This is what it sounds like when doves cry

When I was 12 I was really into Prince. I mean REALLY into Prince. I had all the records, my room was covered with posters, and that was literally the only thing I listened to. 1999 was the second tape I ever bought with my own money and I wore it out at least 3 times. When Purple Rain came out, I listened to that record non-stop for months and I thought it was the greatest thing I had ever heard. I bought all the singles even though I didn't have a record player, 12"s too. Punk would come much later. At that time in my life, it was Prince or nothing.

And when the movie came out a month or so later I just went nuts. My friend, Dino, and I went to see it opening night at this theatre in Richmond and then saw it 3 more times at the regular theatre and 6 more times at the dollar theatre. I had seen it so many times I had the entire movie memorized to the point when Dino and I would see it, he'd play Prince and I would be Morris Day. We were fucking nuts.

The culmination of the "Prince Days", as history has recorded them, was when the Purple Rain tour was coming to Richmond and I would finally get to see that little purple bastard.

The radio had been announcing it for weeks that they would be selling tickets at the Album Den, this little record store I used to go to, on a Wednesday at 10 in the morning. I told my mom and she said I could skip school to get tickets and that she'd take us there and wait with Dino and I. But when I told her that people were camping out for tickets she thought that was insane. I didn't plan to camp out for the tickets, but I did want to get there early to make sure we got descent tickets. This was going to be my first concert, and I asked all my friends who had been to them (I'm in 6th grade so I didn't know many people who were into anything so it was kind of tough) what I should do about the tickets. They were all unanimous about getting there really early, so I told my mom what my friends had said.

"Scotty," she said in a way to let you know that she's been around, "No one is going to want to go see that 'Prince' guy. You and Dino are going to be the only people in line and I'm not waking up early to take you to an empty line."

"MOM!" I said, pleading.

"I'll go a half hour early, but no earlier than 9:30. And that's that. Believe me, you two will be the only people there."

"What about the guys camping out there now?!"

"Ok, you two and those guys with sleeping bags and that will be it."

"Mom, please!"

"No. Now go to sleep."

The next morning, my mom woke up and Dino met us at the house and we headed over to get the tickets. I think my mom got us some fast food on the way and we ate quickly, talked about Prince (Actually, Dino and I talked, my mom just tried to wake up), and then drove to the Album Den's parking lot. The first thing I noticed was all the cars.

The next thing I noticed was the line that wrapped all the way around the building.

As soon as I saw it I freaked out. Dino and I jumped out of the car before we had even stopped and ran to make sure we got a spot in line. My mom came walking up a minute later and didn't look at us.

We waited anxiously for 30 minutes until someone from the record store came out and said the Purple Rain tickets would go on sale in a few minutes. Then the doors opened and the line started to move. I was surprised how fast the line was moving, but the closer we got the more anxious I became. We had waited for about a half hour when this guy with a moustache came out and said that there were no more tickets with seats together and anyone who wanted tickets would have to get the seats in separate sections.

By this time, my stomach was in knots from waiting so long, there were only 15 people in front us now and we were so close. We made plans to get the separate tickets and just try and swap seats when the show started. Even my mom was nervous now.

The line got shorter and shorter and then that same guy stepped out of the store again.

"I'm sorry everyone, but we just sold out." There were only 5 people in front of us now. Ugh!

I know my mom felt like shit. If we had just left 5 minutes earlier we would have gotten the tickets. I was so bummed.

As it turns out, a couple of weeks before the show was supposed to get to Richmond, Prince decided to cancel the tour. I forgot the reason he said that he was canceling

the tour. I do remember him explaining it though. "Sometimes it snows in April," he said to the local newspaper, whatever that means. Pretty shitty I thought, but oh well. I didn’t have tickets anyway.

When my mom heard the news that Prince had cancelled the show, I think she felt that she was officially off the shit list. And I guess she was, but even to this day, every time I go back home and a Prince song comes on the radio when she's around, I can still make her feel guilty as hell about missing a Prince concert that never happened.

And in the end, that’s all that really matters.

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