Publication: Cleveland Plain Dealer [US]
Date: May 20, 1997
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Title: "The Artist No Prince To After-show Partygoers"
Written By: Michael Norman

The Artist Formally Known as Prince may have dazzled the audience at his concert Saturday night at Cleveland State University. But he left Cleveland on a sour note early Sunday morning,after refusing to perform for more than 500 diehard fans who paid $20 to attend an after-show party at the Odean Concert Club in the Flats.

An angry crowd demanding refunds confronted police, and the Odean staff around 3 a.m. Sunday as Prince made a hasty getaway through a side door and onto his tour bus. Things turned uglier when the artist's management team, which rented the Odean and promoted the show, refused to issue the refunds.

No arrests were made, but it took about a dozen police officers,nightsticks drawn,to contain the situation.

Louie Moore,who handled publicity for Prince's appearance in Cleveland, said yesterday that the 38-year-old star intended to perform at the Odean but backed out at the last minute because he was tired and losing his voice.

"They never promised people he would perform," Moore said."We made it clear it was only a possibility."

Flyers for the Odean show billed the event as the "official after-show party" and promised live music,DJs and a "special surprise" The flyers were handed out to fans as they left CSU's Convocation Center.

An announcement about the party was also made at the Odean during a performance that night by Me'Shell NdegeOcello. Concertgoers there were offered a discount to get into the Prince event.

Prince showed up at the Odean around 1 a.m. Sunday,but his arrival was never officially announced.He stayed in a private area of the club,talking with NdegeOcello and greeting a handful of backstage visitors.

NdegeOcello's performance ended about 11 p.m. Saturday, and the club was cleared to allow the "afterparty" ticket holders to enter.

Around 3 a.m.,one of Prince's assistants,Billy Sparks,told the backstage visitors that the artist was "too tired to perform" and wanted to save his voice for a show the next night in Louisville,Ky.

No announcement was made from the stage,according to audience members. The evening ended with no live music and no special surprise guest.

Michael Belkin,whose family-run concert promotion company owns the Odean,ended up taking most of the heat from the crowd.

"It was a tough situation because the event was run by Prince's organization," Belkin said."They rented the room from us,they promoted the show and they collected all the money from the fans.

"I was disheartened at the way it came off. People wanted a refund.If I had been the one collecting the money,I would have given it back to them.But it was Prince's people who had the money and,by the time things got out of hand,they were on the bus with the money to Louisville."