Meet Minneapolis Honors Prince

Prince was described as an artist who defied genre in a recent New York Times article. But even with such wide-ranging musical meanderings into jazz, funk, pop, rock and R&B, his sound was distinctive. While the epicenter of Prince tributes is right here in Minneapolis and in Chanhassen, cities like New Orleans, Los Angeles and Montreal have also taken part. Artists like Stevie Wonder and Jennifer Hudson have also given public tributes, so far.

I can thank my wife for the introduction to Prince Rogers Nelson. She was already an aficionado of all things Prince when we met. Her prized possessions included the music in the form of vinyl and cassettes, apparel and a poster of a scantily-clad Prince. The poster mysteriously came up missing when we were married and combined households.

I never met him, but I am among the masses that feel some sort of personal connection to him that belies the aloofness that often accompanies superstardom. In the days since his untimely death, Prince stories have populated the mass media and have also been exchanged on the person–to-person level. Some members of the Meet Minneapolis team have shared their own stories and reflections about Prince. We hope you enjoy them.

Kay Russell (Washington D.C.-based National Account Executive)

More than 20 years ago, a member of my church told us that her son was very sick. It turns out that member of Prince’s family was also part of the congregation, and word of his story got back to Prince. Imagine how the boy, who was a big Prince fan, must have felt when Prince showed up one night at the children’s hospital with his tambourine to meet and talk with him. It really showed what a tremendously caring person he was.

On a professional note, I worked at the convention and visitors association back when Prince owned Glam Slam, which was a downtown Minneapolis nightclub. When I took clients on a tour of the city, I would include a tour of Glam Slam along with the Prince gift shop in the club. Our clients loved it every time!

Dolores Karan (Destination Services & Sports Manager)

I was picked as an extra in the movie “Purple Rain.” You had to have a “special look,” and I hung out at First Ave. a lot. I skipped class and called in sick at work to do this. We were told not to wear coats or boots to First Ave. because there would not be any place to store them. But, my friend and I took the bus there so we needed to wear a coat. My friend wore her $300 coat and it got stolen! She fussed, so we got invited to the “After Party” at 7th Street Entry. That is where we got to meet Prince!

Dolores Karan Purple Rain Pay Stub

Nathan Hermiston (Director of Destination Sales)

We were hosting MPI WEC 2014 and the running joke with many clients and colleagues alike when they come to Minneapolis is “when do we get to see Prince?” – and the beauty of that question is in reality the answer is, it truly could be at any time. We had one particular client who adored Prince and absolutely wanted to see him and I told her just to keep an eye out, you never know where he will show up. Fast forward a day or two and I had heard rumors that he made a late night stop in at the Dakota Jazz Club to check out some live music. So when I caught up with my client I told her about it and turns out she was at the Dakota too that night, had seen an entourage walk in, but did not connect the dots that it was Prince. She was in his presence and didn’t even realize it! She was devastated!

For me personally, Prince made Minneapolis cool, and he never abandoned it. The Minneapolis sound of the late ‘70s through the ‘80s and even into the mid ‘90s still resonates globally, and Prince is the face of that sound, he invented that sound. Minneapolis is home to some of the greatest music ever made, and Prince is at the top of that bill. The amount of culture and uniqueness that our destination possesses is in large part due to his presence. He made it cool to be unique, which in turn made Minneapolis unique, and that is a trait that still resonates throughout Minneapolis. Prince embodied the quiet funky confidence that Minneapolis has. It’s too intangible to sell, but he was the most tangible example.

Amy Freese (Director of Partnership)

Working downtown in the early 90’s was an exciting time. Butler Square was home to one of the finest restaurants, D’Amico’s. It was common to see long lines for happy hour daily at The Loon Café. Across kitty-corner to The Loon, Pickled Parrot rocked a Caribbean flavor that drew crowds for many years and Brenda Langton was the vegetarian pioneer in the local foods movement down the block at Brenda’s. The Fine Line was a great music destination then, as it is today.

And the space now home to Shout House and Cowboy Jack’s, Glam Slam, co-owned by Prince, was the scene to rock out and let loose. It was a common occurrence that Prince would randomly appear to perform for 10 minutes or three hours in the club. There were many nights after Timberwolves games when rumors would float around that Prince would be at the club that night. And there were many times that he would indeed appear for what will be some of the most memorable experiences to date for me in this city.

Prince sightings have been a part of the Minneapolis culture. His “surprise and delight” nature for his fans is what made him real to us. I continue to hear and read stories about how accessible Prince was to his local fans. Stories when they saw him live at Dakota, First Ave., Paisley Park or Glam Slam. That’s what endears us to his persona.