From cold rain to Purple Rain

By Joe Fryer

Updated: 1 day ago

I'm not a terribly spontaneous person. But after sitting at home sick during my two days off last week, I made an impromptu decision to attend Prince's nearly impromptu concert.

In case you're not aware, Prince sent an e-mail to fan club members on Friday telling them he would perform at Paisley Park Saturday night. The instructions to attend his concert sounded like something out of a scavenger hunt:

Drive to the Southwest Transit Station in Chanhassen.

Board a mysterious bus that will drive you to Paisley Park.

Bring $40 cash to get in.

Concert starts at 11 p.m.

(I should note that Prince was also collecting donations for charity.)

The bus shuttle actually started running at 7 p.m. We didn't even decide to attend the concert until 8:00. Unsure if we'd even get in, we took a risk and drove to the bus station, getting there around 9:00.

I have to admit, it seemed a little sketchy at first. The transit station was not exactly buzzing with activity. There still was plenty of room in the parking lot. Was anyone going to this concert? Was it even happening? Or was this some cruel pre-Halloween prank?

Then I noticed the large coach bus parked off to the side. As soon as I walked up to it, the door slowly opened.

"Is this going to the Prince concert?" I cautiously asked.

"Yup," the bus driver responded.

So we bravely boarded the bus, without our cell phones (which were not allowed inside the concert). That meant this bus could've pretty much driven us anywhere and no one would've ever heard from us again. But I guess it was worth the risk to potentially see Prince.

As you've probably guessed by now, this was not a trap. The concert was legit and we arrived at Paisley Park after only a few minutes on the bus.

We didn't get to see much of "Prince's home." Most of it was off-limits. Besides the concert space, there were a couple bathrooms, a place to buy water, a place to buy tambourines (of course) and a coat check. In other words, the parts I saw weren't much different from my home -- minus the concert space.

Prince, notorious for being late, took the stage just minutes after 11 p.m., to the delight (and surprise) of many in the crowd. It was standing room only but not at all overcrowded. In short, the crowd size was pretty much perfect.

So was the concert. Prince played everything: old stuff, new stuff, other people's stuff. He whizzed through many of his hits in a rapid-fire performance. The Star Tribune figures he played all or part of at least 38 songs during the three-hour performance.

Prince would leave the stage on occasion -- including once midway through the first song -- leaving fans to wonder, "Is that it? Is he done?" But no one would leave. We just cheered and, without fail, he would return and pick up where he left off.

Finally, just before 2 p.m., he climbed back on stage one more time to perform an awesome rendition of "Purple Rain." At this point, there was no doubt the concert was over. What could possibly be left?

From "Purple Rain" to cold drizzle, we walked out of Paisley Park and onto a bus that whisked us right back to our cars. And just like that, the night was over -- like a fairytale, made possible by a Prince.