Thread by @scottwoodssays

A recap/critique of the @PaisleyPark listening party for #Prince’s Welcome 2 America record this past weekend.
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At the last minute – and I mean that almost literally – I decided to attend the listening party at Paisley Park for Prince’s new album, Welcome 2 America.

For a proper review of the event, check out Nisi post. She, as always, covers the ground extremely well and with open-mindedness, but never without productive criticism when it’s called for.

And it’s called for here, which is where I come in.

darlingnisi.net/reflections/we…

For the uninitiated: I’ve been to Paisley Park a few times now: 1) before it opened to the public, standing at the fence reading all the remembrances not long after his death in 2016; 2) the second day it opened for public tours, also 2016; and Celebration 2018 (4 days straight.)

Going to Paisley is always – ALWAYS – a treat for me. I’m not one of these fans who went a bunch of times and plays it cool. I’m always inspired and humbled to be there.

This past weekend had me in Paisley less than 4 hours, and in town less than 12. Pretty much flew in, ate some bad wings, went to Paisley, talked shit for a couple of hours with friends, and flew back. I had a gig, so I couldn’t stay for further fan-led shenanigans.

I was fortunate enough to catch a “plus-one” accompanying Sean McPherson @twinkiejiggles. When that happened, I then had to buy a plane ticket, book a vehicle and get a room immediately.

Sean may not want me outing him, but he did me a true solid, and deserves props. I don’t want people thinking I’m higher up the Prince estate food chain than I am. But also, don’t go bugging him for hook-ups.

The talk beforehand was cool. Most of that was stuff Morris Hayes has been saying in interviews anyway, but it was cool to hear from singer Elisa Fiorillo. Shout out to moderator @SlingshotAnnie

The screening of the W2A concert that comes in the deluxe W2A set was cool, if cramped. And finally, the listening party in the lounge was a thing that happened.

That all sounds a little deflated as reviews go, and I want to talk about why that's true.

I already bought the album before I went. Because I bought the deluxe set, I already had the concert blue-ray as well. So for all intents and purposes, nothing was delivered that night that I didn’t already have at the crib.

Nearly everybody at the party had that record, if not the deluxe set. Most probably came in from out of town to boot. I personally dropped…a lot to be there. To listen to an LP I already have, watch a concert I already own, and then…to leave through the gift shop.

Being at Paisley Park should never feel transactional, especially for superfans, which everybody there was.

You don’t have to give us the Prince everybody else gets. We know the songs and the history. We’ve watched all the interviews. If folks are coming in like that, the estate should be tailoring that experience to a different level of fan.

Save the stuff in the box set for the tourists. You can hit us with the harder stuff: a concert we haven’t seen (or at least can’t buy). Rehearsal footage. Let us walk a little bit of Paisley. Let us peep the shoe exhibit.

Don’t half the musicians on Prince records still hang out in the area? Can we get some live music? I wouldn’t mind seeing that Bland/Sonny/Barbarella unit live again.

Also, party is a strong word for what they did. They played the record overhead and god help you if you didn’t know anyone else there or were hungry after sitting through a concert. Refreshments we didn’t have to spring for would have been nice.

I relish any opportunity to go to Paisley. But I’ve been a fan for a long time. I wrote a book on Prince. Let folks like us get a little more out of the trouble of getting there. I know we’re easy marks, but you can only hit us up for so many times before things get complicated.

This was a great idea, especially since this is the second year a Celebration event couldn’t take place. I relish the opportunity to hang out with and meet Prince fans. But that community should in part be built from being AT Paisley Park.

As it stands, a lot of us do that building at independent conferences that we had to create from thin air with no budgets or the ability to share any actual Prince work. (*cough* @polishedsolid please plug here.)

I love that I got to see those people in person. I should be able to expand that family WHILE I’m at Paisley. So some time spent gathering ideas on engagement (again, see @darlingnisi’s review) would make every trip to Paisley a sight to behold. Spectacle only gets you so far.

Here is to more events there, and that they level up for the fans who get it.