John Legend and Sheila E. covered Prince music Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention as part of a tribute to vice presidential candidate Tim Walz.
John Legend leads a Prince tribute before Gov. Tim Walz speaks at the DNC
The Grammy winner and Sheila E. performed “Let’s Go Crazy.”
The Minnesota Star Tribune
August 22, 2024 at 3:35AM
The Legend-Sheila E. collaboration on “Let’s Go Crazy” kicked off a final block of speeches preceding the featured speech by the Minnesota governor accepting the Democratic nomination for vice president.
Legend, a 12-time Grammy winner, performed “Nothing Compares 2 U” during a 2020 Grammys salute to the late Minnesota artist. For a 2022 video promoting “The Voice,” he talked about his admiration for the superstar.
“The first time I was star-struck was when I met Prince at an after-party after he has performed at Madison Square Garden,” Legend said. “Who wouldn’t be star-struck while meeting Prince?”
Sheila E., who was a close friend to Prince, frequently contributed on his songs and was the opening act on the Purple Rain tour. She recently complained about Paisley Park not allowing her to shoot footage in Studio B during an unannounced visit on June 7.
“I’ve been in that place from the beginning to just about the end,” she told the Star Tribune last month. “I’ve recorded so much music there. I lived there off and on. I slept there. My clothes were made there. My percussion and drums are in there. I want to get my gear back.”
The pair aren’t the first musicians to contribute to the Chicago convention. Jason Isbell and Mickey Guyton sang on Monday, but James Taylor was scratched because of time. CNN reports that Pink will perform on Thursday.
An unveiling of Minneapolis Music Census data spotlighted shortages in pay and youth compared with other cities.
