Minnesota Vikings Honor Prince With Halftime Tribute

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The Minnesota Vikings celebrated their 2016 NFL home opener versus their division rival Green Bay Packers on Sunday night (September 18) by saluting native son Prince. The Purple One died on April 21, 2016 at just 57, months after the 2015 NFL season ended so the nationally televised NBC Sunday Night Football game was the first opportunity the team had to honor him.

This was also the Vikings first regular season game at their spanking new U.S. Bank Stadium, which Metallica helped inaugurate last month with a sold-out show

With the stadium bathed in purple lights, the Minnesota Orchestra and Minneapolis-based gospel group the Steeles performed a stirring rendition of “Purple Rain” that brought a huge ovation from the stadium crowd.

Watch the performance here…

Meanwhile, tickets for an official Prince tribute concert, scheduled for October 13 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN, sold-out immediately today (September 19). The concert features an all-star cast of Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera, Chaka Khan, John Mayer, Anita Baker, Doug E. Fresh, and Morris Day and the Time, among others. Tickets on the secondary market are available here.

Related: Prince tributes from around the globe on the day he died In the “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” department, comes this wild coincidence that took place during the game…

Vikings honored Prince last night at halftime. 1st ever TD scored there was Rodgers to Nelson, Prince’s real name is Prince Rogers Nelson.

— GB Packers Football (@GBtitletownpack) September 19, 2016