Wendy tried to create a moment.
The band finished off with a jam they had weaved into “Controversy,” and then all but she and Lisa left the stage, and Wendy tried to address the people of Cleveland, Ohio.
Essentially, she started talking about when Prince died and how she’d heard and how her bandmates were the first people she wanted to speak to, and how they didn’t want to go to Minneapolis immediately, and how they just were left with this empty sense of not knowing exactly what to do, and how they started playing, and how it felt good to play, and, etc…
I wonder if the people in the audience usually whoop and holler during this bit as they did in Cleveland last night. I mean that’s why I can only give the gist of it. WHOOP and WE LOVE YOU WENDY. That’s why.
Aside from that: I can’t begin to tell you how overwhelming it was to see the same folks who toiled with the man to make this music in front of you making that music. When they finally came to “Purple Rain” — which has not, necessarily, always been my favorite Prince song — Wendy beseeched us to sing with them.
I just shook my head and said “I can’t.”
I must thank my buddy Carl for having the brilliant idea to invite me to Cleveland to enjoy the show and for letting me flop on his sofa. I can’t tell you what a stellar show this was and how glad I am to have been there.
- Computer Blue
- America
- Mountains
- Automatic
- Take Me With You
- Uptown
- DMSR
- Roadhouse Garden
- Raspberry Beret
- Erotic City
- Let’s Work
- 1999
- Paisley Park
- Controversy (Jam)
- Sometimes it Snows in April
- Let’s Go Crazy
- Delirious (includes piano jam from extended Let’s Go Crazy)
- Kiss
- When Doves Cry
- Purple Rain
- I Would Die 4U/Baby I’m a Star (encore)