When Sheila Matterson-Grady, an executive assistant in Philadelphia, heard that Prince was performing a rare gig at his Paisley Park Studio on Saturday, she bought a $1,200 airline ticket for her first trip to Minneapolis.
She was among the 1,200 people who paid $50 to see Prince's first advertised show at his Chanhassen complex since 2009. It was his ninth hometown performance this year — which may be a record for him — but his first in which his two current bands, 3rdEyeGirl and the New Power Generation, were combined.
Fans came in Twins caps and porkpie hats, with wheelchairs and walkers, sporting umbrellas and hoodies.
Matterson-Grady, who is in her 40s, was glowing in a turquoise dress with sparkly beads. She has seen Prince at least 40 times in four states, most recently at the City Winery, a tiny nightclub/restaurant in New York City that she said was her best Prince show ever.
"I grew up on Prince," she said. "He's like family to me."
Matterson-Grady stood in the back of Paisley's airplane hangar-like rehearsal hall with its impeccable sound system. She didn't quite know what to expect. At these Paisley events, protocol isn't always clear except for a cellphone ban.
By Prince late-night, I-don't-wear-a-watch standards, the evening was relatively efficient. Doors opened a half-hour late at 9:30, music began at 10:10 with each of Prince's three backup singers doing a set, and the star himself was onstage from 11:55 until about 1:35 a.m. — backed by his three singers and 16 musicians (including 11 horn players) who barely fit on the stage.
Prince played a handful of hits (including "1999" and "Purple Rain"), songs he wrote for the Time and the Family, guitar on only one song (Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music") and probably the jazziest hometown set ever, thanks to the dynamic and versatile horns.
