Prince's last Atlanta concert stop was joyful wedding anniversary gift

One week ago, my wife and I joined hundreds of people gathered outside the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. We were there, two hours early, to see Prince in a rare, intimate concert.

Fans of all ages and backgrounds gathered. A white gentlemen who appeared to be in his 60s stood in front of us in formal business attire, sans tie but with a pin of the Prince symbol — fastened to both lapels. In front of him was a Hispanic family that included three generations. Walking past us was an African-American woman who appeared to be in her late 40s with platform boots, a large Afro and leather pants that looked like she hadn’t worn them in 17 years and 20-or-so pounds ago. A billboard truck from a popular “gentlemen’s club” circled the block blaring Prince’s greatest hits.

At 5:50 p.m., 70 minutes before Prince was scheduled to hit the stage for the first of two performances, we saw police escorting a black SUV down North Avenue. This motley crew united by their love of music lost all dignity when the passenger in the back waved as the caravan drove to the back of the Fox. Several of us in line laughed, realizing the hand and Afro could have belonged to anyone of short stature.

For me and my wife, Leila, this night was a celebration of our first ten years of marriage. We met over music. I was co-founder of the music magazine Paste, and she was an intern. How that turned into romance is a story for another time. Despite this shared connection, our true musical passions don’t overlap much—with the exception of Prince and Johnny Cash. When Johnny Cash passed away in 2003, I swore I would not pass up another opportunity to see a musical hero live.

A week before our 10th anniversary, Prince announced that he would perform two shows on the eve of our anniversary. We called in favors to get tickets before the general sale, and it felt the universe had given us a special gift. We were crestfallen when he postponed the shows due to flu-like symptoms. But one week later, we were ready to bask in the glory of the Purple One.

This was my first Prince concert. I’d long heard that he put on one of the best concerts. “Life changing” was a common description. I admit that I was a little worried that a solo show—just Prince, a piano, a microphone and a few clusters of candles—would be a bit of a letdown. I needn’t have worried.

The night offered one of the best nights of music I have experienced—and I’ve experienced many great nights of live music. It was certainly the best one-person show I’ve ever attended.

Prince began the evening with “Little Red Corvette.” The crowd erupted on the opening bars, and after one stanza, he took a bow and strutted around stage before finishing. That hit transitioned into Vince Guaraldi’s “Linus & Lucy” piano song, which worked remarkably well. He incorporated Atlanta into a number of songs, apologized several times for canceling the previous week, played a good mix of relatively new songs and hits, played "Chopsticks" as he recounted some personal history, and performed two encores, including a cover of David Bowie’s "Heroes" that brought Leila to tears. After singing “A Case of U,” he walked off stage to gather himself and came back, saying “Sometimes I forget how emotional these songs are.”

Of course, we had no way of knowing at the time that we were witness to his final concert stop. Prince did more than help us “get through this thing called life.” He made it more joyful and meaningful. I feel blessed to have participated in what ended up being a send off.

This story was originally published April 21, 2016 at 7:06 PM with the headline "Prince's last Atlanta concert stop was joyful wedding anniversary gift."