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Prince's group The Revolution will reunite for shows

The band The Revolution performed with Prince on such work as the classic album 'Purple Rain.' 'We'll be there soon,' band member Wendy Melvoin said during a video announcing the concerts.

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Olivia Harris/Reuters/File
Prince performed at the Hop Farm Festival near Paddock Wood in southern England in 2011.

Members of The Revolution, Prince's former music group, are planning some reunion concerts. The band posted a short video on Facebook wanting to reconnect with fans.

"We have decided after spending three or four days together now, grieving over the loss of Prince, that we would like to come out and do some shows," band member Wendy Melvoin says during the video.

Dates and other specifics were not discussed during the clip. 

Ms. Melvoin, Mark Brown, Lisa Coleman, Bobby Z, and "Doctor" Fink recorded the popular album "Purple Rain" among other works with Prince, who died on April 21. All also appeared in the movie of the same name.

Prince's recent and unexpected passing has inspired various musical tributes from other artists, from country singer Chris Stapleton performing the Prince song "Nothing Compares 2 U" during a recent concert, to singer D'Angelo, actress Maya Rudolph, and singer Gretchen Lieberum performing the song "Sometimes It Snows in April" in honor of the musician on NBC's "The Tonight Show." (Ms. Rudolph and Ms. Lieberum perform Prince songs as the group Princess.) 

Will reunion concerts without Prince in the leadership spot be able deliver a satisfying concert to legions of mourning fans? They will likely not disappoint. 

A.V. Club writer Keith Phipps once called the group The Revolution a "peerless backing band," while Kurt Loder of Rolling Stone wrote in his 2000 review of "Purple Rain" that "his band … burns throughout."

NPR writer Jason King notes the racial and gender diversity of The Revolution, the members of which were selected by Prince. "Prince also deserves recognition for creating multi-gender, multi-racial bands like the Revolution and the New Power Generation," Mr. King writes. "In so doing, he offered us a nonconformist ideal that could serve as reprieve from neo-conservatism's racial homogenization and from the persistent threat of social marginalization."

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