DJ Rashida had announced the official after party taking place at the Hi-Fi bar at around 8pm with a tweet saying “Shows about 2 start.I hope u r here b/c Prince & the NPG r leaving it all on this stage 2nite..We will b celebrating after @HI-FI :) join us” which set the wheels in motion. By 9pm the line had already reached a hefty length and by the time doors had opened at midnight, the line stretched down Collins Street past the Novotel.
Those who did make it in were treated to a performance from a local instrumental funk band who managed to not mention their name once throughout their entire set. Their sound managed to impress the crowd enough to save them from what many had assumed was an inevitable lynching from an audience desperate to be a part of one of Prince’s now-legendary after-show parties.
After they had played, fans shook their booties to records spun by DJ Rashida and the little purple one himself.
Later in the night when people had begun to give up hope of a live show, the star of the night ran down the stairs escorted by security only to be harassed by now very drunk fans who sent him running back up the stairs to the safety of the VIP area. It wasn’t long after this when security was shouting at those of us standing near the stairs that Prince had left the building.
While all of this was happening inside, a hefty police presence had taken control outside to keep the thousands of disgruntled fans who were trying to beat down the doors at bay.
It wasn’t a good night to be in the city, unfortunately.
It would have been amazing to see Prince play on that stage last night, but did that drunken, obnoxious, slightly aggressive and filled to the brim with an overt sense of entitlement crowd deserve it? Hell no.
Prince, Welcome 2 Australia. We hope it won’t take you nine years to come back.
