Winnipeggers remember Prince, legendary pop star, performing in city
U.S. star singer-songwriter had impromptu show at Le Rendez-Vous after 2002 concert
The death of Prince has stunned fans in Winnipeg, where the American superstar singer-songwriter had several performances in recent years, including an impromptu show at a former St. Boniface music club.
The surprise gig at Le Rendez-Vous happened after Prince's concert at the Walker Theatre — now known as the Burton Cummings Theatre — in June 2002, recalled Kenny Boyce, the City of Winnipeg's manager of film and special events.
Boyce described Prince an energetic performer who was known "to play gigs after gigs." As well, he said the 2002 show was on the singer's birthday.
"On his birthday he would go out and give the city an extra-special performance," Boyce said. "Winnipeg certainly enjoyed it that night. He was so talented, so high-energy."
Prince died at the age of 57, his publicist confirmed on Thursday. No details were immediately released.
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Authorities in Chanhassen, Minn., responded to a medical emergency call from Prince's famed home recording studio Paisley Park on Thursday morning. The crime lab and medical examiner were also called to the scene.
Boyce said he has met Prince on several occasions over the years and was struck by "how modest and shy and yet so polite and friendly, being such a large-calibre star.
"It was wonderful to be able to share some time with him and have met him," Boyce added.
Among the hundreds of music fans who saw Prince at the "after-party" show at Le Rendez-Vous was John Kendle, managing editor at Canstar Community News and a longtime music writer.
"Prince is a guy who's known for wanting to celebrate his birthday in spectacular fashion and also ... he had often put on one-off, no-publicity gigs at clubs that he would play, even after concerts, and charge a nominal amount and donate the funds to charity," Kendle said.
"Because it was his birthday, that's what he did in Winnipeg. So word got out via one of the local radio stations after the show that there was going to be a secret Prince show at Le Rendez-Vous."
'He was in his element,' says writer
Kendle said the show started at around 2 a.m. and Prince and his band jammed for roughly 2½ to three hours to a crowd of about 400 to 500 people, who paid $10 each to get in.
"They did hits and a lot of funk-rock fusion and they were so musically tight and incredibly magical performing together, and he was in his element," he recalled.
"This kind of a show was one whereby he didn't necessarily have the pressure of being the frontman, he was playing as part of a band and was really enjoying it, and that was a special moment, I'm sure, for all of the people — I'm sure there will be thousands now who will claim they were there that night in June 2002."
The 2002 show at the Walker was Prince's first official concert in Winnipeg. He played a larger concert at the MTS Centre in 2011.
Winnipeg teacher Tyler Yip, who has seen Prince in concert on four separate occasions, said the MTS Centre show really stuck with him.
"He comes out with a LinnDrum and a sythesizer-type thing. It's just him [going] through some of the hits," he said. "Yeah, that was a great experience and sadly it's my last experience, right?"
Boyce said Prince expressed appreciation about performing in Winnipeg.
"We spoke about Minneapolis. He knew a lot about Winnipeg, which was great, and he thought the crowd was very enthusiastic," Boyce said. "He was just excited to be in Winnipeg, genuinely, and that was really cool."