An all-star group of artists took St. Paul by storm on Thursday night to honor the late pop icon, Prince. Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera, and Chaka Khan are among the headliners that took the stage of the Xcel Energy Center on October 13.
The tribute show was preceded by months of planning, fallouts, and last-minute changes, but in the end, everything worked out fine to bring fans an electrifying evening full of funk and pop. Highlights of the night included performances by Prince-related acts like Mint Condition, New Power Generation, and 3rd Eye Girl.
‘Prince: The Official Tribute’ took place on October 13, a date declared ‘Prince Day’ in the city of St. Paul by its Mayor Chris Coleman in honor of the late artist. Fans attending the show, as well as businesses, shops, and citizens of the Twin Cities, were all encouraged to wear purple on Thursday as a tribute to Prince.
Mint Condition set the tone for Tory Kelly, Stevie Wonder, and Chaka khan
Tickets for the much-expected show were still available the day of the event, but the Xcel Energy Center was packed even before the concert began.
Those in attendance could arrive early to see a permanent memorial tribute at the venue during a pre-show party where the theme was Prince and purple, naturally. The display will remain at the St. Paul stadium even after the celebrations’ end.
Mint Condition started the jam on Thursday night with a compilation of Prince’s hits. Members of the R&B band expressed how much of an influence Prince had had in their careers and lives.
Following acts included Anita Baker, Doug E. Fresh, Tori Kelly, Luke James, Bilal, Chaka Khan, Morris Day and the Time, Michael Phillips, André Cymone, New Power Generation, Mayte Garcia, The Twinz, Ana Moura, Nicole Scherzinger, DJ Dudley, Christina Aguilera, and Stevie Wonder.
The Prince tribute almost does not happen
The event was on the verge of cancellation last month when organizers announced a change of venue. ‘Prince: The Official Tribute’ was supposed to take place on the new Vikings Stadium with a 50,000 seat capacity, but a last-minute inconvenient forced the purple festival to move to the 17,000-people Xcel Energy Center.
Despite this and the last minute withdrawal by John Mayer, fans enjoyed a night of Prince and his most iconic songs in the voices of close fellow artists. ‘I Feel for You,’ ‘Kiss,’ ‘Let’s Go Crazy,’ ‘When Doves Cry,’ and ‘Purple Rain’ were some of the songs that fans sang at the top of their lungs to honor Prince.
Prince died of an accidental painkiller overdose earlier this year on April 21. The late singer became an icon for its eclectic style and prolific music career bearing the banners of the ‘Minneapolis sound’ throughout his evolution in the industry. Prince was 57 when he passed away at his Paisley Park estate in his hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Source: Reuters