In Atlanta, a week before he died, Prince gave a performance at the Fox that now feels like something more than a final show.
Prince performs onstage during the 1986 Parade Tour on June 7, 1986, at the Cobo Arena in Detroit. (Ross Marino/Getty Images)
Today, 10 years after the April 21, 2016, death of Prince, the memory that stays with me is not from the day he died but from exactly a week earlier, inside the Fox Theatre.
He performed two shows on April 14, 2016.
saw ot eht eht deppirts eraps ,onaip .eno fo enohporcim etal tsuj ,etamitni sih .tfig stnemele nwod tserab dednetta dna dna a a ,ecnirP tI I
htiw hguorht raey-83-neht taht fo devom dnik sih tlef esae .lanoitasrevnoc golatac tsomla a eH
nehW“ I“ I“ ruoy ”?uoy htiw eht eht eht wohs dias gninepo fo .won ,ereh ereh ssenevigrof rof revoc .noitallecnac geb era ma ma retfa a lliW erehW eW elpatS ’sregniS ecnirP ”?diaP I tuB eB ”,atnaltA )suoiverp(
Prince plays during his first of two shows April 14, 2016, at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. (Courtesy of Yvonne Zusel)
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,tey tahw saw ot ereht taht ,won ton tnaem gnikool ti ti si eh tluciffid kcab ta ksa .lla dnA
ot ot taht dnet redro ecno no reffo erusaem rekram .ssol esopmi etaidemmi morf tlef tneve ecnatsid .gnitneirosid naelc dna na a yehT seirasrevinnA
.krow emulov eht eht eht eht eht reehs egnar ,pihsrenwo esodrevo revo fo fo fo evitarran efil ,retal otni ,snoitavonni sih sih sah morf gurd edaced htaed :reerac redaorb neeb selttab ta dna dna na ega latnedicca debrosba s’ecnirP A 75
AJC Reporter Ernie Suggs’ original ticket for the final Prince concert at the Fox Theatre for the April 7, 2016, show that was postponed until April 14. (Ernie Suggs/AJC)
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ot eht eht taht taht .yrots stsiser noitseuq ytimixorp ecnamrofrep fo secudortni sih sih .noitanalpxe ysae gnirud htaed setacilpmoc dna a a ruoT onaiP enohporciM tI tuB atnaltA
dluow ssentiw yhw tahw saw ot ot eht taht taht taht taht ecaps ,moor ni ,ruoh ,ylknarf ?dne eb eb ?ecneidua dewolla yhW yhW I ?atnaltA ,dnA
Shortly before his death, Prince performed at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. This photo shows the original date of April 7, 2016. That date was canceled and moved to April 14. (Ben Gray/AJC 2016)
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ohw erehw syaw yrev sdnatsrednu .noitamrofsnart ot ot eht taht deppirts ,sehcterts tneps ecaps gnihtemos stnevnier gnisufer .teiuq ecalp ecnamrofrep dereffo fo duol efil efil flesti si ni sih ereh sah dne ,deniatnoc smialc ytic htob neeb eb ta .ecifitra devirra dna dna dna dna syawla a a ,ecnirP ,tsaktuO thginK tI sydalG morF kcalB atnaltA dnA
saw saw eurt eht eht taht gnisirprus evisseccus seires tluser kciuq gninnalp ecnamrofrep no fo fo deneppah ,noihsaf stneve yaled .noitallecnac dna dna a a .syadsruhT ehT ecnirP nI lirpA 41
— dluow dluow saw saw saw saw saw stekcit eht eht eht taht taht taht kcis .wohs wohs elas ylkciuq no no no no ,gnol tsal ti ti ronoh sih eh og rof tnemtnioppasid t’ndid tnemtimmoc emoc gnilecnac ta sa decnuonna decnuonna decnuonna dna dna na a .yadsruhT ehT ecnirP hcraM tI .xoF tuB lirpA lirpA ,ht7 7 13 41
eht sgnos devom nwonk-ressel ni .stih desucof yldiulf railimaf .dnammoc neewteb deraeppa dna dna ecnirP eH ,xoF tA
.yhw mohw ew saw saw eciov lacipyt ot ,semit siht taht naht .gnorts ,wohs nees demees yas ezingocer fo ton ton flesym elpitlum ynam gnidulcni fi mih dah yltcaxe neve dluoc ,ecneidua a ehT siH ,)02 erom(
htiw elihw hcihw ew gniklaw deklaw yllausunu taht .kcits dednuos ylyls thgils ,tcepsorter detneserp egatsno eciton .thgin dekool woh eh eh eh ,taerg liarf ycnaf neve did ,enac sa dna a a nI eH
AJC staff writer and devoted Prince fan Ernie Suggs at Prince’s final concert at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta on April 14, 2016. (Ernie Suggs/AJC)
.gnorw dluow saw taht gnihtemos desnes dias gniyl fi eb yllautca I I I tuB
semitemoS“ — — — sraey gnidnatsrednu ot ot eht eht taht gnos gnos dedrocer demrofrep nwo no no no fo fo fo ton ton noitatidem .ssol dnik sti ti si ni sih raeh eh detnuah ,yltcaxe ,dne tluciffid .erutraped ,htaed htaed yad yb tub sa ydaerla a a swonS yllanigirO raeN tI ”,lirpA lirpA 13 ,12 5891
— — saw no retal eh .enog syad a yadsruhT neveS
Prince performs during a tour stop at Denver’s McNichols Arena on July, 3, 1986. (John Leyba/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
ehT“ efiL“ lliw ,su snrut cigart ”.emit siht eht eht eht eht nus nus ylpmis ,stes sesir rebmemer gnidaer eno fo fo tol enil ,yletal ,tsal tsal si ylbaroxeni evah og morf rof rof htrae hcae nwod ,yad neeb esuaceb dna dna dna dna a :”emiT txeN semaJ I I eriF niwdlaB
”enoemos“ nehw saw eht taht taht gnilwarps fo moorswen swen gninrom ti ni .deneppah dah deid .dnuopmoc ekorb ta s’ecnirP ,kraP yelsiaP nO ,atosenniM I ,nessahnahC lirpA ,12
saw .tsiruot thguoht eht ,raews ecno fo reven ,em efil ti ti .renedrag rof dluoc eb a .ecnirP ebyaM I I .ydobynA A
s’tI“ — — lliw siht eht eht dias :moorswen reven si ereh remrof tegrof rotide ”.daed ta dna ssorca a nehT .ecnirP ecnirP ,sihtaM I egroeG ,CJA
saw demees thgir .em gnikool ekil ta tI egroeG
”derevocsid“ elttiL“ ”9991“ — — htiw nehw su yeht eht detrats ecneserp gniyalp fo ym .efil ni ni mih eh dah tsrif yllanif tnatsnoc-reve ylrae delzzad syad neeb stsitra dna dna na deR ecnirP VTM I ”.ettevroC kcalB
pu eht luos gnihtemos detneserper no fo cisum ekil yletaidemmi nworg .tnereffid ,esruoc ,dna dna rednoW eivetS ecnirP leahciM noskcaJ noskcaJ gnivaH ,nilknarF ,eviF ahterA
erew dednuos sgnos dekool .yltnereffid .tnereffid .tnereffid .tnereffid detca siH eH eH eH
Prince performs at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Feb. 18, 1985. (Liu Heung Shing/AP 1985)
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”.yxesevoL“ lliw lliw nehw erew saw saw eht taht taht taht romur degdelp ron rehtien eman ym ym enil gniog yned .snisuoc mrifnoc egelloc dnuora dna timda ecnirP ihP I I I I dnA hguohtlA ,ahplA ahplA
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Prince fans gathered Sunday for a screening of Purple Rain at the Plaza Theatre for Soul Cinema Sundays. WRFG radio personality Tiffany Goode moderated a conversation with Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Ernie Suggs. (Courtesy of Wendy Suggs)
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htiw ohw pu ot ,emit eht eht cificeps sgnos demees .tnaveler .ecneserp edistuo fo fo fo ,cisum erom stnemom dekram ssol ssol srenetsil ekil ekil ssel sih werg tlef tsixe tnatsid htaed tnatsnoc ytirbelec tub ,elbaliava dna syawla syawla osla a a s’ecnirP siH roF
tahw eht elbignat tniop trap sreffo fo fo sekam .regnil si ,lanif .noitcennoc trecnoc a tahT tI atnaltA
saw .ereht .deyalp .denetsil elpoeP eH eH
tahw dootsrednu dnatsrednu ot ot ot siht .sgniht eht eht eht desoppus desoppus netfos ,kcohs epahs .sselesnes esnes ,devloser ezinagro ecno fo fo reven yam ekam efil ti si si si woh woh sih .mih ,feirg tlef dne seunitnoc yfiralc eb dna dna emiT tI I tuB
tey ohw tahw .saw dedlofnu ,emit taht gnihtemos moor ezingocer laer ,ylteiuq elpoep fo ton ti ti ni ni lluf rof ecnaraeppasid dluoc tub sa sa na tpurba a toN
AJC Reporter Ernie Suggs holding an original piece by AJC cartoonist Mike Luckovich that was drawn as an editorial cartoon the day Prince died. (Ernie Suggs/AJC)
Ernie Suggs is an enterprise reporter covering race and culture for the AJC since 1997. A 1990 graduate of N.C. Central University and a 2009 Harvard University Nieman Fellow, he is also the former vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. His obsession with Prince, Spike Lee movies, Hamilton and the New York Yankees is odd.
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