2018 Around the World in a Day Tour: Paisley Park

When I was in the Minneapolis area, I really wanted to visit Paisley Park.

There are very few locations in music that evoke a reaction but PP is surely near the level of Graceland and Neverland Ranch. There has been some argument on what Prince would have wanted with his legacy but I can’t help believe that he did want the place open as a bit of a shrine for the fans. The town itself is weird in that it’s such a normal small town. Prince would ride his bike or go to Walgreens’s and it was usual, with a certain understanding the locals would give him some space. There is a nice mural on the local movie theater.

Paisley Park has a certain level of privacy. You have to buy tickets online. It’s gated and no one is allowed on the ground until their tour. There are no cameras allowed and phones are locked. Different options are offered for diehard fans. Though I took the basic tour, I had no regrets.

The place is filled with awards, gold and platinum records, and memorabilia. As you go throughout, there is so much of the stuff that was there. Probably starting with a motorcycle from Purple Rain, some iconic guitars and outfits, and even a room dedicated to all his movies. Even though some of those movies weren’t well received, the effect is still pretty solid. Indeed, it shows Prince’s ambitions were many (and worthwhile).

Near the front is a 90s era lounge. Truth be told, it’s a space where every office would have something similar. A place to rest and get coffee. Since Prince is so enigmatic, him having downtime is probably the weirdest concept. He would watch the local NBA team, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Big Bang Theory. That was probably the biggest surprise.

There is a 6 foot mural of Princes influences (Santana, Stevie Wonder, Hendrix) on one side of him and his descendants on the other (The Time, Vanity 6, the Revolution)

The studio is pretty awesome. I hadn’t been in a recording studio for awhile and being able to hear a Prince track as it would of appeared was awesome. This studio also was home to a who’s who of guests- REM, Madonna, Bob Mould, Stevie Wonder, Fine Young Cannibals, Paula Abdul, Soul Asylum, Mavis Staples, George Clinton, Warren Zevon and Stone Temple Pilots.

From there, it was into a large gym-styled room which at one point was used for choreography and as Charlie Murphy told the world- basketball.

The last major part was the sound stage. Here was where Prince would perform private concerts or open up the dance floor. Buy-up tours could hear a whole concert of unheard Prince. It also doubled as a visual history of Prince’s tours with appropriate outfits and guitars. This ended the tour with the cafeteria. Here Prince might feed his guests or buy-up tours could sample Prince’s chef.

I would have likely snapped a bunch of pics but PP does share some of it online. I thought it was a fantastic tour and everything I hoped for. As a fairly big fan of the artist, it was really something that blew me over.

Picture:Via CBS