Prince’s THE REVOLUTION reunite for Heart-Health Awareness at historic First Avenue!
(Photo: Travis Anderson)
Holy jeebus, I wish I could’ve been there for this! Prince’s backing band throughout most of the 80’s, The Revolution, packed Minneapolis’ legendary First Avenue club last Sunday night. Bobby Z, who served as Prince’s drummer for 10 years, surprised the band with certificates showing Purple Rain’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and performed a set that Prince was just too cool to show up for.
After taking a gander at the setlist, it was clearly devoted towards tried and true Prince fans (like myself) who’ve been along for the whole ride. They performed classic deep cuts like “Let’s Work” and “Anotherloverholenyohead” that have been fan favorites, and largely neglected by Prince in his live shows of recent years, for decades. Also present in the setlist were hits such as “Mountains,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” and of course, “Purple Rain” - all minus The Purple One. If you’re of the mindset that this is all irrelevant because Prince didn’t turn up for this, then watch any one of Prince & The Revolution’s live shows between the years of 1984 and 1987 and you’ll see some of the most explosive performing to ever grace a stage. Wendy and Lisa were a force to be reckoned with on their own, but with Dr. Fink and Bobby Z along for the ride, they were unstoppable.
It’s nice to see that even though Prince might not show up for such historic events as this, the band still realizes the presence of fans of that specific era in which Prince wasn’t just Prince - but Prince & The Revolution, a band surely worthy of having their name mentioned in the same breath as the former Jamie Starr (Prince’s old pen name from the early 80’s). One could only hope this signals further work together, but looking at that photo is gratifying enough for myself as I’m sure it is for the legions of Prince fans around the globe. -Neil Miller, Jr.
