Bruce Springsteen paid tribute to Prince during his Saturday night concert by opening with his own rendition of “Purple Rain.” According to Forbes , the stage was appropriately bathed in purple light as Springsteen told the audience, whenever he saw Prince , he was humbled. Now, more than ever, it’s apparent that millions of Prince fans felt the same way.
MUST SEE! Bruce Springsteen’s majestic cover of PURPLE RAIN from tonight’s concert in Bklyn https://t.co/VlRbp6WiAg pic.twitter.com/eySCTmr9Pv
— Decider (@decider) April 24, 2016
The following video of The Boss singing “Purple Rain” depicts how much the audience appreciated the sentiment. There were, no doubt, as many tears as there were cheers, from beginning to end. Saying the world is still in shock, from Prince’s untimely death, is an understatement.
If you watch the performance, you can’t miss Nils Lofgren and his stunning “Purple Rain” guitar solo. Seemingly, he is one of just a few guitarists who could hold his own against The Purple One. Lofgren’s version is actually more drawn-out than Prince’s, which made it easier for Springsteen to lead the audience in a sing-along.
Unfortunately, this is the third such tribute to a fellow musician Springsteen’s made since his “The River” tour debuted on January 16. It was that same night Springsteen performed “Rebel Rebel” in honor of David Bowie, who died a few days before his tour began. Glenn Frey died January 19. Bruce and his band performed “Take It Easy” on January 20.
Saturday’s concert, at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, closed out the U.S. portion of Springsteen’s “The River” tour. At the very end of the show, he had these words for all of his fans in the audience.
“Prince forever. God bless.”
Billboard tells readers Springsteen typically starts his concerts with the song “Meet Me in the City.” However, he felt a compelling need to start this particular New York concert with “Purple Rain.” In all honesty, who can blame him?
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are taking a few weeks off before starting the European leg of their tour. Hopefully, there won’t be the need for anymore tributes of this kind along the way.
Bruce Springsteen paid his respects to Prince by opening his show with “Purple Rain” https://t.co/cp4D4HtCbN
— billboard (@billboard) April 24, 2016
As you can probably guess, “Purple Rain,” both the song and the movie, is getting a lot of attention in the wake of Prince’s passing. The Verge indicates AMC is just one of many theater chains, featuring (or planning to feature) special showings of the iconic film to local movie-goers. Many are simply waiting for regulatory clearance.
Even though Prince left behind a massive catalog of musical genius, he is probably best known for “Purple Rain,” the partially-autobiographical movie of his life. It was originally released in 1984 and really helped to skyrocket his career.
The Verge also told readers, the official launch of “Purple Rain” occurred in downtown Minneapolis on August 3, 1983. Tickets for the show at the First Avenue Club for $25. Those in attendance were helping to support the Minneapolis Dance Theater. The sold-out event raised a whopping $23,000 for the organization and was significant enough to receive Rolling Stone coverage, in their random notes section.
Prince’s band played an 11-song set during that particular show. They included new tracks “I Will Die For U,” “Let’s Get Crazy,” “Computer Blue,” and none other than “Purple Rain.” The performance also included a cover of the Joni Mitchell song, “A Case For You.” Interestingly enough, as recently reported by the Inquisitr , Prince had a thing for Mitchell when he was a teen. Could that be the reason the band played her song?
What do you think about Bruce Springsteen’s poignant rendition of princes “Purple Rain?” Do you think she and the rest of the band did the song justice. Feel free to leave your comments below.
[Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images]
