Prince is throwing a "Rally 4 Peace" in Baltimore on Mother's Day, and he's asking everyone to wear the color gray in honor of Freddie Gray, whose death in police custody last month set off protests, riots and an overnight curfew in the city.
Live Nation, the concert's promoter, said Tuesday that "several industry superstars" are expected to appear at the show at Royal Farms Arena, although it didn't name them. An unspecified part of the proceeds will go to Baltimore-based youth charities, it said.
Prince recently recorded an unreleased protest song titled "Baltimore," which included these lyrics:
Does anybody hear us pray
4 Michael Brown or Freddie Gray?
Peace is more than the absence of war.
Yvette Noel-Schure, a spokeswoman for the Minneapolis-based superstar, said the song "addresses the unrest in Baltimore and the socio-political issues around the country in the wake of a slew of killings of young black men."
IN-DEPTH
- Edward Nero, Officer Charged in Death of Freddie Gray, Believes Arrest Was Legal
- A Look at the Baltimore Police Officers Charged in Freddie Gray's Death
— M. Alex Johnson