Prince at KOKO, London (02/16/14) – Second Show

Step aside William and Harry, there’s a new Prince in town! His Purpleness, backed by band 3rdEyeGirl, has been popping up all over London in a series of surprise shows.

Alluding to events on his Twitter feed or announcing day-of, his Purple Majesty is pulling out all stops to build the hype and create frenzy around where he’ll appear next.

Last Sunday morning, Prince announced three surprise shows at Camden venue, KOKO. No pre-sale ticket, price unknown, and the KOKO website stated, “We have no further details at this point in time”, but to all Prince fans the message was clear: Get to the venue & queue up!

Upon my arrival, it was hard not to chuckle as the queue already exceeded eight blocks. I was immediately greeted by a man with a swirly mustache and a Sharpie; he asked for my hand and wrote: 1,269. This was brilliant, as it created a calm in the massive line, and allowed people to freely leave and return with food and drink. Differing from Prince’s previous London hit-n-run shows of £10, it was announced that this one would be £70 cash at the door; this deterred few.

As the hours passed, pizzas and beers floated throughout the queue in a neighbourly way. People sang, and when others discovered I was a born and bred Minnesotan, they hugged me like kin. As the first show concluded, people exited the venue skipping, giddy, and smiling with a childlike glee that only radiates from paying witness to something profound.

After six hours in the queue, I was in! Seven people deep, centre stage with the glittering Prince symbol standing before me. What happened next is hard to describe unless you’ve seen Prince, and then you just know. You are basking in the presence of a star. Beyond the fog machine, the strobe lights, and all the glam, the small man on the stage fills the room with a presence that is bursting. The man is unstoppable.

Playing a perfect mash-up of new funk songs and classic favourites, Prince brought the house down with When Doves Cry, Raspberry Beret, and Purple Rain. The connection, energy, and mutual appreciation between musician and crowd felt like we were founding a new language. With only 350 people queued for the third show, Prince chose to combine the second and third shows, playing for well over three hours with too many encores to count.

This marked a night I will remember for the rest of my life. If you’re in London, keep your ear to the street, your eye on Twitter, and get to one of these shows! It is worth its weight in Pounds and you’ll be repaid with an experience that will leave you gleaming and longing for another taste of royalty.