As Prince was becoming a musical force in his native Minnesota in the early 1980s, he was also proving a favorite in parts of Michigan and Ohio, where his music earned substantial airplay. His relationship with Detroit was so strong, Prince kicked off his legendary 1984 “Purple Rain Tour” with seven sold-out nights at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena before heading to Ohio’s Richfield Coliseum for back-to-back concerts.
Yet, before he hit the road, Prince held a secret dress rehearsal at Bogart’s, a club located in the Corryville neighborhood of Cincinnati that Prince was a huge fan of and played his first Ohio show in 1980. CLE Rocks Presents… “Purple Rain, Purple Rain: The Stories of Prince” will revisit Prince’s epic 1984 run and his iconic performances in Ohio over 25 years. The event will be recorded as an episode of cleveland.com’s popular CLE Rocks podcast and feature amazing stories about Prince’s towering legacy as an artist like no other.