Australia is about to get a whole lot purple-er. Popular music icon Prince announced a run of Australian tour dates late last week and the whole country basically enjoyed a mass conniption after hearing the news, which came totally out of the blue.
It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that his Piano and a Microphone tour of Australia is going to sell out, but Prince still granted some interview time to The Sunday Telegraph to plug the shows and he did so in characteristically Prince-ian fashion.
Speaking to journalist Kathy McCabe (presumably via email), Prince granted the journo just five questions, responding in his famous ‘Prince talk’, which you may be familiar with if you’ve ever had a look at this song titles or his tweets.
“That’s a good ?estion,” Prince responded when asked about the intimate new show format. “EYE have only per4med two concerts completely alone onstage and have found the absolute silence a turn on. It 4ces U 2 listen with not only Ur ears but also the heart.”
“After the concert, EYE couldn’t wait 2 do it again,” he added, before touching on how the shows are in fact a tribute to his father, jazz pianist John L Nelson, whom the artist explains was “strong-willed, hard 2 please”.
“One concert-goer said that her father was exactly the same – a strong-willed, hard 2 please teacher that was never satisfied,” Prince told McCabe. “This concert is a thank U if anything 2 my father and the gift he gave me.”
Whilst fans attending the shows won’t get to see the famous dance moves and theatricality of classic Prince performances, the Purple One himself explains that these will be some of the most emotionally potent and powerful of his career.
“Many nights EYE have played 4 myself as the sole audience member and stopped mid-song overcome by emotion,” he said. “That feeling is increased several fold by the presence of others. It can’t really B described, only experienced.”
Photo: Nandy McClean
Prince Australian Tour Dates
Tuesday, 16th February 2016
State Theatre, Melbourne
Tickets: Arts Centre Melbourne | Ticketmaster
Wednesday, 17th February 2016
State Theatre, Melbourne
Tickets: Arts Centre Melbourne | Ticketmaster
Saturday, 20th February 2016
Opera House, Sydney
Tickets: Sydney Opera House | Ticketek
Sunday, 21st February 2016
State Theatre, Sydney
Tickets: Ticketmaster
