Prince fans weren’t impressed with John Legend’s rendition of the late artist’s song “Let’s Go Crazy” at the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Legend performed Prince’s track before Kamala Harris’ running mate Tim Walz spoke at the DNC in Chicago on Wednesday night (August 21).
Legend was joined by Prince collaborator Sheila E. and guitarist Ari O’Neal, who received rave reviews for her contributions. O’Neal reacted to the positive response to her performance on Thursday (August 22).
“Literally in tears right now,” she wrote on Instagram. “God is so good behind the stage, under the stage, one the stage: this is the energy I ALWAYS give. I love what I do, and I’m grateful for the people God has put in my life. @johnlegend thank you for being so AMAZING. You and your whole team were so incredibly kind, and welcoming. Your music as contributed so much to our culture!!! @sheilaedrummer AUNTIEEEE!!! I love you, THANK YOU for paving the way for ALL women musicians. You are a leader and my shero.”
Legend covered a Prince song to set the stage for Walz, the Governor of Minnesota. Prince, a Minneapolis native, was known for staying in his home state throughout his career.
“You might not know it, but I haven’t given a lot of big speeches like this,” Walz told the DNC crowd. “But I have given a lot of pep talks. So let me finish with this, team. It’s the fourth quarter. We’re down a field goal. But we’re on offense and we’ve got the ball. We’re driving down the field. And boy, do we have the right team. Kamala Harris is tough. Kamala Harris is experienced. And Kamala Harris is ready.”
Check out some of the reactions to Legend’s Prince cover below.