After rumors of an unannounced Prince show in Toronto sprang up on Twitter, the only surprise Toronto fans received was the news that there was no show.
On November 3, Prince’s band — 3RDEYEGIRL — posted a rather unsubtle hint at a Toronto performance on Twitter. The message read, “4th day of November, we need a purple high: OTNOROT CALLING…”
Pouring gas on the fire, Ticketmaster posted incorrect info at one point the following day, promoting a show at the historic downtown Massey Hall.
As word of the secret show spread throughout the city on November 4, a massive queue began to form outside the venue. Despite the fact that the show had not been confirmed, a myriad of fans appeared, who then waited hours in the rain just to have the chance to buy tickets to see the performer who once changed his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol.
At one point in the day, the line stretched for two blocks past Massey Hall. Officials had to begin setting up crowd-control fences in the morning, and by noon, the lineups had begun. Many fans told CTV Toronto that they’d actually left work to go wait in line the second they’d heard about the possible show.
Some time after three in the afternoon, concert promotions service Live Nation released a statement that debunked the rumor, saying that there’d be no Prince concert and apologizing for Ticketmaster’s “incorrect concert information.”
And just as Prince and 3RDEYEGIRL use booster pedals to produce loud clean notes that cut through a live performance’s noise, the band again took to social media to apologize and clear things up later that night.
“Thank you so much for your love, support and concern,” said 3RDEYEGIRL member Hannah Welton on Twitter. “… there was never a show confirmed. We apologize for the inconvenience and look forward to the day we rock Toronto. We love and appreciate you.”