The Thursday death of Prince, an iconic rocker, is likely sending shockwaves through the White House where President Obama was a huge fan, and friend.
Prince, 57, was even the headliner at a secret concert last year that also featured Stevie Wonder, James Taylor and Bon Jovi. Of course, he played “Purple Rain.”
Recommended Stories
Leaving the White House party w/POTUS and FLOTUS. Awesome to see Prince and Stevie Wonder on keyboards together. Unbelievable experience.
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) June 14, 2015
In fact, nobody outside of Obama’s inner circle even knew about the June 13, 500-person private concert until Rev. Al Sharpton tweeted shortly after midnight, “Leaving the White House party w/POTUS and FLOTUS. Awesome to see Prince and Stevie Wonder on keyboards together. Unbelievable experience.”
The Rolling Stone reported, “The reason for the event remains unclear – the best guess is that it was a thank you to supporters. Prince, a longtime Obama favorite, was already scheduled to play a show in D.C. the following night, and according to one source close to one of the guests, ‘It wasn’t connected to a birthday or anniversary. Prince was playing in D.C. and Obama is a big Prince fan and thought about doing something around it.'”
ABC reported, “White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the president and first lady personally paid for the party, which was not disclosed on the president’s public schedule. ‘The president and the first lady reserve the right to hold private parties at the White House, and they did it on their own dime,’ Earnest told reporters.”
It was so secret, that Rolling Stone reported that guests had to sign a non-disclosure notice, which Sharpton obviously violated.
“However, the White House declined to release a guest list for the evening, and at least one of the entertainers in attendance had to sign a non-disclosure form agreeing not to talk about the event. Nearly every guest invited to the party who was contacted by Rolling Stone declined to comment on the party, including Bon Jovi, who made a special trip to D.C. for the event,” said Rolling Stone.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
