Dearly beloved, Maya Rudolph said, taking the stage last night at Austins purple-lit Paramount Theatre, we are gathered here to celebrate the one-of-a-kind, most brilliant, most special, most magical, most fucking incredible Prince Rogers Nelson. He was our hero. We loved him. And he has completely shaped our world. Were going to do this together, am I right?
The Saturday Night Live veteran and musician Gretchen Lieberum had decided to forge ahead with their previously scheduled gig as the musical duo Princess the pairs five-year-old Prince cover band at the fifth annual Moontower Comedy Festival. As Purple Rain unspooled across movie theaters and SNLs tribute episode revisited past performances, Rudolph and Lieberum simultaneously kicked off their own farewell homage with Lets Go Crazy. Backed by an all-male five piece in various states of undress, they defiantly asked, Are we gonna let the elevator bring us down? Oh no, lets go! the sold-out crowd shouted back, pumping the purple glow tubes Paramount staff distributed as a visual surprise for the band.
25 Essential Prince SongsPrince: Nothing Compared 2 Him18 Great Bruce Springsteen CollaborationsThe Making of the 'Woodstock' Documentary
In purple lam to Lieberums black, Rudolph whipped her loose hair and layered harmonies atop the real funky melodies that an older cousin first introduced to Rudolph at age nine. She and Lieberum strutted, slinked and squealed through Controversy, D.M.S.R. and the Cyndi Lauper-covered When You Were Mine, pausing to thank a chiseled stagehand named Tampico for proffering white wine and mutely caressing the sweat from Rudolphs upper lip.
Head, Sister, Lets Pretend Were Married and Jack U Off found Rudolph mimicking double-fisted geysers of bodily fluid before introducing the nerds only rarity Purple Music, a 1982 live recording skittering around a disco swirl of vocal recombination.
Lieberum recalled spending a summer with her grandmother at age 11, the year of her own Prince awakening. She was like, Gretchen, why dont you see that picture with the brown fella who looks like a lady? My friend Phyllis is going to take you. So my grandmothers friend Phyllis took me to see Purple Rain. I was so mesmerized. I felt this feeling Id never felt before in my whole life: I realize now it was horny.'
Setting the scene for the screeching highlight The Beautiful Ones, Lieberum professed knowing shed one day meet the man who made her feel so funny. This was the song I always wished Prince would sing to me she sighed, her voice catching with tears. During the songs falsettoed heights, the duo writhed onstage amid showered rose petals. (Ive got four fucking kids, Rudolph quipped as she pulled herself back together. That shit comes naturally.)
Rudolph recounted her first live Prince experience the Lovesexy tour at the Forum in eighth grade then fast-forwarded to seeing Prince alongside Lieberum as a pregnant as fuck adult in Anaheim. It was amazing and we got to meet him backstage. Rudolph paused, her eyes welling. I got to tell him that story, and he was so fucking cool. He knew that we did Princess and he really supported it, because he knew that it came from love.
By the time they met the Purple One, the duo had performed Darling Nikki on a 2012 episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. As Lieberum added, Then the best part, which fucking blew my mind, he said, I got you programmed in my DVR. Rudolphs tongue began playing exaggeratedly over her lips, her two middle fingers arching suggestively below her midsection.
Dirty Mind escalated into an extended Little Red Corvette and Delirious, Rudolph reminding fans That man recorded music every day of his life. They think theres more in there somewhere. She and Lieberum then closed with Darling Nikki, lifting their eyes and arms toward the ceiling in wordless gratitude.
A 13-minute version of Purple Rain served as emotional encore. Rudolph and Lieberum tossed bouquets into the swaying crowd and, helpless against the ever-climbing guitar, cried in each others arms. The audience had remained standing the entire hour and a half show; now there wasnt a dry eye in the house.
You never think your heroes are going to die, Rudolph said amid sobs. Its so strange, but it happened to me. My hero died. I never knew what that felt like. And its so sad, because there just arent that many incredible musicians left.
Ive been a Prince fan my whole life, she continued, and am realizing how many other people in the world loved him. I dont know what were going to do, but now I just want to sing more songs. I know thats what Prince would do. Im not Prince by a fucking mile, but theres something about singing these songs that scratches an itch that I cant explain. Thank you so much for letting us do this, and we hope to see you again.
Aretha Franklin paid tribute to Prince during an interview Thursday, telling MSNBC, There was truly only one Prince. Watch here.