INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Prince Performs At ‘SNL’ 40th Anniversary After-Party: Rare Footage Released [Video]

By Bryan Star
Published on: 12:30 PST, Apr 24, 2016

http://youtu.be/CMNKnC9K8Uo

Even in death, Prince continues to amaze fans old and recent.

News of Prince’s passing on April 21 shocked the world, leaving shoes in the music industry that many feel can never be filled. The Purple One’s legendary status continues to be shown through various forms of media, mostly through his performances and the eruption of love and accolades that followed. According to Entertainment Weekly, one such performance that has never been released has found its way to the internet.

Former SNL cast member Tim Kazurinsky has released rare footage of Prince performing at the show’s 40th anniversary afterparty to YouTube. The “Purple Rain” singer rocks out on guitar for nearly a full 7 minutes. The cast, crew, and celebrity guests of the night had joined together at the Plaza Hotel in New York City and, according to caption of the video, celebrity Jimmy Fallon convinced Prince to give an impromptu show for all in attendance to see.

Fallon let it be known during his Tonight Show episode that he dared Prince to get on stage.

“Prince, if you’re here, I dare you to come up on stage,” Fallon said. “I was singing back-up with Chris Rock, and I just gotta say – and I’m still on that high – it was one of the best nights of my whole entire life.”

Never one to disappoint, Prince took to the stage and did what he did best. In the video, he begins with the words “Dearly inebriated,” a lyric from his song “Let’s Go Crazy.” From there, the crowd erupts into cheers as Prince shows his mastery of guitar. Fans far and wide recognize Prince as an extremely talented musician, and this moment in time is no exception to the late artist’s ability.

Prince was joined on stage by Martin Short, Maya Rudolph, Emma Stone, Jim Carrey, Bill Murray, and others who were in attendance that night. You can see many of them on stage singing behind him, raising hands and shouting lyrics. Of course, Prince has many moments that are similar in nature. However, this footage was only talked about previously. Unavailable to the masses, it’s a huge contribution to the memory of Prince and all that he accomplished in the music world.

According to Hollywood Reporter, Jimmy Fallon wore a purple tie to honor Prince during a Saturday Night Live episode, the show paying tribute with a special segment titled “Goodnight Sweet Prince.” This followed the singer’s sudden death on Thursday, giving a look at the late artist’s memorable performances at Studio 8H. The tribute was offered up by Fallon, who had much to say about Prince.

“Prince has been a special presence here at Saturday Night Live for the last four decades,” Fallon began. “Tonight we wanted to pay tribute to him by looking back at his performances on the show over the years and by remembering what he meant to us. It was a lot. Other people may have been on the show more times, or performed more frequently, but there was always something different about a Prince performance.

Fallon elaborated, making it clear that Prince was set apart from the rest.

“It was special. It was an event. It was Prince. Times have changed, styles have come and gone – but no matter what, Prince has never not been cool. Fashion, music, every single thing – you couldn’t take your eyes off of him. He has his own color. Who has their own color? He owns purple! He lived his music. It just came through him,” Fallon stated. As the special tribute began, Fallon kept his final words short and sweet.

“Ladies and gentlemen… Prince.”

Truly, Prince will forever be considered timeless by many. One can only wonder if there are other performances or contributions to music that the Purple One left in the wake of his passing.

[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]

Share this article: Prince Performs At ‘SNL’ 40th Anniversary After-Party: Rare Footage Released [Video]
Saturday Night Live
More from Inquisitr