Showing posts with label Prince Solo Piano Tour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prince Solo Piano Tour. Show all posts

Monday

Prince cancels European tour after terror attacks in Paris


Prince has become the latest act to cancel his European concert tour following the Paris attacks, his French production company confirmed on Monday.

The tour—entitled "Prince Spotlight: Piano and a Microphone"—would have begun on November 24 in Vienna, Austria, and would have included dates in Britain and Sweden.

The 57-year-old American was expected to be in Paris on December 11 to play two shows at the historic Palais Garnier opera house.

"In light of the tragic events in Paris, the organisers decided to cancel the European tour," said Interconcerts, a ticket company.

A similar message was posted on the site of Vienna's concert hall.

The tour was believed to be the first since Prince's rise to stardom in which he would have performed with such stripped-down instrumentation.

A number of rock bands have also cancelled tour dates in France since the attacks, including U2, who cancelled some of their concerts.

Bono and the rest of the band members paid their respects in person at a makeshift memorial set up near the 1,500-seat Bataclan concert hall where 89 people were killed.

The California rock group Eagles of Death Metal was performing at the venue when gunmen burst in. Members of the band escaped unharmed and have returned to the United States.

Other acts who have cancelled tour dates in Paris are the American rock band Foo Fighters, who were due to perform in Paris today at the 20,000-capacity AccorHotels Arena.

Veteran English rock band Motorhead were also scheduled to perform in Paris on Sunday and have cancelled. -Agence France-Presse

source: gmanetwork.com

Tuesday

Prince to play solo piano tour of Europe —reports


NEW YORK - Prince is planning a European tour featuring just his voice and piano, with the 57-year-old pop virtuoso saying he wanted a new challenge, reports said Monday.

Prince—who rarely makes traditional, straightforward announcements on touring—apparently broke the news by inviting a small group of music writers from European newspapers to his Paisley Park estate in Minnesota.

The Purple One posted a picture on Instagram showing him playing a keyboard for a small group with the caption, "European press," as well as videos of him practicing, although a representative did not immediately return a request for comment.

Spain's El Pais, in an article Monday datelined Minnesota, said Prince would play in 12 countries starting on November 21 in Vienna and finishing on December 22 in Brussels.

Explaining why he wanted to do the tour, Prince was quoted in Spanish as saying: "For starters, it's a challenge."

"I don't want to get bad reviews, but at the same time I don't want to go back to what I feel safe doing because I've done it for 30 years," he was quoted as saying.

"With the piano it's more naked, more pure. You see exactly what you get."

The tour—entitled "Prince Spotlight: Piano and a Microphone"—will include four dates each in Britain and Sweden, El Pais said.

He will also perform in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Switzerland, it said.

The tour is believed to be the first since Prince's rise to stardom in which he is performing with such stripped-down instrumentation.

Prince is best known for his skill on the guitar and his falsetto voice, along with his dance moves. He has played recent tours with a backup band that includes the all-female group 3rdEyeGirl.

Prince in recent years has preferred to announce concerts with only a few hours advance notice and has sometimes played two shows in one night. —Agence France-Presse

source: gmanetwork.com