A Weekend In: Minneapolis

Last weekend I flew to Minneapolis to celebrate Prince, the greatest musician of my generation, who passed away unexpectedly in April. His death felt very personal, perhaps because he shared so much of himself with us through his music. When I heard that The Revolution, Prince's early backing band, had three tribute concerts planned over Labor Day weekend, I knew I had to be there - to experience the music in the city Prince loved, with the musicians and fams who loved Prince.

I checked into the Minneapolis Hilton on Thursday night, noted the nice view from my 14th floor room, and promptly fell asleep. When I woke up in the morning, I opened the curtains and saw the Schmitt Music mural:

Prince's first photo shoot

This was completely unexpected, and an amazing way to begin the weekend.

After breakfast I drove out to Paisley Park Studios, Prince's enormous production facility and residence in Chanhassen, MN. The perimeter fence has become an ever-changing memorial wall covered with messages and artwork from around the world.

At the northeast corner of the property, the Riley Creek underpass allows pedestrians to cross under the busy main road. The walls of the tunnel have become a canvas of love and sorrow. Prince touched many lives.

First Avenue, the famous music venue in downtown Minneapolis, is closely associated with Prince. The song Purple Rain was recorded here, and the concert scenes in the movie were filmed here. In the words of Revolution drummer Bobby Z, it's Purple ground zero. I felt honored and grateful to be a part of this historic event in this very special place.

I was lucky enough to attend both the Friday and Saturday night shows. We laughed, cried, danced, and sang. Prince's spirit, like his music, filled the house. This article gives an excellent review of the three shows.

The line stretched around the block; close-up of Prince's star at First Avenue

replica Purple Rain bike

Va & De Angela pre-show selfie

Dez doesn't forget us folks in the corner; in the background, sporting the red hat, is Andre Cymone

Wendy rocking the house; in the background, Prince's famous Hohner guitar

On Saturday, I visited Electric Fetus, Prince's favorite record store. I was able to meet Susannah Melvoin, singer and songwriter, former member of The Revolution, current member of fDeluxe, and Wendy's twin sister. I'm hoping fDeluxe comes back to DC soon - that is a show I would definitely not miss.

Minneapolis is a great city - diverse, friendly, and only a two-hour flight from DC. I have a feeling I will be a frequent visitor in the future - just not during the winter, per the recommendation of every Minnesotan I met. I understand why Prince loved his hometown. So when you're thinking of your next summer vacation, consider Minneapolis.

Got questions about Prince? These websites have answers: Prince.org, PrinceVault, PrinceLyrics.

Just want to listen to some Prince music? Here's a video to get you started. All of Prince's studio albums are available on the streaming service Tidal. The set list from the Sept 1-3 Revolution shows is a great introduction to his music.