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Photographer Daniel Corrigan reflects on Prince

Prince at First Avenue in Minneapolis, undated.
Prince at First Avenue in Minneapolis, undated.Courtesy of Daniel Corrigan

by Luke Taylor

December 01, 2016

Following the release of his recent book, Heyday: 35 Years of Music in Minneapolis, photographer Daniel Corrigan shared some of his stories in an eight-part video series for the Minnesota Historical Society's "Storied" collection.

In the eighth installment of Corrigan's "Storied" videos, Corrigan looks back on his experiences photographing Prince at First Avenue. "I'm the luckiest guy," Corrigan says in the video. "I actually got to shoot six different Prince performances … he was THE guitar god. I mean, he was the best."

A longtime First Avenue employee, Corrigan says Prince was lucky to have First Avenue as his hometown venue. "As a performer, when you're standing in the center of the stage — at the front of the stage if the lighting's right — you can see the face of every single person in the house," Corrigan explains. "When [Prince] was up there, I think he was connected with every single person in the audience."

The Corrigan "Storied" videos were produced by Andrea E. Reed and Julianna Olsen, along with videographer Touchaingkong Yang and videographer/editor Chad Knutson. Links to all eight parts of Corrigan's "Storied" series are available on the Minnesota Historical Society website. In addition, the companion exhibit to Heyday: 35 Years of Music in Minneapolis remains on display at the Mill City Museum in Minneapolis until April 30, 2017.

Resources

Heyday: 35 Years of Music in Minneapolis (MNHS Press)

First Avenue

Daniel Corrigan pauses at the Prince star
Photographer Daniel Corrigan pauses at the Prince star outside First Avenue.
Chad Knutson; Touchaingkong Yang/Minnesota Historical Society