The purple city
Minneapolis did not burn down in 2020. Nevertheless, it was significantly damaged during the riots following the murder of a black man by police.
But by summer 2024, those scars only showed themselves as some vacant lots near the site of the murder. It was again a vibrant city, and more than worth the long weekend we gave it.
From numerous foodie destinations, to the Mall of America, to amazing sports stadiums, to its fantastic music scene, Minneapolis stands as a unique American destination.
Not surprisingly, it was the music that initially brought us.
Prince
The utterly iconic musician named Prince was born, raised, and lived in Minneapolis his entire life, which tragically ended at age 57 at his equally iconic Paisley Park in 2016.
Paisley Park
In my humble opinion, he was/is America’s Mozart; exceedingly accomplished on nearly every musical instrument, as well as a prolific and gifted singer/songwriter.
He recorded entire brilliant, world-renowned albums on which he is all you hear, every sound, and he mixed it all together alone, solely producing his work in the days when that was a time-consuming, difficult task.
Although he had top-of-the-line equipment, he’d then listen to it on a cheap player so he could ensure we would hear it as close to its best as possible. He stretched his incredible talent to equally iconic films and even an Oscar award.
Not to mention that he was a singular force of nature, a quintessential ever-evolving artist and constant and extraordinary performer I was fortunate to see in person twice.
His home Paisley Park now is a mecca for all of us who adored and grieve him. The 65,000-square-foot extraordinary estate and production complex is about 20 minutes southwest of the city.
Now an active museum, it is still used as a recording studio by many major acts, and as a performance venue. Prince intended it to become akin to Elvis Presley’s Graceland today and Graceland Holdings actually manages Paisley Park’s tours.
Prince pioneered the Minneapolis Sound, a subgenre of funk rock that incorporates elements of new wave and synth-pop.
But I’m writing for fans who already know his music. It’s far too extensive to be concise. He had 37 albums; thousands of unreleased works, including completed albums, in a vault; and sold more than 150 million records worldwide. He rarely slept.
If you know, you know. And you know that when we began our tour in Paisley Park’s center atrium, with its vaulted two-stories capped with a glass pyramid, and heard his pet doves caged in the second-floor alcove “coo,” I got very choked up.
We chose the Ultimate Experience tour at $199 a pop and found it well worth the price.
Less comprehensive tours cost either $75 or $110.
In addition to the guided tour of the main floor with the kitchen where he watched basketball, access to the massive 12,500-square-foot sound stage and concert hall, the NPG Music Club where he often performed, and various costumes and artifacts, the Ultimate Experience Tour allowed us to:
Enter three of his four studios; enter a video suite where he regularly critiqued films of himself performing and watch some of those videos; enter his personal office where he left books he was reading about Egypt; see handwritten notes and lyrics; marvel at his plethora of personal instruments, including his purple pianos; and hear special audio playback of his work in one of his control rooms.
Row by row starting top left in Prince’s performance space: Prince’s custom purple Yamaha piano from his final tour, A Microphone & a Piano, was outfitted with digital technology allowing him to play every instrument at once. He last played it four days before his death; his elaborate microphone stage setups; custom drum kit hanging lighting; elaborate costumes designed and created in Paisley Park; his baby blue Bentley; private purple seating.
We had to the ability to play ping pong on his table inside one studio and to hold one of his many guitars with gloved hands. In a further two large display rooms, we saw more video and other iconic items such as his Purple Rain motorcycle, which we were allowed to sit on. Our tour included staff-taken photos of us holding his guitar and sitting on his bike, which we were sent by text.
Holding Prince’s Yellow Cloud; sitting on one of his custom bikes
They lock your phones into individual cases before you enter the main building, and unlock them when you reach his performance space, which also includes several of his costumes, performance video, and one of his cars, a baby blue Bentley.
You will not see his private quarters (our guide said he rarely spent time there anyway; he lived in his studios), you will not see the elevator where he died because it has been intentionally removed and covered by wall, and you will only see the area from below where all of his clothes – even his pajamas – were designed and made.
It was an incredible experience, and for Adam who didn’t know much about Prince, it was a revelation of just how great Prince was. For real musicians, I suspect it’s completely awe-inspiring, seeing his LinnDrum and his Madcap, and all of his modifications.
We also went on a Prince tour of Minneapolis.
There are many of the beautiful murals of Prince or that evoke Prince throughout his city. You can also see his small childhood home, and the house he used to portray his home in Purple Rain. It is now an Airbnb full of memorabilia organized by former Revolution bandmates Wendy and Lisa.
Some of the Prince murals around Minneapolis, surrounded by the Purple Rain house, Prince’s childhood home, and the interior of the Electric Fetus.
We browsed Electric Fetus, the record store Prince frequented, and the clubs he played. The famous nightclub First Avenue downtown features silver stars naming each performer that’s played there. It changed only Prince’s star to gold after his death, and also sadly added a red star memorializing the black man murdered by police in 2020.
So that awful crime is also commemorated, but the purple influence – marked by a man who believed in peace and love – overcomes.
If you’re a Prince fan like me, I hope you make it to our Mecca. If you forget a memento – as if! – you can always hit the great Prince store at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
