When purple reigned: A 1985 Prince concert finds a new life

The first thing you hear is a familiar voice over the sound of thousands of screaming fans.

“Hello, Syracuse and the world. My name is Prince and I’ve come to play with you.”

The Purple One soon arrives, rising up through the stage — wearing an animal print jumpsuit with a ruffled white frock, a guitar slug across his back — as “Let’s Go Crazy” starts. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…” he says.

It’s the electric beginning of a high-energy concert in upstate New York held more than three decades ago, reworked and re-released on video and audio capturing Prince & The Revolution at their peak.

“It was as amazing as I remember it was,” says Lisa Coleman, a Revolution member who was there that night singing and playing keys. Adds drummer Bobby Z: “The next generation needs to see this because this is what it was all about.”

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