Purple Rain News

Nothing speaks more strongly for Nashville's staunch "Not Just Country" campaign than our increasingly prominent electronic and hip-hop scenes - often lumped together to strengthen that argument.

'Ain't nobody bad like me!' Whether you've been doing 'The Bird' with him since the 1980s, made some 'Jungle Love' while listening to his records or never heard of him until he was announced with dozens of national acts that played Super Bowl Village in downtown Indianapolis, it is impossible not to be a fan of Morris Day. The 54-year-old funk singer was the highlight of my winter so far when I snuck down to Indy Friday afternoon to catch Day and his band, The Time. Day was a contemporary of Prince back in Minneapolis in the 1970s and early '80s. Prince eclipsed Day but booked his eccentric, mirror-loving, playboy peer in the film version of 'Purple Rain,' right about the time Day finally scored a top-40 hit with 'Jungle Love.' Arriving an hour before Day's set, the Super Bowl Village was eerily comfortable. There were no lines for the beer or bathrooms, and walking around the grounds was easy. That all changed in about an hour as Day's stage attracted a sea of people. I underestimated Day's Hoosier following but still felt a part of the show stuck a good NFL punt away from the stage. With a tight band led by dual synth players and a powerhouse of a drummer in Jellybean Johnson, Morris sounded great and his antics were sublime. His longtime mirror assistant and percussionist Jerome Benton danced in sync with Day like it was 1983 again. The crowd went nuts for Mr. Morris and set the tone for an unforgettable night in Super Bowl Village. As expected, the crowd grew to an immeasurable rate while we ate a quick dinner at Yats. We couldn't get close to En Vogue -- the surprise booking of the Super Bowl by far -- and had to backtrack to even get into Super Bowl Village proper. Fitz and The Tantrums, a great Los Angeles soul band, was slotted for a 7 p.m. set and we got an OK spot at 6:15. We waited and waited and waited. The band was more than a half hour late when roadies started changing out drum cymbals and keyboards. What was going on? Ten minutes later the band popped up on the stage and tore through three fantastic soul gems led by singers Michael Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs. However, things went downhill during a boring rendition of 'Sweet Dreams' by The Eurythmics. Doing a 10-minute version of a cover song that was already a hit cover for someone (Marilyn Manson) is a mistake. The band tried in vain to include the huge audience with the call and response shtick. No one took the bait. It was obvious 90 percent of the audience were there early to see top-40 act LMFAO. Fitz should have cut the set short since they were late but they kept playing, riling up the teenage crowd there to shuffle with LMFAO. The vibe got pretty dark with jeers, middle fingers and cursing at Fitz and the Tantrums so we skated, backtracking three blocks just to go one north through the half million who clogged downtown Indy. Despite the disappointing set from Fitz and The Tantrums, the overall experience of being inside ground zero of the Super Bowl party was incredible. The city did a fantastic job but it was Morris Day who got the party started properly on Friday.

Monday morning, the Internet was awash in consternation and jpegs after M.I.A. flashed her middle finger during Madonna's Super Bowl halftime performance Sunday, meaning Janet Jackson is finally off the hook after all these years .

Even before M.I.A.'s one-fingered salute to the cameras in Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show , it was clear that theatrics and visual spectacle had overtaken the actual music.

The Super Bowl halftime show has become just as big of an event as the game itself.

How can an artist be hailed as one of the greatest of all time, when a big chunk of his later career is dismissed or hated on by his fans? Sure, lots of young firecrackers age into old snoozes and perhaps this means they're not the greatest of all time .

The Voice recently announced that its celeb judges -- Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Blake Shelton, and Maroon 5's Adam Levine -- would attempt a medley of Prince tunes in its second episode this season.

Prince is a singer, actor, and composer who hit it big in the 1980s with 1999 and Purple Rain , the latter also a film starring Prince.

Oh, the hallowed and hyped Superbowl halftime show. This Sunday, we will bear witness to the unholy alliance of Madonna, M.I.A., and Nicki Minaj performing together, which will be -- well, beyond interesting , we're not quite sure.

In the Pop Traveler, Pop Candy readers name their city's top pop-culture hot spots/events. Wanna write about your town? Holler at popcandy@usatoday.com . I was born and raised in Minneapolis-St. Paul , and it's the perfect place for me.

One of the surprises of the Current's 7th Birthday festivities at First Avenue this past weekend was undeniably Tapes 'n Tapes' climactic cover of Prince's epic hit "Purple Rain." Our Gimme Noise correspondent called it a "faithful, emphatic" take on the classic, and added that when staffers joined the band onstage, "it was a stirring, unifying ... (more)

Will Sturdivant and Sid Solomon were among the actors interrupted by a medical incident in the audience Sunday during "Julius Caesar" at the Guthrie.

Etta James, a woman with a delicious, complex voice that pioneered the modern R&B sound, has passed following complications from leukemia .

Friday 20th January Candlelight Club @ Secret Location Join the wiseguys and the dames at this 1920s style pop-up cocktail club on Friday.

The 8 Ball 01.16.12: The 8 Most Unnerving Prince Moments Posted by Wyatt E. on 01.16.2012 From changing his name to a symbol and declaring the internet to be "over" to releasing his own diss song, his dealings with Kevin Smith and more, 411's Wyatt E. counts down the top 8 unnerving Prince moments of all time! swear during this article.