Prince's stage-used black Yamaha C5 grand piano from the Australia/New Zealand leg of the 'Piano & a Microphone Tour,' played during his shows in Melbourne, Sydney, and Auckland from February 16–24, 2016. The piano is serial no. X6376754, and originates from the collection of Prince's tour promoter. Renowned for their delicate attack, rich harmonics, and beautiful resonance, Yamaha's C-series pianos are the most widely recorded pianos in the music industry: the C5 grand piano features a large 6' 7" cabinet that offers increased volume and boldness, and was Prince's personal choice for the Piano & a Microphone Tour—concert series that focused exclusively on his voice and his instrument. In addition to his two shows at the Sydney Opera House, Prince played this piano at the State Theatre in Melbourne, the State Theatre in Sydney, and the ASB Theatre in Auckland. Accompanied by a letter of provenance from the consignor.
The piano currently resides in France, from where it will be crated and shipped; the buyer is responsible for all associated costs.
In a December 2015 interview in anticipation of the tour, Prince said: 'I'm doing it to challenge myself, I won't know what songs I'm going to do when I go on stage. I won't have to, because I won't have a band.' Among the classics he played during his Australian shows were 'Let's Go Crazy,' 'Little Red Corvette,' 'Raspberry Beret,' 'Kiss,' 'Nothing Compares 2 U,' 'Diamonds and Pearls,' and 'Purple Rain.' Each was an act of remixing and reinvention, with Prince forgoing his usual electric guitar for the Yamaha C5.
The Sydney Morning Herald's review praised Prince's piano playing on the 'extraordinary tour,' which would prove to be his last: 'You've seen him play the guitar like Jimi Hendrix, dance like James Brown and, if you're getting on a bit, do everything from shoot basketball hoops to (ahem) hump his microphone during his spectacular full-band shows. What you probably haven't seen is Prince, the last musical genius of his enigmatic, obscenely talented kind, sing to you while playing a piano for a couple of hours, brilliantly reinventing selections popular and otherwise from his vast catalogue and showing why he caused a national incident for music fans when this brief Australian tour was announced a mere three weeks ago…He's a virtuoso on piano, to be sure, as adept at getting you on your feet to the irresistible funk of Girls & Boys (yes, on only a piano), as at playfully seducing you (How Come U Don't Call Me Any More) or even just playing beautifully (Venus de Milo).'
An exquisite stage-used concert piano from Prince's final tour, representing his unrivaled showmanship, versatility, and legacy of popular music.
