The world is mourning the loss of music icon, Prince.
Social media feeds are overloading with people trying to express their feelings. At Style, we shared a story about when Prince suddenly showed up at a local club in the late ’80s.
Online at WTVR6, they saw that one of Prince’s last tweets was giving props to Plan 9 Records in Richmond with a photo of a fan buying his new CD.
Breaking news anchor at MSNBC, disgraced Brian Williams chatted with former Times Dispatch arts editor Melissa Ruggieri, now an Atlanta journalist, about whether people could’ve “even handled Prince getting his AARP card when he turned 60.”
Over at CNN, Wolf Blitzer mourned the loss of the guy who wrote “Purple Haze.” Close, Wolf. So close. They both did play guitar and have songs with the color purple in the title. Now wipe that drool from your mouth.
Many music fans are noting how we’ve already lost David Bowie, Merle Haggard, Lemmy, and now certainly the most prodigiously gifted, Prince. And sorry to point this out, but it’s only April.
Closing out the day, there was this stunning, impromptu version of “Purple Rain” performed by the Broadway cast of “The Color Purple” that is worth checking out:
In the coming weeks there will be more moving tributes and writers weighing in on the loss of the pop icon. From my own perspective, I will always love Prince’s vocals the most out of his many gifts: Their soulfulness, dynamic phrasing and eternal youthfulness. He seemed to be aging in reverse.
And I’ll always remember that early summer of 1984, one of the greatest in pop music history. All us kids we’re singing “Let’s Go Crazy” and “Purple Rain” at the Brighton Green pool, or using the heels of our palms and fingertips (“boom- tip tip – boom”) to slap out the beat to “When Doves Cry” on every desktop we could find. Ever heard a whole class of kids do that in unison? It’s awesome.
Between hits by the Cars and Van Halen, it was the Purple One who reigned supreme with the number one song, album, and movie. Sadly, I could never convince one of the older lifeguards to get me into a showing of the R-rated “Purple Rain” over at Midlothian Cinemas, next to Putt-Putt. She was responsible, that lifeguard.
Dammit, the important thing is I tried to get funky with my 12-year-old self. And all of us danced around that pool, joyously alive that entire summer. Thank you, Prince: If that was all you ever did, I would be grateful.
Of course, he did a lot more: There will be many releases to come from his archives, probably a few masterpieces. But now more than anything I’d love to own a top-notch recording of one of his final solo piano shows. One that allows you to hear that voice in all its sexy, teasing, soaring glory.
Let’s go crazy, record people.
So just what did Prince play at his last concert a week ago at the Fox theater in Atlanta on April 14? You’ll find it below.
He played two shows on his last night live (the first show even featured a cover of David Bowie’s “Heroes.”) At the end of his second show, his final song played live publicly was a medley: “Purple Rain” into “The Beautiful Ones” into “Diamonds and Pearls.” That was the end to two concerts, three encores and a show that began with a gospel number.
Prince’s late show at the Fox Theater: April 14, 2016
Setlist:
1. “When Will We Be Paid” (Staples Singers cover)
2. “The Max”
3. “Black Sweat”
4. “Girl”
5. “All Day, All Night” (Jill Jones cover)
6. “I Would Die 4 U”
7. “Baby Im A Star”
8. “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker”
9. “Eye Love You But Eye Don’t Trust You Anymore”
10. “Little Red Corvette/Dirty Mind”
11. “Linus and Lucy” (Vince Guaraldi)
12. “Nothing Compares 2 U”
13. ENCORE: “Cream”
14. “Black Muse”
15. “How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore”
16. ENCORE 2: “Waiting in Vain” (Bob Marley cover)
17. “If I Was You Girlfriend”
18. “Sometimes it Snows in April”
19. “Purple Rain”/”The Beautiful Ones”/Diamonds and Pearls”
