FIRST OFF . . .

Rumors are swirling out of the Twin Cities that Prince will follow the May 10 release of his new album, “Lovesexy,” with a national tour kicking off in his hometown of Minneapolis early in June. Nothing is official yet, but the elaborate show supposedly will feature a vintage cruise-mobile that will take Prince for a spin around the stage, a source connected with the tour said. Minneapolis concert promoter Dick Shapiro of Jam Productions said he has submitted a bid for Prince’s show and is awaiting final confirmation. And Prince has been rehearsing at his Minneapolis studio, said Page Nienaber, special events director at Minneapolis’ WLOL-FM radio station. Prince’s manager, publicist and agent were all unavailable for comment Monday. A spokesman for Warner Bros. Records, which distributes Prince’s recordings, said it has no information about a tour. A spokesman for Prince’s recording label, Paisley Park, said that while no dates have been officially set, any tour would feature the same large back-up band from Prince’s European tour last year, seen in the concert film “Sign ‘O’ the Times.”