![]() ![]() Hopefully, the fans will still appreciate us in that way. It was always hard for Prince, but for the rest of us, including the band, those three albums and the Revolution - it was a really incredible experience. The same thing kind of happened to John Lennon, you know. You know, "What about playing with the Revolution?" He got sick of that. I mean look: He got asked all the time, too. ![]() He was already beginning to think about it.īobby Z: You knew he had already kind of thought about it, the way he talked to us. It’s such a different beast.įink: We were kind of talking to Prince a few years ago about this, maybe getting together. Touring, too, is so different now, 30 years later. But it’s different than with him captain of the ship, definitely. We had to build a crew and support system around us, which we feel good about. ![]() So the thought of playing together once he passed - it kind of felt natural for us.īut like Matt just said, the mechanics of doing this touring situation - there’s been a lot more moving parts. You have children together, which would be the albums. You stop playing together, but the band doesn’t really break up. The thing about the Revolution is six strong personalities, and Prince was definitely the leader, but he was one of them. Once you’re in a band, you’re always in a band. He lived here in Minneapolis, and we’d go out there. We never lost touch and, you know, Matt and I never lost touch with Prince. What prompted you guys to decide that you were going to do these dates this year?īobby Z: We got together right after Prince died and, like Matt said, we’d kind of bounced a couple of times before, a couple of charity events. That’s the important thing for everybody. It’s going to be a lot of good stuff, a lot of fun with everybody, celebrating the music. Now we’re starting to really put it together, and it’s coming together well. Because we really only reunited a couple of other times before last September, and those were staggered events with long periods of time in between. The energy with him not there was really different.įink: Yeah, we’re still getting our sea legs, as they say, coming back and doing this. I mean there was a whole different feeling. Everyone is looking to the music for solace.īobby Z: We were nervous. Obviously, you guys are onstage, but the barrier between audience and musician maybe wasn’t as pronounced as it might be for some other shows. I watched some of the videos from the First Avenue shows you guys did in 2016, and that’s exactly what it felt like. ![]() It’s just kind of an unbelievable experience, with him not being here - a profound loss. People need to participate because we want them to, too. But there’s a lot of great stuff: “Raspberry Beret,” “Pop Life” and “Let’s Go Crazy.” I mean the songs that the audience wants to sing out. So there’s obviously some songs with him not here that just belong to the ages and untouchable. Obviously, you could do three hours easy - if not more - as Prince used to do.īobby Z: He certainly was quite the leader of all of those songs. Nothing's off of the table as far as song choices, so far we haven't chosen anything from the first two albums. It’s pretty easy to pick a set that everybody kind of expects, plus some fun deeper cuts to play.ĭoctor Fink: We’re going to try to have a lot of songs, from the very beginning, all of the way through that time frame. So the songbook is pretty extensive, and Prince had no shortage of amazing songs. And then, of course, Matt and I go back all of the way to the very first albums. How are you guys going through and choosing what to play?īobby Z: Obviously, you know, Prince and the Revolution are kind of most known for "Purple Rain," "Around the World in a Day" and "Parade," so that’s quite a bit of songs. tour, which kicked off with a gig at Paisley Park last Friday, the first anniversary of Prince's death.īobby Z and Doctor Fink (real name: Matt) hopped on a conference call with Salon one recent afternoon to talk about the reunion, Prince's genius and keeping his legacy alive. Buoyed by the positive response, the Revolution is hitting the road for a U.S. In the wake of Prince's death, the "Purple Rain"-era lineup of the group - guitarist Wendy Melvoin, keyboardist-pianist Lisa Coleman, bassist BrownMark, drummer Bobby Z and keyboardist Doctor Fink - reunited for several gigs at legendary Minneapolis club First Avenue. That band not only functioned as his live collaborators - various players also contributed to Prince's records, including blockbusters such as 1982's "1999" and 1984's "Purple Rain." The Purple One could absolutely do it all - sing, perform, arrange, compose, produce - but the Revolution provided a red-hot funk and soul backdrop that made his vision a reality. Prince performed with many musicians during his career, but some of his most successful, creative work emerged when he was playing with the Revolution. ![]()
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