didn’t have much time to drink at the show anyway. The show was shaping up to be the best and most amazing show I’ve ever seen - and I’ve been going to First Ave for 20 years! Closing the show early just SUCKED!
also, it should be noted that just because those other 9 songs were on the setlist, doesn’t mean they were actually planned to be played.
in fact i saw Prince’s stage manager cross out at least one song off everyones setlist right before they started the show (possibly due to the late start).
Got tix for the First Ave show - just barely - and I think it was BS for 1st Ave to not take a better head count and let people know furthest back in line that they would not be able to get them. Waiting for tix was absolutely ridiculous considering how hot it was. I don’t think they should have let people sleep on the street overnight considering how much garbage that was left behind there afterward. I think it was stupid for people to spend the night to get the tix because those like myself who got there around 2 pm still got tickets and didn’t have to waste 20+ hours of sitting in line. I felt that the line would move fairly quickly so I stuck out the line and was one of the last groups to get tickets. I wanted to go because the price was right and I thought it would be a great experience to hear him play at 1st Ave. Waiting was the worst part of the show. After waiting in line for hours just to get the tix, had to wait again to get inside of 1st Ave. Overall, 1st Ave did an ok job with a last minute, big event like this, however the fact that they didn’t start selling tix until around 3:45 was ridiculous. Another thing that threw off the ticket sales was this secret line of about 100 people who got to do presales. We talked to some of these people in line and they said it was an secret industry thing which occurred via text msg. I don’t think that was fair whatsoever because it cut into the head count on the street of the actual line and confused us toward the back of the line to know which line we were supposed to be in. They did come around with water for the lines at night waiting to get in which was a nice touch, but I think it was absolutely lame that they made us wait AGAIN outside to get in. Throw on some music and sell us some booze to ease the pain of what we went through earlier in the day already!! We got good spots once we got in, but the standing around was just getting really old. When he finally did come out it was really exciting to see him in person. The crowd generally behaved - no moshing around the main floor area like at other shows. What I was most upset about was that he did not play any of his popular songs. The closest we got was Controversy. He played slow, sleepy numbers and considering how late it was and how long everyone there had waited, everybody was tired and lacked energy to keep up with his slow songs. The guy in front of me even left early. Here is the set list I would have prefered in no particular order: Darling Nikki, Let’s Go Crazy, When Doves Cry, Get Off, Kiss, Baby I’m a Star, Under the Cherry Moon, P Control, Raspberry Beret… I wish he would have played even one or two of these songs. Overall, we were dissappointed because of the show being cut short (and now that I know it was the Minneapolis Police Dept’s fault I think that either Prince or 1st Ave should offer another show to make up for the fact that we got screwed out of another hour or so worth of concert) and for the lack of hits. However, that being said, it was a great experience to be a part of a small part of musical history and it was really cool to hear him in such an intimate venue. The sound in 1st Ave was great, although I could not understand what he was saying. It was also really cool that Sheila E. showed up and played. If I did it all over again, I would have gotten the semi-cheapy tickets to the Target Center show instead as the time I wasted yesterday and the unbearable waiting could have justified the xtra money. I still do think that 1st Ave/Prince owes us at the 1st Ave show a free admission to another show or something of that nature to make up for their slow ticket processing, misinformation in regard to ticket payment (they took charges when everything from the newspaper to the web said cash only), line confusion which ultimately ended up in some people cutting in the main line, and lastly the fact that they know that they have to shut down at 3. 1st Ave and Prince - have another show for your afterparty people - I’m sure many saved their ticket stubs and wristbands as keepsakes and if we came in showing both that would be proof we were there.
re: First Ave not starting to sell tickets until 3:45
blame Prince’s people for that one… First Ave was waiting on the wristbands (notice they say Paisley Park on them) so they could start selling tickets (this isn’t an assumption either, numerous people were told this).
I went to the block party to see Jonny Lang and G-Love last night wishing I could catch the prince show. After the Block party I went to the Dakota and caught a great jazz band, but I wanted to hit a club beacuse the city was alive last night with people. I made it to BArfly at 1:45 got in for free and had a free drink. At 2:00-2:30 I walked over to first ave. talked with some people out front lit a pipe and the next thing I know he door guy starts leting people in just as Prince takes the stage! AMAZING show! How lucky am I…
somebody …Called The Law…
i guess somebody …Called The Law…
i guess somebody …Called The Law…
In defense of Prince, I think he was trying to make sure many people could see him in a short time. It was not thought out reasonably if he had to set up from the Target Center to First Avenue. The venue should have been set up for him so he did not have to go through all that. However, he must have been exhausted from everything he was doing all day.
I wonder if he is going to return to First Avenue this week before he goes to Long Island at the end of this week?
If not and he comes later, I am totally flying to MN (from NYC) to see him!
First Ave had to keep people outside waiting because Prince had to sound check. I think that they would’ve been more than happy to have everyone inside the venue and drinking to pass the time, but that obviously couldn’t happen. I think the waiting and lines were all worth it!
John, your comment is totally incorrect.
Prince did NOT soundcheck @ First Avenue…
i’m not sure when you got inside the venue, but most everyone of us watched as Prince’s crew setup the stage from the ground up (transferred over from the Target Center show), which took well over 90 minutes.
Why do people keep complaining about him not playing his “hits.” If you honestly only like 10 of his songs, you should have went to the Target Center show. I am extremely happy that we got to see him perform songs that we normally don’t get to see. To me, that was the ultimate treat! And I think that was actually the point of his after show!
I got to live my fantasy. I came up from Omaha with my mom (who is 70). We didn’t care about waiting in the heat for the Target Center. Thought it a little strange everyone was let in at once. We don’t do that here. But for me to be able to go and see this man perform was amazing. Perform he did! We did get the side with the bad speaker but I didn’t even care. I just watched in complete and utter joy. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. He is Prince! I am surprised at the way Minneapolis played it down. My Lord they should have done so much more to accomodate him and the fans. I would have loved to go to 1st Ave but I am quite satisfied with his performance. His guitar playing should be talked about more, the fact he can still hit the high notes and move so beautifully is second to none. I say Bravo! Good luck in London. Take some time off and when you do come back, make Omaha a stop. We have a fantastic facility! I know there is no place like home. The entire experience with never be forgotten. A true highlight of my life. Thank you Prince.
I’ll start by saying I’ve been a Prince fan since his 1999 album- But I’ve never seen him live and nor was I at any of the recent shows. But- After hearing the stories of the waiting in line and getting the plug pulled, it sounds pretty bunk.
First of all, you’re a professional, you were late because you needed to place a phone call to tell Wendy to come play? Shouldn’t those arrangements been made a month ago? The day before perhaps? Second, the Target Center is a sh!t house for concerts- Prince should have known that and played at the X instead. And making all those people wait in the swealtering heat of the skyways and parking lots because you needed to delay the show for an hour? That’s lame. Also, starting your First Ave concert 15 minutes before they’re supposed to close for the night? That’s seriously lame- A way to not have to play as long imo. The venue and the cops gave serious leway by allowing you to play till 4.
I will always enjoy your music and bless you for your talent, I also like the mysterious side. But making your fans wait and suffer like that is disrespectful to them and as a professional, it’s bad form.
I came from Chicago to see the show at the Target Center. I would have loved to see the First Ave show as well, but could not stand in that line, which was 2 blocks long before my plane even arrived at the airport. I think that those people that did stand in that line should have been given some more respect, they deserve it. The sound sucks at the Target Center but it was a wonderful show. I went to see him in Vegas and that show was very similar to the one at First Ave. with non cover songs. That was a wonderful show, and if you get a chance to attend a 3121 show, you should really take it.
I was at the Target center show and the First Avenue show and both were incredible!! I will have to say that I enjoyed the First Ave show a little more because of the size of the place and because Prince made the place so legendary. I did not care what he played because he always does everything 100% and is an incredible musician and entertainer and that is why I go to see him.
For the police to shut down the First Ave show and complain about it was really selfish and petty of them. Being from Mpls, they are an embarrassment to the city. They are known for their racist/sexist/homophobic attitudes so I guess it is not a surprise that they would be Prince haters and try to rain on the parade. I totally agree with Andy about the amount of $ Prince brought into Mpls with all of the people that came to the city just to see him. And I also agree with VenusK that Prince put this city on the map as far as music and so he deserves some slack and props. Shame on the police for their moaning and crying - go get a donut and coffee and shut up. It was their stupid mistake that they hired on extras to help “control” the crowd - everyone was in good spirits and well behaved so there was no need for extra patrol.
Prince is amazing and even if he did have to cut the show short, it was still worth it. It would be cool if he made good on his statement about coming back though! If he does do another show for those that were there to make up for cutting it short, I am still wearing my wristband (people at the office are looking at me funny) and have framed my ticket so I would be good to go!!
My husband and I agreed that next to our wedding, this was the best weekend of our lives! Thank you for returning to First Avenue Prince!
I’m glad I sat this one out in protest of Prince being a greedy jerk and having his concert the SAME DAY as Live Earth, which was SOOOOOOO much more important than his lame ‘Planet Earth’ album that so far, talks only about his love of his guitar and not anything close to what’s happening on Planet Earth. Shame on him for not participating in Live Earth, where all could’ve heard his concert and where he could’ve REALLY shown his support for ‘Planet Earth’!
Live Earth?
seriously??
i mean i’m all for saving the earth and energy conversation, recyling, yadda yadda…
but Live Earth was kind of a joke…
best part of Live Earth was the Spinal Tap reunion.
and btw, who is to say he didn’t have his show planned before Live Earth?
The Prince show @ the Ave was amazing.
All the people complaining about waiting in line for tickets are missing the point. Camping out to buy tickets is an adventure and part of the whole picture. First off, no one owes you any freaking water! You are an adult, wear appropriate clothing and bring supplies you may need to wait in a three-hour line in 90+ sun.
Second, how many times did you start at the front of the line and count back yourself? What? Waiting for someone else to do it for you so you have someone to blame for your lack of effort? Counting a line of constantly shifting people where some do not play by the rules and “take cuts” is almost impossible, the count takes place at the box office. The estimate from the bullhorn guy was the best he could give you, and it was 100% better than the one you made.
Waiting in line for a show that 1500 out of tens of thousands fans wanted to see is also part of the whole picture. The delays did not make sense to you because you have no idea what the logistics behind 3 shows at 3 separate venues involves. ALL THE DELAYS WERE NECESSARY for some one to do their job, as specifically detailed by Prince and his crew. First Ave did help out the fans by opening before the sound check was done, if they had waited no one would have been admitted before 2AM, this whole “no one in the venue” for sound check is not the idea of the establishment, obviously they will make more money if you are in for a longer period of time.
The world does not exist to make your life fair or convenient, please, take a breath and enjoy the ride.
1) How on earth could First Avenue regulate when people chose to line up on Minneapolis sidewalks?
2) From what I hear (and this is pure conjecture), the lengthy sound-check at Macy’s forced the doors to open late there. The fact that this allowed many of the people with Macy’s tickets to also wait in line for First Avenue tickets was purely a pleasant coincidence, and was, more than likely, more causal of the pushed back door time for the Target Center show than anything at First Avenue.
3) First Avenue staff said that they argued vehemently in favor of opening doors and selling tickets much earlier than the 3:00pm scheduled time BECAUSE the event at Macy’s was scheduled to begin at 4:00pm, and (even knowing the likelihood of said event beginning late) they KNEW people would likely end up being forced to choose between the two due to the lengthy amount of time necessary to sell 1 individual ticket, at a price of $31.21, to 1500 people.
4) As I understand it, the doors for ticket sales at First Avenue did not open precisely at 3:00pm because the wristbands necessary for said ticket sales, in the posession of Prince’s people, were not available until 3:25pm.
5) An “OK job?” Name another concert venue that brings water out to the line of people waiting overnight to buy tickets to an event?
6) “But instead he relied on First Avenue which is clearly a haven of incompetence and idiocy so bad that aparetnly (sic) their employees can’t count to 1500.” I suppose I don’t even really need to respond to this post, since you do such a fine job embarrassing yourself… but I can’t resist… So remember, kids: When attempting to insult someone smarter than you, it’s always a good idea to use the old “spell-check,” and adhere to the rules governing punctuation.
7) When the announcement was made that there were “currently more tickets than there are people in line,” the statement was true. If people had the audacity to cut in line and effect your chances of procuring one of those tickets, then I am truly sorry, and I hope that this exemplification of the startling ethical devolution of our society lights a fire inside you, and turns you into a public advocate for increased funding for public education and an increased emphasis on the development of good parenting skills in aspiring breeders.
I can count to 1751. Beyond that, it all gets a bit fuzzy.
9) Don’t believe everything everybody tells you. That’s how wars start. Some people thought cash was the only method of payment, when Credit, perferred due to the lack of pennies involved, was certainly an option. Some people even thought that only people with Minnesota IDs could purchase tickets, when in reality people flew in from as far away as New Jersey to see the show.
10) First Avenue has a license that allows them to stay open until 3am. The fact that the Minneapolis police allowed Prince to play WELL beyond that curfew made the difference between a 15 minute show, and one that ran over an hour long (after two other shows that day). The Minneapolis police should be commended for their pragmatism and leniency when it came to the issue of curfew extension.
11) First Avenue was open from 6pm until 10pm for a performance by local favorite Har Mar Superstar. Many people purchased tickets for this show so that they could go in, enjoy the new air conditioning, walk around the legendary, historic venue, and “ease the pain” of the day’s events with a nice cold beer. Har Mar rocked, by the way.
12) The concert was amazing. The sound was great, and the lights were great. The crowd was (on the whole) a bit surly, and appeared in need of a nap, but what do you expect after a (for some) 17 hour wait. Overall, this event was a dream come true for hundreds of the people in attendance, myself included, and I am appalled by the negativity and lack of understanding that a few bad apples have exhibited in this forum. It is precisely because of attitudes like theirs that events DON’T run smoothly. Fortunately, the relative insignificance of such dissident voices within the obviously tightly knit community of Prince fans, combined with the obvious competence of the members of both the Prince and First Avenue crews, made for an extremely pleasurable experience that I will not soon forget.
I talked to First Ave staff on FRIDAY and indeed they were not happy about the 3pm ticket sales. They not only knew it conflicted with Macys, they also had their own arrangements for their own scheduled 6pm show to take care of. The poor decision making was in the Prince camp. It was also the Prince camp who couldn’t get Paisley ready for the show there, causing the sudden move to First Ave.
First Ave folks deserve major props for all the work they did accommodating the whole scene.
The 1st avenue show was legendary in my opinion - topping the 100’s of shows I’ve seen there. I am so pleased to have seen Prince’s amazing talent as a musician/dancer/performer so close and personal with my fiance by my side. His band is equally talented and play together with perfection. Given the circumstances, the 1st ave staff did a great job as usual - especially Mr. Blow-horn, who was calmly serving the people in line all day long. Sure, there could have been things to make it better (a few more hits from Purple Rain next), but that will always be the case in any show. I was very happy they let us in just in time to enjoy a few big bottles of ice-cold beer. We can’t wait to see him in a small venue again.
guy with the bullhorn 100% OTM
also, i kinda think the Police shutting down the show added to the whole thing…
sure i woulda liked to hear Kiss and have him play for another half hour or so, but still.
Does anybody have the playlist from the Target Center show? especially the last song–his jam. Thanks
Guy with the bullhorn, thank you for the water! It really, really helped on Saturday night.
I waited from 11:30 to 5 to get tickets to First Avenue. It sucked to be out in the sun for that long, but I was prepared for it. And the show was so worth it. I don’t know that many Prince songs other than his hits, but I didn’t really care that he didn’t play them. He sounded amazing and the band was tight. I still can’t believe I saw Prince and Wendy on the same stage!
Yes bullhorn guy! And thanks again for the water… that made the 18 hour wait!
I was lucky enough to actually get into all three shows. Macy’s, Target Center, and First Avenue. We[I and my mother], stood approx. 50 ft. from the stage at Macy’s and had some stupid ass people drinking at the side of us, and then taller people in front of us, we didn’t get the best view. The night before we went to First Avenue to go to the little 80’s party they had there, and got the first 100 pre-released aftershow tickets. Of course, we had to get to First Avenue at 3pm to get the wristbands, and still waited until 3;30 before they handed them out. My mother and I were the first to get the presale wristbands, hence being the first in line to get them. We ran to Macy’s. Once leaving Macy’s, after standing in the horrible 98 degree weather waiting for Aftershow wristbands, my mother ended up getting ill. We rested before going to the Target Center, ended up waiting an hour before they opened doors there[late, of course], managing to get my mom even more sickly than she was before. She eneded up sleeping through the entire show at the Target Center, and after that throwing up in the bathrooms in First Avenue[how many people can say they’ve done that, waiting for Prince?!]. We stood in behind the DJ booth up top in First Avenue. Being able to see Prince perfectly, yet, ended up leaving early to get rest for our flight that would leave within the next few hours. So yeah, can’t say much for my mother, but all three shows were great to me..Standing outside in the heat was worth it. That’s coming from someone who lives in NC. (= [By the way, sorry for any typographical errors, it’s late..and I need some rest. But I saw this and had to post. G’night.] n.n;
Some of you apparently missed this story I wrote after I ran into Wendy Melvoin on Sunday night. This may explain why the Target Center show was soooo late.
http://www.startribune.com/457/story/1291371.html
“Call to Bestest Friend Made Prince Late”
I (and 1400 other people) would be interested in knowing how Chastity heard about the “Pre-Sale” tickets - given that, according to all accounts (including members of First Ave’s management and long-time staff) there were to be “absolutely no VIP, guest list or pre-sale tix” available.
Could you, or someone else in that line, provide the rest of us with the name and/or email address that sent out that text message? There are a number of people who have contributed to the long-time success of both First Ave. and Prince’s career who were denied access to the venue - this, after there was an reportedly an effort to secure “about a hundred” passes for VIP’s, alumni staff, and VIP’s…
Just sayin’…
Edit:
Sorry, that should read “this, after there was an reportedly an effort to secure “about a hundred” passes for VIP’s, alumni staff, and ***friends of the venue***…
I and my mother both heard that there may be some prereleased. So we went to the 80’s thing the night before. All the staff in First Avenue were to keep their mouths shut about this. We were sitting next to a few people outside of First Avenue before they opened their doors to the 80s party. They said they knew there would be 50-100 tickets sold. They later found us, and we all went upstairs, beside the women’s bathroom, and bought the tikets..Simple as that.
Damn it! I was at the 80s party, but instead of going inside, I saw that there was already a line for the tickets, so I just got into that instead of going to the party. None of us outside were aware of this presale! Lame.
2nd Solace and the guy with the bullhorn said:
“First Ave folks deserve major props for all the work they did accommodating the whole scene.”
REALLY? What ‘whole scene’ are you referring to? You mean the select presale ‘cool’ people as chosen by current owner Byron Frank, current booker Nate Kranz and a few other keepers of the club? ….that current First Ave staff that bears no resemblance whatsoever to the well-oiled machine that hosted the scene in the early to mid eighties? ….the original scene of which Prince, The Replacements, Husker Du, et cetera and the best DJ’s Minneapolis has ever produced came to prominence in? ….the original scene of artists, fashion people, writers and thinkers which laid the foundation for everyone who claims a piece of ‘hip’ in Twin Cities music today?
….Because as most people who waited in line now know, this current First Ave once again demonstrated it’s incompetence and arrogance by pre-selling tickets to friends who had no connection to the development of said scene by notifying them to come down on Friday, thus the line of 100 or so that avoided the ‘adventure’ of 97 degree heat for countless hours.
You’d think a club with this legacy would have a master list of those who really contributed to the rise of club and artist, and then put the word out to those people to come down early for tix if they were interested. Too unrealistic? Probably….and therefore NO special privileges should have been made, given the scarcity of tickets, fairness to those who waited in line AND respecting the Prince management request.
One needs only to look at the bleak calendar of First Avenue over the last 5 to 10 years to realize Prince was honoring a ghost long since dead.
You shouldn’t take out your frustrations on hard working men and women just because you’ve been slapped in the face with the grim realization that you’re old, out of touch, and irrelevant to a “scene” within which you once thrived.
Remember: a calendar filled with names you don’t recognize isn’t necessarily “bleak,” and things always appear rosier through the lenses of nostalgia.
Maybe the “100 or so that avoided the ‘adventure’ of 97 degree heat for countless hours” ARE the “artists, fashion people, writers, and thinkers” who now build ON that foundation which you had such a steady hand in building, while you enjoy the detached twilight of your life, resting on a bed of memories.
Don’t get me wrong… thanks for the foundation… but come on.
New guard, I have to agree with the above post. The gist seemed to be to not attempt favoritism when it’s obvious no arbitrary system would accomodate the whole scene.
I’d probably wait in line again because of the rare opportunity to see Prince at the Ave, only because that was only option given to us, even though I wouldn’t wish that heat on anyone.
I’m not buying for a second though, that the ‘presale 100′ are in any way more relevant to the Twin Cities music scene than myself and many others after talking to them and hearing how and why they got the special privilege. Besides, how foolish did First Avenue look when their ’secret’ line caused complete confusion at the front of the club. It went something like this: “Um, you people who waited 12 hours or more stand here at the Entry door wondering why there is a new line forming at the last minute at the Mainroom door, while you people at the tail end of the blocks-long line make sure you don’t get mingled in with our ’special’ people even as the original line-waiters, ’special’ line-waiters and FA staff bark at you to know your place, got all that?”
So please don’t blame Prince’s people for being late with the wristbands; First Avenue should accept responsibility for their Mickey Mouse embarrassment.
Also, if you’re the New Guard, you should know better than to hurl insults (crass assumptions, I’m sure) as a substitute for debating the points that were raised. As far as the calendar, I consume a lot of music, and First Avenue is not booking the big shows like they used to; everyone pretty much knows and accepts this as fact. And I’d like to think I know what’s currently cool and retro-cool.
Ending on a Prince note, maybe the press of his gesture will give the club some of the credibility internationally it used to have.
Hmm, sorry but I didn’t have the nerve to sit out in such weather to wait for tickets to go on sale. I’d rather have fun instead of worrying that I would be the first, second, or third in line to get aftershow tickets. Yeah, it would be worth it with Prince, but, c’mon people. I was happy to find out that because I didn’t want to sit out in the heat that I could easily put my name down on a list, and get aftershow tickets that same night, as well as being in a room that was air conditioned, and have some fun with random people. (=
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