It’s been seven years since Prince toured the country. His Royal Badness is at it again, and the Welcome 2 America package arrives at the North Charleston Coliseum next Wednesday, March 30.
In a typically cryptic statement made at the tour’s start in December, Prince announced he would act as “Master of Ceremonies” for the event, which includes (presumably on various dates) any number of these artists: Maceo Parker, Janelle Monae, Mint Condition, Esperanza Spalding, Sinbad, Lalah Hathaway, Sheila E., Cassandra Wilson and Graham Central Station.
(Saxophonist Parker, or course, will be here in town at the start of April for a pair of Savannah Music Festival shows.)
Prince did confirm that he’d be onstage playing with his band, New Power Generation.
“You need to come early, you need to come often, because every time we play it’s always something new,” Mr. Minneapolis announced. “No concert is ever the same. I have a lot of hits. Bring your friends, bring your children, and bring foot spray, cuz it’s gon’ be funky.”
Tickets for the 7 p.m. performance range from $120 to $520 at stubhub.com.
@ Also at the North Charleston Coliseum, on April 1, is the band Further, featuring jam legends (and Grateful Dead alumni) Bob Weir and Phil Lesh.
Poster art expo
Just two years in, the Savannah Record Fair is now “the Southeast’s premier vinyl record expo,” according to the organizers of the inaugural Savannah Bandwagon, a poster art show and sale to be held April 14–17, in conjunction with the SCAD–sponsored Record Fair.
There are workshops, seminars, panel discussions and even a documentary film screening on the docket. For buying a pass, you get all this plus admissions to several evening shows at Live Wire Music Hall (including Elf Power, Aux Arc, Sunglasses, Word of Mouth, Listen Listen and Matthew Akers).
The Record Fair is 10 a.m.–4 p.m. at the River Club – and that’s where all the Bandwagon stuff takes place. See attendbandwagon.com
Shorties
• SCAD’s 13th annual International Fair is right around the corner - look for it 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 2 on Broughton Street between Lincoln and Abercorn. Grupo Kachimbo, Mystik NRG and DJ Omar Richardson will perform for the free event, which is one of those “celebrate diversity” things with food and art from various global spots - what it really is a big, fun block party! Also on the menu: the Irish Dancers of Savannah, traditional Peruvian Folklore dance, Korean Pop dance, Tibetan Plateau dance and more.
• The Collective Face holds auditions for its spring production of Neil Simon’s bittersweet comedy Brighton Beach Memoirs 7-9 p.m. March 24 and 25 at Muse Arts Warehouse.
