February 4th, 2007 will forever be the night the sky turned purple.
But the story really began a month earlier, when an email landed in my inbox with a question that didn't feel real: Would you like to be part of the Super Bowl Halftime Show?
The job was unpaid and physically demanding — late nights, heavy equipment, pushing massive stage pieces across pavement and grass. I didn't hesitate. My husband, Q, joined instantly, and soon five or six of my FloridaNPG family were in too. Three Weeks of Rehearsals.
For nearly three weeks, we lived in the Dolphin Stadium parking lot, rehearsing four hours a night. On day one, after signing NDAs, they revealed the secret: The stage would be shaped like Prince's symbol.
Rehearsing With Prince.
A few days before the show, they told us we'd be rehearsing with Prince and the band. My hands shook. After assembling the stage, we sat in the lower bowl and watched him rehearse — no phones, no cameras, just presence. When he played Purple Rain, even my husband cried.
Super Bowl Sunday
We met at Nova University, received gold wristbands, and boarded police-escorted buses. When we reached the stadium, the sky opened up. South Florida rain — relentless and heavy. We waited beside Prince's guitars, convinced the live show would be canceled.
Then, with two minutes left before the cutoff, the call: 'Put on your ponchos! Prince is going on!' We ran, pushing slick, heavy stage pieces across soaked grass.
If Prince could perform in the rain, so could we. Q was pulled last-minute to plug in the dragon fire effect. I whispered a prayer.
Everything worked perfectly. Prince stepped into the storm, lights turning the stadium violet. The rain looked like shimmering purple threads. When he played Purple Rain, I cried. We all did. We weren't watching history — we were inside it.
After the Magic.
We broke down the stage, rode back to Nova, and celebrated with pizza, shirts, certificates, and a replay of the show we had just lived — soaked, exhausted, glowing.
A once-in-a-lifetime night. One we will never forget.
