Not surprisingly, there was an epic party after the wrap of Saturday Night Live’s 40th anniversary show last year. Held at the Plaza Hotel, attendees – a who’s who of everyone who’s ever graced the SNL stage – made up for the lack of a house band by jamming together. From Miley Cyrus to Ariana Grande, Jimmy Fallon, Elvis Costello, Paul McCartney, and Taylor Swift to Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray, the resulting musical round robin is well documented. Yet the highlight, when a drunken Fallon dared Prince to join them, hasn’t been seen in full until now.
“All of a sudden, the crowd parts and there’s purple smoke and the dude, just floating towards the stage,” Fallon noted the next day on The Tonight Show, recalling the moment the Purple One took him up on his offer. Picking up a guitar, Prince launched into “Let’s Go Crazy,” with a backing band that included Emma Stone, Bill Murray, Jim Carrey, a Haim sister, Martin Short, Maya Rudolph, and, of course, Fallon.
Filmed by SNL alumni Tim Kazurinsky, he shot it while standing on his tiptoes in the melee. Kazurinsky decided to upload it to YouTube today in honor of Prince’s passing, with the note, “Goodnight, sweet Prince…” Watch it above, and read the full story of Prince’s SNL40 night here.