Prince made no secret of his disdain for the internet. In particular, the late icon — who died on Thursday at the age of 57 — took issue with the free streaming of his music and bootlegged videos of his performances. "The internet's completely over," he said in 2010. "The internet's like MTV. At one time, MTV was hip and suddenly, it became outdated."
We're glad that the legend who got so much right was wrong in this particular instance — because today, mourners worldwide are scouring the web for inspiration to commemorate the late artist. (Though he appears to have gotten his way somewhat, as evidenced by the relatively sparse number of videos available.)
Prince will be remembered for his electric, outrageous, and colourful live performances. He was a charismatic, sensual, and supremely gifted performer. We found some of the pop star's best live performances for you to enjoy. From an epic 1982 performance in New Jersey to the 2007 rain-soaked Superbowl halftime show, here are 10 of Prince's most fantastic performances of all time.
"I Wanna Be Your Lover" At The Capitol Theatre In New Jersey, 1982
This 16-minute rendition of his sexy track was everything right about early '80s-era Prince. He traded off owning the crowd-pumping chorus with epic guitar interludes and steamy, erm, choreography. (No, seriously. Skip to 15:12 to see him give his guitar some tongue action.)
"Do Me, Baby" At The Capitol Theatre In New Jersey, 1982
Okay, so we couldn't choose just one song from this retro show. This one's got Prince hitting the highest of notes in his effortless way — and stripping his shirt. Plus, this is just a damn sexy song. Check out the full show, here.
James Brown & Friends Concert At The Beverly Theater In Los Angeles, 1983
In this gem of a concert clip, three of music's all-time greats share the stage for a few sweet minutes. James Brown and Michael Jackson had already been performing for a couple minutes when Prince made his grand entrance...piggy-backing a security guard. And then, he upstages two legends like it's NBD with a fierce guitar solo.
"Purple Rain" At The First Avenue Benefit Concert In Minneapolis, 1983
This is purportedly the live debut of the album version of "Purple Rain." He played it at a benefit concert in his hometown to ecstatic crowds. Over 13 minutes, Prince lingers on the incredible guitar solos and gives every note of his passionate performance the attention it deserves.
"American Woman" From Rave Un2 In 2000
Prince brought Lenny Kravitz onboard for this number on his concert film, Rave Un2 The Year 2000. The raucous show was taped in late 1999 and first broadcast on New Year's Eve. Here, Prince lets loose and slips into full rock-'n'-roll mode. Plus, his and Kravitz's voices harmonize fantastically.
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" At T he Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, 2004
Prince joined Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, and Jeff Lynne for a tribute to the Beatle's George Harrison at the Hall of Fame's induction ceremony. In case you thought Prince was just a star singer, check out his epic guitar solo here. He comes in at 3:28 and nimbly carries the rest of the song.
"Purple Rain" At The Super Bowl Halftime Show In 2007
Classic, crowd-raising Prince was in fine form at what has been hailed the best halftime show, ever. This flawless, fabulous performance of his most popular song actually became kind of magical when it began to downpour. This beautiful performance will go down as one of his most iconic.
"Crazy" At NYC's Madison Square Garden, 2011
Prince appears out of seemingly nowhere at 1:30 to assist Cee Lo. The second he grabs a guitar, he instantly elevates the song from catchy-but-overplayed Top 100 hit to epic pop-rock jam.
"She's Always In My Hair" On The Arsenio Hall Show I n 2014
This song was the B-side track of Prince's 1985 single, "Paisley Park." He gives the track new life three decades later in this set with his badass all-girl backing band, 3RDEYEGIRL. A more subdued (well, for Prince) and precise performance.
SNL Medley, 2014
A host as great as Chris Rock deserves an equally impressive musical guest, and Prince did not disappoint. He and his band of ladies, 3RDEYEGIRL, crafted a gorgeous eight-minute medley of some of Prince's smooth newer offerings, including "Clouds" and "Anotherlove." Rolling Stone, where you can watch the full performance, called it "one of the most explosive and most polished SNL musical spots anyone has witnessed." We have to agree.
Courtesy of NBC.Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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