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Per4ming Live 3121

2006/7

The show is anything but a retirement show.

Performed Friday and Saturday nights exclusively at a purpose-built 1,100 capacity Club 3121 at Rio Suites Hotel &Casino, 3700 West Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, this unique run of shows was kicked off with a 20 minute press conference on 8 November 2006, coinciding with Prince’s induction to the UK Rock And Roll Hall of Fame on 14 November. The first public show followed on the 10th. Per4ming Live @ 3121 was more a nightclub revue of Prince’s hits, drawing on his musical legacy and thereby not a tour and set lists varied considerably. Nor was Per4ming Live @ 3121 in support of a particular album, despite that the venue was named specially after Prince’s current album 3121 which was released that March.

Prince had previously played at The Rio Hotel’s Club Rio on 26 May 2006 guesting with Larry Graham, and again on the following night as a guest appearance with The Time, clearly the moment of the event’s conception. 3121 was created specially for Prince’s residency, and boasted a private lounge beneath the stage, accessed by a purple staircase. The sum Prince was paid to hold residence at the Rio Hotel has never been disclosed, however the amount is believed to be considerable, to that end tickets were priced $125. Shows began just after midnight. The entire frontage of the 383ft tall hotel was wrapped in Prince’s gold Prince love symbol promoting the event – seen in the movie 21. Additionally, special aftershow performances were staged in the adjoining Asian themed restaurant named 3121 Jazz Cuisine. During his Las Vegas stint, on 4 February 2007 Prince took a break to perform his Halftime Show for the Pepsi Super Bowl XLI. Per4ming Live @ 3121 resumed on February 10th. He lived in LA throughout.

The venue itself housed VIP booths along the side walls, backed with video screens which would silhouette Prince as he moved behind them. A turntable deck was set up within the booths stage-right for Prince’s DJ, Rashida, who spun Prince’s music ahead of the shows. The booths wrapped the circular dancefloor, which on show nights was standing only, and the front row was close enough to even lean on the stage. The staging was simple and intimate and designed to replicate the exclusive house parties Prince staged at his mansion in LA a notable celebrity haunt in 2005. Set lists thereby varied considerably.

The band’s previous line-up underwent a refresh for the Vegas residency. Having been introduced to new people when living in LA in 2005, new band members were hired. Having cut their teeth with performing for Prince on the introductory tour for Támar, Cora Coleman-Dunham replaced John Blackwell on drums, and Rhonda Smith’s role on bass was given to Joshua Dunham, husband of Cora. The band also featured newly hired backing vocalists and dancers, former Australian Idol contestants and identical twins, Nandy and Maya McClean, stage named Twinz. A horn section was also added. Shelby Johnson joined the band from December, having met Prince when doing backing vocals for Larry Graham. The promotion was handled by Events West, the same team being Celine Dion’s Vegas residency at Caesar’s Palace.

Once the run at the Rio Suites closed on 29 April, Prince headed to London to give a press conference announcing a residency even grander in scale, staged at London’s brand new 23,000 capacity O2 Arena, a run of 21 shows named The Earth Tour. On 1 June he played the ALMA awards and then on the 23rd, Club 3121 reopened at a temporary venue at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel for a run of nine additional residency shows serving as the warm-up for the London residency. Prince previously performed an invitation only private party at the Roosevelt on 24 March 2006. The ticket price being $3,121 for dinner and $321 for standing, the Roosevelt shows were largely exclusive as result and often attended by celebrities. The final show was played on 1 July. Prince was next seen in public to play three shows in a single day on 7th July – Macy’s Minnesota, Target Center, followed by an aftershow at First Avenue – in celebration of the launch of his fragrance ‘3121’. On 16 July, headlined the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Then on to London and into the history books.

Prince | Rio Las Vegas 3121 — Photography by Ethan Miller

Performers

Vocals/Guitar: Prince
Drums: Cora Coleman-Dunham
Keyboards: Morris Hayes
Bass Guitar: Joshua Dunham
Trombone: Greg Boyer
Alto Sax: Maceo Parker
Saxophone: Mike Phillips
Trumpet: Lee Hogans
Backing vocals: Shelby Johnson
Dance/Vox: Maya McLean "Twinz"; Nandy McLean "Twinz"
Turntables: DJ Rashida

Total performances

3121 @ Rio Suites Hotel & Casino (Las Vegas, USA)
41 shows from 10 November 2006 to 29 April 2007
3121 @ Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel (Hollywood, USA)
9 shows from 2 June to 1 July, 2007