Amazing dark purple double-row tambourine with a 10˝ open head used by Prince during his legendary one-off concert at the First Avenue music venue in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on March 3, 1986. The tambourine bears a clear printed "Love God" label on the handle in the style of Prince's handwriting. In fine condition, with very light wear.
Accompanied by a wonderfully detailed letter of provenance from the original recipient, who fondly recalls that night at First Avenue: “I was 25, living in the Twin Cities. It was 1986—the height of Prince’s mainstream popularity. On Monday morning, March 3rd, my brother John called me at work to let me know that Prince was performing an impromptu concert that evening at First Avenue. Since John worked doing lightning and sound work part-time at the club, he asked if I wanted him to put me on the guest list. ‘The answer is YES!…PLEASE!!’ My younger brother Eric was put on the list too, so we headed to the concert that night. We just walked right in ahead of lots of people lined up, like we were the shiz!
It was such a great show! A very intimate crowd and an unforgettable evening enjoying the hits of my all-time music idol! As the band played Paisley Park, Prince came down from the stage, sashaying through the crowd playing a purple tambourine. He stopped beside my brother Eric for a few minutes, singing, handed the tambourine to him and then kept walking on through the crowd and back to the stage. We were ecstatic! My brother gave me the tambourine to keep since he knew how CRAZY I was about His Purple Highness!
Almost 40 years later and after we have mourned the loss of Prince, I still have the tambourine and the article I snipped from the Star & Tribune the next day. I hope you will treasure it as I have.” The referenced newspaper clippings are included.
Prince’s ‘last-minute’ show at First Avenue was a pivotal and exciting moment for both fans and Prince alike. The show marked the debut of the revamped Revolution line-up (Wendy and Susannah Melvoin, Miko Weaver, Brown Mark, Dr. Fink, Lisa Coleman, Eric Leeds, Atlanta Bliss, Bobby Z., Jerome Benton, Greg Brooks, and Wally Safford) and included the live debuts of several major Prince songs, including the opening six tracks of Around the World in A Day, Christopher Tracy’s Parade, New Position, I Wonder U, Paisley Park, and Alexa De Paris. The show featured the first vocal version of Under the Cherry Moon (previously performed only as an instrumental), and the first live interpolations by Prince of What Have You Done For Me Lately (during Controversy), Dream Factory (during Mutiny), Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground), and Free World (both during America).
