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Thread started 06/10/16 6:17am

OldFriends4Sal
e

Prince & the Revolution @ Gallaudet University 11.29.1984

Washington D.C.

The time Prince gave a free suprise concert at a private college for deaf & handicapped students.

1. Let's Go Crazy

2. Delirious

3. 1999

4. Little Red Corvette

5. Free

“Be glad that you are free; there’s many a man who is not. Be glad for what you got,”

6. God

“God made you. God made me. He made us all equally.”

7. When Doves Cry

8. Baby I'm A Star

9. Purple Rain


Prince was at the top of his game when he came to Washington in the fall of 1984. “Purple Rain” was one of the biggest albums and movies of the year, and he performed an astonishing seven concerts at Landover’s Capital Centre — selling out all of them — over the course of two weeks. But before he left, he stopped off at Washington’s Gallaudet University, a private college for the deaf. We have republished The Washington Post’s story about his remarkable concert on campus.

In a surprise, free performance at Gallaudet College, Prince, the rock star, dazzled and thrilled about 2,500 handicapped students from the campus and the city’s public schools yesterday afternoon.

There were blind students who could not see him. There were deaf students who could only feel the vibrations of the songs that have made Prince one of the country’s most popular performers. But none of that seemed to matter.

As Prince performed, often smiling and grinning as he played, hundreds of students raised their hands with thumbs, index and baby fingers extended and the two middle ones curved inward to tell him in sign language, “I love you.”

For Prince, the controversial performer whose risque “Purple Rain” tour has sold out a record seven concerts at the Capital Centre, the show was a bit toned down, apparently for the young “special” audience.

Promoters said Prince requested to do the show for handicapped students who would not otherwise be able to see or hear him perform. It was his second charitable appearance this week.

On Tuesday night he was the featured guest at a reception held to raise money for maverick Chicago educator Marva Collins and Big Brothers of America, which has more than 1,000 black males in D.C. waiting to be matched with role models, spokesmen said.

Prince wore a psychedelic crushed velvet Edwardian suit. Later, he threw his white glove, and some of his jewelry into the crowd. Members of his back-up band, The Revolution, tossed flowers and masks to the excited students, many of whom did not learn of the concert until yesterday morning shortly before they boarded for the trip to the quiet campus.

Several interpreters for the deaf, standing on podiums throughout the Gallaudet field house, translated the lyrics, danced and tried to convey what Prince meant when he screamed, screeched and plucked his guitar’s strings.

“I had a lot of fun. I felt his music,” Angela Maxey, 18, a deaf student at Gallaudet, said through an interpreter. “I couldn’t hear the words, but I could feel the vibrations. Deaf people really appreciate and love loud music.”

The interpreter, Joyce Doblmier, said, “Some deaf students have dim hearing ability and can hear when” the music is pounded into their eardrums. “They can’t feel the notes, but they can feel the rhythms.”

Joan Lee, the wife of the president of Gallaudet College, and several students presented gifts to the 26-year-old performer. Then Prince and The Revolution took to the stage for an encore rendition of the moody “Purple Rain.”

In all he played more than a dozens songs and melodies, including “1999,” “Little Red Corvette,” and “When Doves Cry.” Noticeably missing were his more erotic songs.

“He didn’t really go all out like he has before,” said Warren Graves, 19, a Prince fan and a student at Spingarn High School who said he recently overcame emotional problems that interfered with his ability to learn. “He really respected these young kids.”

During several songs, Prince emphasized phrases as if trying to motivate the handicapped youths, often discriminated against, ostractized and left out of normal activities.

“Be glad that you are free; there’s many a man who is not. Be glad for what you got,” he sang at one point. And later he sang, “God made you. God made me. He made us all equally.”

“The whole performance was touching,” said Carol Kirkendall, whose G Street Express company has promoted the Prince tour. “I’ve seen many shows and he was really at his best. I know that he was touched, you could sense it.”

By Edward D. Sargent
November 30, 1984

Prince performing at Gallaudet University on November 29, 1984 (Photo: Courtesy of the Gallaudet University Archives)

Fans all over the world are mourning the sudden death of Prince Rogers Nelson on April 21, 2016, the singular musical genius who masterfully blended rock, R&B, jazz, funk and pop. But did you know that Washington, D.C. played host to one of his most unique and inspiring performances? At the very pinnacle of his fame during the massively popular "Purple Rain" tour in 1984, Prince stopped to play a free concert for 1,900 students at Gallaudet University — the world-renowned school for the deaf — and 600 special needs students from D.C.-area schools.

By the time Prince's tour rolled into D.C. in November 1984, he had already scored two number 1 hits on the Billboard pop singles charts ("When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy"), and "Purple Rain" was also climbing the charts (landing eventually at #2). The album Purple Rain had also reached #1 and sold over 13 million copies by the end of the year. Prince (and The Revolution) were filling large arenas around the country, and he was scheduled to play an amazing seven consecutive sold out shows at the Capital Centre in Landover, MD. But before he left the Washington area, Prince had something very special in mind.

Working with legendary D.C.-area concert promoters Darryll Brooks and Carol Kirkendall, Prince arranged a surprise, free concert on the campus of Gallaudet University for November 29, 1984. According to the Washington Post, Prince requested to do the show for disabled students who would not otherwise be able to see or hear him perform. The performance was actually Prince's second charitable endeavor of the week — he also made a guest appearance at a fundraising event for Big Brothers of America.

Although, according to the Washington Post, some of Prince's more risqué lyrics were "toned down" for this unique audience, Prince put on a full-length show including hits like "1999," "Little Red Corvette," and "When Doves Cry" in the tiny Gallaudet Field House. American Sign Language interpreters were on hand to help the deaf crowd get into the music, but the loud pounding vibrations provided their own universal language. As one of the Gallaudet students told The Post through an interpreter: "I had a lot of fun. I felt his music," said Angela Maxey, 18. "I couldn’t hear the words, but I could feel the vibrations. Deaf people really appreciate and love loud music."

Towards the end of the show Joan Lee, the wife of the president of Gallaudet College, and several students presented gifts to the 26-year-old performer. Then Prince returned to the stage for a rousing encore of the anthemic "Purple Rain." Speaking to the Washington Post concert promoter Darryll Brooks later recalled of the show: "I never seen so many hardcore road [crew] guys start crying ... I think even Prince broke a tear. It was one of those moments that those kids would never forget. And Prince wrote the check for the whole thing."

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Reply #1 posted 06/10/16 6:40am

Doozer

avatar

Amazing post. Thank you.
Check out The Mountains and the Sea, a Prince podcast by yours truly and my wife. More info at https://www.facebook.com/TMATSPodcast/
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Reply #2 posted 06/10/16 7:19am

BillieBalloon

Thanks, this was great to read. He was a kind hearted soul.
Baby, you're a star.

Meet me in another world, space and joy
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Reply #3 posted 06/10/16 9:33am

PurpleDiamonds
1

Thank you for sharing! I believe he has the kindest soul and a huge heart.
Watch a video a couple weeks ago of Prince playing for the Special Olympics with Rosie Gains. Great show!
Wish this story could hit the media again.
Would be nice if the month of June turned into kind acts for others and other musicians could play for the physical handicapped children, Big Brothers/Big Sisters etc. even canned food donations collected at work places, as well as for animals.
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Reply #4 posted 06/10/16 9:45am

TonyWilliams

avatar

oh- that was amazing.

thank you so much for this post.

Love...thy will b done
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Reply #5 posted 06/10/16 9:49am

farnorth

Love this.

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Reply #6 posted 06/10/16 12:42pm

pdiddy2011

Such a great example of compassion and love for one another. Wonderful post.

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Reply #7 posted 06/10/16 3:17pm

rightbluecheek

avatar

Thank you. That was amazing.
"No one plays the clarinet the way U play my heart"
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Reply #8 posted 06/10/16 3:40pm

1725topp

When I heard about this at the time, my mother, who taught special education, had to explain to me that the deaf can experience/enjoy music through the vibrations. My favorite artist made me cognizant of something through his giving spirit, and my mother, who thought Prince was the devil, stopped calling him the devil. From that moment, she just said "That nasty little man does have a heart of kindness." To which I replied to my mother, "Nasty Kindness...yes, mama, that describes Prince exactly."

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Reply #9 posted 06/11/16 5:07am

OldFriends4Sal
e

They also did a full concert that day. I want to pull out more of these stories and all the charities they gave to... leading up to the We Are the World incident.

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Reply #10 posted 06/11/16 5:11am

Guitarhero

I heard about this before. Such a cool thing to do. cool

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Reply #11 posted 06/11/16 7:00am

ksgemini63

This helped in 80's to inspire me to teach deaf and hard of hearing children which I am still doing.
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Reply #12 posted 06/11/16 7:21am

Guitarhero

ksgemini63 said:

This helped in 80's to inspire me to teach deaf and hard of hearing children which I am still doing.

Respect.

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Reply #13 posted 06/11/16 7:49am

coffeebreak

It was my dream to take my deaf kid to hear P when he was a little older. It will stay a dream... Such a pity. sad

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Reply #14 posted 06/11/16 9:06am

ksgemini63

Thank u I love what I do... For 26 years now...even today Prince is known to many deaf people. I will have to see if any of our teachers were there...those r a few of my favorite Prince pics ever.
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Reply #15 posted 07/06/16 8:35am

OldFriends4Sal
e

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Reply #16 posted 07/08/16 7:19am

FlyOnTheWall

What a kind, generous soul.

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Reply #17 posted 07/08/16 7:33am

CAL3

Brought a tear of joy to my eye on a difficult, emotionally-trying morning... Thanks for posting this story and photos. What a special event that obviously was, and a kind and generous gesture by Prince and company.

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Reply #18 posted 07/08/16 7:37am

Bunsterdk

Thank you so much. He was such a kind man with a lot of love for others. Wonderful to be reminded of this again. biggrin
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Reply #19 posted 07/12/16 5:05pm

OldFriends4Sal
e

Prince leaving the show...

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Reply #20 posted 07/12/16 5:25pm

Connected

avatar

ksgemini63 said:

This helped in 80's to inspire me to teach deaf and hard of hearing children which I am still doing.


Top Banana!

Respect! cool

~Shakalaka!~..... ~Mayday!~
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Reply #21 posted 07/12/16 5:52pm

Purplestar88

ROCK STAR PLAYS SURPRISE CONCERT FOR HANDICAPPED CHILDREN

MARJORIE ANDERS, Associated Press
Mar. 20, 1985 5:02 PM ET

(AP) _ In a surprise concert for which arrangements were kept strictly hush-hush, Prince brought his rib-rattling rock 'n' roll to a special audience in the Bronx on Wednesday - deaf, blind and handicapped kids from around the city.

''I felt the vibrations,'' said 20-year-old Christopher Buckland as his teacher interpreted his sign language. Buckland is deaf but had no trouble seeing the brilliant colored light beams that refracted in the dry ice vapor that clouded the stage.

No interpreter was needed to read his face. It was his first rock concert.

Prince pranced and danced his way through a nine-song set that lasted more than an hour. As in his regular shows, during the song ''Baby I'm a Star'' about two dozen kids were hauled up on stage. Many also got hugs from Prince.

The free concert was arranged last week with the Board of Education and coincides with Prince's current six-performance series at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island. But Wednesday's concert was kept under wraps and even the kids didn't know who they were going to see until that morning.

''We are within walking distance of about three high schools, so it's been top secret,'' said Jane Salodof of Lehman College, where the concert was held.

Wearing a brocade suit, his signature ruffled shirt and high-heeled boots, Prince started the concert with the words ''Dearly beloved,'' the opening of his song ''Let's Go Crazy.'' For his final encore, he sang ''Purple Rain,'' the title of his hit movie.

Flower garlands were wrapped around the microphone stands and piled atop the piano and Prince and members of his band, Revolution, threw them to the wildly enthusiastic crowd.

The kids arrived by bus and van from public schools, private institutions and United Cerebral Palsy centers around the city. Two rows of chairs in the 2,300-seat auditorium were removed to make room for wheelchairs, and many children were carried to their seats.

Sign language interpreters wearing purple T-shirts and black leather pants stood on both sides of the stage and signed the lyrics.

Prince declined to be interviewed, as he has for the past three years, about his motives for the free concert.

But Alan Leeds, Prince's New York spokesman, said: ''This is the fifth concert like this on this tour,'' which began Nov. 4 in Detroit and ends April 7 in Miami. Prince has performed for handicapped groups in Washington, Houston, Santa Monica and Atlanta, he said.

''And quite frankly, they have not been publicized because they are closed affairs,'' Leeds said. ''He does it because he happens to get gratification out of playing for people who might not ever be able to attend a rock concert.''

''There's no hidden motive. He gets off on it, so we do it,'' Leeds said.

''Some of them have never seen anything like it. That's why Prince does it,'' said Roy Bennett, production designer of Prince's road show.

Doug Henders, who was videotaping the show for Prince, said, ''These shows give us energy. It's the spirit of giving, which is pretty rare.''

Prince has been under fire recently for not appearing with other major rock stars in the fundraising recording of ''We Are the World,'' for African famine relief. However, he wrote a song for the album.

''It was a gala appreciated by all in attendance,'' said Jerry Parker, a spokesman for the city Board of Education, which organized the concert in less than four days.

Prince helped defray the cost of putting on the show, including providing a generator because the auditorium did not have enough electricity and hiring 14 extra crew members to set up the light and sound system.

''It was a full arena show in a concert hall,'' Ms. Salodof said.

© 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

This concert was at Lehman College
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Reply #22 posted 07/12/16 5:57pm

Purplestar88

http://www.welcome2thebronx.com/wordpress/2016/04/25/how-prince-helped-the-bronx-his-little-remembered-concert-at-lehman/

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Forums > Prince: Music and More > Prince & the Revolution @ Gallaudet University 11.29.1984