Prince Melbourne afterpartyrumours heat up

Update: 30th May

According to Prince’s private chef and DJ his band won’t be performing at The Hi-Fi show:

@DJRASHIDA Sad to hear that NPG will not be playing again tonight but I am looking forward to whatever the night brings at Hi Fi!!

— Inner City Kitchen (@crystal_ICK) May 30, 2012

Update 5.30pm (15/5/12)

Despite incessant rumors, we can confirm that #Prince won’t be playing at Alumbra tonight after the show!! Please RT friends :-) #melbourne

— Alumbra Melbourne (@alumbra_melb) May 15, 2012

Update 10.30am (15/5/12)

Prince promoters in encouraging talks about #aftershow at a 650-900 capacity club. When Prince agrees, tix will go on sale.

— Nui Te Koha (@nuionline) May 15, 2012

Update 9:00pm: Nui says that the Prince afterparty has been ‘cancelled’:

Prince after show cancelled. Tour publicist reports: “Just been told party not happening tonight. That’s all I know at the moment. Sorry.”

— Nui Te Koha (@nuionline) May 14, 2012

Update 8:00pm: Nui has just confirmed the show:

Prince after show is at Club 23 at Crown. Prince on stage at 1am.

— Nui Te Koha (@nuionline) May 14, 2012

Rumours are swirling that The Purple One will announce a Melbourne after-party, much like Sydney’s star-studded affair at the Ivy on Saturday night.

Music reporter Nui Te Koha and his Herald Sun co-worker Cameron Adams have both tweeted that there will be a show – but further details have not yet been revealed.

Prince after show is GO. Venue TBC. Prince on stage at 1am.

— Nui Te Koha (@nuionline) May 14, 2012

Oh Prince you crazy thing. Melbourne post show gig now IS happening tonight. Due on stage 1am. Waiting for ticket and venue details

— cameron adams (@cameron_adams) May 14, 2012

When Prince was last here in 2003 he played for three-hours at Bennett’s Lane, however, the official Prince forums are rumouring The Palace (formerly Metro), Prince of Wales, Bennett’s Lane, Alumbra and The HiFi Bar as potential secret gig venues for a midnight jam session on Tuesday or Wednesday.

On Saturday night Sydney was treated to a three-hour power jam from Prince and his backing band. One lucky FasterLouder member, who was front and centre when the clock struck purple, had this to say about the afterparty.

Prince Sydney secret gig wrap

DJ Rashida warmed up the crowd playing a mix of Prince classics and other ‘80s jams. As a soundcheck of sorts, the band jammed for a while, while Prince tested the crowd’s devotion occasionally speaking into the mic from side of stage, yet remaining out of sight.

The Purple One sauntered on and off stage occasionally playing some keys or the bass before wandering off again. The crowd was kept in the groove while his embarrassingly talented back up singers sang a few tracks, including a cover of Janet Jacskon’s What Have You Done For Me Lately.

Eventually Prince gave in and took to the mic to play Partyman from the Batman soundtrack, and the crowd well and truly lost their collective shit. He went on to play jams from the Emancipation and Lotusflower albums.

After going off for a small break, Prince came back to the stage, instructed his drummer to play a certain beat then picked up the bass and started noodling. Moments later he declared ‘It’s time to fight the power!’ which was the cue for Public Enemy’s Flava Flav to arrive onstage and bust out a rendition of 911 while the band, replete with Prince on bass jammed out.

Not long after the crowd had recovered from Flav, Prince picked up guitar and a voice off-stage started singing Sign Of The Times. It was Seal. He then appeared and finished the jam with Alphabet Street and The Ballad of Dorothy Parker.

This was all just a warm up to the best part of the night – I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, another track from the Sign Of The Times masterpiece and a version of She’s Always in My Hair a B-side to the Paisley Park single, rarely played at live shows, which concluded with an epic 5 minute guitar solo.

Footage of the main attraction in Sydney