Some artists leave a mark so deep that their passing becomes a permanent memory. I can count on one hand the musicians whose deaths I remember vividly. David Bowie is one of them. I was driving to pick up a puppy from a dairy farm the day he died, January 10, 2016, and I tried, unsuccessfully, to rename our soon-to-be Loki, “Bowie.”
Just a few months later, on April 21, 2016, the world lost Prince. I was at work when the news broke. I remember at least two coworkers quietly excusing themselves for the day. The grief caught them off guard, as it does when a figure so deeply woven into the soundtrack of our lives suddenly disappears.
That loss hit hard for many, especially musicians shaped by Prince’s sound and spirit. One of them is Tommy Chase, a Minneapolis-based artist who has spent nearly two decades honoring Prince’s music and legacy.
“When he crossed over, it felt as if the rotation of the earth slowed down,” said Chase. “It’s not tangible to try to quantify what happened to the world when we all learned that Prince had crossed over.”
Chase has deep ties to the artist, not just in sound and spirit, but in personal history. Over time, his striking resemblance to Prince, paired with a lifelong admiration, led to the creation of Chase & Ovation, reportedly the only Prince-approved tribute band. It wasn’t part of his original plan, but watching his career unfold, it seems clear: all paths led to purple.
“Regardless of what I did in the music world, people would always say, ‘That was a great show but has anybody ever told you you look like Prince?’” Chase recalled. “If I played an hour’s worth of Ozzy Osbourne music, people would say, ‘Hey man, you sound like Prince.’ So what are you going to do?”
Though the comparisons were flattering, they became a source of frustration when Chase was trying to find his own voice. Eventually, he had a moment of clarity and chose to lean into the likeness rather than resist it.
“I was jolted out of bed at 3:30 or 4 in the morning back in early 2006,” Chase explained. “And when I say jolted, I literally mean I went from lying flat on my back to standing on my feet in the blink of an eye.”
By that time, Chase had already worked twice under what he calls the “Prince Umbrella.” He appeared in the 1990 film Graffiti Bridge, where he was pulled from the pool of extras to stand in for Prince (did I mention there’s a striking likeness?). He also spent a year playing in Cryptic, the band led by BrownMark, Prince’s longtime bassist and a member of The Revolution.
That early morning wake-up call jolted Chase into a new mindset, planting the seed of an idea that had long been lingering at the edges of his mind: a tribute show dedicated to Prince.
“Why keep fighting this?” he said. “The more I heard it in my life, the more I tried to stay away from it and go in the opposite direction. Being compared to him isn’t just daunting; it’s impossible. There is only one him. Nonetheless, perhaps idiotically, I thought I’d like to do a tribute show and see what happens.”
Chase knew that if he was going to do the tribute justice, he had to approach it with respect and care, starting by seeking Prince’s personal permission.
“Everyone with radio, media, TV, and everyone at Paisley Park kept saying, ‘Chase, you know he’s never going to let you do this. He does not let anyone perform his music. You’re insane. This is never going to happen.’”
Undeterred, Chase made countless phone calls but couldn’t reach who he called “the Boss,” AKA Prince. When he finally decided to move forward without Prince’s approval, he chose to hold the first show at First Avenue, the legendary Minneapolis venue where Purple Rain was filmed.
The “Boss” made an unexpected appearance that evening. Just before the show, three large, clean-shaven men in impeccable suits stopped by to ask what time the performance would start.
“I said, ‘I believe we’re starting at 8 p.m.,’ and one of them replied, ‘The Boss is across the street and will be here at 7:55,’” Chase recalled. “I forgot how to breathe.”
Though Chase and Ovation feared Prince might come to shut the show down, they pressed on. Three or four songs into the set, Prince gave the band a literal thumbs up before quietly leaving the venue.
“I am not embarrassed to say that I cried while I was on stage performing that song,” said Chase.
Now, nearly 20 years later, Chase and Ovation continue to perform. He admitted that without Prince’s approval, he likely would have returned to performing original music instead of continuing the tribute.
“I would without question be performing some sort of music,” Chase said. “But without his say so or his go ahead? From 2006 until his passing, that’s a 10-year span where he allowed me to perform his music from border to border and coast to coast. That’s unheard of for him.”
Prince had seen Chase perform before and was familiar with his music. Chase also shared a personal connection: his mother used to babysit Prince when he was between four and six years old. These ties, along with other key factors, likely contributed to Prince’s approval of Chase & Ovation.
“I know one of the things he appreciated is that I didn’t come out and gimmick the show up,” Chase said. “I didn’t put on constant costume changes with wigs to fit the era. I didn’t wear all of the clothing he wore. It was always about the music.”
Chase also shared that he’s had one rule for Chase & Ovation since the beginning and has stuck to it to this day: always perform as if the boss is standing at the back of the room watching.
The tribute band has also earned approval from Prince’s family members and former bandmates, some of whom have even joined Chase & Ovation on stage from time to time.
“The newness of it never wears off,” Chase said. “In fact, a number of them were quite instrumental in my early endeavors, starting back in 2006. They were very hands-on in guiding me, opening doors, introducing me to the right people, and pointing me in the right direction because they knew I approached this endeavor with tremendous reverence and wanted to do the right thing.”
Chase & Ovation are doing many things right, one of which is staying as authentic as possible to Prince’s versions. They do not stray from how Prince recorded the music or how he performed it live. Watching one of their concerts online, it feels more like an experience than a typical tribute show.
“We’ve been overwhelmed for 19 years with the response that we’ve been getting from people that come out to the show,” said Chase. “I owe all of that to the work the band puts in, the work we spent making it happen, just pouring over his music and his performances. I go back to just keeping it note for note, which is impossible, but we do the best we can to get to note for note and that translates.”
Having spent time with Prince, I couldn’t help but try to coax Chase into sharing some little-known Prince stories. He politely declined, charmingly and humorously, much like I imagine Prince himself might. But he did share this nugget:
“I will share with you this,” he said. “That dude, if he wanted to be, he could have been a household name as a stand-up comic.”
Not the first thing I think of when I think of Prince!
Chase & Ovation are looking forward to bringing the show to Silver Bay’s Music in the Park Free Live Music Concert Series at City Center Park on Friday, August 15 at 7:30 PM. The event is produced by Rocky Wall Entertainment, a nonprofit group with a mission to bring good music to Silver Bay.
“We’re absolutely excited,” said Chase. “I have worked with some of the crew that’s going to be up there and they’re amazing.”
Chase promises to bring not just his music but also good weather, ensuring that everyone at the show will have a “phenomenal time.”
