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Super Bowl

The Oral History of Prince’s Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show

“And the LORD, opened up the clouds and a mighty storm burst forth from Heaven during “Purple Rain”. And THE LORD GOD, JEHOVAH/ALLAH/YAHWEH/JAH exclaimed: “THIS is my FAVORITE ARTIST, and y’all are about to see A SHOW!!”

This is a fun behind the scenes account of the legendary event. Also fantastic footage of Prince’s Press Conference performance.

From The Ringer:

“It was the most scared I was in my life,” says executive producer Charles Coplin, then the NFL’s head of programming. “And I’m sure I wasn’t alone.”

The man scheduled to perform was nervous, too. Yes, even Prince saw the potential for disaster. “People are like, ‘He gets nervous?’” says his musical director and keyboardist, Morris Hayes. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, he’s not nervous for himself. He’s nervous for us.’ He’s trying to make sure that we’re in the right places at the right parts. What’s gonna happen when it starts raining and the floor’s slick?”

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© Nadir Omowale