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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Prince plays London living room gig

Prince
From Wire Reports

When Prince came to London a few years ago, he played more than 20 nights at the vast O2 arena. This time, he played a suburban living room to a dozen people.

The enigmatic star flew into London on Tuesday at the start of a still-evolving string of dates in support of forthcoming album “Plectrum Electrum,” recorded with all-female trio 3RDEYEGIRL.

Details are being released in a trickle, but Prince said he plans to play “iconic” venues along the lines of music club the Bag o’ Nails, storied rock venue Electric Ballroom and Ronnie Scott’s jazz club. “We’ll work our way up, if people like us, to bigger venues,” Prince said.

His first stop was the East London home of British soul singer Lianne La Havas, who met Prince last year while she was touring the United States. In her cozy living room in front of a crackling fire, the band played two acoustic tracks of what Prince called their “funky rock ’n’ roll,” or “funk ’n’ roll,” including the newly released single “PretzelBodyLogic.”

Later, Prince and the band showed off its funk-laced, punk-edged sound in an unannounced late-night set at the Electric Ballroom, a landmark venue in north London.

Ex-‘SNL’ actress seeks public office

Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Victoria Jackson has filed to run as an independent candidate for a seat on a county commission outside Nashville, Tenn.

Jackson, who calls herself a tea party conservative, moved to Thompson Station in Williamson County last year. She told the Tennessean newspaper she filed as an independent because she’s “very disappointed with the Republican Party.”

As long as Jackson meets the candidate qualifying requirements by the Feb. 20 deadline, her name will appear on the election ballot Aug. 7.

Unplugged at the Super Bowl

The Red Hot Chili Peppers decided long ago they were never going to mime a live performance. The band made an exception for the NFL, it turns out.

The group’s bassist, Flea, said in a letter to fans posted on the group’s website Tuesday that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members pretended to play along to a pre-taped track of “Give It Away” during the Super Bowl halftime show as Anthony Kiedis sang live. The request came from NFL officials who felt it was too difficult to pull off a completely live performance because of potential sound issues.

The admission came after observers noted Flea and his bandmates weren’t plugged in while performing Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

The birthday bunch

Singer Cory Wells (Three Dog Night) is 72. Rock singer Al Kooper is 70. Actress Charlotte Rampling is 68. Actress Barbara Hershey is 66. Actor Christopher Guest is 66. Actor Tom Wilkinson is 66. Actor-comedian Tim Meadows is 53. Actress Jennifer Jason Leigh is 52. Actress Laura Linney is 50. Rock musician Duff McKagan (Velvet Revolver) is 50. Actor-comedian Chris Parnell is 47. Singer Bobby Brown is 45. Country singer Sara Evans is 43. Actor-singer Darren Criss is 27.