Three months after the all-star special was taped during Grammy weekend, Let’s Go Crazy: The Grammy Tribute To Prince aired Tuesday to mark the fourth anniversary of Prince’s death.
In addition to the participation of Prince collaborators like the Revolution, Sheila E. and Morris Day & The Time, the special also featured performances by Foo Fighters, Beck, Usher (with FKA Twigs), Miguel and John Legend, who delivered a piano rendition of the Prince-penned Sinead O’Connor hit “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
Sheila E. and Common also teamed for a take on Prince’s “Sign O’ the Times”:
Gary Clark Jr., who ranked Prince among his favorite guitarists, appeared throughout the evening, first showcasing his guitar skills alongside H.E.R. (“Let’s Go Crazy”) before digging out the Sign O’ the Times Side D cut “The Cross” on his own.
Maya Rudolph hosted the event and, with her Prince cover band Princess, sang “Delirious” alongside the Revolution. St. Vincent handled “Controversy,” noting before her performance, “Prince’s music means so much to all of us.”:
Coldplay’s Chris Martin and the Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs partnered for a stripped-down duet of the latter band’s Prince-written smash “Manic Monday”:
Mavis Staples (who sang “Purple Rain” with the Revolution), Juanes, Earth, Wind and Fire and more also performed during the Let’s Go Crazy: The Grammy Tribute To Prince special, which concluded with many of the artists involved congregating onstage for a star-studded rendition of “Baby I’m a Star.”
As Rolling Stone noted of the special’s taping in late January, “The tribute was as much a TV show taping as it was a concert, causing the inevitable fits and starts as artists gamely tried to keep the momentum going to varying degrees of success. But as a fitting tribute to one of music’s most iconic artists, the show celebrated Prince and let some of his closest collaborators have another chance to remember him. Sheila E. became emotional as she capped off the night, noting this was the first time in a while that the Revolution played together. ‘This is family,’ she said.”
