One Of The Most-Watched Howard Stern Show Performances Ever Featured Adam Levine Stunning The Audience With A Very Unexpected Cover

Adam Levine had fans talking following his cover of Purple Rain, and that included praise from Howard Stern and Prince himself.

The end result was a strong one, as Levine thrived with the set. We’ll take a look back on Levine’s thoughts about the performance, and what feedback he got from Prince himself. We’ll also reveal what the fans had to say about his version of the song, along with Howard Stern’s reaction.

Finally, we’ll end things off by taking a closer look at Levine’s unique experience alongside Prince. The artist was in for quite the treat as he got to spend time alongside Prince. It was truly an unforgettable day for Levine and one he won’t forget.

Adam Levine Says His Performance On The Howard Stern Show Was The Closest Out Of Body Experience He Ever Had

Taking on a Prince song is a major risk and one few artists dare to attempt. Adam Levine deserves credit for attempting Purple Rain in the first place, though his performance left everyone in shock, including the artist himself. Looking back at the moment alongside Howard Stern, Levine called it a profound experience, and the closest out-of-body experience he ever had on stage.

“Of my professional career, I think it was probably the closest thing I’ve ever had to that out-of-body [experience]. Like, I knew I had the room and I knew I was winning the moment,” he said.

Levine added that he was very motivated heading into the cover. The artist wanted to impress Howard Stern, while also paying the proper homage to Prince in the process.

“It was a combination of so many things. It was wanting to impress and put on a show for you … and then it was also not wanting to let Prince down because people just don’t cover ‘Purple Rain.’” Adam explained. “You don’t just go out there and sing and play like that. You don’t. You don’t do it. It’s kind of against the law.”

Levine himself could not have expected such a positive reaction, and he also received praise from Prince himself.

Adam Levine’s Performance Of Purple Rain Was Praised By Both Prince And The Fans

Posted to Howard Stern’s YouTube channel, the performance has over 75 million views. It was put Howard’s channel seven years ago and it seems like fans are still enjoying the cover. This included praise from Prince himself.

“I was like, ‘What did he say?’” Adam recalled. “She was like, ‘He took a long pause and then he said, “He’s learning.’”

Fans also agreed that they couldn’t get enough of Levine’s impressive version.

“I’ve watched this about 20 times and this is the best rendition of Purple Rain since Prince himself. As a rock fan this was an amazing performance,” one fan writes.

“After hitting the,”weekend lover”. His walk back to the mic,is a perfect mimic of Prince! Perfect respect. Prince was all about movement, in addition to the multitude of other TALENTS he possessed. Adam Levine is amazing.”

Another fan revealed to not being a fan of Levine, but was blown away by the cover. “Not a huge fan of his band but this is one of the best versions of this song I’ve heard. Fantastic. Peace all from Brazil.”

Quite the experience for Levine, who also got the pleasure of meeting the icon in real life.

Adam Levine Had A Memorable Encounter With Prince

Knowing Prince’s assistant, Adam Levine took a shot at setting up and encounter between the two, and it worked. The two took part in a jam session, as the artist detailed with David Letterman.

“Turns out he wanted to hang out. So he came over,” he said. “He came with his band, it was kind of like a Prince movie. Here he is with his bass player, drummer, keyboard player.”

“I had a jam session party at my house in LA,” Adam recalled. “I called all my friends and was like, ‘Let’s play music in my living room. I’ll set it up, it’ll be great.'”

The jam session lasted longer than expected, taking place up until 6 AM.

Following Prince’s passing, Levine paid tribute to their great moments together.

“[I’ll remember] just the great times that we had and just constantly being inspired by how he did things his way [and] never let anybody deter what he wanted to accomplish creatively and musically. As a musician, I can’t tell you how much that’s rubbed off on me.”

Great moments were shared between the two while Levine did something few can ever say they did, and that’s impress Prince with one of his own classics.