The Grammys have announced that they will be hosting an all-star tribute concert for Prince two days after the 2020 ceremony.
Artists on the bill for Let’s Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to Prince include: Foo Fighters, St. Vincent, Beck, Usher, Alicia Keys, Chris Martin, and Mavis Staples, as reported by Rolling Stone.
Sheila E. and her band will be supporting most performers as well as playing their own set. The longtime Prince collaborator will also serve as musical director alongside Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Sheila E. said: “I was very honoured to be able to do this for so many reasons, but to be able to help celebrate the life of a dear friend and be a part of this and be musical director is awesome.”
Common, H.E.R., John Legend, Gary Clark, Jr., Juanes, and Earth, Wind & Fire will also perform on the night. It is being reported that Prince’s former band the Revolution will also be involved.
“Prince. The Purple One. His Royal Badness – regardless of how you identify him, he is indisputably one of the greatest musical virtuosos of all time,” the Recording Academy’s president, Deborah Dugan, said in a statement. “With his subversive attitude and commanding nature, he straddled musical genres and created electrifying music that was bursting with character. He continues to serve as an inspirational icon for artists and fans worldwide, and we are so honoured to pay tribute to his legacy.”
Not without apprehension, Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich admitted he was hesitant about having artists cover Prince – whom he described as “so iconic, so individualistic and so unique” – but expressed confidence that those involved “will be faithful to what he did and reverent enough not to fuck around with him.”
Let’s Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to Prince will air on TV later this year.
Meanwhile, Prince‘s 1984 film Purple Rain has been added to the US Library of Congress’ National Film Registry.
The musical movie, which spawned the soundtrack album and title song of the same name, is now guaranteed its preservation under the National Film Preservation Act.