You
want to get out the funk? Or do you need a little help in getting funky?
Whatever you choose, Prince is the guy for you. And his two-night stint in
Seattle was one of the hottest tickets in town! Could August get any hotter?
I think not!
First things first, I was going to hit both Prince shows thanks to my good
friend Jennifer, (who
helps to run the NW Prince fan club), and she scored great seats, but
one of my fave bands, The Cure, rescheduled their show to the 31st and I
chose to see that as well. Still, one night with Prince is a pretty exciting
thing and I needed an exciting outfit to match. I had selected some
low-slung black pants I had bought at the Bon plus a gold "glam"
top I got when I was in California. I found a cool yellow Prince pin at a
record shop and took my leather jacket from Los Angeles to top it off. Could
I have been one of Prince's gals? You just never know!
I had to work during the day, but many people I worked with were also going
to the show! I convinced one lady on the fence
to not stay home that night and get funky! (The next day, I found out she
got seats near the floor! ;)) As the time approached, I called my friends
Jennifer and Dorothy and new friend Kim to track our coordinates. The show
was at Key Arena and we had a pre-funk meet going on at EMP. As these
pictures show, we were quite the group! EMP (Experience
Music Project) played numerous Prince videos and songs to get us all in
the spirit of things. I changed into my "hottie" outfit and met up
with Jennifer who scored 6th row floor seats from the fan club. I also met
up with my friend Lorne from Canada as he got his tickets. Everyone was
excited in the venue as many fans knew what kind of show they were in for
from the Staples Center live broadcast in the Spring. Armed with our
Musicology CD's and our programs, we waited patiently.
Lights
dimmed, fans screamed, and a montage of Prince mania hit the screens above
us. From the 6th row, you really can see a lot. With no row behind us,
Jennifer and I were treated to the ultimate surprise - Prince himself! Or
rather in a box rolled in behind us, while the band - Maceo, Candy and
others- all walked behind us too. I could not believe that! The music began
and Prince appeared - wow! Singing Musicology, he got everyone on their
feet. I never saw a single seat used after that as people boogied to the
music. Hits followed like "Let's Go Crazy" in which purple
streamers few everywhere, "When Doves Cry" and "Baby, I'm A
Star". Prince also had an acoustic set where he got us by expecting us
to sing and saying, "It's all live!" He even mentioned moving to
Seattle - we'd love to have you! The end of the night brought the ultimate
song - "Purple Rain" and a feel-good vibe that could not be
squashed.
Prince went back in his box to leave and as the band went by, I boldly put
out my hand and shook Maceo Parker's hand! I also grabbed a purple streamer
which now sits atop my computer. Thank you, Prince, for a wonderful night!
Thank you to Jennifer, Dorothy, Kim and Lorne and everyone else who made it
all so much fun!
my purple streamer!
Now get the funk out!
Mariam
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