Watch A Rare Clip Of Prince's Very First Performance Of "Purple Rain" At First Avenue
It's no secret now that Prince has a new record on the way, dropping next Monday, September 7th exclusively on TIDAL. But today, before we get caught up in some new purple stuff, let's jump back to the very moment that solidified his 79-89 genius period as such. That, of course, would be the very first time that the crowd at First Avenue heard the now iconic slow-burning ballad "Purple Rain" from that creaking, sweat-soaked stage. Until today, that moment has been largely undocumented, but lucky for you, me, your father and your mother, one patron of the purple pioneer has let loose a very rare clip of that historic moment, in all of its gritty, dimly-lit glory. It's this recording from this night that was used as the bones for the album version we all now cherish. And it's this performance that introduced First Avenue to the band that would go on to become The Revolution and tour with The Kid for the three following years. So go and get to it while you can, you know how these things typically work out. Meaning, it won't be up for long. So run, don't walk to your local computing device and have at it. And Prince, we're just doing our jobs. Please don't come a knockin'.
