Prince's pair of cloth backstage passes for his performances as the opening act for the Rolling Stones at the L.A. Coliseum on October 9 and 11, 1981. One is triangular with a green-and-silver design, and is marked "LA 1, Prince"; the other is square and has a pink-and-silver design, marked "LA 2, Prince." Both are affixed to a green cardstock 6.5 x 9.5 notebook cover, which has the printed text on the front filled in purple ink (it is unknown whether or not this doodling was done by Prince). In fine condition, with expected light wear. From the collection of an early Prince insider.
In 1981, Prince was a relatively little-known musician with a single hit—'I Wanna Be Your Lover'—to his name. Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger was a fan of the quirky upstart, and asked him to play as an opening act for their gargantuan concerts at the L.A. Coliseum in 1981—sold-out shows before an audience 94,000 strong. On October 9th, Prince took the stage in his typical flamboyant attire and was met by a barrage of insults and slurs from the crowd, followed by a fusillade of thrown food, cans, and bottles. After their third song, 'Jack U Off,' promoter Bill Graham came to the stage in a failed attempt to calm the audience. Prince and his band stopped playing halfway through their fourth song, 'Uptown,' and left the stage.
Understandably frustrated and upset, Prince flew home to Minnesota and vowed to skip the second show. After a round of telephone calls from Mick Jagger and his manager, Prince reluctantly returned to Los Angeles for the show on October 11th—only to be met by another round of insults and objects. This time, though, Prince and his band persevered and finished their five-song set, which appropriately closed with a rendition of 'Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?'
