Beyoncé Honors Prince on His 58th Birthday With "Purple Rain" and "The Beautiful Ones"

The singer has paid tribute to the late legend during certain shows throughout her tour

There's nothing quite as special as a birthday tribute from Beyoncé.

That's exactly what the late Prince was honored with Tuesday night during the Grammy winner's latest NYC leg of her Formation World Tour. 

A famous partner in Prince's modern performances, Beyoncé took the stage at Citi Field stadium to celebrate what would have been the "Little Red Corvette" singer's 58th birthday. 

 

"It's Prince's birthday today," she announced before the packed audience. "We love you," she added before looking up into the sky.

She paid homage to the late legend first with a rendition of his Purple Rain ballad, "The Beautiful Ones"—a song she has performed throughout her tour. At one point in the song, she knelt down on one knee and emotionally belted out the lyrics as her curly tresses blew around in the wind. 

Afterward, she topped off the tribute with none other than "Purple Rain" as two oversized purple columns filled the stage. Instead of singing the song herself, the "Halo" songstress let Prince's classic recording fill the stadium as fans sang along. 

This performance marks just one of the many that have been performed in Prince's honor since his untimely death from an opioid overdose in late April. 

Many fans anxiously await the BET Awards' planned tribute to the musician, who previously won the BET Lifetime Achievement Award. A few of the performers slated to perform in the tribute were announced Tuesday, including Prince's ex-fiancée Sheila E., The Roots, D'Angelo and Janelle Monáe.

It seems the network was not impressed with the 2016 Billboard Music Awards' commemoration of the star, which featured Madonna and Stevie Wonder singing "Nothing Compares 2 U" and "Purple Rain." 

After the ceremony aired, BET's Twitter account published a promo for its own upcoming show. "Yeah we saw that," the teaser clip read under a purple image of Prince. "Don't worry. We Got You."

However, Questlove came to Madonna's defense, urging everyone to remember that there would be a multitude of tributes to the star and the importance of keeping the peace. 

"EVERYBODY wants and deserves a chance to say goodbye in their own way. But remember: there will be AMAs, SoulTrain, NAACP, mtv, GRAMMYS. And a gazillion other tributes," he tweeted. "But the point is let's not get ugly w playing the 'Prince would and wouldn't approve' game."