The Revolution Reunite At First Avenue For The Ultimate Prince Tribute (Video)

In the four months since Prince died unexpectedly on April 21, there have been a number of tributes to the fallen icon. Everyone from his longtime friend and collaborator, Sheila E. to Madonna to even The Game has celebrated the legacy of the musical wunderkind from Minneapolis. Last night (9/1), The Revolution, the group with whom he recorded some of his biggest hits, including his landmark Purple Rain album, reunited at First Avenue, the Minneapolis club made famous as the destination where the performances for the film Purple Rain were shot.

Sheila E. Leads An All-Star Prince Tribute Fit For A King (Video)

As reported by Rolling Stone, guitarist Wendy Melvoin, keyboardists Lisa Coleman and Matt Fink, bassist Mark Brown and drummer Bobby Z. were all in attendance, as well as Dez Dickerson, Prince’s original guitarist through the 1999 era, and longterm friend and musical partner Andre Cymone. Many of the women who were significant in Prince’s life, including former wives Mayte Garcia and Manuela Testolini, Susannah Melvoin (Wendy’s twin sister and member of the group The Family), and Apollonia, who starred as Prince’s love interest in Purple Rain, also joined the tribute. Given the strong ties of each of the participants to Prince, the eveningĀ felt like a memorial thrown by family, to which the world was invited.

The Revolution also brought out Bilal to reprise the show-stopping version of “The Beautiful Ones” that he performed in June at the BET Awards. In addition to that song, Bilal sang “Private Joy” from the Controversy album, “Kiss” from Parade, and Purple Rain‘s “When Doves Cry.”

Last night’s was the first of three sold out shows by The Revolution at First Avenue. Below is the set list:

“Let’s Go Crazy”
“Computer Blue”
“America”
“Mountains”
“Do It All Night”
“Let’s Work”
“Uptown”
“Party Up”
“Little Red Corvette”
“1999”
“Sometimes It Snows in April”
“Raspberry Beret”
“The Beautiful Ones”
“Private Joy”
“When Doves Cry”
“Controversy”

Encore:
“Kiss”
“Baby I’m a Star”
“Purple Rain”