Prince is stepping up to the plate to speak out on the Baltimore police shootings that 6 officers were recently charged for over the death of Freddie Gray. The Purple one has announced that he will be throwing a concert to benefit the youth of B-More and we couldn’t be more proud of him for representin’ the old school boldly, unlike some of today’s newer artists who seem to have hit a mute button when it comes to LOUDLY speaking out in protest of injustices.
Here are the details about Prince’s concert (via Rolling Stone):
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Now that the curfew has been lifted in Baltimore, Prince is throwing a party. The 1999 singer will perform at Baltimore’s Royal Farms Arena this Mother’s Day, May 10th as part of his Rally 4 Peace event, an effort to unify the people of Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray and its subsequent protests and riots. Prince’s backing band 3rd Eye Girl will join him for the show, and the singer promises “several industry superstars” will also be in attendance for the event.
“In a spirit of healing, the event is meant to be a catalyst for pause and reflection following the outpouring of violence that has gripped Baltimore and areas throughout the U.S.,” organizer noted in a statement. “As a symbolic message of our shared humanity and love for one another, attendees are invited to wear something gray in tribute to all those recently lost in the violence.”
The Rally 4 Peace concert comes just days after Prince revealed he had written a song called “Baltimore” inspired by the situation in the Maryland city, and although that track still hasn’t been released, Prince did share the song’s lyrics. Additionally, Prince performed an impromptu Dance Rally 4 Peace at his Paisley Park complex in Minnesota this past weekend, which ended with Prince leading the audience into a communal chant of “Baltimore… Peace 4 ever more.”
Tickets for the Rally 4 Peace event will go on sale Wednesday, May 6th at 5 p.m. EST at Live Nation. A portion of the proceeds will benefit local Baltimore-based youth charities. Although unaffiliated with the spontaneous Hit and Run tour, the Baltimore event marks Prince’s latest booked-out-of-nowhere performance.
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Salute to Prince for keeping the awareness on high regarding this police brutality. Hopefully what he’s doing will encourage more artists to use their voices to invoke true change.
By the way, speaking of Prince performing, turn the page to check out this rare performance of Prince on Arsenio Hall’s show last year.
