Prince to Bring 'Welcome 2 America' to California...Next Week!

Social media sites in the Bay Area lit up like wildfire on Wednesday morning with viral news of a certain kind of coup going down in Oakland, Calif. -- namely, Prince is coming and he wants his throne back. The royal purple majesty announced the first two West Coast dates for his over-the-top 'Welcome 2 America' spectacle and, in typical Prince fashion, he's barely letting his fans take a deep breath before it all goes down. Tickets go on sale this Friday with the shows taking place next week. Yes, that's less than a week's notice from announcement to curtain call.

So far, Prince has only performed his 'Welcome 2 America' show six times, all in the New York area over the past few months and, well, we're guessing you already read all about it. But just to recap: Prince serenaded 'Gossip Girl' star Leighton Meester, invited Jimmy Fallon to sit in on drums, and playfully kicked socialite Kim Kardashian off stage (after first surprising her by bringing her up to dance). And that's to say nothing of the music which, by any and all reports, was nothing short of incredible.

While none of Prince's conspirators for these West Coast shows have been announced yet, the New York productions featured Esperanza Spalding (before her Grammy win), Maceo Parker and Cassandra Wilson, among many others. As Prince told reporters at a press conference back in October for the 'Welcome 2 America' tour at large, ""Bring your friends, bring your children and bring foot spray because it's going to be funky,"

UPDATE: Ex-Sly & the Family Stone member and Graham Central Station bandleader Larry Graham will open these shows, while Sheila E. was just announced as a special guest. Tickets for Prince's shows in Oakland (Feb. 21 and 23) are on sale now.