So hearing that Prince would be playing a few weekends at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel got me excited at first. A 6 hour drive for a weekend in L.A. and a Prince show would be just a-ok with me. But rumors from the start were that ticket prices would be – oh – not catered to un-rich punks like me.

Today, the drones on 3121.com, who have 2 spell like Prince, posted this:

The xperience is about 2 begin. Emale 3121hrh@thompsonhotels.com 4 ticket in4mation.

There’s a terrific way to disseminate information. Ask thousands upon thousands of people to “emale” you… So, I emaled them (still waiting for a reply)… then I went bouncing over to Housequake for the latest unsubstantiated rumors. And the word on the street is this: if you want to be in the standing room only crowd, you’re going to pay $312.01. Now, what if you want to sit at a table for two, have dinner, and catch the aftershow? Well, you can cough up a spare $3,121.00, can’t you?

Here’s hoping that his next album after Planet Earth is entitled ’40’.

Here is what’s alleged to be the track listing from Prince’s new album, Planet Earth, due out July 24th on Columbia Records. Even song names can make Prince geeks like us salivate.

1. Planet Earth
2. Guitar
3. Somewhere Here On Earth
4. The One U Wanna C
5. Future Baby Mama
6. Mr. Goodnight
7. All The Midnights In The World
8. Chelsea Rodgers
9. Lion Of Judah
10. Revelation

And just to confuse things, an alternate listing appears…

1. The Prophets
2. Somewhere (Here On Earth)
3. U Love Me
4. The Day 2day
5. Gia
6. If U Were Here
7. Guitar
8. 2 Fall In Love
9. Paradise
10. Here And There
11. NastyNasty
12. Planet Earth

Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Who cares (besides me)?

sources:
http://www.jpc.de
http://www.wom.de
http://www.earthtimes.org

I just got done watching Prince, Sheila E., and Grupo Fantasmo tear up the stage at the ALMA Awards, which aired last night on ABC. I tell you, time after time of watching Prince perform live, he never loses a step, never loses his edge. He can transform any room, any event, into a Prince show.

Songs played: The Word / Get On The Boat / The Glamorous Life / A Love Bizzare (as Prince and Sheila walked up the aisle through the crowd and out of the auditorium)

“Get on the Boat” is as ubiquitous as P.’s high-heeled boots these days, and I have to admit, while it wasn’t one of my favorites when 3121 came out, it has grown on me quite a bit. The fact is, it’s a great tune live. As for the “Glamorous Life”, it was great to see Sheila and Prince singing it. Was it just me, or did Sheila’s voice sound a little hesitant and weak at points? But they pulled it off. A great performance all around.

The video of the performance is available for download on this French blog post.

Happy 49 – So believe it or not, Prince turns 49 years old tomorrow (June 7th). Wonder what he’ll be up to? [Update: as DDay pointed out in the Comments, Prince and his Jehovah Witness comrades don’t choose to celebrate birthdays. Well, the rest of us can, yeah?] He always seems to used to commemorate the event somehow. When he turned 27 back in ’85, he rented out the Prom Center, and called up his friends Sheila E., some members of his new group The Family (St. Paul Peterson, Susannah Melvoin – Wendy’s twin sister and his lovah at the time, I believe – and Jerome Benton), and a few members of the Revolution. A party ensued, and some serious jamming took place.

Personal highlight for me: the ‘Purple Rain’ tour dynamic duo of “Irresistible Bitch” and the James Brown homage “Possessed”. And for some good comedy relief, the improvised “Drawers Burnin” is worth the price of admission alone.

Happy 49th Have a good normal day, purple man.

Prince’s 27th Birthday Party
Prince, Sheila E., members of the Revolution and the Family
The Prom Center, St. Paul, MN
June 7th, 1985

A Love Bizarre
Mutiny
Drum Solo
Sometimes it Snows in April
Irresistible Bitch
Possessed
The Bird
Drawers Burnin’
Holly Rock

photo by Richard Avedon for Rolling Stone #429

Here’s something I could not be less enthusiastic about: Prince will be releasing his new fragrance, 3121, on 07-07-07! Ssssnnnnnniiiffff…. owwwwwaaaaa!! Yip yip – yooooooo! And he’s marking the occasion by playing an exclusive mini concert on the 8th floor of a &@# Macy’s department store! $250 gets the first 1,400 people the Ultimate Prince Xperience: a ticket to see Prince at Macy’s in Minneapolis, a bottle of his perfume, and a ticket to see him at the Target Center that night.

Perfumes, Macy’s, multi-thousand dollar tickets to see him play in the Hamptons … jeez P, just release an album and go on a normal tour ferchrissakes. You’re losing me here…

Sorry, I may be bitter that I won’t be in London this summer for his 21 night stand. To give some credit where credit is due, he has kept those ticket prices low at a respectable 31 pounds.

He’s also playing seven nights at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood next month, but that seems to be a more exclusive / VIP affair. Tickets prices are rumored to be not so respectable to common folk like many of us. Still waiting to see ticket info (and not looking forward to finding out).

Take it, Fela…

Fela Kuti w/ Ginger Baker – Ye Ye De Smell (mp3) – from Live!

About the Eau de Purple (from this article in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune):

Purple reigns over all of the senses for Prince. The artist-musician has created a fragrance for women, called 3121. The name matches the name of his Las Vegas club and most recent album title, and it originates from the address of a home he rented in Los Angeles.

The perfume will be launched on July 7 (7/7/7) at 12 a.m. with a 24-hour online charity event, including a Prince performance. Watch and buy at www.3121perfume.com. 3121 will also be available at select Macy’s stores. Prices start at $31.21 and go up to $70. Seven percent of sales will be divided between seven charities. It’s clear Prince likes numbers (and colors and symbols).

The bottle is purple, and cut in the shape of an emerald-cut diamond. The 3121 logo is 22K gold.

The scent is floral with many undertones. It probably does smell like purple.

Fresh news out of the purple camp today, as Prince announced at a press conference that he will be setting up shop in London later this summer for 21 dates. These are the announced gigs, he’s also hinted at a healthy smattering of his infamous club aftershows. All I have to say about this is… BUGGER! BUGGER ! BUGGER! You Brits are in for something special.He also said he’d be mixing up the set list nightly, and even inviting Amy Winehouse out to perform with him. Apparently, he’s quite taken by the sexy soulful sot (as am I). After these dates, he’s taking some time off to study the good book. Doesn’t he know that the third commandment is “Thou Shalt Go On Tour for Pete’s Sake(th)??”

So speaking of aftershows, the first glimpse into one of the 3121 Jazz Cuisine aftershows has surfaced. Prince and his band usually hit the main stage at his 3121 club around midnight and play a 90 minute set or so. Not long after that, the band will occasionaly set up inside 3121 Jazz Cuisine, which is Prince’s own fancy shmancy restaurant. It’s an intimate affair (so I’ve heard), and only a lucky few are allowed in (for a fee). There’s also an adjoining room where people can look into the main room from afar (for a fee too – the man knows how to make money). Maybe someone who has attended can offer some insight into the experience.

This was Prince’s first night back at the Rio after his Super Bowl performance, so he was undoubtedly riding a high. His hits were covered during the main set earlier in the evening. As his aftershows tend to be, especially his recent ones, plenty of cover tunes are played, and the spotlight is handed over to others. In this case, Shelby and Sheila E. feature prominently, but the man gets his licks in too.

Check out the unbelievably sick groove they lay down with Billy Cobham’s “Stratus”. He also plays “Wasted Kisses”, a rarely played tune off his less than popular 1998 album, ‘New Power Soul‘. And you get your old school soul & funk, as they pull out the Rufus, Wild Cherry, Sly, and the Ohio Players. And a Coltrane cover to boot? *sigh* Enjoy, Europe.

Bugger.

• Prince’s Official Site.
• Buy: 3121