Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were in Brooklyn last night for the final two performances of their massive, cross-country The River tour and took the opportunity to honor their friend and peer Prince who passed away earlier this week with a show-opening performance of the song "Purple Rain." The band and "The Boss" all took the stage wearing purple, bathed in purple light, and immediately slipped into the immortal title track to Prince's 1984 album. At one point, Springsteen turned to address the crowd and admitted, "Whenever I saw Prince, I left the show humbled.”
Springsteen and Prince actually have a long history with one another. In 1984, when Prince's album Purple Rain shot to the top of the charts, it was Springsteen's album Born in the U.S.A. that he managed to displace. The next year, at a show at the L.A. Forum on February 23rd, the Boss surprised everyone and made a surprise appearance onstage during the final show of Prince's five-night stand at the venue to sing the song "Baby I'm a Star" alongside the "Purple One" and Madonna.
Check out Springsteen's tribute below.
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