Credit: Mark Reiter Facebook
Such a sad 24 hours with the news of the passing of an icon, Prince. As I said on my facebook page:
Prince. By the mid-80’s, HE was a rock star. THE rock star. Saw him perform (with Morris Day and The Time) as part of his show at a disco in Boston, 15 Lansdowne Street. I got to hang with the band in their dressing room. As aloof as he was, there was a shyness that I saw in that face. A few years later, at the Universal Amphitheater in LA, his show was the most amazing I’d ever seen. He walked around the venue playing his custom guitar like any of his rock contemporaries. Always a mystery. Always a star. He will be missed. RIP Your Purpleness.
Early yesterday afternoon, First Avenue nightclub, Minneapolis. Credit: Mike Childs Facebook
When I learned that Corey Taylor was performing last night at First Avenue in Minneapolis, the performance location for the movie “Purple Rain,” I knew he would have to come out to pay homage to Prince, and he NAILED it. Watch it here.
Reports of Prince’s death began surfacing Thursday morning and were soon confirmed by his publicist. At press time the death was being investigated and a cause of death had not yet been announced. The singer was said to be ill with the flu in recent weeks. He was found unresponsive at his Paisley Park compound in Chanhassen, MN. He was only 57.
Prince’s death comes only days after he said he wasn’t feeling well, causing the cancelation at least one concert in Atlanta. He eventually played the city, after which his plane made an emergency landing. At the time, his publicist said that he was “fine and at home.” Prince has won seven Grammy Awards, and he won an Oscar for the original song score to the classic film Purple Rain, in which he also starred. He recorded some 39 studio albums, recording and touring prolifically even after a very public battle to get out of his major label contract threatened to derail his career.
ROCKERS REACT:
Corey Taylor (Slipknot): “And today started out so well…#god#F**king#DAMNIT”
Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) wrote: “I’m in shock and deeply saddened- just found out Prince died. RIP to one of the MOST talented and unique artists of our generation.”
Lzzy Hale (Halestorm) wrote: “RIP Prince. Rock n Roll Heaven sure is putting together an amazing supergroup.”
Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction) wrote: “From one 6/7 to another 6/7… Rest in peace, Prince!”
Rob Zombie wrote: “This is what it sounds like when doves cry.”
Krist Novoselić (Nirvana) wrote: “Prince — A giant talent that gave me many hours of musical pleasure.”
Travis Barker (Blink-182) wrote: “Rest in peace to one of my favorite artists of all time. Haven’t loved an artist as long or as consistently as I have Prince. My dream was to one day collaborate with him or play drums for him. To me he was truly a musical genius, a true original. Rest in Peace.”
Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses) wrote: “What do we do now? PRINCE. No. I hope you weren’t in much pain…your music saved me time and again.”
Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine) wrote: “One of the greatest, most gifted and unique musicians, performers and producers ever.”
Josh Todd (Buckcherry) wrote: “As a kid I listened to nothing but punk rock until I went into my sisters room and saw the love sexy album cover, he changed me. I love him.”
Brent Smith (Shinedown) wrote: “I don’t care if you’re religious or not… All I know is that there is gonna be a party in heaven tonight… And it’s gonna rain purple.”
Paul Stanley (Kiss) wrote: “THIS is a profound, profound loss… RIP PRINCE.”
Mike Portnoy (ex-Avenged Sevenfold) wrote: “Now Prince…..?? This year has been absolutely BRUTAL! Prince, Bowie, Frey, Emerson, Kantner, Bain, Martin, Shandling….Carpe Diem everyone!”
I just got an email from Soundgarden with this message and video:
Prince’s music is the soundtrack to the soulful and beautiful universe he created, and we have all been privileged to be part of that amazing world.
I performed his song “Nothing Compares 2 U” for the first time a couple months ago. It has a timeless relevance for me and practically everyone I know.
Sadly, now his own lyrics in this song could not be more relevant than at this moment, and I sing them now in reverence as I pay tribute to this unequaled artist who has given all of our lives so much inspiration and made the world so much more interesting.
We will miss you Prince!!!
– Chris Cornell
And let’s not forget his famous 2007 Super Bowl Halftime Show.
It’s hard to focus on much other news, but here ya go:
A bright spot is tonight is the official start to the hardDrive Live Tour in Houston, TX with Sick Puppies and Red Sun Rising. The tour wraps up on May 21st in St. Louis and also features Stitched Up Heart, Hudson and Smashing Satellites.
This will be Sick Puppies’ first full tour with new singer/guitarist Bryan Scott, and drummer Mark Goodwin said the trio has a new sense of freedom: “Definitely there’s a fresh beginning, so I think all around, just down to the people we worked with, it’s all new, so it’s kind of a refreshing sort of situation, which we haven’t really had in the past. And you know, obviously with Bryan it’s a new chapter, so all around a good positive thing. But it’s definitely like a new era for us.”
Sick Puppies will also make several festival stops while on the HardDrive Live trek, including Welcome To Rockville on May 1st, Carolina Rebellion on May 6th and Rock On The Range on the weekend of May 20th. Get your tickets and more here.
Sick Puppies will release their fifth studio album, Fury, May 27th. The band parted ways with original frontman Shim Moore in Oct 2014 after 17 years and four studio albums.
Celebrating life this weekend: Today: Shavo Odadjian of System of a Down is 42. Jack Nickolson is 79! Sunday, Brian Marshall of Alter Bridge & Creed is 43 and Billy Gould of Faith No More is 53.