Ripped from a bootleg DVD found online on torrenting.
This DVD contains the whole live show Prince performed on First Avenue in Minneapolis in 1983 to introduce his Prince and the Revolution band as well as many new songs from his then next album. A few of this songs recorded live were the base for their album versions, most notably Purple Rain which has never been recorded in studio. The version of Purple Rain you can hear on the album “Prince and the Revolution” was edited and overdubbed from this live version I show you here. What you see and hear is the unedited and unaltered version of Purple Rain as it was played for the first time.
Someone else had already made a video comparing this version and the one we all know from the album version, I let the link here for you to see : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frbVVDAyJ1w
source
The first and last time the crowd was silent after hearing the first chord
Wendy's intro is like someone quietly alone, turning over pages of a photo album or scrapbook – and remembering…
I love this version. I love the sincerity and the freshness of it. Both princess and Wendy's guitar solos are phenomenal. Prince truly was a musical genius. How ironic that someone who was so against drugs ended up having drugs take his life from performing.
I was there in 83. Got pik's to prove it. What a wild time. I am not on the video but I was close to the stage.
trtash website
Pure Magic
This gives me chills and just takes me back to a very tumultuous but fond time in my life. I had to grow up real fast around the time this movie/album dropped. This is just magical. Prince was just so on his game here.
1983 that was a year before Purple Rain's Release. Is this during 1999 Tour?
Seeing this, and remembering seeing him live during the Purple Rain tour, will be a core memory for me. He was a true and prolific artist. There are none who have achieved what he has. He was a genius. Rest In Peace, oh Purple One 💜
I never knew there was an additional verse . The “money” verse . Such a beautiful and moving live work of art .
Thx man👍 What a beaut😎
Coked out of his gourd, delivering his career-making song.
I wish this was the album version. That guitar solo is everything🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Almost a whole year before the movie's official release! This was in August of 1983, Official movie release was 6/25/1984. Who does that??? Prince Does. Record it once and done.
I wish I could have seen him live.🙂 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLSH6PibCbA I recently met a street musician, who hit his note and THAT was awe – for the glimpse of a moment it felt like he channeled him. What an icon. 🙂 #prince #purplerain
This does something to your soul, It connects something inside yourself that you didn't know was there.💜
I only wish I could have been lucky enough to be in the audience that day in 1983.
A truly iconic performance!
This is the performance that was used for the official song release.
The best !
What a performance! Thanks for sharing
Absolute magic
masterpiece of all time