Prince to Hold Rally 4 Peace Concert in Baltimore This Weekend

This weekend Prince will hold a special concert in Baltimore, where he is expected to share a new song he has dedicated to Charm City.

The “Rally 4 Peace” concert will be Sunday, May 10, at Royal Farms Arena on West Baltimore Street. Several “industry superstars” will be in attendance, according to NBC News.

Prince and the female band 3rdEyeGirl will take the stage during the show, where Prince is expected to perform a song called “Baltimore” that he penned after the Baltimore riots.

The song is a “tribute to all of the people of the city of Baltimore,” according to Billboard.

Prince played the song during a private show last week at his soundstage in Minnesota, according to the Fox affiliate there. The song concluded with a “tear-evoking electric guitar solo” and included the lyrics:

“For Michael Brown or Freddie Gray, peace is more than the absence of war.”

Freddie Gray, 25, died in the custody of Baltimore Police April 19 from a severe spinal cord injury, according to officials. His death is under investigation, and six officers have been charged.

Michael Brown, 18, was shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., on Aug. 9, 2014. The officer was not charged.

Both incidents were followed by looting and riots.

Prince said his new song is a response to the “unrest in Baltimore” and the “socio/political issues...in the wake of a slew of killings of young black men,” a spokesperson for Prince told USA Today.

Tickets for the Rally 4 Peace in Baltimore went on sale Wednesday on Ticketmaster. Attendees are asked to wear gray in recognition of those lost to violence. The show starts at 8 p.m. Sunday.

• How 6 Officers Contributed to Death of Freddie Gray: State’s Attorney
• Why Baltimore Burned
• Baltimore Riots by the Numbers: Arrests, Business Burned, Officers Injured

The Mother’s Day concert in Baltimore comes the week after Prince held a May 2 dance rally at his studio in Minnesota, where he asked attendees to wear gray.

The event ended with a chant led by Prince that went: “Baltimore, peace forever more,” according to Rolling Stone. The dance rally was dedicated to the people of Baltimore and Freddie Gray, Entertainment Weekly reported.

Last week in Baltimore, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra held its own peace concert outside the Meyerhoff.