SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE TO PREMIERE THE ULTIMATE
PRINCE CELEBRATION CONCERT – 27TH APRIL 2018
NOTHING COMPARES 2 PRINCE
After many months of planning, producers Phil Bathols and Tim Woods announced today the Sydney Opera House would host the world premiere of a very special concert celebration – NOTHING COMPARES 2 PRINCE – a celebration of the music of Prince performed by the musicians and singers that performed alongside Prince at various times of his career.
NOTHING COMPARES 2 PRINCE will premiere in at the Sydney Opera House on the 27th April and then play in Melbourne at Hamer Hall on the 29th April, 2018.
“I am so excited to be coming back to Australia this April, heading up an All Star line up of singers and musicians to honour the incredible life and music of Prince. The entire band were fortunate to work with him, and we are honoured to keep his memory and music alive at the world premiere of NOTHING COMPARES 2 PRINCE,” said St Paul Peterson (the show’s musical director) who knew Prince since he was 17, appeared in Purple Rain (the movie) and was the original vocalist on Nothing Compares 2 U released by The Family in 1985.
NOTHING COMPARES 2 PRINCE features performers from Prince and The Revolution, The Time, The Family, (fDeluxe), Purple Rain, Mint Condition, NPG (the New Power Generation) and The Revolution – musicians, singers, producers and composers who were at Prince’s right hand throughout his incredible, trail-blazing journey – all co-conspirators in the creation of the music that changed the world, blending funk, rock, R&B, new wave, soul, psychedelia, and pop into something much bigger than the sum of its parts.
Co-producer Phil Bathols said, “We’re very excited about this brand new show. We’ve worked extremely hard to create a concert that we feel would have enjoyed Prince’s blessing, including people that he would have welcomed and endorsed. We feel confident we’ve achieved that with this line up.”
A hugely ambitious project, the concert features over 12 extraordinary musicians and singers from around the world performing music from the entire catalogue of PRINCE.
“To say that I am excited to return to Australia to honor my friend, Prince, is an understatement. I was there with him for his Piano and a Microphone tour in 2016 and the memories are enormous. For me, this will be an emotional occasion and one of the hardest performances I will have done. I am HONORED and HUMBLED to work with these wonderful artists and musicians for this world premiere of NOTHING COMPARES 2 PRINCE,” said Nik West.
The NOTHING COMPARES 2 PRINCE line up:
St Paul Peterson: Prince discovered Paul Peterson, aka “St Paul,” at the age of 17 and enlisted him as a keyboard player in The Time for the movie Purple Rain. Paul took the lead vocalist spot in the Prince produced group The Family whose 1985 self-titled debut album featured ‘The Screams Of Passion’ (#9 R&B), ‘High Fashion’, (#34 R&B) and the original version of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ (later popularised by Sinead O’Connor) before becoming a solo artist. Paul has recorded, toured or written with Steve Miller, Peter Frampton, George Benson, Oleta Adams, The Corrs, Kenny Loggins, D’Angelo, Questlove (The Roots) and Morris Day and The Time to name a few.
Shelby J: Shelby was a member of Prince’s New Power Generation for 10 years. Shelby performed beside Prince at the historic 2007 Super Bowl Half-time show and the sold-out 21 nights in London concert series. In 2012 Prince and Shelby collaborated on an ode to her home State ‘North Carolina’ which topped the New-Soul/R&B Amazon charts.
Andy Allo: Cameroon born Andy Allo joined The New Power Generation in 2011 as singer/guitarist. Prince and Andy worked on the album Superconductor which he co-produced and Andy arranged. Prince and Andy also wrote 2 songs together at that time. “You’re in presence of someone who has so much experience and so much knowledge,” Allo said of working with Prince. “At the same time he gave me that space to blossom and grow.”
Jellybean Johnson: Jellybean Johnson was friends with Prince since high school and was a member of The Time. The group would go on to score four gold and/or platinum selling albums: The Time (1981), What Time Is It (1982), Ice Cream Castle (1984) and Pandemonium (1990). The band was featured prominently in Prince’s Grammy & Oscar winning film ‘Purple Rain’. Jellybean was recruited to play drums for The Family, before joining Jam & Lewis’ Flyte Tyme where he produced hits for Janet Jackson, New Edition, Alexander O’Neal and Mint Condition.
Mike Scott: Mike Scott worked alongside Prince for 9 years – touring with Prince and playing as a member for the New Power Generation. He’s also toured on Justin Timberlake’s Future Sex Love Sounds and Timbaland’s Shock Value II. He’s performed shows with Rihanna, Leona Lewis, Maroon 5, Jermaine Jackson and Alicia Keys just to name a few.
Nik West: Nik is a accomplished bass player. She sports a colorful mohawk shaped like a bass clef. Explosive stage presence isn’t enough to describe the way Nik West moves, wows, and shocks crowds everywhere. Nik first jammed with Prince at Paisley in 2012 and then famously turned down the opportunity to play in his band as she wanted to continue as an artist in her own right but remained a good friend and collaborator with Prince. Nik completed 4 studio recordings with Prince at Paisley Park late in his career.
Stokley Williams (Mint Condition): Stokley William’s band Mint Condition toured with Prince during the 2010 Welcome 2 America tour. Being from Minneapolis, both bands crossed paths several times in their history. Since 2017 he has been performing with The Revolution alongside other long time Prince collaborators – Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Bobby Z, Matt Fink and Mark Brown.
Ricky Peterson: A life long Minnesotan whose sound has always focused on a characteristically “Minneapolis” sound, Ricky Peterson is known for having produced, written and played keyboards for Prince on and off in studio while a staff producer at Paisley Park since his early days on the Twin Cities scene, perhaps most notably producing and arranging the song “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” and working on “Gold”, “Emancipation”, and “Crystal Ball”. Ricky has also played with some of the biggest names in music including Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, Billy Joel, Anita Baker, James Taylor, Sting, Rodger Waters, Rick Braun, Jimmy Buffet and more.
NPG HORNZ
Adrian Crutchfield (sax): Adrian Crutchfield has taken the world by storm in recent years, not only as the last sax player to perform and record with Prince, touring the world and being featured on Prince’s last three albums, but also touring domestically and internationally with acts such as Lionel Ritchie, Bette Midler, and Cee Lo Green — all the while writing and building his 2017 release titled ‘Leap’.
BK Jackson (sax): Bernard “BK” Jackson is an international-performing saxophonist, electrifying audiences across the globe with his unique playing style, energetic stage presence and unparalleled passion for music that touches the soul. A native of Tampa, Florida, he goes by the stage name “BK Jackson” and has crossed musical paths with industry giants such as B.B King, Bruno Mars, Brian McKnight, Hunter Hayes, Chaka Khan, Fantasia, Zac Brown Band and more. Most notably, BK spent three years touring domestically and abroad with musical icon Prince, performing timeless hits for sold out arenas night after night as a member of his 11-piece horn section, known as New Power Generation (NPG) Hornz.
Lynn Grissett: A formally educated professional musician, Lynn J. Grissett Jr. is a truly dedicated artist. A member of the NPG Hornz, the horn section of the band New Power Generation (NPG) once led by the late great musical genius Prince, Lynn has performed around the world as both a solo artist and as part of elite level ensembles. His trumpet can be heard on the following recordings: Prince: Hit N Run Phase One & Two (2015) Liv Warfield: The Unexpected (2014) Judith Hill: Back In Time (2015) Grammy Nominated: (Mint Condition: Healing Season (2015).
NOTHING COMPARES 2 PRINCE
SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE – 27TH APRIL, 2018
HAMER HALL – MELBOURNE – 29TH APRIL, 2018
Pre-sale tickets on sale from 27th November. General on-sale from 30th November