The legendary Prince held a “Rally 4 Peace” concert in Baltimore in honor of Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old man who died in police custody last month, and the city’s residents weren’t the only notable attendees.
Prince was joined on stage by singers Estelle and Miguel, but it was Beyonce and Jay Z‘s appearance backstage to meet Gray’s grieving family that got social media talking.
Beyonce also posed for a picture with Lesley McSpadden, the mother of Michael Brown Jr. — the Ferguson, Mo. teenager who was fatally shot by former Officer Darren Wilson in August 2014.
Guests were asked to wear something gray to honor Freddie Gray, but the bigger impact was made by Prince himself, who took the stage and addressed the Baltimore uprising head on.
“The system is broken. We gotta fix it by building a new one right here, right now,” he said, according to USA Today. “It’s gonna be all right, y’all. It’s gonna be all right. We’re gonna figure this thing out.”
Shouting out Black-owned businesses, imploring young people to take the lead in the movement, and honoring all victims of police brutality were all touching points the idol made during his show. And Prince, in the biggest surprise of the night, made the decision to move fans from the nosebleed section to the front row.
TIDAL, Jay Z’s new music service, streamed audio from the concert for free. You can see more highlights from the epic night here.
SOURCE: USA Today, Twitter, Instagram | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
