It's a rare treat when multi-talented spotlight-shunning Prince gives fans a glimpse into his world. On Wednesday, the Minneapolis musician and his band, 3rdEyeGirl, did just that, posting a 6-minute-long YouTube video of Prince and the band performing his classic hit "Let's Go Crazy" in Manchester, England.
The 1984 hit was the opening track from Prince's iconic "Purple Rain" album, is heard in the film of the same name, and remains one of his most popular and recognizable songs. In the concert video, an Afro-wearing, sunglasses-sporting Prince encourages the audience to chime in with "oh no, let's go" and other refrains, calling out "Manchester, make noise!" to a raucous response.
The audience also responds with delight to a lengthy inner-song instrumental jam by Prince, who stalks the stage while flames roar behind him and a golden version of his Love Symbol decorates his microphone. Prince enforces a camera ban at his shows so fans can enjoy the songs instead of recording them, so the video gives the purple faithful an infrequent peek into a Prince show.
Prince and 3rdEyeGirl have been using their YouTube and Twitter accounts to share more music and other tidbits with fans. Back in October, they announced and played a 2 a.m. "pajama party" at Prince's home studio of Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minn.
"Purple Rain" will celebrate its 30th anniversary in June.