32 years of purple reign

Many of those in the audience tonight weren't even born when the Oscar-winning movie was released in 1984.
Me?
I was 26, the same age as its star, Prince Rogers Nelson.
Well, not quite the same age.
I was nine days older.
(smile)

His debut movie was really a funkrock concert-film aimed at a wider demographic than The Who's 1975 white-bread rock opera, "Tommy", and having a basis in reality not found in the 1975 campy science fiction musical, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". Indeed, by 1984, disco had come and gone and glam punk had made its entrance. Hiphop was gaining a wider audience, too, and pop had never left the scene.
Prince gave everyone - and I do mean everyone - a reason, and a beat, for shaking their booties.
The movie also gave everyone - and I do mean everyone - a chance to meet Minnesota's high-heeled purple royalty. After all, "Little Red Corvette" had already made the music scene, so folks knew of him.
The semi-autobiographical story line let people feel they also knew him.
And the intimate club concerts were a definite bonus! They showcased many of his songs very nicely and gave a not-yet existent MTV-generation the video fix they craved.
Yes, that included me.
It also set a high standard for action at his future concerts. The audiences would come expecting to see him perform the same acrobatic stunts seen in the movie. Even as the years passed and his body aged, the audiences still regarded him as the 26-year-old magic man of movie fame.
Yes, "Purple Rain" was an event, not just a movie. It was a concert and a biopic and a romance all rolled up together.
So it was tonight, also.
The Lucas Theatre had arranged to be one of the venues nationwide allowed to screen the movie for this limited re-release. The sudden death of the 57-year-old singer and entertainer warranted the need for his fans worldwide to be able to come and pay homage to Prince's great talent.
Come they did.
It was very nice to be part of this audience tonight. All of us reveling together at Prince's energy and his youth and his beauty. All of us singing along as we tapped our toes and clapped with the tunes.
And me, crying quietly at the end of a row in right orchestra, trying not to bring anyone down as the lyrics of the title song washed over.
I haven't really processed this loss yet.

As the final credits rolled to a close, a cryptic message appeared.

May u live 2 see the dawn.

I wonder if he did.