Prince's prodigious backing band the Revolution have reunited in honour of the late 'Purple Rain' singer for the first of three shows at the Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue. It's the first time the group have performed together as a group since Prince's death in April 2016.

PrincePrince's The Revolution mourn the loss of their frontman


The Revolution announced that they would return to the stage for a set of shows in the Minnesota city, following Prince's untimely departure from this world in the Spring. The first show of the series took place on Thursday night (September 1st 2016) and saw them perform a range of popular hits including 'Let's Go Crazy', 'Little Red Corvette', 'Do It All Night' and 'Sometimes It Snows in April'.

Neo-soul artist Bilal joined the Revolution (who are Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, BrownMark, Dr. Fink and Bobby Z., plus special guests Dez Dickerson and André Cymone) in an astounding rendition of 'The Beautiful Ones'. The band also led three encores at the end of their set: 'Kiss', 'Baby I'm a Star' and, of course, 'Purple Rain'.

The First Avenue club has particular significance in Prince's world, due to the fact that it rose to fame for being the prime location of many scenes in Prince's iconic 'Purple Rain' movie. The film was released in 1984, not long after the club was re-named as First Avenue, and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score.

More: Paisley Park open for public tours

Prince was found dead on April 21st 2016 in an elevator in the complex where he lived at Paisley Park in Chanhassen, Minnesota. It was later ruled by the coroner that he had died from an accidental fentanyl overdose, and he was actually found by the son of a doctor with whom Prince had arranged a consultation regarding opioid addiction. He was 57-years-old.

The Revolution also performed on September 2nd and September 3rd.