David Gilmour Lets His Guitar Do The Talking In Our All Time Favorite Tribute To Prince

Tribute Came Just Days After Prince’s Death

In the days, weeks, and months following the death of musical visionary Prince, tributes poured in from everywhere and it felt like we’d heard every conceivable spin on his music. While some opted for spirited dance parties in celebration of a life well lived as in the case of the cast of Hamilton, others like Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour opted for a tribute that celebrated a part of Prince’s career that he could relate to more than anyone: his guitar playing.

Just days after Prince’s death on April 21st, Gilmour took the stage at the Royal Albert Hall for a performance in honor of the Teenage Cancer Trust and surprised the audience when he segued from “Comfortably Numb” into a blistering spin on Prince’s “Purple Rain,” never saying a word or giving any indication that that night’s show would be a little different.

Fun Fact: David Gilmour first covered “Purple Rain” back in 1992 with Tom Jones.

Bathed in fluorescent purple light, you can’t even particularly see David in the video below, but that’s the point; the moment wasn’t about David or Pink Floyd, it was about a musician whose influence and once in a lifetime ability to make a guitar sing made an indelible mark on the world, and in taking the focus off of himself David allows for his guitar to do the talking and the music to do what it’s always done – make us feel. Check it out in the video below and as always, enjoy!