Like a thief in the night, he offered the promise of his first Winnipeg concert ... and then he snatched it away.

And he didn't leave any Prince.

Yes, Prince, the artist formerly known as "scheduled," has postponed his July 4 Winnipeg concert and all the Canadian dates of his summer tour.

"He's postponing the bulk of his concert tour until the fall," said Winnipeg Enterprises spokeswoman Shirlee Preteau yesterday afternoon. She had no details on the reason for the postponement, and a representative of the concert's promoter could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Tickets for the Winnipeg concert were to go on sale Saturday morning. Some announced concerts had already sold tickets, including Prince's gig at Toronto's Air Canada Centre on July 7. He has also been scheduled to play Saskatoon, Montreal, Edmonton and Vancouver.

The summer tour was called Prince: A Celebration. But for fans, it will feel more like the name of his last concert tour: Hit N Run.

"I am disappointed, because he's my favourite artist," said Robin's Donut manager Zahid Rana, who was planning on purchasing high-end $95 tickets because "I had wanted to see him as close as possible.

"How could he be cancelled? I thought he was coming," he said. "What can I say? It's his decision."