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1, 2016

Sunday, May 1, 2016 16-page special section

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SA2 S TA R T R I B U N E S U N DAY, M AY 1, 2016

Remembering Prince
Prince Rogers Nelson was one of us. He was born in
Minneapolis, grew up on the South Side and the North
Side, and moved to Chanhassen when he became rich
and famous. We flocked to his arena concerts, movies
and intimate gatherings at Paisley Park. We saw him
around town, taking in a Wolves game, browsing at the
Electric Fetus or watching a show at the Dakota. Since
the 70s when he was a newcomer to the music scene,
through his heyday in the 80s, and on past his feud with
his record label and resurgence as a more approachable
artist, the Star Tribune has followed our biggest home-
grown celebrity. Princes energy and genius seemed
boundless; they will live on in our hearts.

S TA R T R I B U N E . C O M / P R I N C E

Oral history & last show Complete coverage

Princes story, told by those who The latest news; video of grieving
knew him, plus his Atlanta concert. fans; a timeline; photo galleries.

C O L L E C T T H E F O U R C OV E R S

Sunday, May 1, 2016 16-page special section Sunday, May 1, 2016 16-page special section Sunday, May 1, 2016 16-page special section Sunday, May 1, 2016 16-page special section

Young Prince Go Crazy Purple Rain Kiss

This 1977 photo Star Tribune Illustrator Prince is
was taken in a photographer Robert Carter portrayed here
pop-up studio David Brewster depicts a scene by illustrator
in the Kemps ice took this shot reminiscent of Robert Carter
cream building at the 1984 MN Princes 2007 in a swirl of
in Mpls. Photo Music Awards Super Bowl northern lights,
Robert Whitman. at the Carlton performance. which also light
robertwhitman. Celebrity Room For more go to up our Minne-
com to see more. in Bloomington. crackedhat.com. sota nights.

Buy them all: Go to shop.startribune.com to purchase reprints of

this commemorative section and special reproductions of the covers. A contact sheet of a Prince performance at First Avenue dated March 3, 1986. DAVID BREWSTER Star Tribune

The Gig That Started It All.

THANK YOU FOR A FUNKY TIME.

Photo: Greg Helgeson

Be @ the Capri Prince, we will never forget.

www.thecapritheater.org
2027 West Broadway
Minneapolis 55411

SA4 S TA R T R I B U N E
There was no one better.
Whenever I caught one
of his shows, I came away
humbled. Im going to miss
that. Im going to miss him.
Bruce Springsteen
His generosity was really
endless. He took me with
him when he got an Essence
Award. He invited me to
watch Midnight Special vid-
eos with him, sitting on his
living room floor. He let me
share the mic with him and
Gwen Stefani at Paisley Park.
Ill be a fan until the day I die.
Robyne Robinson,
former KMSP anchor
He was one of a handful of
guys that, when one of those
videos showed up at the
MTV offices, everyone would
stop what they were doing
and gather in the office.
Michael Jackson opened
the door for black artists on
MTV, but Prince knocked it
down. Madonna, Michael
Jackson, Bruce Springsteen.
In 1984, those were the guys
who ruled the world.
Doug Herzog, president of
Viacom Music and
Entertainment Group
He was a true original and a
great inspiration. Prince will
definitely go down in history
as one of pops major icons.
Chan Poling,
co-founder of the Suburbs
Prince was an artist with a
capital A. One of the greatest
guitar players of all time, a
brilliant songwriter, amaz-
ing singer and dynamic
performer who was also
a champion of personal
freedom and individual-
ism. He was fearless, sing-
ing about sex, God, gender,
race sometimes all in the
same song. He could move
your ass and stir your soul
simultaneously. He was
deeply spiritual even in a
G-string and leg warmers.
Kevin Cole, former First Avenue
DJ, now program director at
KEXP in Seattle
This is what it sounds like
when doves cry.
Whoopi Goldberg
ZSW [C M Y K] SA4 Sunday, May. 1, 2016
S U N DAY, M AY 1, 2016
TOM WALLACE tom.wallace@startribune.com
Dearly beloved
Tributes from our music critic and others Prince inspired
I
guess I was the only person who was with Prince throughout his entire professional career. All The first time I saw him on
Saturday Night Live, I did
40 years. Thats because he couldnt fire me. not like his image. But even-
Others came and went and sometimes came back. I was there to chronicle nearly every tually, I came to appreciate
the makeup and high-heel
purple step. Sort of an unauthorized biographer for the hometown newspaper. shoes. He was saying: Be
Over the years, Ive written countless words about him. In the past several days, Ive your own man. Lift up your
flag and party like its 1999
written thousands more. every day. When I heard
If I had to sum up Prince in one word, it would be visionary. the news, I called up Little
Richard just to tell him I love
He could see things that we couldnt. He envisioned a world in which black and white, straight and him. It was a reminder that
gay, Christian and Jew, freak and geek, all got along. He sang about it in his songs and demonstrated it tomorrow is not guaranteed.
Fancy Ray McCloney,
with his various bands.
Minneapolis entertainer
He was a visionary when it came to musical sound. To Prince, there were no rules, no boundaries,
no genres. If he wanted to release a song without a bass line, he did and When Doves Cry became Prince played with andro-
gyny and racial identity in a
the biggest single of his career. If he wanted to roll James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, Jimi Hen- way that no black artists had
drix, Joni Mitchell, the Beatles and Santana into one album, it became a cool new genre. Call it Prince. ever done. Unlike Michael
Jackson, he never denied
He was a visionary when it came to the visual side of music. He designed his outfits, conceived his his blackness but instead
embraced it and showed us
videos and planned his stage sets. It was all part of the package, all part of the plan that his creations
another angle. He did it with
should lead to one big party. his music and his unapolo-
getic romantic choices. He
He was a visionary when it came to marketing. He envisioned a music industry in which artists, not took it out and swung it
record labels, reap the greater financial rewards. He wanted to market directly to fans so he set up a music around for all to see, playing
it like a virtuoso. He came
club as one of the first Internet stores. He was always looking to blaze new marketing avenues, whether from a generation that was
giving away a CD with your concert ticket or selling three albums in one package exclusively at Target. finally free to see Blackness
differently than the way we
He did it all the marketing, the visuals and especially the music. He wrote and sang the songs, were raised up to perceive it.
arranged them, played all the instruments masterfully, produced the records and, best of all, dazzled Ralph Remington, Twin Cities
onstage. Thats why Prince was the most complete rock star ever. He deserved a singular name. theater leader and writer
If there were another word to describe Prince, it would be homeboy. Prince sang me through my
He was one of us. Proudly so. He was a fan of the Vikings, Timberwolves and Lynx. He read Sid Hart- darkest day of loneliness
and made a fat kid from St.
mans column. He stayed here. He built Paisley Park and a McMansion in Chanhassen. He went to see Paul dance like a madman
in spite of his shame. He
local bands in clubs, sat in with local groups, recruited local players for his own royal court.
gave me hope of love and
For a person who put Minneapolis on the map, he had the perfect two names Prince and courage of wearing size 54
waist orange-and-tan striped
Nelson. One sounded special, the other so Minnesotan.
bell bottoms and a leather-
However, the Purple One wasnt always Minnesota Nice. At least not to me. fringed vest. He meant the
Youve probably heard about our awkward dance throughout the years. It was my job to praise him world to me and I never tried
to meet him. I never wanted
when he deserved it and to call him out when his stuff smelled. He didnt always tolerate my opinion. to lose the love and respect I
had for him. He allowed me
Im not talking about the playful Prince soaking me with his squirt-gun guitar during the Purple
to feel free and now he is free.
Rain Tour. That was the jokester in Prince. He really was a funny guy. Do you remember on Bryant Louie Anderson, comedian
Gumbels final day on The Today Show? Prince sauntered in front of the cameras dressed like the
He believed in those whom
mirror image of Gumbel in a tie and conservative suit, owlish glasses and closely cropped hair. Every- his music touched. To watch
one broke out laughing. him perform was, as he
encouraged, To see the
Im talking about the Prince who kicked me out of his Glam Slam nightclub and banned me from dawn. There was a newness
a coolness that seemed to
Paisley Park concerts for a while. The one who burned my review of his Gold Experience album on
exude from his every pore.
Arsenio Halls talk show.
Sheila E.
In the end, however, Prince came to realize we had a relationship built on respect and admiration.
That was obvious when we had what he considered a rapprochement at a listening party for his Eman- I was on [his label] Paisley Park
for seven years. During that
cipation album 20 years ago. When none of the invitees asked him a question, he said: Jon Bream, you time, I adopted him. He was the
most beautiful spirit I ever met.
always have questions for me.
Mavis Staples,
Right now, I have only one question: Why are you gone so soon? JON BREAM, Star Tribune music critic soul and gospel great

S U N DAY, M AY 1, 2016
Prince and the Revolution on tour in 1986. He kept evolving and bringing in new equipment every year, trying to find the next cool sound, said keyboardist Matt Fink (far left).
The sound of genius
Among the many singing his praises, its his peers who come through the loudest
By CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
chrisr@startribune.com
Think of all the other rock stars
who wasted no time covering his
songs. The president who took ample
time talking him up to reporters. The
late-night TV show that used all of its
weekly time slot to honor him. The
city that ignored time altogether and
stayed up dancing until dawn three
nights in a row.
So much love was shown for Prince
over the past week and a half, dare we
say even he wouldve been humbled.
However, may we also be so bold
as to suggest that all these tributes
still havent done him justice?
Its likely that Princes impact on
popular music and American culture
wont be fully understood for years
to come. Thats in his nature: Leave
em guessing.
His wild mix of bravado, libido,
topicality, equality, spirituality and
plain ol electricity was sometimes
deceptive, often misunderstood and
occasionally off-putting. And cer-
tainly it wasnt always genius. So
much of it was, though. His huge
canon of music will be pored over
and dissected in ways not unlike his
fellow Minnesotan Bob Dylans out-
put, and that of Bruce Springsteen.
I never met Mozart, Duke Elling-
ton, Charlie Parker or Elvis, but I met
Prince, Bono bragged last weekend
via an Instagram photo of the lyrics to
Princes 1987 opus The Cross.
Musicians seemed to know best
just how rare his talent was. Artists
who have covered his songs in recent
A champion of diversity, he was ahead o the times
By KIM PALMER
kim.palmer@startribune.com
Beneath the glyph, the flamboyant
outfits and all that purple, a sociocul-
tural revolution was brewing.
Decades before celebrate diver-
sity became a corporate buzzword,
Prince was doing just that with his
music and persona blending races,
blurring genders and paving the way
for people trying to stake out an iden-
tity outside traditional boundaries.
For Mike Mattison, a biracial boy
adopted into a white family living in a
white neighborhood in Minneapolis,
Prince symbolized a crazy, multicul-
tural world of inclusiveness.
Here was this guy you could
identify with, said Mattison, sing-
ing about these magical places like
Uptown. He created this wonderful
metaphor that invited everybody
black, white, Puerto Rican, gay,
straight, male and female a world
days range from the Dixie Chicks to
Pearl Jam to Mumford & Sons, who
happened to be in St. Paul the night of
his passing. The British folk-rockers
version of Nothing Compares 2 U
at Xcel Energy Center has gone viral,
like so many such tributes. Maybe the
most shared video clip of all is Spring-
steens version of Purple Rain at
Barclays Center in New York. He
opened his show with it.
I always left one of his shows
humbled, the Boss said of the Kid.
And these are mostly musicians
who never worked with Prince. The
musicians who did, though, marvel
the most about his musical genius.
He had every facet of talent a
musician wants: songwriting, pro-
duction, singing and playing ability,
not to mention business know-how,
said Monte Moir, keyboardist in the
Time, whose heyday material was
largely produced and co-written
with Prince. And as much as it was
natural talent, he did his homework,
too. He worked really hard at every-
thing he did.
As a player, Prince is best known
for his spine-rattling guitar work,
but the most cutting-edge part of his
music early on was its prominent
and innovative use of synthesizers.
Both Moir and Princes Revolution-
era keyboardist, Matt Fink (aka Dr.
Fink), recounted how he used Ober-
heim keyboards and other relatively
basic synthesizers to create cutting-
edge sounds.
He kept evolving and bringing in
new equipment every year, trying to
find the next cool sound, said Fink.
that really didnt exist, but that we
craved. It kind of seeped into reality.
It also encouraged Mattison to
aspire to a career in music. This guy
comes out of nowhere and becomes
not just a local hero but an interna-
tional phenomenon, said the singer,
who now lives in Atlanta and is touring
with the Tedeschi Trucks Band. You
think, Thats possible. You could be he left has been moved forward.
from Minneapolis. You didnt have to
go to Hollywood or New York.
For Chelsea Reynolds, who grew
up in Des Moines, Prince represented
freedom to explore gender identity.
He showed our culture that men
can embrace their femininity, said
Reynolds, a doctoral candidate in
mass communications, gender and
sexuality in the media at the Univer-
sity of Minnesota.
Princes style and lyrics (Im not a
woman. Im not a man. This is some-
thing that youll never understand)
expanded the boundaries of whats
ZSW
Prince didnt miss a lick while playing in the rain at the 2007 Super
Bowl halftime show. Warned of the conditions, he reportedly told the
director, Can you make it rain harder?
Moir recalls Prince showing him
a part and saying something to the
effect that: This is something a horn
section would play, but since we dont
have horns this is what it will have to
be. Those synth-type horns were one
of the elements of the Minneapolis
Sound he created.
The Minneapolis Sound wasnt
just a catchphrase, it was a discern-
ible blend of electronic dance music
and the new wave sounds of the era
acceptable for heterosexual males,
particularly black males, said Andrea
Jenkins, a poet, transgender oral his-
torian and librarian who oversees the
University of Minnesotas LGBT col-
lection. He also cut a path for todays
transgender community. He opened
up a whole lot of space for people,
Jenkins said. A big part of the legacy
Even his sound fostered diversity,
said Jenkins. By blending black and
white musical genres, he invited lis-
teners across the racial spectrum to
dance side by side.
But his biggest contributions, in
Jenkins opinion, were to social justice
and black liberation. When Prince
renounced his name for a symbol and
appeared with slave scrawled on his
face during a dispute with his record
label, it may have seemed like a stunt
to white observers, but it had a deeper
resonance in the black community.
Black creativity has been
[C M Y K] SA7 Sunday, May. 1, 2016
CHRIS OMEARA Associated Press
with traditional funk and R&B styles.
Beyond those layers of synths, Princes
self-made genre featured electroni-
cally processed and often sped-up
drum parts, and clean, crisp guitars
that gave way to hard-rocking solos.
Even after blueprinting the Min-
neapolis Sound, Prince continued
to boldly blend styles and incorpo-
rate new ideas, said Michael Bland,
who drummed with his 90s-era New
Power Generation lineup.
exploited for so long, she said. Its
crucial for black people to own their
creative output, to achieve financial
equality and to have control over the
way their stories are told. Inspired by
Prince, Jenkins established Purple
Lioness Productions to publish her
work, including her recent book of
poetry, The T Is Not Silent.
But Princes inclusiveness has masculinity suggested Prince could
also come into question. After his
death, some in the LGBT commu-
nity pointed to his views on gay mar-
riage after his religious conversion to
Jehovahs Witness. There have been
comments that he was homophobic,
said Jenkins. But his actions, through
his music and lyrics, really let in the
LGBT community.
Reynolds agreed: I saw so many
articles in the queer press, disputing
his status as an icon. But thats erasing
the entire history Prince had before
his conversion.
Its safe to say Prince will continue
S TA R T R I B U N E SA7
ROB VERHORST Redferns
He just didnt hear things like a
normal person, and he kept trying
to explore whatever sound he had in
his head, Bland said. It was a real
pressure cooker for those of us who
played with him, because he was
always testing our abilities.
For all of Princes edginess as an
arranger and bandleader, perhaps
his greatest gift was the more natural
gift of songwriting. Amid all the cool
sounds he created were songs with
insatiably catchy hooks, dramatic
melodies and lyrics that constantly
provoked, amused, inspired or moved
the listener.
He wasnt just good, he was
incredibly prolific, Moir said. We
would be messing around, and he
would go away for a minute and come
back with an entire new song.
Said Fink, He was just born with
this mind that music just poured out
of, and he couldnt shut it off.
Fortunately, that valve still cant be
shut off. Prince is known to have a
vault of shelved, sidelined or unfin-
ished recordings thats the rock n roll
equivalent of Fort Knox. This is one
recording artist whose posthumous
new albums could truly be gold.
I know theres a lot of stuff we
worked on just in the Revolution that
never saw the light of day, so I can
only imagine how much else there
is, Fink said.
One more reason Princes musical
genius might not be properly appreci-
ated for decades.
Chris Riemenschneider 612-673-4658
@ChrisRstrib
to influence future generations. Katie
Dohman, for one, is making sure of
that. After his death, the West St. Paul
writer penned Lessons I Hope My
Kids Learn From Prince, posted on
a wellness website.
He made it OK to love what you
love, she said. Nothing in the main-
stream handbook about sex appeal or
become a worldwide sex symbol, but
he did it anyway. He was bending our
ideas about what it is to be male, to
be female, and showing us that you
didnt have to follow a stereotype to
be sexy and appealing.
But really, he had a bigger-pic-
ture [message], whether he overtly
intended it or not.
That message of freedom and
independence of spirit will endure,
according to Jenkins: He left an
indelible mark.
Kim Palmer 612-673-4784
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SA8 S TA R T R I B U N E S U N DAY, M AY 1, 20 1 6 SA9

Always electrifying
Photos by DARLENE PFISTER PROIS, DAVID BREWSTER and JEFF WHEELER Star Tribune

He performed thousands of times, for millions of people, from intimate nightclubs with a purple piano and a
mic, to elaborate arena shows, to jamming all night with friends at Paisley Park. He played the way he felt it
funk, jazz, punk, pop. Disregarding conventions of gender and stardom, he changed looks as it suited him.
He wrote songs as he was inspired and made videos in the image he had created for himself. He quietly or
boldly nurtured up-and-coming musicians. He fought with the recording industry and granted interviews
with the media on his own time, carving his own path to commercial success. He was both rock star and
artist: self-made, visionary, fiercely independent. And now, he is deeply missed.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: December 1984: Playing the St. Paul Civic Center July 21, 1991: In concert at the Metrodome June 7, 1984: Birthday show at First Avenue
May 1, 1990: Memorial concert for former bodyguard May 20, 1986: Carlton Celebrity Room, Bloomington March 7, 1982: The Met Center in Bloomington

SA10 S TA R T R I B U N E
Princely
tour of the
Twin Cities
By JOHN WAREHAM and TIM CAMPBELL Star Tribune
Illustration by BART KING Special to the Star Tribune
23
18
19
22
17
1 2
Mount Sinai Hospital
Prince Rogers Nelson born June 7, 1958,
to Mattie Shaw and John L. Nelson.
737 E. 22nd St., Mpls.
5 6
Bryant Junior High School
Princes junior high school (now
Sabathani Community Center),
where he played basketball.
310 E. 38th St., Mpls.
9 10
The Guitar Shop
Owner Chuck Orr would
occasionally close the store and
allow a young Prince and Andr
Cymone to jam on the instruments.
417 1st Av. N., Mpls.
13
Capri Theater
Site of Princes first hometown
concert after signing a recording
contract with Warner Bros.
2027 W. Broadway, Mpls.
17
Henderson, Minn.
The motorcycle ride with Apollonia
in Purple Rain was shot around
Hwy. 19, Henderson Station Rd.
and the Minnesota River
(that aint Lake Minnetonka).
21
Glam Slam
Prince-affiliated club where he
often played in 1990-95. Site now of
Cowboy Jacks and Shout House.
110 N. 5th St., Mpls.
11
Princes first home
Address of the Nelsons in 1958,
listed on Princes birth certificate.
2201 5th Av. S., Apt. 203, Mpls.
Park Avenue United
Methodist Church
Prince married Mayte Garcia
here on Valentines Day 1996.
3400 Park Av. S., Mpls.
Cozy Bar
Princes first band, Grand Central,
played this R&B hot spot, one of the
citys few black-owned bars. Torn
down in 1970s for a freeway project.
522 Plymouth Av. N., Mpls.
14
Rudolphs Bar-B-Que
Prince frequented the restaurant
early in his career when he lived
around the corner in his first
apartment.
1933 Lyndale Av. S., Mpls.
18
Paisley Park Studios
Built in 1987, this sprawling
complex served as Princes recording
studio, business office, performance/
party space and residence. He
died here on April 21.
7801 Audubon Rd., Chanhassen
22
Purple House
One of Princes homes, famously
purple, torn down in 2003.
9401 Kiowa Trail, Chanhassen
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14
24
8
2
6 12
3 4
Childhood home
Prince wrote his first song
here at the age of 7.
539 Newton Av. N., Mpls.
7 8
Bernadette Anderson home
The mother of friend and bandmate
Andr Cymone let Prince live here
as a teenager.
1244 Russell Av. N., Mpls.
11
MoonSound Recording Studio
Prince recorded his first demos in
the basement of a home here.
5708 Stevens Av. S., Mpls.
15
Purple Rain house
South Minneapolis house where
the Kids home scenes for
Purple Rain were filmed.
3420 Snelling Av. S., Mpls.
19
Graffiti Bridge
Former railroad bridge that became
the title of Princes 1990 album and
1991 movie. Removed around 1991.
Minnesota River Bluffs LRT
Regional Trail at Valley View Road,
Eden Prairie
23
Yellow House
Another home, this one
yellow, torn down in 2005.
7141 Galpin Blvd., Chanhassen
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S U N DAY, M AY 1, 2016
7
4
13
10
16
21
9
20
1
15
John Hay Elementary School
Princes elementary school,
since torn down.
1014 Penn Av. N., Mpls.
Minneapolis Central High School
Prince played almost daily in the
music room of the high school, since
demolished.
3416 4th Av. S., Mpls.
12
Sound80
Recording studio where Prince cut
demos for his 1978 debut album on
Warner Bros., For You.
2709 E. 25th St., Mpls.
16
First Avenue
Prince frequently performed and
hung out here in the early 1980s.
Much of Purple Rain was filmed
and recorded here.
701 1st Av. N., Mpls.
20
Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant
One of Princes favorite venues
in recent years; he played six
shows in the tiny room in 2013
and attended his last concert as
a spectator here on April 19.
1010 Nicollet Mall, Mpls.
24
New Power Generation
Prince-owned boutique in the heart
of Uptown during the 1990s
(now Go Home Furnishings).
1408 W. Lake St., Mpls.

S U N DAY, M AY 1, 2016
Terrance May, aka May Millions, took a moment at Princes star outside First Avenue the night he died. Tens of thousands of fans converged on the club where Prince made his breakthrough film.
First Aves biggest star
The club where he filmed Purple Rain is a living testament to his legacy
By CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
chrisr@startribune.com
He liked it because it didnt have
seats but still felt big and theatrical.
He liked it because it was a rock club
that didnt just book white rock n Fingerhut laughed last week about
roll acts. He liked it because the staff
would let him show up anytime he
wanted, including surprise gigs on
short notice. And he liked it for the
same reason so many musicians do:
Its just a great live-music room.
Paisley Park will forever be known
as the place where Prince resided and
died, but First Avenue is truly where
Minneapolis rock icon came to life.
The boxy, pristine, white studio
and residence in suburban Chanhas-
sen would make a good place for a
museum, as family members have
hinted. The curvy, rugged, black club
in downtown Minneapolis, how-
ever, is a living, breathing, thriving
testament to his legacy.
Playing there was always impor-
tant, said Prince & the Revolution
drummer Bobby Z before the death
of his old boss and friend. It became
his marquee, and it still is today.
That First Avenue and Prince
would forever be tied at the hip
was reiterated in the hours after
his passing. Media outlets world-
wide showed images from the club
as 10,000-plus fans lined up for an
impromptu street party, and then for
three all-night dance parties.
Of course, that wasnt the first
time TV crews and magazine report-
ers flooded the venue looking for All
Things Prince.
In the months after Purple Rain
came out in July 1984 featuring per-
formance scenes filmed at the club
over three frigid weeks, plus songs
recorded live on a hot August night
media outlets were on-site, filing
Prince stories on a weekly basis. Fans
from around the world kept coming
even after the media left, making it
Minnesotas No. 1 tourist destination
in the mid-80s.
Now one of Americas most suc-
cessful and long-lived rock clubs,
First Avenue might not be here today
without the influx of revenue that
Princemania brought, said Allan Fin-
gerhut, who used almost $200,000 of
his familys catalog-sales fortune to
convert the former Greyhound bus
depot in 1970.
I dont know if we couldve kept
the place going the way it was losing
money in the mid-80s, Fingerhut
said. He saved the place.
Retired in California since losing
the club in a 2004 ownership battle,
how often Prince was mistaken as the
clubs owner: I was fine with that. In
a way, he did own it.
The guy who first brought in
Prince to perform was the clubs
longtime manager, Steve McClellan.
It was so exciting in the early 80s
to see Prince mix the audiences, the
racial diversity he brought in. I had
never seen that before to that level.
However, the Purple Rain
effect had its downside, he said.
The crowds didnt care who was
on stage, he said. They only cared
about whether or not Prince was
coming in that night.
Prince had enough buzz in March
1981 to pack the place his first time
there.
His previous hometown show at
the Orpheum Theatre a year ear-
lier only drew a half-full crowd. But
McClellan heard good things about
the show via two of the record-store
clerks he often turned to for recom-
mendations: Kevin Cole, who also
DJed at the club, and Jimmy Harris,
soon to be better known as Jimmy
Jam of the Time.
Cole, now program director at
KEXP in Seattle, still talks about the
81 show as an epiphany moment for
both the club and the budding star.
It was one of the greatest shows
Id ever seen, not just great music
but that way Prince connected with
the audience, he said. There was a
mutual acceptance, like, Wow, these
are my people.
The site of legendary concerts in
the 1970s by Joe Cocker, Ike & Tina
and B.B. King, the club initially
known as the Depot, then Uncle
Sams, then briefly just Sams, mostly
hosted dance nights during the mid-
and late-70s disco heyday when the
teen wunderkind first started crash-
ing local stages. That all changed at
the end of 1979, when Fingerhut put
McClellan in charge.
Everybody was talking about
the newly revitalized club, recalled
Princes childhood friend and bass-
ist at the time, Andr Cymone. It
had a buzz. It was an edgy venue.
ZSW [C M Y K] SA11 Sunday, May. 1, 2016
Above: RENE JONES SCHNEIDER; Below: DAVID BREWSTER Star Tribune
We wanted to be edgy and push the
envelope a little bit.
While touring Europe the band
had been playing venues such as
the Paradiso in Amsterdam First
Avenue-type places that had an open
feel: gutted theaters, churches, really
cool open spaces that really, really
opened up, said Bobby Z. It was like
there couldnt be any two more per-
fect collisions than Prince going out,
seeing the world, experiencing these
other venues, and then coming back
and finding we had one right here.
PRINCES TOP 5 The collision that sparked a world
FIRST AVE SHOWS phenomenon happened at the club on
a sweaty summer night, Aug. 3, 1983.
March 9, 1981: The first Under the guise of a fundraiser con-
gig, and some say the best. cert for Minnesota Dance Theatre
The club got him right which was helping him on choreogra-
after his SNL debut. Set phy for an unspecified movie project
list from that night (pic- Prince brought a recording truck to
tured above) included Do the club, helmed by Bobbys producer
It All Night, Head, Par- brother, David Z. He debuted a new
tyup, Uptown, Bambi. guitarist, Wendy Melvoin, and a batch
of new songs, including the opener
Aug. 3, 1983: The big one. Lets Go Crazy, I Would Die 4 U apolis, including a promotion for his
He debuted and recorded and Computer Blue.
several songs that would For his penultimate song, Prince
wind up in Purple Rain. unveiled a new ballad called Purple
Set list included: Lets Go Rain that lasted 11 minutes.
Crazy, I Would Die 4 U, Fans seemed to understand it was
Purple Rain, Joni Mitch- a landmark moment. Though who
ells A Case of You. would have guessed the singer would
June 7, 1984: His surprise whittle the song down to four min-
birthday party was a utes, clean up the audio but other-
fun respite before the wise leave the song as-is on the album
Purple Rain storm. Set released the following summer.
list included: 17 Days, When he hits those guitar solos
Free, Erotic City. on Purple Rain, they were real! worked with city staff and Mayor R.T.
Bobby Z said. And theyre captured
March 21, 1987: A warm- for real. Nobody ever did anything
up for a tour behind like that before.
another landmark album, Things got even more incredible a
Sign o the Times. Set list few months later when Princes peo-
included: Housequake, ple approached First Aves operators
Hot Thing, Kiss. about booking the club for a month-
June 7, 2007: The finale long movie shoot. While they could
to his three-show 7/7/07 easily have shot at a sound stage in
marathon. Police shut it Los Angeles and did so for back-
down just before 4 a.m., stage shots rather than use the clubs
but he did squeeze in an puny dressing room the club
Alphabet St. jam with proved integral to the movie.
Sheila E., Wendy Melvoin There was never any doubt that
and Larry Graham. Set list the music [performances] would
included: 3121, I Feel for be at First Avenue, as far as I know,
You, Controversy. said Bobby Z, addressing the popu-
lar notion that the club deserved a
Includes info from the fan
co-starring credit in the movie. The
archive Princevault.com.
story is about Prince, Apollonia, Mor-
ris Day and First Avenue. By using
this club as some sort of mythical
S TA R T R I B U N E SA11
land where bands became famous
Prince made the club famous.
Prince only came back to perform
at First Ave two more times in the 80s
to warm up for the Parade and
Sign o the Times tours in March
1986 and March 1987, respectively.
By the time of the latter show, con-
struction had begun on Paisley Park,
which became his playhouse for
unannounced hometown gigs in the
ensuing years. In the early 90s he also
frequented Glam Slam, a nightclub in
the Minneapolis Warehouse District
he was involved in, but he didnt make
nearly as much history there.
When he returned to the First Ave
stage one last time in 2007 7/7/07
it was classic Prince, in the good
and bad sense.
The show was a loose, lively per-
formance of some of the funkiest
songs in his discography, but the star
was too loose with the clock. It was
the third of three concerts he lined
up that day in downtown Minne-
new perfume at Macys and then a
full-scale Target Center set. He didnt
take the stage at First Avenue until
about 2:45 a.m.
Police let him play for just over an
hour but then shut it down.
It was understandable, but heart-
breaking, said Dayna Frank, who
now owns the club with her dad,
Byron Frank, Fingerhuts longtime
accountant.
After that 2007 letdown, the club
Rybak on a plan should Minneapolis
most famous native son come calling
again. The outcome was a special-
use, after-hours contract known sim-
ply as the Prince Permit.
Sadly, its namesake never got to
use it, but the club did. First Ave
thought Prince would have approved
of fans mourning him together in the
close, familiar confines of that one,
electric room for an all-night dance
party. Even better: three parties.
After the initial shock and grief of
his death, the first thing we said was,
We gotta pull the Prince Permit!
Frank said. And the city, to its credit,
complied right away. For nobody else
but Prince could this happen.
And probably for no other club.
Chris Riemenschneider 612-673-4658
@ChrisRstrib
 ZSW [C M Y K] SA13 Sunday, May. 1, 2016

S U N DAY, M AY 1, 2016 S TA R T R I B U N E SA13

1978 1979 1980 1981 1983

The albums:
A critical guide S out of 4 stars SS SSSS SS SSS

By JON BREAM and CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER Star Tribune For You Prince Dirty Mind Controversy 1999
The youngest pro- Having gone over A bold breakthrough A somewhat experi- This double-disc
Heres a look at the legacy left by one of pop ducer in Warner budget on his debut, thats raw in content mental set, it pushes exploration of syn-
Bros. history went Prince showed he (incest, oral sex) and the sexual envelope thesizer funk is slyly
musics most prolific recording artists. The for multilayered, could make commer- sound, from new- to a sometimes trite sexy, uncontrollably
lush, likable R&B, cial R&B and funk wave rock to unre- point and doesnt funky and perfectly
following list of 37 albums is as complete as suggesting a Stevie filled with emotion lenting dance jams. mind getting silly. playful.
we can make it, omitting remixes, fan-club Wonder wannabe. and falsetto. Crowning cuts: Crowning cuts: Crowning cuts:
Crowning cut: Crowning cut: I When You Were Do Me Baby, Little Red Corvette,
releases and all but one best-of. Soft and Wet Wanna Be Your Lover Mine, Party Up Controversy 1999, Delirious

1984 1985 1986 1987 1987 1988 1989 1990

SSSS SSS SSS SSSS SS SSS SS SSS

Purple Rain Around the Parade Sign o The Black Lovesexy Batman Graffiti Bridge
Playing with a full World in a Day His third album in the Times Album Initially dismissed, This quickie sound- This mostly funk-rock
band for the first Prince goes psyche- 20 months is a diz- The most perfect bal- It was shelved at the it has proved pivotal. track includes a little double disc explores
time, he rocks harder, delic in a multicol- zying pastiche of ance of everything last minute and not He starts seeking funk, a slice of pop, a the dichotomy of
becomes dreamier ored collection with psychedelic pop, Prince: grinding funk, released until 1994, love instead of sex, sappy Sheena Easton sensuality and spiri-
and leaves the funk a few odd missteps bare-bones funk and catchy pop, anthemic which led to rumors and peace to go with duet, an oversexed tuality, with the Time,
behind. (The Ladder, co- Hollywood-flavored rock, tender balladry. of greatness. They his religion, while cut- pant and a catchy col- Mavis Staples and
written with his dad). soundtrack fare. were half-true. ting new sonic paths. lage with dialogue. George Clinton.
Crowning cuts: Crowning cuts: The
When Doves Cry, Crowning cut: Crowning cuts: Girls Cross, U Got the Crowning cut: Crowning cut: Crowning cuts: Bat- Crowning cuts: Mel-
Purple Rain Raspberry Beret and Boys, Kiss Look, Housequake Cindy C. Alphabet Street dance, Scandalous ody Cool, Shake

1991 1991 1993 1994 1995 1996 1996 1996

SS S SSS S SSS SS S SSS

Diamonds (Symbol Album) The Hits 1 & 2/ Come The Gold Girl 6 Chaos and Emancipation
& Pearls His most derivative The B-Sides Released to fulfill his Experience This soundtrack for Disorder Both summarizing
His most blatantly disc, this glyph gaffe This 56-song collec- contract with War- A computerized nar- Spike Lees forget- His swan song on and advancing his
commercial album comes off as a PG-13, tion is a testament to ner Bros., its a batch rator takes us through table flick compiles Warners is a slapped- career, this bedaz-
since Prince, it lacks hip-hop sequel to The his range, inventive- of forgettable songs his most fun and some of Princes best together throwaway zling three-disc set is
innovation, excite- Black Album. But you ness and boldness. whose one-word cohesive album since between-the-sheets that sounds like mid- his most mature and
ment and emotion. sure can dance to it. But it was assembled titles (Orgasm, Sign o the Times. romps with a couple 80s Prince. He hits jazziest effort.
by Warner Bros., so Loose!) hint at the of new songs. his recorded nadir
Crowning cuts: Crowning cuts: Crowning cut: The Crowning cuts: Sex
the choices are short disinterest involved. on Into the Light
Diamonds & Pearls, My Name Is Prince, Most Beautiful Girl Crowning cut: in the Summer,
on funk and rarities. and I Will.
Cream, Gett Off Sexy MF in the World Screams of Passion Holy River

1997 1998 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 2006

SS S S SS SSS S SSS SSS

Crystal Ball New Power Rave Un2 the The Rainbow One Nite N.E.W.S Musicology 3121
This four-disc com- Soul Joy Fantastic Children Alone Live Four 15-minute A strikingly mature Like Princes last
pilation of outtakes Although credited An all-star cast Though steeped in This hugely reward- instrumental jams celebration of mar- album with a four-
and leftovers has its to the New Power helped revive San- jazz and soul to great ing three-CD set cap- with the One Nite riage and monog- digit title (1999),
moments of funky Generation, this jam- tanas career but not effect, the weird tures the brilliance band, its Princes amy, this is Princes this is a party record
fun, but its mostly filled funk fest has so much for Prince. voice-overs and reli- and self-indulgence version of back- most focused and with a throwback
for completists. Prince all over it. gious messages make of a Prince concert. ground music. consistent album vibe.
Crowning cuts:
it far too obtuse. since Lovesexy.
Crowning cuts: Days Crowning cut: The Greatest Crowning cut: Crowning cut: John Crowning cuts:
of Wild, The Truth The One Romance Ever Sold, Crowning cut: The Nothing Compares Blackwell rhythm Crowning cut: Black Sweat,
Tangerine Everlasting Now 2 U showcase East A Million Days Satisfied, Boat

2007 2009 2009 2010 2014 2014 2015 2015

SS SS SS SS SS SS S SS

Planet Earth MPLSound Lotusflow3r 20Ten Plectrum- Art Official HitNRun HitNRun
Musically, this harks He reconnects with Recorded with a His slightest disc electrum Age Phase One Phase Two
back to his mid- his party funk past band, this parties since Chaos and Dis- Recorded with This half-baked con- This EDM-minded Backed by members
1980s psychedelic on this one-man- with more eclectic order, its more like 3rdEyeGirl, this disc cept album about collaboration with of the NPG and a
pop while signaling band disc, part of a sounds, sort of like Nineteen80, offer- has palpable sparks, life, happiness and programmer Joshua horn section, Prince
a renewed commit- three-CD set (includ- George Clinton lost ing the kind of syn- balancing heavy- the afterlife sounds a Welton is a hodge- combines numbers
ment to social com- ing an album by pro- in the early 1970s. thesizer minimalism rock workouts with bit like early Prince. podge of one-off from recent live sets
mentary. tge Bria Valente). he purveyed then. more crafted pop. tracks and remixes. with a few singles.
Crowning cuts: $. Crowning cuts:
Crowning cut: Crowning cut: Feel Good, Feel Bet- Crowning cut: Crowning cuts: Funk- Way Back Home, Crowning cuts: 1000 Crowning cut:
Future Baby Mama Chocolate Box ter, Feel Wonderful Lay Down nroll, Whitecaps The Gold Standard Xs & Os, June Baltimore

Diamond album: sales of 10 million plus Platinum album: 1 million plus Gold album: 500,000 plus

THE PRINCE TOP 20
This list ranks Princes singles,
based on how high they peaked on
Billboards Hot 100 and how long
they remained on the chart.
Source: Billboard
Peak
position
1. When Doves Cry (1984) .......... 1
2. Kiss ........................................... 1
3. Lets Go Crazy (1984) ............. 1
4. Cream (1991) ........................... 1
5. Batdance (1989) ..................... 1
6. Raspberry Beret (1985) .......... 2
7. U Got the Look (1987) ............. 2
8. Purple Rain (1984) .................. 2
9. The Most Beautiful Girl in the
World (1994) ............................ 3
10. Sign o the Times (1987) ....... 3
11. Little Red Corvette (1983) .... 6
12. Diamonds and 16. I Would Die 4 U (1985) ........... 8
Pearls (1992).......................... 3 17. 7 (1993)................................... 7
13. Thieves in the 18. Alphabet St. (1988) ............... 8
Temple (1990) ........................ 6 19. I Could Never Take the Place
14. Pop Life (1985)....................... 7 of Your Man (1988) .............. 10
15. Delirious (1983) ..................... 8
20. 1999 (1983)........................... 12
 ZSW [C M Y K] SA15 Sunday, May. 1, 2016

S U N DAY, M AY 1, 2016 S TA R T R I B U N E SA15

Prince of pop,
king of style
By AIMEE BLANCHETTE aimee.blanchette@startribune.com

Prince was more than a musical virtuoso; he was a veritable style

magnate. Onstage and off, his style transcended narrow gender
constructs and pushed boundaries for what fashion means for both
men and women.
For Prince, fashion meant Lycra jumpsuits, high-stacked heels,
leopard print, bespoke suits and everything in between.
His image was just as important as the music, said Stacia Lang, a
costume designer for Prince in the early 90s. One couldnt be without
the other. The combination made him so powerful.
Prince seemed to get tired of a look before anyone else had the
chance to, whipsawing from a buttoned-up black and white polka dot
suit to a butt-baring citron yellow jumpsuit.
He was a true artist in every sense of the word, said Sherry Heart,
a hairstylist for Prince in the 90s. He made a career out of manifesting
his fantasy.

FA S H I O N I C O N : Princes style was undefinable, marrying influ-

ences from disco, hip-hop, jazz, history and high fashion to create
a look all his own. He broke every fashion rule in the book, but was
able to pull it off with incredible panache. His clothes were meant
to attract and they were typically out of the norm, said Gwen Leeds,
Princes longtime personal shopper. He was his own man.

Photos by Steven Parke (above), David Brewster, Star Tribune (bottom left),
Associated Press, Getty Images

E A R LY 8 0 S M I D - 80 S L AT E 8 0 S MID-90S 2011-PRE SENT

Leopard print, mane
Early on, record labels wanted
Prince to dress the part of an R&B
Casanova. Prince had other plans.
He wanted his style to reflect his
music, with its mix of rock, punk
and funk and lyrics dripping
with sex. He ditched his Afro for
a blown-out mane and traded his
Spandex pants for leopard-print
G-strings. High-heeled boots
became on-stage staples. Those
boots, said Leeds, had to be custom-
made with steel rods in the heels
to withstand his stage acrobatics.
Raspberry, ruffled
The release of his musical film
Purple Rain solidified Prince as
a fashion powerhouse. The king
of reinvention reigned on stage
in paisley-print jacquard fabrics
in swirls of raspberry and purple,
ruffled high-collar shirts, lace and
pearls. He knew what he liked,
and what he liked was nothing
you and I liked, said Leeds. This
dramatic look would go down in
history as quintessential Prince,
while earning him the moniker
The Purple One.
Tailored, flamboyant
Prince wanted to share his love
for Minneapolis with the world.
An hour before opening night of
the Lovesexy tour, he asked his
wardrobe staff if they could write
Minneapolis on the sleeve of his
perfectly tailored jacket. Yes, of
course. For as much as his style
changed through the years, there
were certain themes that stayed,
said Helen Hiatt, Princes ward-
robe director from 1985 to 1991.
His love of tailoring, his elegance,
and his flamboyance.
Symbolic protest
In 1993, after trading his name for
a symbol, Prince sashayed across
the stage in citron-yellow trou-
sers, sparkly embellishments, and
the word slave written on his
cheek. This was during a dispute
with Warner Bros., and was his
way of protesting. Nobody told
Prince how to dress or what to
do, said David Maderich, one of
Princes makeup artists. He had a
whole crew of people to bring his
ideas to life, but he always had the
last word. who seemed out of this world.
Third eye glasses
Until the very end, Prince was
outrageous, but never out of
style. There were no boundaries
between what might be perceived
as mens or womens fabrics or
styles, Lang said. He could wear
it all. In his later years, Prince
returned to his roots. He toned
down the sexy, but stayed as sub-
versive as ever, rocking a classic
Afro, tiny flared pants and exotic
tunics. His three-lensed sun-
glasses portrayed a musical guru