Prince Interrupts His L.A. Residency For a Field Trip Up the California Coast

When he first announced his current 'Welcome 2 America Live' tour, Prince fans knew that he was up to something unusual because, at the time, he only announced a handful of dates in the New York area. Since then, he's launched stealth attacks in which he announces a run of shows at a particular venue just days -- sometimes, just hours -- before the doors open. Prince has always been one to do things his own way but even his truck drivers have said that they don't know where to drive the stage until the very last minute. And, so far, it's a strategy that's worked -- every show has been packed not only with people, but also with excitement.

During the initial press conference for this tour, Prince warned: "Come early, come often ... no two shows will be the same." And, so far, he's kept his word -- shows have ranged from hit parades to epic jam sessions and special, unannounced guests have included Carlos Santana, Whitney Houston, Gwen Stefani, Esperanza Spalding, Maceo Parker, Chaka Khan and, of course, Sheila E.

Now in the midst of a 21-date residency in Los Angeles, in which he has rolled out dates at the Forum in small increments, Prince plans to disrupt the run with a little diversion to Northern California. The Purple One will perform one night in Fresno on May 18, followed by two nights at the HP Pavilion in San Jose -- Shark territory -- on May 19 and 21. In the meantime, Prince performs two of his projected 21 shows in L.A. this weekend and he'll return there on May 27, following this mid-residency field trip up the California coast next week.

Tickets for Fresno and San Jose go on sale Saturday, May 14, at 12PM PT but, of course, probably won't remain for very long.