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Bruce Springsteen Plays ‘Purple Rain’ At Opening Of Barclay’s Show To Honor Prince, Fans Continue Buying Singles And Albums

By Phyllis Asinyanbi
Published on: 11:55 PST, Apr 24, 2016

Bruce Springsteen played “Purple Rain” at the opening of his show on Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The Boss’ rendition of “The Purple One’s” signature song was full of emotion.

Springsteen will end “The River,” his sold-out U.S. tour, on Monday night at the same venue.

The stage was softly lit with purple lights, and gifted guitarist Nils Lofgren played a melancholy, heart-wrenching solo that Prince would likely have appreciated, per Rolling Stone.

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Prince and Bruce never had the opportunity to collaborate, but both were at their artistic peak in the 1980s. The summer of 1984 was a hot one for music as Prince’s “Purple Rain” and Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” were released within weeks of each other, noted Rolling Stone.

Springsteen shared his respect and awe for Prince’s artistry with the audience.

“Whenever I saw Prince, I left the show humbled.”

He concluded the performance with “Prince Forever. God Bless.”

In the wake of Prince’s sudden death, there have been many tributes, and all have been filled with love and respect for the musical genius. One of the experiences that Prince fans have enjoyed has been checking out who else has sung “Purple Rain.” Some past covers of the song may be surprising.

One that has been circulating on Facebook is a moving rendition by Maroon 5 lead singer’s Adam Levine. In 2014, he performed it for Howard Stern’s birthday.

After hearing of Prince’s death on Thursday, Jennifer Hudson and the cast of The Color Purple sang “Purple Rain” at the end of the show, noted Mashable. Hudson noted, “He [Prince] said his music will live on, and he will live through his music. So we want to keep him alive today with this song.” JHud and Cynthia Erivo gave a gospel-tinged a cappella version of the song that moved the soul.

Damien Escobar, a Juilliard-trained virtuoso violinist, honored the fallen musical icon with a passionate tribute.

Jessie J, an English singer and songwriter, belted out a live version of the song with authenticity, and everyone in the audience at the ONE Campaign and (RED)’s 10th Anniversary Gala at Carnegie Hall responded with appreciation.

The love that has been poured out for “His Royal Highness” has been amazing. Fans have responded to the devastating loss by sharing remembrances on Twitter and other social media sites.

Multiple singers and musicians have played “Purple Rain” and other favorites in honor of “The Artist,” and his music is being bought by those who want lasting memories of him. To date, over 1 million songs and 231,000 albums have been sold posthumously. Then there’s also the vault of unreleased music at the Paisley Park studios. The royal musician once told Oprah that he wanted to be remembered for “the music,” and fans are making it happen.

[Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images]

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