Sign o’ the Times

To my father, who took me to this concert at Bercy and left an indelible mark on my memory.
Few concert films in history manage to capture the essence of an artist as vividly as Sign o' the Times, directed by the gifted artist Prince. Released in 1987 at a pivotal moment in his career and now resurrected in a remarkable IMAX restoration, this film is a true revelation. Part tour documentary, part cinematic experience, and part theatrical spectacle, Sign o' the Times presents Prince at his most daring, experimental, and, above all, alive. While Purple Rain presented Prince as both a rock star and a mythmaker, Sign o' the Times is unfiltered proof of his genius as a performer, musician, and visionary. The film was met with prolonged applause in the theater, not only for its historical significance, but also for the pure energy it transmits across the decades.

What strikes you first in this film is its energy: a kinetic force that never wanes, from the opening title, where Prince's minimalist funk contrasts with the urgent political undertones of the lyrics, to the finale with The Cross, an explosion of gospel-rock that leaves the audience in spiritual awe. Unlike Purple Rain, which relied heavily on narrative, this film lets the music carry the weight. Each song unfolds like a fully staged play, combining dazzling choreography, meticulous set design, and visual effects such as neon-lit alleys and black silhouettes. These elements could easily have veered into artifice, but in Prince's hands, they become an extension of his boundless imagination. Watching it, one can't help but remember that the album itself was a fusion of abandoned projects—Dream Factory, Camille, and Crystal Ball—condensed into a double LP that critics and fans now consider his masterpiece. On stage, these fragments merge into something that seems almost volcanic: unpredictable, fierce, and irresistible.

The band assembled for this tour was not just a simple opening act; it was a finely tuned machine, capable of following Prince wherever his impulses took him. At the forefront is Sheila E., whose drumming is simply perfect, her solos so precise and thunderous that they seem to shake the very foundations of the stage. Cat Glover, dancer, choreographer, and stage partner, embodies Prince's seductive and theatrical side, transforming songs like “Hot Thing” and “If I Was Your Girlfriend” into mini-dramas charged with eroticism. Behind them, Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss on brass provide a jazzy and incisive counterpoint, while Miko Weaver, Doctor Fink, Boni Boyer, and Levi Seacer Jr. complete a band whose versatility moves seamlessly from hard rock to bebop, from sensual ballads to funk. Seeing this ensemble at work makes it easy to understand why being part of Prince's band was considered one of the most demanding—and prestigious—jobs in popular music.

What makes the IMAX version truly transformative is the way it magnifies details that have always been there but have never been so immediate. You see every drop of sweat as Prince launches into James Brown-inspired splits and crab walks, every mischievous smile exchanged between him and Cat Glover, every hand gesture that signals a new, unexpected detour to the band. Songs like “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man” suddenly take on a larger-than-life dimension, the guitar riffs tearing through the IMAX speakers with the intensity of a live concert. Even moments that once seemed dated, such as the brief scripted interludes or the inclusion of the U Got the Look music video featuring Sheena Easton, take on a new charm when projected on such a large screen, offering a glimpse into Prince's insatiable desire to blur the lines between film, theater, and concert performance.

There is also a fascinating tension in the film. This was Prince after the commercial failure of Under the Cherry Moon and at a time when Warner Bros. was beginning to tighten its grip on his creative output. And yet, on screen, he exudes a confidence that borders on defiance, constructing a setlist that avoids his biggest American hits and features almost exclusively new material. It's a bold choice, almost unimaginable for an artist of his stature, but it works because the performances are incandescent. There is also a mischievous undertone: Prince seems to be telling his American audience, who never got to see the European tour with their own eyes, that his evolution cannot be measured solely by Purple Rain. This was not a commercial operation aimed at capitalizing on his greatest hits, but a challenge that required him to engage in his most daring art.

Seen today, nearly four decades after its initial release and nearly a decade after Prince's tragic death, Sign o' the Times seems even more essential. It captures the mercurial essence of a man who was never content to stay on one path, who could go from a bawdy pantomime with Cat Glover to a spiritual sermon in The Cross without missing a beat. It also foreshadows the sensibility of jumping from genre to genre, which has become commonplace in today's music. Watching the interplay between funk, rock, soul, jazz, and gospel, it's impossible not to think about the debt modern artists owe to the bold experimentation embodied by Prince. His passing in 2016 remains one of the most devastating moments in modern music, but in a way, this film reminds us that he left behind something eternal: a model of total artistic performance.

Sign o' the Times is more than a concert film; it's a time capsule of Prince at his peak, wild and uninhibited, reminding us that he wasn't just a pop star, but a cultural force capable of bending genres, expectations, and even the cinematic form to his will. The IMAX restoration gives this film the platform it has always deserved, allowing audiences, old and new, to rediscover the genius of an artist whose legacy still surpasses that of most of his peers. This is not only one of the greatest concert films ever made, it is a piece of music history brought back to life, proof that when Prince said it would be a beautiful night, he really meant it. And indeed, in IMAX, it is simply transcendent.

Set list
01 - Sign o' the Times
02 - Play in the Sunshine
03 - Little Red Corvette“/”Housequake
04 - Slow Love
05 - I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man
06 - Hot Thing
07 - Now's the Time“ (Charlie Parker cover by the band excluding Prince)
08 - Drum solo by Sheila E.
09 - U Got the Look”
10 - If I Was Your Girlfriend
11 - Forever in My Life“/”It
12 - It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night
13 - The Cross

Sign o' the Times
Directed by Prince
Produced by Robert Cavallo, Joseph Ruffalo, Steven Fargnoli, Starring      Prince
Cinematography: Peter Sinclair
Edited by Steve Purcell
Music by Prince
Production companies: Paisley Park Films, Purple Films
Distributed by Cineplex-Odeon Films (Universal Pictures)
Release dates: October 29, 1987 (Detroit), November 20, 1987 (United States), August 27, 2025 (Imax) (France), August 29, 2025 (Imax) (United States)
Running time: 85 minutes

Seen on August 27, 2025 at Gaumont Disney Village, IMAX Theater, seat H19

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