Weekend self-care open thread: Prince!

I know of at least one person in this community who will be over the moon with this weekend's theme.

I was lucky enough to catch The Purple One during his 11-night residency at the Fabulous Forum in the Wood in 2011. I wasn't even mad that he, well, didn't come onstage officially until 11pm, because he then proceeded to play a marathon 3-hour show. (I was a much younger man then, and could hang much later into the night than I can now.)

As a man of a certain age, Prince Rogers Nelson was one of my formative influences. This weird little man in his flamboyant clothing simply spoke to me. He was a musical omnivore, channeling funk, rock, soul, and blues. No two of his albums were the same. He always sought to explore his musical genius, not relying on what he did on the previous album, the previous concert, or even the previous song.

As I've said before, when he followed David Bowie into the Great Gig in the Sky in 2016, it was a warning that we were about to be in the shit. May those two tzaddiks bless us in their eternal rest, and lead us out of the land of darkness. 

So, ladies and gentlemen. Prince.

As ever, dear friends, be ever kind and gentle and joyful with yourselves and those around you.