Controversy Tour

1981/2

The singer romped like an adolescent left at home.

Prince was joined by The Time for the Controversy Tour, whose live performances were very good, sparking tensions between the two and culminated in a fight in Cincinnati, back in the hotel after the tour’s final show. This rivalry was later immortalised in the movie Purple Rain.

As the venues of the Controversy Tour would be larger than his previous tours, Prince hired a set designer, and the shows would be more theatrical than his previous tours. Prince would begin each concert by reenacting the crucifixion in front of the set’s church window. 59 dates were played in total. To preserve the show on film, the 7th of March 1982 at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, was recorded and intended for release as a live album named The Second Coming. Prince was working on his breakthrough album 1999 around the time on this tour.