NEW ORLEANS — According to FrenchQuarter.com, "second-line parades are the descendants of the city's famous jazz funerals." The term refers to the revelers who follow a parade, dancing behind the "first line," which includes the family of the dead, band and hearse.
The Purple Rain Day second line, held outside the Oo Poo Pah Doo Bar, featured a purple casket pulled by white horses, a singing cellist, a brass band and umbrella dancers, the Times-Picayune reports. In a Facebook post, the newspaper called the event "truly epic."
"He was very appreciative of musical culture from different areas and different small communities," Chastity Phillips told the Times-Picayune. "Of course, he would have enjoyed this. He'd have been out here, too."
>> Click here to watch fans sing "Purple Rain"
>> Click here or scroll down to see more photos and videos from the event
Cox Media Group