People always say nobody can shred like Prince—but then Adam Levine walked out and basically said, “Hold my guitar.” When the Maroon 5 frontman teamed up with Train’s Pat Monahan to cover “Purple Rain,” no one expected what came next. Sure, Pat’s wild opening verse grabbed attention, but it was Adam who truly stole the show. Halfway through, he unleashed a blazing guitar solo that shocked everyone in the room, revealing a side of him most fans had never seen. The performance, filmed at Howard Stern’s 60th birthday bash, exploded online and has now racked up over 80 million views.

Howard Stern’s 60th birthday was certainly a night to remember – the occasion marked by a four-hour radio event on Sirius XM, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and featuring a line-up packed with American heroes, from rock gods Steven Tyler, Slash, and Dave Grohl to screen legends Bryan Cranston and Robert Downey Jr. But when Adam Levine of Maroon 5 rocked up on stage to cover Prince’s “Purple Rain,” his performance went internet-viral, amassing over 80 million views to date.

This cover is instantly stunning, Adam’s unique vocal tones a blessed addition to the ballad as he strums his Fender Strat live, backed by a full band. He freshens the Prince hit completely, and once the gospel choir starts pushing out his crisp rock tones, they take the song’s power into overdrive.

But it’s Pat Monahan, vocalist of US pop/rock band Train, who makes this an unforgettable performance, opening the second verse by surprise with an exclusive, inexplicable, rock-scrawl melody that simply can’t be missed. But once he stumbles over that unexpected hurdle, his verse is pretty much flawless, soon handing the reins back to Adam, who conquers Prince’s searing guitar solo on his battered blue Strat as if he’d written it himself.

Adam Levine shot to fame back in 2002 as frontman for Maroon 5, the Californian band behind 2011’s global disco-pop phenomenon “Moves Like Jagger” and the 2012 hit “Payphone” with Wiz Khalifa. He was an original judge on the US edition of the TV talent competition The Voice, keeping his judge’s seat for sixteen seasons, leaving for nine, before returning to the show for the 27th season in 2025, alongside John Legend, Michael Bublé, and Kelsea Ballerini.

Howard Stern’s 60th birthday bash was a memorable blend of music and Hollywood star power, immortalizing Adam Levine’s viral rendition of “Purple Rain.” His electrifying performance alongside Pat Monahan left audiences worldwide in awe.

And it’s that solo that’s got fans talking while racking up tens of millions of views on this clip. As one fan wrote in the YouTube comments, “Adam Levine really showed his versatility on this. Brilliant,” others joined the fiesta, commenting, “Adam shredded the solos with an energy that is only seen once in a great while … I love Adam’s interpretation of this monumental piece” and “I have no idea why he is not respected more. Has the voice, has the talent, is impeccable on guitar. Come on, peeps.”