Prince to play 21 London concerts

[ManicKangaroo]

Prince will play his first gig at the O2 arena in London on 1 August
US performer Prince is to play 21 concerts in London this summer, his only European dates of the year.

He is to spend a week at the O2 arena - formerly the Millennium Dome - with tickets priced at £31.21, a reference to his album 3121.

He will also play at a number of far smaller venues to make seeing him "affordable for everybody".

The 48-year-old, known for hits such as Kiss and Raspberry Beret, has prepared 150 songs to perform on the tour.

And he hopes to be joined on stage by soul singer Amy Winehouse, having declared himself a big fan.

"I love London," he explained at a press launch. "I've had some of my favourite shows here."

An "extended stay" had been arranged because during his last tour in London - in October 2002 - "a lot of people didn't get to see me".

Prince - who famously changed his name to a squiggle symbol in the 1990s after falling out with his record label - added that he would be house-hunting in the British capital.

"As soon as I leave here I'm going to look for a place to live," he told journalists.

Tickets for the O2 arena gigs, the first of which will be on 1 August, go on sale on Friday at 0900 BST.

[Mart!n]

I thought I add this to this thread topic instead of creating another one, interesting article from Music Week

Prince to give away album with London gigs
08 May 2007 - 11:37:58


Prince is to give away his new album for free to everyone who buys a ticket for his forthcoming London gigs.

The singer announced at a press conference in London today that he will play 21 London concerts this summer, including seven dates at the O2 in August, in a move inspired by his recent residency at the 3121 club in Las Vegas.

Tickets for all concerts, which are said to include a number of "suprise club shows" will go on sale on May 11 and will cost £31.21, with a maximum booking fee of £3.50. In addition, there is a charge of £2.50 to cover the cost of sending out a CD copy of the new album.

With Prince’s band having already rehearsed 150 songs, he is confident that he will be able to perform a different set every night, "Because there is going to be so many nights here we are going to change the show every night. We play so many different styles of music it is really hard to get a full dose of what we do unless you come to several shows. I have a wide fanbase that come to multiple shows all the time, especially in London."

Among the 150 songs Prince has been busy practicing is Amy Winehouses’s Love Is A Losing Game, which Prince said he hopes to duet with Winehouse on. "I am hoping that she is going to show up, I am a big fan," he told reporters.

[ManicKangaroo]

Thats no different to what he did in the US

The difference is that those albums were chart-eligible in the US

[Laurence]

I'd be surprised if Prince can sell out that many concerts in London. He's not that popular at all anymore.

Although the free album might tempt a few people.

Apparently he's really into his Jehovah's witness faith - does that mean he can't do the raunchy songs anymore?

[jazzieboy]

he now has 15 shows at the 02 and all are selling really well.