One Month Later…Part 1

Thank you very much for this particular podcast as we all attempt to deal with our grief.
I’m going to try not to turn this into an essay, but there are just so many emotions raging as I go through my grieving process. A little bit about myself: 53 YO black female. I grew up loving music and started learning and playing music at age 11. I marched in a drum and bugle corps in HS, I’ve sang in bands. I remember the first time I really noticed Prince: I was babysitting and DMSR came in the radio. That was it I was hooked. I bought the album and my mother almost had a stroke when Let’s Pretend We’re Married came on. But she became one of his biggest fans and attended many a Prince concert with me. Prince, in my opinion was a musical genius. His ability to write an astounding verse and beautiful chords always touched me. I spent months learning Another Lonely Christmas – the piano in that song touched my heart and he played it with so much emotion. It will always be one of my favorites.
I first saw Prince at the Cow Palace in San Francisco with my sister. I skipped work the day of the next concert and my co worker and I went and bought scalped tickets off the street. The seats were horrible, but the energy in that place. He really knew how to rock the house.
Of course I remember my life before Prince, but after my discovery there are so many memories tied to him, college life, working out, jogging, travel – I heard 1999 being played in an elevator in Paris, France in 1995 or 1996. I took him with me on road trips, I danced to his music, I cried to his music. He was always there, he went everywhere. And of course there were concerts. I last saw Prince live at the Oakland Arena in March of 2016. I remember thinking: “he’s getting older”. So I started going through my collection, making sure everything was in order. I had no idea that he would be dead in the next month.
I agree with one of the guests who said that he would not want us crying for him and I agree. I think he would want us to celebrate his life and his music. One day, I’m going to be able to celebrate his music because in reality, we were so lucky to walk the earth the same time as such a talented man. We were all so fortunate to attend his concerts and be entertained by him. Prince will never be forgotten, he has left us with enough music to last a lifetime.
Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to say these words. Many just don’t understand how much he meant to so many.