Prince thrilled his hometown fans with three shows over 12 hours, stopping only when police shut him down early Sunday. The Minneapolis native first performed Saturday at a department store to promote his new cologne, cramming nine songs into a 45-minute set. He then played that night at the Target Center arena. He capped the night across the street with a return to First Avenue, the club he made famous in the movie “Purple Rain.”
“Minneapolis, I am home,” the Purple One declared after the first song at Macy’s department store.
Minnesota’s governor and the Minneapolis mayor issued proclamations honoring Prince, and fans flew in from all over the country to see him.
After the Target Center, Prince waited until nearly 2:45 a.m. before starting the First Avenue show, the first time he had played at the club since 1987.
He was 15 songs and 70 minutes into a 24-song set when he announced from the stage: “The authorities say we gotta go. We always listen to the authorities. I promise I’ll be back.”
The club is allowed to stay open till 3 a.m. as long as liquor isn’t served after 2 a.m.
Police Sgt. E.T. Nelson, watching from across the street as fans left the club, pointed to the many officers working overtime because of the event. More than 20 officers had worked to block off the streets surrounding the club and Target Center.
“I think it’s very arrogant of him to think he can hold us here like this,” said Nelson. “The law is the law for anybody.”
First Avenue owner Byron Frank said the police talked with Prince’s crew and did give the rocker a little extra time to wind it down.
“It’s very sad they had to do it, because everybody was having such a wonderful time,” Frank said.
