1985-02-23 Forum (The), Inglewood, CA

Theatrice Westbrook

Firstly, it was one of a few shows which began behind the huge curtain, not with "Let's Go Crazy" but this night with "Controversy." There were several additions and extended jams in the middle section. As has been documented, Bruce Springsteen was guest on "Baby, I'm A Star." From where we sat my friends and I couldn't see that it was him. One of my friends asked if a female guest was Madonna (she was dressed like her). Prince asked the guy, "Bruce, you wanna jam?" I thought he was a roadie or friend of the band. (We still didn't get it.) After the song ended, Prince was last to leave the stage, stating loudly, "Bruce Springsteen is not the boss!" We were totally confused by this. And we still did not understand. Then "Purple Rain" wiped us clean. We left the venue rejuvenated and renewed. I read later in the press, and it was confirmed, that Madonna was at the show as a guest. Years later I was talking with a friend at work who told me he attended "a Purple Rain show" with his sister, and Bruce Springsteen was a guest. I was shocked that I didn't realize it at the time. After comparing notes, I informed him that Madonna was also there, which he didn't realize. Five or six years later, a friend I knew from the Black Rock Coalition mentioned he had attended this same show, but with a twist. After trading notes — I mentioned I was there when Springsteen and Madonna were guests — he responded, "Oh yea, the show where he left the stage and came back after 20 minutes, and then did "America" for 20 minutes? So — we apparently missed "America" completely. According to Princevault.com and a few other sites, he also performed this song as a post-encore at a handful of shows on the tour. I first heard a boot of the show, an inferior one, in the early Nineties. The songs were in the correct running order, so I thought "America" was an extra track, not having been in the arena when they played it, nor having gotten the info from my friend about this performance. Many years later in the 21st Century, I heard a much superior recording, but this time "America" was edited in after "Baby, I'm A Star", leaving "Purple Rain" as the last track. The slight to Springsteen at the end of "Baby, I'm A Star" was edited out of both recordings. I am informing all that the encore running order for February 23, 1985 was as follows: "I Would Die 4 U / Baby, I'm A Star", "Purple Rain", "America".