“He just disappeared, like a fairy would!”: Brittany Howard recalls crazy on-stage jam with Prince
Paisley Park served as Prince’s home and production complex for nearly 30 years.
Images: (Left) Chelsea Lauren and (right) Mat Hayward / Getty
Brittany Howard, vocalist and guitarist of Alabama Shakes, has recalled the bizarre on-stage jam she had with Prince back in 2015.
Following the release of the band’s Sound & Color album in 2015, Prince made a guest appearance on stage with the rock outfit at Paisley Park to perform Gimmie All Your Love, and then disappeared into the night “like a fairy.”
Paisley Park, which is based in Chanhassen, Minnesota, served as Prince’s home and production complex for nearly 30 years. Today, it remains an active museum, recording studio and concert venue.
In an interview with Mojo for its February 2024 print edition (on sale now), Howard recalls how the spontaneous guest slot came to be: “We walk into Paisley Park, this big warehouse, and they’re showing [Dreamworks’ 2005] film Madagascar, projected on the walls. We’re like, ‘Hmm, OK…’ There were some rules. No meat, no cussing, no video. It was all a little strange.
“We did a soundcheck, then his assistant said, ‘Prince would like to meet you.’ I said, ‘C’mon, y’all! Because I’m not going by myself!’ There were 15 of us in this little studio. Prince is sitting there, wearing all linen. We all smoosh ourselves onto this couch and he was so nice, and really funny,” she remembers.
“He said, ‘I’d like to play Gimme All Your Love with you tonight.’ So later, we’re on-stage playing our set, we get to the song, and Prince is not showing up. I’m like, ‘Did he change his mind? Are we not doing a good job?’ We keep repeating the bridge. It’s getting a little awkward.
“All of a sudden, this guy in a green crushed-velvet suit, with an Afro, sunglasses and a green guitar jumps onto the stage from below. And the stage is at least six- feet tall. Vooomp! He’s right there, and just starts shredding,” Howard recalls.
“I’m looking at him in utter disbelief. The crowd’s going crazy. And then we were double soloing, in harmony. We go for about five minutes, finish, he kisses me on the cheek, and he leaps into the darkness and I never saw him again. Literally, he just disappeared, like a fairy would!”
You can listen to the live audio from the performance below:
Brittany Howard released her latest solo single, Red Flags, back in November. You can view the full list of her 2024 tour dates via her official website.