On July 30th, 2011, guitar technician Scott Halliday got a phone call. Prince was due to play Malahide Castle in a number of hours. And he had just fired most of his staff. Could Scott learn the notoriously unpredictable musician’s entire set in just a few hours? He decided to try. So, he did what anyone would do. He went on Google.
Scott was not alone in his nerves on that day in July. Prince had been on a streak of highly public run-ins with concert promoters and staff, paying a fine of almost €2million just days before the gig at Malahide Castle, for cancelling a concert that had already sold 55,000 tickets.
Production staff at Malahide Castle were putting plans in place on how to handle angry crowds if Prince didn’t show or walked off after one song, as he was only contractually obligated to “appear” on stage. He could leave whenever he wanted.
Prince at the Castle tells the stories of some of the crew members there on that fateful day.
Listen now on Documentary on One : Prince at the Castle.
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Photo credit-Nancy Bundt © PRN The Prince Estate.