Edmonton hosts world debut of Prince tribute show
The Winspear Centre will be lit in purple this week for a tribute show in honour of pop legend Prince.
The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra will perform Tuesday evening alongside Prince's former bandmates in the group called The New Power Generation, plus with L.A.-based vocalist Mackenzie Green and guest conductor Raymond Baril.
The concert will feature Prince hits including Purple Rain, 1999 and Little Red Corvette. Edmonton is the first stop on the production's tour.
Prince died in April 2016 of an accidental fentanyl overdose.
Green said there's a mix of somberness and excitement around the project, meant to pay homage to the man who influenced him as a musician.
"I'm ecstatic to be playing with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra," Green said. "It's an opportunity to really bring Prince's music to life in a way fans haven't heard before."
Andrew Gouché was the last bass player to perform with Prince, and will be performing with the ESO on Tuesday.
Gouché said Prince would have loved to see his music performed alongside an orchestra, and interpreted by Green.
"It's an honour, first of all, to even say that I played with him," Gouché said. "To do a tribute to his music is just special every time, because his music was so special. It touched generations. It's bittersweet because honestly, I feel like he should still be here."
Tickets for the concert are available through the Winspear Centre website.
