The Boss delivered a fitting tribute to the late Prince on Saturday night, beginning his Barclays Center show with “Purple Rain.†The song elicited cheers from the Brooklyn crowd and quickly turned into a sing-along. Springsteen and the E Street Band’s stirring rendition came complete with purple lights and a virtuosic solo from guitarist Nils Lofgren.
“Tonight we bow down to the genius #Prince,†Lofgren tweeted. “I am humbled to play #PurpleReign in his honor.†The band is currently wrapping its Stateside run of The River tour (it ends Monday at Barclays, with a brief break before Spain in May). Roll the clip above for the whole cover, and check out more angles here and here. “Prince forever,†Springsteen says at the end. “God bless.â€