Prince's 'Purple Rain' Tour Is the Stuff of Legend. You Can Experience it This Weekend.
In 1985, Prince was on top of the world. His Purple Rain film and soundtrack was released the year before, and the movie had become a surprise hit, grossing nearly ten times its budget in the US alone. The album was his first to hit number one on the Billboard charts, and it didn't just reach the peak—it stayed at the summit for nearly half a year. And when Prince and the Revolution went on tour to support the album, it was on a scale that matched their chart-topping achievements. The Purple Rain Tour, featuring embellished sets and intricate choreography, was immortalized in the Prince and the Revolution: Live concert video. Now, for the first time, the audio from that concert is available on music streaming platforms, while the concert video itself is streaming on YouTube.
The film was recorded at the band's March 30, 1985 concert in Syracuse, New York's Carrier Dome stadium. "I had boots on, tons of jewelry, and my instrument and I had to sing and do choreography," Revolution guitarist Wendy Melvoin told Rolling Stone in 2017. "It was literally the Olympics. We were like synchronized swimmers. If someone screwed up that thing, there’s not even a bronze medal. You’re just off the team. This was high stakes."
The concert features hits from Prince's prior albums and all nine tracks from Purple Rain, closing with an 18-minute long rendition of the title song. "We used to do a running bet with the crew on how long 'Purple Rain' was going to be," lighting director LeRoy Bennett told Rolling Stone. "In the production office, there was a board where people would place their bets on the time. It was usually extended between 20 to 25 minutes. You could win a couple hundred bucks."
Starting Friday, you can listen to the entire album on Spotify and other streaming platforms. And the film will be available on YouTube all weekend long as a charity effort, with any viewer donations to the World Health Organization's Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund being matched by Google.
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