PURPLE HEAT: Oh yes, that Prince rumor...

PURPLE HEAT: Oh yes, that Prince rumor mill is working overtime again. Dedicated fans probably know by now that the Purple One’s European tour opens July 8 in Paris, with pit stops in Milan, London, Rotterdam, Stockholm, Hamburg and Helsinki (which is so tantalizingly close to Leningrad that the Prince camp has been wondering if a hit ‘n’ run date could be arranged). Prince’s U.S. dates are still up in the air, but expect a mid-September kick-off, with Minneapolis the front-runner for opening night. . . . But it’s the show’s set that’s getting the most advance attention. After getting a sneak peak at the set being constructed in Minneapolis, one of our Deep Purple sources phoned to say: “It’s going to be a theater all in the round--it’s as if a flying saucer landed on the floor of the Forum. Prince and the band members will not only move around the stage, but they have a hydraulic system that will allow band members--and pieces of scenery--to move up and down. No one will really have an obstructed view. In fact, everything is constructed so you can see through it. The backdrop will change throughout the show. One version is a stylized cityscape that’s constructed out of wire mesh and skeletal hangings so you can see past it.” Our source added that the set is so enormous that it will take at least two 747s to fly it to Europe. . . . If you can’t wait to see the live show, take another look at Prince’s “Alphabet St.” video. Avid Purple One fans have put the clip through a complicated set of stop-action paces and discovered-- voila-- a secret subliminal message. Near the beginning of the clip, when Prince is holding a cane in his hands, if you freeze the video you’ll see a series of vertical letters running down the center of the screen. Their warning: “Don’t Buy the Black Album--I’m Sorry.”