Posted by Exdeus on the Quake.
Like others, I received a call on April 14 notifying me that I had
won a purple ticket in the second chance sweepstakes. According to
the Universal Records rep, only one purple ticket was found in a CD.
My guest and I flew out to LAX on Friday morning (May 5th). We
arrived in L.A., got settled in our room at the Beverly Hills Hilton
Hotel, just 3 miles from Prince's (rented) home in the Hollywood
Hills, and went out to the Sunset Strip Friday night to see the
sites...
After a couple schedule changes, a chartered coach was scheduled to
pick up the U.S. winners from the Hilton at 8:30pm Saturday night
(the international winners stayed at another hotel), with hors
d'oeuvres to be served and a tour of his home to be conducted upon
our arrival. A letter we received on Friday stated dinner would be
served at the party, but the Universal rep informed us while waiting
to depart on the bus that trays of hors d'oeuvres, not a sit-down
meal, would be served. The rep didn't know what kind of contact we
might have with Prince, but instructed us to be prepared to speak to
him, Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, or Prince's own film
crew, with the proper amount of enthusiasm for the event and the
album.
The bus departed a little after 8:30pm, and we arrived at "3121"
(actually 1235 Sierra Alta Way, West Hollywood) at about 9:10pm. The
address (1235) was painted on the curb, but gold lettering
for "3121" was placed on the entrance.
We exited the bus and waited at the gates, with the usual warnings
against cell phones, cameras, and recording devices. Groups of six
were searched and then escorted to a van for the 200 foot drive up
the driveway to the door. With the U.S. and international winners,
plus guests, approximately 50 people were assembled at the base of
the stairs leading to the front door (see NPGMC pics) at about
10:10pm. While we waited for a moment, Prince's film crew captured
the arriving guests, and Kevin Frazier began interviewing winners
for Entertainment Tonight.
A few moments later, a hostess (I did not catch her name) welcomed
us to the party, and escorted us past the threshold into the
entryway to Prince's home. We were brought up the main staircase to
the balcony and into the 3121 performance room. Unfortunately,
Prince did not speak to the contest winners, and no tour was
provided.
A large chandelier and table occupied the center of the entryway,
with a staircase leading up to the second floor, where the 3121
parties take place. To the left was a bar and pool table, some
bookshelves with a few decorative books and photos (Morris Day,
Malcolm Jamal Warner, The Twinz with their mother). Down a hallway
shooting off from that room, was the 3121 listening room pictured on
the NPGMC (formerly the Glam Slam room where the weekend tracks are
played).
Up the main staircase from the entryway are the split-level balcony,
indoor and outdoor bars, and the performance room where the 3121
parties have been thrown. The concert area was all one level, no
stage setup, with hardwood floors and a mirror across the entire
length of one wall (picture a dance studio or workout room, with a
large O(+> symbol made of inlaid wood on the floor). Circular tables
were lined against the walls, three per side.
The main doors to the performance area are pictured in the 3121
booklet, with "3121" and the symbol of an eye painted in purple
above the doors. Above there, a laser projector spread a white O(+>
across the balcony floor. Another O(+> symbol was projected on the
doors. To the right of the doors, a staircase led up to the second
level of the balcony, with the 3121 fountain to the right (see NPGMC
pics) and tennis court above the performance room.
Inside the performance room, a portion of the "Roots" television
series was projected across the back wall. When we arrived,
Housequake was spinning on the turntables, with a voiceover
comprised of a mocked-up interview between DJ Rasheeda and Prince in
his "old man" character (?). She asked Prince something about
biscuits, and Prince replied something along the lines of `I like
them crispy on the outside, but not too flaky.'. Later on in the
evening, interspersed between cuts from various Prince-related
records, DJ Rasheeda provided a "station announcement" for "3121
Radio on Sirius Satellite Radio".
A catering staff wearing matching black robes with "3121" in gold
lettering written on the collar made the rounds with trays of crab
cakes, eel, sushi (California rolls, Philadelphia rolls),
veggieburgers, quiche, spring rolls, and tuna. Late in the evening,
strawberry sorbet was served with mint leaves and chocolate wafers.
An open bar served a full stock of liquor, beer and wine all evening
and no tips were accepted. There was no champagne served in a glass
with chocolate handles, nor any Japanese robes or sandals. The
servers outfits did, however, resemble a kung-fu outfit.
We were told Prince's guests would arrive at ~11:00pm, and the first
group (including no one I recognized) came up the staircase at
11:10pm.
At ~11:30pm She's Always in My Hair slowed to a halt on the
turntable, the Memoirs of a Geisha theme music (played at the recent
Ta'mar shows) was queued up, and the relatively empty dance floor
quickly became a packed crowd of bodies 10 rows deep. Many contest
winners were up front in the first few rows, but the crowd at the
front mixed throughout the night with celebs and other guests.
The band made its way through the crowd, with Prince, dressed in a
mauve suit, in tow. (I frankly can't say much about the look of the
performers or the performance itself. While I was standing in the
performance room when the record slowed and it was obvious the
performance was about to begin, the crowd from outside on the
balcony quickly bumrushed in as soon as they saw the band members
coming up the stairs. Through the course of the evening, I never
managed to catch more than a couple fleeting glimpses of Prince or
the other band members. Like many gigs at Paisley Park, the crowd
was packed tight against the performance area, and without a proper
elevated stage, many people were unable to see much at all.)
The band consisted of the following members:
Prince (guitar)
Morris Hayes (keys)
Cora Coleman Dunham (skins)
John Dunham (bass)
Ta'mar (vocals)
The Twinz (background vocals, killer dance moves)
The first set was comprised of the first portion of the Ta'mar show
(~11:30pm - 12:30am):
Every Little Step
All Night Long
Milk and Honey
I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)
Love Changes
When a Man Loves a Woman
To The Teeth (Ani DiFranco cover --- this has been reported as a new
jam titled "Open Fire" --- it's not)
Red-Headed Stepchild
The Cross (intro)
Rock Steady
The Ta'mar set concluded at 12:30am. With the temperature quickly
rising in the performance room, the crowd piled out onto the
balcony. After a short while, the crowd began to reform near the
performance area, so that it was already packed before the next set
began. At ~1:10am, the band reassembled and began the second set.
The second set was comprised of new 3121 album tracks, mixed with
the second half of the Ta'mar show and other tracks (1:10am -
2:15:am):
3121
Lolita
Satisfied
Black Sweat
Kiss
Joy in Repetition
Fury
Don't Stop Till You Get Enough
What Have You Done For Me Lately
Partyman
It's Alright (intro)
Play That Funky Music
Love Rollercoaster
It's Alright
I Want To Take You Higher (with guest Larry Graham)
Purple Rain
Let's Go Crazy
The set concluded at 2:15am, and by this time, approximately 100
guests were in attendance, including many celebrities who were
clearly enjoying the show (see the list below). Again, the crowd
poured out of the steamy performance room onto the balcony. The
contest winners mingled with the other guests for an hour, and then
were gathered to depart, at 3:15am.
On the way out, the hostess and other staffers distributed gift
packs for the contest winners. When queried, the hostess stated the
gifts were furnished by Prince himself, not the record label. Each
contest winner received a round, purple box, neatly ribboned shut
with a bow and purple-frosted cookies on top. Inside were several
gifts:
A purple t-shirt with orange lettering (front: the 3121 "eye"
symbol; back: 3121 logo, "Purple Ticket Concert", "MAY 6 2006")
A 3121 tambourine (similar to the previous O(+> tambourine)
A candle with the fragrance "made popular" by the incense at Paisley
Park, I believe
A promotional copy of the Te Amo Corazon CD single with the DVD-
Video disc
A promotional copy of the Black Sweat CD single
The winners' guests each received a black gift bag containing the t-
shirt, the two CD singles, and cookies.
Celebrities in Attendance
Note: There may have been more, and others have been mentioned, but
these were the ones I personally say, in the order I saw them. I was
also told that the guest list looked like a "who's who" of the rich
and famous.
David Duchovny
Sharon Stone
Cicely Tyson
Angela Bassett
Jude Law
Bruce Willis
Mekhi Phifer
Jada Pinkett Smith
Natalie Cole
Trisha Yearwood
Maroon 5 (less Adam Levine)
Note: I will post pics, obviously not of the event itself (only the
celebs avoided a search), later when I arrive home.
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