Morris Day and the Time: A Fun Night of That Minneapolis Sound

Last updated on June 14th, 2023 at 09:40 pm

Treasure Island welcomed Morris Day and the Time to their Event Center last Saturday evening. It was a fun, energetic night of singing and dancing to “That Minneapolis Sound,” which is mostly associated with the ’80s through the early ’90s.

Normally shows here start on time, so it was funny when a band called “The Time” started the night about 20 minutes late. They walked on stage to a weird montage of the songs they would play throughout the performance, almost like they were saying, “Here’s a preview of what to expect tonight!”

                                                                                What Time Is It?

Morris Day entered yelling the mantra “What time is it?” and the band started the night out with the funky “Get It Up.”  

Day’s personality and showmanship took over on the second song “Cool,” as he crossed back and forth across the stage, holding his hand up in the letter C. What does that spell? C-O-O-L. He paused every once in a while to look in the mirror held by his bandmate Jerome, making sure Morris is looking his best.

When Day wasn’t singing or dancing, he was honoring Prince. He left the stage to the sound of Prince saying, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today,” as a montage of old photos played on the two large screens on the sides of the stage.

Day said “OK, it’s time to get a little nasty,” as he started playing “If The Kid Can’t Make You Come.”

The Time brought up about 20 women on stage to dance to “Ice Cream Castles.” As the stage filled up, Day yelled, “I said a few ladies, not the whole audience!” The best line of the night came as the women were trying to take selfies on stage, Day quipped, “We can take selfies later, now you gotta get the hell off my stage.”

The night ended with a song burst, starting out with the 1982 single “Walk,” leading into Day saying “I think we all miss Prince,” as he covered Prince’s “D.M.S.R.” Day called everyone to the dance floor, once again squawking “What Time Is It?” Finally, the band broke into the massive hit “The Bird,” getting everyone to stand up and put their hands out to recreate the dance on the main floor.

The band took the traditional brief stage exit before the encore. The Time came back first, with Jellybean sitting down and facing the back of the stage. His bandmates yelled for the crowd to get loud, taking several minutes for Jellybean to turn around. Day finally came back to the stage, and the crowd resumed dancing as the Tie launched their biggest hit “Jungle Love.”

It was a great night of funky, soulful music that took you back to when music from Minneapolis was at the forefront. It didn’t hurt to have one of the iconic members of “That Minneapolis Sound” along. Now that Morris Day and the Time have permission to use their band name, maybe we will see them around a little more often, perhaps along with some of the other members of the Minneapolis Sound era. 

Who would you include in the Minneapolis Sound? Obviously Prince, Morris Day, and the Time. I would also include the Jesse Johnson Review, Sheila E, and even to some extent Janet Jackson.