Five essential Prince performances you need to watch now

Prince sadly passed away at his Paisley Park estate in Minnesota today at the age of 57. To pay tribute to the rock legend, we’ve compiled five of his essential live performances that we think you need to watch now — full screen, with your speakers on blast. It’s what Prince would have wanted.

5. “Purple Rain,” February 2007 in Miami
If there was ever any question if Prince is a force of nature, watch his Super Bowl XLI performance at Sun Life Stadium as he wails “Purple Rain” during a torrential downpour.

4. “Creep,” April 2008 in Indio, California
So the Purple One actually requested all recorded versions of this live performance (and others) on the Internet be taken down so that only fans in attendance could experience them. However, following the request of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, the ban was lifted by Prince himself who tweeted out his epic Coachella cover of “Creep” for all to enjoy. Now, enjoy.

3. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” 2004, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions
We suppose this falls under the category of: Don’t try to share the stage with Prince. Even when paired with guitar titans like Tom Petty, Steve Winwood and Jeff Lynne, no one can touch him. Watch it, and weep. (The Prince magic starts around 3:28.)

2. “Do Me, Baby,” 1982, Passaic, New Jersey
You’ll be hardpressed to find archived live videos of Prince’s earlier days, so this live footage from his Controvery Tour preserved by the Music Vault is a rare one. Listen to it in full — on loop.

1. “Clouds/MarzAnotherlove,” 2014, “Saturday Night Live,” New York
Most “Saturday Night Live” performers are capped to a strict two-song performance, but Prince (and his backing band, 3rdEyeGirl) received a full eight minutes of totally unscripted, totally uninterrupted glory. As he should. Check it out here.