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Extremely rare vintage original Prince concert tickets from the 7/07/2007 shows at First Avenue and Target Center in Minneapolis, plus the wristband that was given out at First Avenue to those who got in. Also included is a '3121' perfume sample card, which were handed out at the concert at Target Center, and a complementary admission card to the nightclub Barfly that night, which was just a block from First Avenue.
Just how rare are these items? Could find no other of these tickets or the wristband on , not even in completed listings, that almost never happens. The capacity of First Avenue is only 1550 though, so there is not many out there to begin with. Only saw one other of the '3121' fragrance cards on , for $99.
This marks the first time Prince had played First Avenue in over 20 years, and it would be his last at the iconic music venue where 'Purple Rain' was filmed, and which sprang him into international stardom. It was also the last time he played Target Center.
In 2007, Prince was at the height of his career, in February he had a spectacular performance at the Super Bowl halftime show, one of the worlds biggest stages. Later in the year he had a concert residency at the 02 Arena in London scheduled. That would be extended to a record 21 nights at what is the 3rdbiggest indoor venue in the UK.
Between those events, Prince had a number of one off concerts and unannounced shows. Fans were wondering what the artist who had an affinity for the number 7, as in his song '7', had in store for 7/07/07.
In June Prince announced he would play Target Center on 7/07/07, and have a concert at the Macy's department store on the same day, as part of the release of his perfume '3121'. The Governor of Minnesota declared the day 'Prince Rogers Nelson Day' in the state.
Two days before the concerts, it was posted on Prince's website - "Return 2 First Avenue: PRINCELIVE. The official aftershow 4 Prince's Target Center event this Saturday will take place at First Avenue."
Tickets for the First Avenue aftershow were to go on sale at 3pm the day of show. By that time the line was blocks long, and people ended up waiting hours in what turned out to be 95 degree heat on a very humid day.
There would now be 3 different Prince concerts within 2 blocks of each other in downtown Minneapolis on 7/07/07!
Prince was under contract to do 7 songs at the Macy's concert (of course), but the show ran late, which became a theme for the day. After the Macy's show, crowds filled the streets around Target Center, forcing police to block traffic. The Target Center show got off an hour and a half late. Then at First Avenue, where the doors opened at 11pm, Prince ended up not taking the stage until 2:45am. Problem is, bar closing is at 2am in Minneapolis, so Prince got in 14 songs before police shut the venue down at 3:30AM.
After that, First Avenue negotiated a 'Prince Permit' with city officials, which would allow him to play after closing, but he never came back to First Avenue, or Target Center.
These are the tickets and the wristband I got at the shows themselves. It's hard to convey what a great gift it was to have such a tremendous musical talent living in your city all those decades. From First Avenue, to his own nightclub Glam Slam, to frequent shows at Paisley Park, or jam sessions at hole in the wall places like Bunkers, it was utterly astonishing. The joy he had when performing was unmatched, and the talent, when on his game, among the best musicians ever.
Get the feeling the reason these Prince 7/07/07 items are so hard to find is that they mean so much in the history of Prince, of First Avenue, and the city of Minneapolis itself, the people who went don't readily want to give them up.
Note the price on the First Avenue ticket, $31.21, it's the same price he charged for tickets at the 2007 O2 Arena shows in London, and the name of his 2006 album!
Minneapolis radio station the Current wrote an excellent article on the tenth anniversary of these concerts, and you can see pictures of the wristbands and the First Avenue ticket in that article.
The last picture is a screenshot from Prince’s website at the time promoting his return to First Avenue.
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