By Brian Ives
Bruce Springsteen has always been an artist to pay tribute to both his heroes and peers. Sadly, he’s had to do that a number of times on his current tour, covering the Eagles’ “Take It Easy” in tribute to Glenn Frey; he’s also covered David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel.”
Tonight, at New York’s Barclays Center, he opened his show with a cover of Prince’s “Purple Rain.”
"Whenever I saw Prince, I left the show humbled." -- Springsteen in Brooklyn.
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Backstreets Magazine (@backstreetsmag) April 24, 2016Purple Rain from the boss. @Springsteen https://t.co/QrqNuFVpmq
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Ann Marie Lussier (@AnnMarieLussier) April 24, 2016Show dedicated to Prince. "There's never been anyone better...Bandleader, showman, arranger.... 1/2 #springsteen #brooklyn
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Glenn R. (@g_radecki) April 24, 20162/2 ...Whenever I would catch one of his shows. I would always leave humbled. I'm going to miss that." #springsteen #brooklyn
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Glenn R. (@g_radecki) April 24, 2016Springsteen opening w/ "Purple Rain" in Brooklyn tonight twitter.com/carynrose/stat…
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Bowiesongs (@bowiesongs) April 24, 2016Bruce Springsteen with purple tonight in Brooklyn https://t.co/24TygBlIVD
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Stan Goldstein (@Stan_Goldstein) April 24, 2016At Springsteen. He just opened with Purple Rain. Could not care less who Giants draft. Good night.
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Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) April 24, 2016Springsteen and Prince started their careers in the ’70s, but became pop superstars in the ’80s; in the summer of 1984, both artists had hugely successful albums: Springsteen with Born in the U.S.A. and Prince with Purple Rain.
Related: Chris Cornell, Tori Amos, Drive-By Truckers on How Bruce Springsteen Got His Groove Back
The respect was mutual between the two artists: in a 1990 Rolling Stone article (via Backstreets), Prince said, “I’m not real into Bruce Springsteen’s music,but I have a lot of respect for his talent.”
The article went on to say that the two artists occasionally exchange notes; in recalling a Springsteen concert he saw from backstage, Prince said, “I admire the way he holds his audience — there’s one man whose fans I could never take away.”
He also noted a respect for Springsteen as a bandleader: “At one point, his band started going off somewhere. Springsteen turned around and shot the band one terrifying look. You know they got right back on it!”
