Parkway Theater draws global crowd for NPG Prince Tribute

Article and photos by JILL BOOGREN

The Parkway Theater (4814 Chicago Ave.) joined First Avenue and Paisley Park as a global gathering ground in June as people came from around the country and the world to pay tribute to Prince at “This Thing Called Life: the NPG Prince Tribute.” Led by singer Julius Collins and original members of New Power Generation, Prince’s band from the 1990’s, the concert quickly sold out two shows then added a third.

Photo right: People line up outside the Parkway Theater to walk the purple carpet into “This Thing Called Life: An NPG Prince Tribute” in June.

Before the last show, a line outside the theater extended down the block as people waited to walk across the purple carpet indoors. Mary McMillan, who splits her time between living in Burnsville, MN, and Destin, FL, came with her friend Zoule (“Like Cher,” she instructed, referring to her preference of using a single name), from Bloomington, MN. The two of them were fully decked out in purple--hats, flowers, shirts, scarves--to mark the occasion.

“My friend Mary is a nocturnal person, just like Prince,” said Zoule. McMillan said she respected Prince’s journey, for finding his purpose for living. “He’s a man that found his talent and he used it. He blessed us all,” she said. “He found peace. He had joy. The elevator didn’t take him down.”

Inside the theater purple lights beamed as DJ Phat set the tone for the evening with “Gett Off,” “7,” and other Prince songs, including hits sung by others (“Round and Round,” Tevin Campbell, “Nasty Girl,” Vanity 6). Many in the crowd left their chairs to dance or get close to the stage.

Guests were happy to share how Prince had touched their lives and what it meant to be here.

“I love him,” said Jessie Jessup, from Dallas, TX, wearing glitter and hot pink hair, a t-shirt with Prince’s glyph on the front, and a tattoo of Prince in profile on the back of her shoulder. “He’s the foundation of my musical life. light, positivity, love, joy.”

She was with Emma Lindsay, from Sydney, Australia, both of whom had come to Minnesota the week before for a Prince event at First Avenue. Lindsay saw Prince perform in February at his Piano & A Microphone concert at the State Theatre in Sydney. “He touched my hand,” she said. “His music has been there through my whole life.”

Photo left: Mary McMillan, who lives in Burnsville, MN, and Destin, FL, and her friend Zoule, from Bloomington, put on the purple to celebrate Prince.

Jessup and Lindsay met on a WaconiaVille Tour the day before this show, Prince’s birthday. Both of them artists, they hung their artwork on the fence at Paisley Park, along with tributes left by countless other fans. Jessup’s included a drawing of purple bananas in a pickup truck (from the song “Let’s Go Crazy”) and one of “Elephants & Flowers” (a song on the album Graffiti Bridge). Lindsay’s was a heart-shaped portrait of Prince.

Tanya Borysiewitz flew in the day before from Glasgow, Scotland, to commemorate the artist. She had seen Prince perform in Glasgow in the past. “It’s a celebration,” she said.

From Houston, TX, Crystal Donaldson came from Chicago, IL, where she was visiting her mom. She had seen Prince perform at the Chicago Theatre in 1993 and Ames, Iowa, in 1997. She went to several celebrations at Paisley Park (she carried her VIP passes from those events with her) and got to meet Prince. “It was like trying not to scream... squeal,” she said. “I was actually speechless. He cracked a couple of jokes.”

Photo right: Jamecia Bennett (left) and Julius Collins sing vocals, with Oliver Leiber on guitar and Rachel Holder Hennig and Katie Gearty singing backup.

Prince had asked Donaldson why her tongue was pierced, and she told him, “To be different.” Of all people, she felt, Prince understood the importance of not staying inside the mold. She feels awe and admiration for him and credits Prince for her decision to go to college for fashion design. Of his passing, she said “Never say ‘they’re gone’ or ‘they’re not here.’ Say ‘until next time’.”

With a backdrop of pictures and video clips of Prince on a continuous loop throughout the evening, he truly was larger than life. Kicking off the concert with “1999,” there was no mistaking it: the band was there to rock the house. Julius Collins, with original NPG members Sonny Thompson on bass, Tommy Barbarella on keys, and Michael Bland on drums, as well as Oliver Leiber on guitar, Cory Eischen on keys, and Rachel Holder Hennig and Katie Gearty singing backup, delivered an energetic performance that would have made the purple one proud.

Before playing “Uptown,” Collins told the crowd it was the first Prince song he heard when he came to Minneapolis. “I was hooked,” he said.

Midway through the first set, the band was joined by vocalist Jamecia Bennett (Sounds of Blackness) for “Erotic City,” “Cream,” and more Prince classics. In the second set, Collins, wearing a red suit, striped shirt, and black hat, welcomed members of the Hornheads, who belted out the brass to “Willing and Able” and—with Collins and Bennett sharing vocals--an incredibly soulful “Nothing Compares 2 U.”

Photo left: This portrait of Prince, created by Emma Lindsay of Sydney Australia, hangs near the front gate of Paisley Park. The artist placed it there on Prince’s birthday.

For the third and final set, Collins came back dressed all in white, knelt at the front of the stage, and allowed tears to flow freely as he sang a very heartfelt “Sometimes it Snows in April,” drawing silence and tears from the crowd. With Bennett still by his side, they closed with a riveting and uplifting performance of “The Cross.”

Part celebration and part memorial to a man and musician they clearly revered, NPG, Collins, and company delivered.

“Wow!” Renee Rude, Oakdale resident and operations manager of Now Boarding, posted on Facebook the next day. “Funky, fun and beautifully heartfelt; the perfect tribute to Prince. You all nailed it!”

Well put.