Early DS, signed “Prince Rogers Nelson,” one page, 8.5 x 14, March 10, 1981. Agreement for Prince to perform one show at the Agora in Atlanta, Georgia on March 13, 1981, for “$5,000.00 plus 70% of the gross admission receipts (exclusive of taxes) in excess of $8,750.00 total.” Signed at the bottom in blue ballpoint, “Prince Rogers Nelson.” Contract is stapled to the 12-page rider for the show detailing all the particulars and requirements for the show and venue. In very good condition, with moderate horizontal fold above signature, scattered creasing and light toning to bottom portion, a couple red pencil circles, and aforementioned staple.
Personnel shake-ups and a marked change in Prince’s own onstage concert attire marked the ‘Dirty Minds’ tour in support of his third Warner Brothers Records album, which extended from December 1980 until June 1981. Prince had, indeed, been making waves on the concert stage the previous year; the nightly performance of ‘Head,’ causing keyboardist Gayle Chapman to leave the band as she felt the lyrics and onstage antics conflicted with her religious beliefs. The departure of bassist Andre’ Cymone Anderson, who was embarking on a solo career, coincided with his feeling that he was not given due credit for his contributions, and further charges that Prince stole ideas that were intended for his own use with his group The Time. The most striking change; however, was seen in Prince’s concert finery when, at the conclusion of the previous tour in 1980, he was told by his managers that he could no longer wear spandex without underwear. It was at the outset of the ‘Dirty Minds’ tour that he began performing in a long trench coat, black, high-heeled boots and leggings, a striking look for which he was universally recognized within the film which catapulted him to international rock stardom, Purple Rain.
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