On May 2nd, Prince held his Dance Rally 4 Peace at his recording studio complex, Paisley Park Studios, in reaction to the recent unrest in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray. In what some might consider an uncharacteristic move, the openly anti-internet performer has now shared the concert in its entirety on SoundCloud for all to hear.
Appearing with his band 3RDEYEGIRL, Prince premiered his protest song Baltimore, which was written and recorded during the Baltimore riots and references both Gray and Michael Brown, the 18-year-old who was killed in August last year. While some of the show’s profits are said to go to youth charities, it unclear which charities and what portion of the profits (tickets went from anywhere $22 and $497).
Still, there is no denying that in a city that needs healing, Prince’s show was a welcomed tribute. The rally saw a number of celebrity attendees, including Beyonce, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys and concert-goers were urged by the musician to wear the colour grey in honour of Gray.
In the recording, you can hear Prince pay tribute to young men whose lives have been lost. His final word to the audience: “Thank you Minneapolis, we love you. Do me a favor and take care of each other, all right? It don’t matter the color. We are all family.”