INTERVIEW: Legacy of Prince continues on with ‘4U’

It has been more than two years since Prince, one of the most successful and unique pop artists of all time, left this world. His legacy, of course, lives on in his many hit tunes, including “Raspberry Beret,” “Little Red Corvette,” “Kiss,” “Purple Rain” and “When Doves Cry.”

That legacy will be bolstered by the new touring show 4U — A Symphonic Celebration of Prince, which has a string of dates in the coming weeks, including Thursday, Sept. 6 at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Audiences can expect an evening of songs, curated by musical artist Questlove and performed by a live band and full orchestra.

“What we’re trying to do is really create a musical celebration of Prince for his fans,” said Stephen Cook, producer of the show. “Everyone involved in it are fans ourselves, so what we’re really trying to do is create something that is really special for fans to really celebrate his music in a unique way with a full symphony.”

The process of developing the show, which is presented by Live Nation Urban and TCG Entertainment, has been going strong for more than six months. The creative team had the concept in place, and then they sought and secured permission from Prince’s estate, Cook said. After everything was aligned, the team moved into creation mode and began building the evening.

“This is an extensive tour,” Cook said. “We’re doing 30-35 dates in the U.S. over this seven-week period before we go international. It’s a big process to put something like that together, and now we’re in show creation mode. … It’s a big tour, but we’re really excited about it.”

Cook stayed tight-lipped about the set list for the show; however, it doesn’t take a fortune teller to realize that most of the hits will be present and accounted for. What may surprise audience members is that 4U plans to delve deep into Prince’s back catalog as well.

“I don’t want to give everything away, but the show, in particular the first half, it is gems,” he said. “And Quest has really dug deep into the catalog and found some really neat things. … Obviously we’re doing all the hits, and that’s a big part of it. But, yes, this show is really going to speak not only to the casual fans who like his music, but I’m talking about the diehard fans that are really into it. It’s going to speak to them.”

Cook grew up in a small town in Florida and remembers loving Prince’s “Little Red Corvette” and other songs when growing up. “I grew up in that generation with his music,” he said. “All of us are not only fans but really respectable of what he did and the music that he did. I would say that Questlove is his biggest fan. He can name a Prince song in a one-second clip, like pretty much any Prince song.”

Cook remembers hearing the news of Prince’s death April 21, 2016. It was shocking and served as one more headline in a long list of sad news involving musical greats, like David Bowie, George Michael and now Aretha Franklin.

“Wow, it’s been a really sad time,” he said. “Obviously his music lives on, and we’re just hoping that if we can contribute a small piece with what we’re trying to do, then we’re really honored and humbled to be doing that. … Our show is about the music.”

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

4U — A Symphonic Celebration of Prince will play Thursday, Sept. 6 at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Click here for more information and tickets.