Ellie Goulding, Ice Cube & Others Pay Homage To Prince At Coachella
By Radio.com Staff
(RADIO.COM) – Prince headlined the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in 2008 and his set is considered one of the festival's most memorable performances. In a pleasant surprise for fans, audio from the epic set surfaced over the weekend.
In his honor, all the lights on the festival grounds were turned purple Friday night. Hundreds of palm trees, stages and tents glowed brightly with his signature color. But that wasn't the only display of love for the artist. A host of performers paid tribute in the only way they knew how; through music.
Festival organizers also paid tribute to Prince by playing back his 2008 Coachella performance of Radiohead's "Creep." Displayed across massive screens, the audience was instantly mesmerized. Watch the original jaw-dropping 8-minute performance here.
Prince covering radio head at Coachella. So fucking cool to see n here him on a sound this big
Posted by Jon Garner on Friday, April 22, 2016
Musician Brian Aubert of Silversun Pickups placed Prince's symbol on his forearm as he performed onstage during day 2 of Coachella.
To open his set Friday, Joey Bad A$$ paid homage to his favorite artist. The Brooklyn rapper turned the massive LED wall on Coachella's main stage purple with a huge prince logo in the middle as he launched into "1999."
Ellie Goulding wowed the Coachella Main Stage crowd Friday with a slow and powerful rendition of "When Doves Cry."
But one of the most powerful tributes on Weekend 2 was by 76 year-old songstress Mavis Staples who did not perform a Prince song but reflected upon his life through a powerful speech.
"Yesterday, I lost a dear friend," began Staples. "My son, and he was my angel. Talkin' 'bout Prince y'all!" Staples explained that she had been signed to Prince's label Paisley Park for seven years. "During that seven years, I adopted him—he was the most beautiful spirit that I have ever met. He's a gentleman, he's humble, and he's respectful. He did everything he every promised me." Staples went on to tell a crowd-pleasing story of the first time they'd met followed by a moment of silence for her dear friend after which she sang a few bars of "Purple Rain." Watch below.
More tributes to Prince at Radio.com
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