From late night talk shows to Broadway and rock clubs, musicians paid tribute to Prince in the only way they know how on Thursday night: by playing his music with passion and joy. The singer, who was found dead earlier in the day at his Minnesota home at age 57, was honored just across the way in St. Paul, Minnesota, where Mumford & Sons played a folky cover of “Nothing Compares 2 U” during their show at the Xcel Energy Center.
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Across the country in Santa Barbara, California, fellow Englishmen The 1975 projected a giant picture of Prince on the backdrop of their stage, while French rockers Christine and the Queens used their opening set on the Grimes tour to play a choreographed version of 1979’s “I Feel For You,” the Chaka Khan hit written by Prince that appeared on his 1979 self-titled debut.
Santa Barbara – Prince Forever pic.twitter.com/AtYaJA0LU3
— matty (@Truman_Black) April 22, 2016
The singer’s hometown of Minneapolis showed up, too, with a sold-out crowd packing the First Avenue club downtown, where Slipknot‘s Corey Taylor opened his solo show with a cover of “Purple Rain,” even as speakers blared the Purple One’s music to a huge crowd gathered on the street outside.
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This is what it sounds like when thousands of Prince faithful sing Purple Rain. @StarTribune pic.twitter.com/rqzs4qHPap
— Aaron Lavinsky (@ADLavinsky) April 22, 2016
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Spike Lee, dressed in purple, made sure New York represented as well, inviting more than 1,000 people to join an impromptu block party in Brooklyn Thursday night where fans danced and sang in the street. The director, who worked on a short film for the single “Money Don’t Matter 2 Night” from the Diamonds and Pearls album summed it up in an earlier Instagram, where he wrote, “I Miss My Brother. Prince Was A Funny Cat. Great Sense Of Humor.”
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Monuments, bridges and buildings across the nation also lit up with the singer’s signature purple hue overnight, from bridges in Minneapolis to city halls in Los Angeles and San Francisco and the Super Dome in New Orleans.
35W Bridge in #Minneapolis is purple tonight in honor of @prince! #RIPPrince pic.twitter.com/6pL75EBh0Z
— Vikeologist™ (@Vikeologist) April 22, 2016
#TargetField in purple in memory of @Prince pic.twitter.com/Q3y5aTDaO9
— Vikeologist™ (@Vikeologist) April 21, 2016
LA City Hall lights up purple in memory of Prince. #RIPPrince pic.twitter.com/GA7gRSVJdQ
— Nidia Becerra (@nidia_b) April 22, 2016
Tonight we honor The Purple One. pic.twitter.com/8cR5k6ABHr
— The Forum (@theforum) April 22, 2016
To honor Prince, Warner Bros. Records @wbr has turned their building into a giant memorial. #RIPPrince pic.twitter.com/v61kPEeTGv
— Steve Kuzj (@SteveKuzj) April 22, 2016
Building in Dallas, TX lit up with “Purple Rain” in honor of #Prince. #PrinceRIP h/t: @rociopat pic.twitter.com/cd3nvyZQCr
— Jacob Goldstein (@GoldsteinStreet) April 22, 2016
Tonight the Dome will be lit in purple in remembrance of Prince, a true music legend. #RIPPrince pic.twitter.com/Nc92WHoEEy
— MBSuperdome (@MBSuperdome) April 21, 2016
Even NASA is honoring #Prince by showing us a purple nebula. #PrinceRIP pic.twitter.com/tNFBV6J4fN
— Jacob Goldstein (@GoldsteinStreet) April 22, 2016
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And while it was a coincidence, Niagara Falls was also lit up in purple on Thursday in honor of Queen Elizabeth’s birthday.
Niagara Falls turns purple – the colour of royalty to celebrate #QueensBirthday – coincidence #Prince died today too pic.twitter.com/RAEs7GwoXj
— Chatham-Kent Police (@CKPSMedia) April 21, 2016