Enigmatic music icon Prince has returned to social media. A verified Twitter account for the multi-platinum entertainer recently launched at www.twitter.com/Prince3EG. Coming as a surprise following his mysterious disappearance from social media late last year – with official Twitter, Facebook and YouTube pages being deleted on the same day – the new verified account has been active since early Saturday morning. The first tweet pointed people to the debut of his much anticipated protest song “Baltimore” which premiered on Soundcloud. Subsequent tweets shared exclusive photos from the Prince & 3RDEYEGIRL Rally 4 Peace concert that took place at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore on Sunday. Most recently Prince & 3RDEYEGIRL have premiered an exclusive live concert recording from the DANCE RALLY 4 PEACE event that took place at Prince’s legendary Paisley Park studio complex in Chanhassen, Minnesota on May 2nd, 2015. Available online for a limited time, the recording showcases an astonishing improvised set from Prince and 3RDEYEGIRL bandmates Donna Grantis (guitar), Ida Nielsen (bass) and Hannah Welton (drums).
Through the 41-minute live performance, the band blasts through a set of music carefully chosen to mark the occasion, which was in tribute to the outpouring of violence that has occupied many parts of the US and particularly Baltimore in recent weeks. It kicks off with a blistering rendition of the socially charged track, “Chaos & Disorder” – the lyric refrain, “Chaos & Disorder ruinin’ my world today” in clear reference to recent events. From there, Prince echoes tributary sentiments to the crowd saying, “To all those deserving, RIP” and “Thank you for putting the gray color on tonight”, an acknowledgment to Freddie Gray. The band then moves into a poignant rendition of “Dreamer,” during which Prince channels emotions of all types, first through a screaming electric guitar solo, and later through an extended improvised section where he plays two keyboards simultaneously – drawing the audience into a dream like state through repeated rhythmic and melodic phrases. Next is an incendiary version of “Guitar,” before the initial set is closed with the massive instrumental funk-rock jam “PLECTRUMELECTRUM” (the title track from Prince & 3RDEYEGIRL’s chart-topping debut album). The encore is an unexpected improvised version of The Waterboys hit “The Whole of The Moon”. In a fitting end to the set, Prince concludes by inviting the audience to “take care of one another” and stating, “It don’t matter the colour, we are all family”.
The live recording offers an extremely rare chance to listen to one of the most lauded live performers in music history deliver yet another sonic masterpiece within the closed door environment of Paisley Park.
Listen to the live recording for a limited time at: www.soundcloud.com/prince3eg/dancerally4peace
Follow Prince at twitter.com/Prince3EG.