Dearly Beloved, Denver Gathered at Red Rocks To Celebrate This Thing Called Prince

At a certain point in Denver's musical tribute to Prince last night at Red Rocks, 115 members of the Denver Gay Men's Chorus assembled on-stage and sang an a cappella rendition of Queen's "Who Wants To Live Forever." The song, performed after a dozen popular local bands paid rollicking homage...

By Westword Staff

May 13, 2016

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At a certain point in Denver's musical tribute to Prince last night at Red Rocks, 115 members of the Denver Gay Men's Chorus assembled on stage and sang an a cappella rendition of Queen's "Who Wants to Live Forever." The song, performed after a dozen popular local bands paid rollicking homage to the late pop icon with versions of his funkiest hits, brought a moment of stillness and chill in the midst of the celebration. Who, indeed, wants to live forever, when your life, your art and your passing inspires such a joyful and wild party?

The concert, organized by Film on the Rocks, which is a partnership between the Denver Film Society and Denver Arts & Venues, before the screening of Purple Rain, featured Colorado bands delivering their takes — both close to the original and unique — on songs from Prince's oeuvre and exhortations for the crowd to carry messages of peace and love, and to get loud, so loud that maybe Prince could hear them. The show culminated in an all-musician singalong of "Purple Rain." The film screening kept the energy level high, as crowd members danced along to the musical numbers — the closest we'll get again to the transgressive, celebratory vibrance of Prince on stage.

Check out the full slideshow here, and watch a video of the finale below.

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