As the world braces for Lady Gaga’s performance tomorrow during halftime of Super Bowl LI, the calendar reminds us to take a step back and admire a legendary set that went down exactly 10 years ago today: Prince’s still-talked-about 12-minute musical sermon at Super Bowl XLI.
The game itself — Indianapolis Colts 29, Chicago Bears 17 — was fairly forgettable, but its halftime gig was anything but.
The music and fashion icon, who died last April at the age of 57, blasted out a medley of hits, culminating in an epic performance of “Purple Rain” as actual rain fell down on Dolphin Stadium in Miami. According to reports, the game was watched by an estimated 93 million viewers, with a peak of somewhere in the neighborhood of 140 million.
Prince’s remarkable set is considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Super Bowl Halftime Show performances ever. Relive it below.
[h/t @maura]
Prince – Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show from kalanton on Vimeo.