Twenty five years ago Prince released Purple Rain: a campy but enjoyable romp that perfectly captures the colorful decadence of the eighties. Last night an enormous crowd of Prince fans, more than a few wearing purple, lace or ruffles, descended on Prospect Park to sing along with the musical as it was projected onto a huge screen.
Before the film screening, Escort performed a brief set of bouncy disco-funk to warm up the crowd. Escort is a band from Brooklyn and features an expansive lineup: a horn section, guitars, bass, synth, multiple drummers, back up vocalists etc. The plethora of musicians playing simultaneously gave the music an overproduced, somewhat dated feel, the lushness of the arrangements were superfluous to a real groove. New lead singer Adeline wore a blue jumpsuit and sashayed gracefully as the band played behind her. The set's highlight was the risqué, Latin tinged “Cocaine.” “But don’t do it,” Adeline advised the crowd, which included small children, when the song ended.
The conclusion of Escort’s set meant the beginning of Purple Rain, with a gigantic projection screen dropping from the ceiling and covering the entire stage. The film's introduction, in which Prince plays “Let’s Go Crazy” had the crowd going…. well… crazy, clapping in unison, as Minneapolis’ finest twirled on screen.
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August 6th at Prospect Park Bandshell brought an experience I certainly never thought I'd have in my life. All summer I'd been hearing about the Purple Rain sing-along and I knew it was going to be big, but I don't think I quite realised exactly how into it people would be or just how many New Yorkers would show up ready to sing and dance.
Before the movie started, we were treated to a set of lively disco music by female-fronted group Escort. The upbeat group puts on a lively performance, complete with innumerable numbers of people on stage and string, brass, and woodwind instruments that gave the feeling of a party on stage. Lead singer Adeline's powerful vocals got the crowd dancing and grooving with their beat. It's probably a good thing that the show was 17+ without parental supervision, because many of the subject matters of Escort's set were a little bit more adult than expected. They sang a song about "cocaine running around my brain," but put a little caveat on the end of the number: "but don't do it; it's bad for you." At one point, LJ leaned over to me and said, "I need to get myself a purple jumpsuit. Clearly we're doing this all wrong." Honestly, I feel like that statement sums up the entire night perfectly.
After Escort, it was time for the main event: a screening of Purple Rain in honor of the film's 25th anniversary. For those who live under a rock and don't know what Purple Rain is: it's arguably Prince's crowning achievement -- a film about a kid (aptly named The Kid) who plays in a club and can't seem to make it anywhere, get the girl, or have a good family life. Prince himself plays The Kid, a cocky, over-the-top character who, for whatever reason, you can't help rooting for. The other theme of the night was "that shouldn't be attractive, but for some reason it really is," which could easily be said of Prince's entire career. The crowd went full-out for this show, and when lyrics popped up on screen everyone sang along and clapped. There were constant shouts of appreciation and excitement, often a minute early in anticipation of what was going to happen next. During the title song at the end of the movie, the entire crowd had their arms in the air, swaying back and forth with lighters or cell phones or camera lights, keeping time with the poignant moment in the movie. For the finale, everyone took to their feet. Young, old, black, white, whoever -- I saw people I never would have expected singing along to that show. It was a fantastically happy time all around, and one of the most fun experiences of the summer so far.
