Will Dailey Is Headlining a Prince Tribute Show in Boston

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Boston musician Will Dailey hopes to honor the life and legacy of Prince at a special tribute show on Friday night.

The event, which also features a performance by fellow Bostonian Nephrok, is meant to celebrate more than just the Purple One’s musical prowess. Dailey, who headlines the show, wants to make sure that people don’t forget about Prince’s philanthropic efforts and the immense impact he had on his community in Minnesota.

“I believe he’s one of those artists that, 200 years from now, there will be a class on him in a university,” Dailey says. “It’s a unique gift to the Earth that he brought.”

The homegrown talent was inspired by Prince’s work off the stage, which is why he’s partnering with Zumix for the tribute show. The Boston-based organization helps low-income youth through free after school and summer enrichment programs that range from songwriting and music lessons to community radio.

Dailey believes that public school systems in the city and across the country have “systematically removed art from education,” which may have a detrimental effect on the development of young people. While it’s nice that Boston invests in music through other avenues like hosting big festivals with national acts, he thinks there needs to be more done on the local level.

According to the musician, organizations like Zumix can provide a variety of valuable life lessons thanks to music.

“These kids understand what it takes and understand how to listen,” Dailey says. “Music education at the very least should teach us how to listen.”

The Boston rocker calls art “the equity of human kind” because of the profound effect it can have on all aspects of society. Dailey believes that people don’t usually think about the power of art and music, which can do everything from pumping people up at football games to providing long-term, economic boosts.

“You take the Louvre out of Paris, you take the Eiffel Tower, both designed by artists,” he says. “If you didn’t have the beautiful architects putting up those buildings, then why are we flying there? Why are they making money off of tourism?”

Overall, Dailey believes that the purpose of art and great artists like Prince is to bring people together in a positive way.

“Art is connection,” he says. “Being connected with people was really Prince’s greatest hit.”

Will Dailey performs at Zumix on Friday, July 29, at 7 p.m. For more information, check out zumix.org.