Paisley Park Parties
Minneapolis Urban Legend?
Speaking from personal experience, parties at Paisley Park were somewhat of a Minneapolis Urban Legend in the early 2000’s. If you he were part of the music scene or new people in the music scene in Minneapolis during these years, you likely knew someone who had attended one of these parties. These parties were typically spur of the moment and attendees were notified via word of mouth or online. They started in the middle of the night and a cover fee was usually charged. Paisley Park was open to the public (or at least to those who were aware of the party). Sometimes, Prince would perform for his guests and at other times he was not even present.
According to Nicholas Leet (of High on Stress), a Paisley Park party attendee from 1999 to 2001, invitations were sent to members of a Prince fan list via email. This email was received late in the afternoon on the day of the party. The parties typically started around 10:00 p.m. and there was generally not a cover charge, unless Prince was going to perform. If this was the case, the cover charge was $7.00 (presumably in reference to Prince's song 7 which starts "All 7 and we'll watch them fall"). Leet recalled one particular night where Prince started his performance at 3:30 a.m. and when Leet left four hours later, Prince was still playing.
The only reputable source I was able to reference regarding these parties was the Saint Paul Pioneer Press dated 2009. In this brief, archived article, the writer Ross Raihala states:
“A mysterious event dubbed “The Last Jam of 2009” will take place late tonight at Prince’s Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen.
Not much is known about the gig - -“
This article all but summed up the secrecy and ambiguity associated with these Paisley Park parties.
According to Nicholas Leet (of High on Stress), a Paisley Park party attendee from 1999 to 2001, invitations were sent to members of a Prince fan list via email. This email was received late in the afternoon on the day of the party. The parties typically started around 10:00 p.m. and there was generally not a cover charge, unless Prince was going to perform. If this was the case, the cover charge was $7.00 (presumably in reference to Prince's song 7 which starts "All 7 and we'll watch them fall"). Leet recalled one particular night where Prince started his performance at 3:30 a.m. and when Leet left four hours later, Prince was still playing.
The only reputable source I was able to reference regarding these parties was the Saint Paul Pioneer Press dated 2009. In this brief, archived article, the writer Ross Raihala states:
“A mysterious event dubbed “The Last Jam of 2009” will take place late tonight at Prince’s Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen.
Not much is known about the gig - -“
This article all but summed up the secrecy and ambiguity associated with these Paisley Park parties.