If you haven’t seen this rock star coming of age classic that meant so much to so many teens in the eighties, get thee to the Tampa Theatre Saturday night. Purple Rain stars Prince as The Kid who turns to music to escape an abusive alcoholic dad and a cold and distant mom. The Kid meets Apollonia, a young singer (and Prince’s real-life protégé) and the two fall in love. The journey to true love is never seemless (of course) and The Kid battles demons from his home life and the bitter realities of the music industry. Especially appropriate is Q105 as the media sponsor, because when we fell in love with Prince in the eighties, we always listened on the Q Morning Zoo (rest in peace to them both). April 30, 9 p.m.; doors open at 8 p.m. and expect a packed house, so arrive early. Tampa Theatre, 711 Franklin St., Tampa. 813-274-8286. tampatheatre.org.
This article appears in Apr 28 – May 4, 2016.