In a spontaneously intimate show of 2000 (fans), as was planned pre-show, the reclusive, extremely private artist hardly knew that during-his show would turn out to be more intimate than planned.
At the State Theatre, while playing his first Melbourne show, Prince found out the girl he introduced to the world as “Vanity” of Vanity 6 had met her demise.
“Someone dear to us has passed away, I’m gonna dedicate this song to her,” said the Artist as he reportedly played a touching mix of Dirty Mind and Little Red Corvette—songs from the very era when Vanity was a protégé plus with the When 2R N Love funk and roll singer who as well replaced the name “Electra” in his lyrics to The Ladder with “Vanity,” crooning: “This Prince, he had a subject named Vanity who loved him with a passion, uncontested.”
Staying true to this intimate leg of his tour’s show’s title: Piano and Microphone, Prince had to admit that this was all about as new to him as this Melbourne stop, and New Zealand getting him for the very first time this tour around, all the while knowing the show must go on in the middle of learning that his girlfriend died in the states in a Fremont, California hospital.
“I am new to this playing alone. I thank you all for being so patient. I’m trying to stay focused, it’s a little heavy for me tonight. Just keep jamming … She knows about this one,” said Prince, who reportedly threw down on a magical rendition of his hit The Beautiful Ones where to, the beautiful one-Vanity-’s birth name “Denise” got her honorable mention as he sang.
Into the night, Prince became more [quote] candid and chatty [end quote] and reminisced: “Can I tell you a story about Vanity? Or should I tell you a story about Denise? Her and I used to love each other deeply. She loved me for the artist I was, I loved her for the artist she was trying to be. She and I would fight. She was very headstrong ‘cause she knew she was the finest woman in the world. She never missed an opportunity to tell you that.”
He proceeded to tell the crowd about the time the two in love were fighting and he threatened to throw the taller than him woman in the pool. She said: “You can’t throw me in the pool, you’re too little,” said Denise.
Apologizing to the crowd that he probably shouldn’t be telling them this but assured ‘em all that she’d want her life celebrated rather than mourned.
Prince then proceeded to tell them [that since he was “too little”] he got Chick-his bodyguard-to throw Vanity in the pool.
“Nasty Girl” produced/written by Prince
While the days of Denise Matthews living vainly [as] “Vanity” seemed to be good times in her life (as the public saw it), eventually the “Nasty Girl” got thrown into the pool of Holy water and washed with the blood of Jesus. What the public saw as a beautiful woman living and loving life-Gumbel brother even asking her if indeed she was vain or no:
Even as jovial and full of life as she seems while sitting here with Arsenio Hall, Matthews (later) attributed these as bad times in life [that she didn’t know was so] until after she gave her life to Christ.
Vanity asserts she strongly felt that
