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Prince Backup Band The Revolution to Reunite for 2 Shows

The Revolution, which backed up Prince in the 1980s, will play Sept. 2-3 at the Minneapolis club where Prince and the Revolution filmed 'Purple Rain.'
Image: FILE PHOTO: Prince of the US performs on stage at the Brit Awards at the Earls Court Arena in central London
Prince of the U.S. performs on stage at the Brit Awards at the Earls Court Arena in central London February 15, 2006. REUTERS/Kieran Doherty/File PhotoKIERAN DOHERTY / Reuters
/ Source: The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — The band that helped catapult Prince to international superstardom is reuniting in his memory.

The Revolution, which backed up Prince in the 1980s, will play two shows Sept. 2-3 at First Avenue, the downtown Minneapolis nightclub where Prince and the Revolution filmed "Purple Rain."

The Revolution said Wednesday that they and the world mourned Prince "with profound loss and apocalyptic grief" after learning of his death in April.

The shows will feature Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Brownmark, Dr. Fink, and Bobby Z, with special guests Dez Dickerson and Andre Cymone, who were Prince's sidemen early in his career.

Related: How Prince Redefined Masculinity Through His Music, Onstage

The Revolution disbanded in 1986 but reunited for a few shows without Prince, including a 2012 benefit.

Amidst the news of The Revolution, Prince's scheduled new music has been blocked from release.

A federal judge blocked a sound engineer from releasing unpublished music by Prince after the late superstar's estate objected.

George Ian Boxill worked with Prince on five tracks in 2006, and made at least one recording — called "Deliverance" — available Wednesday for online sales. Prince's estate and Paisley Park Enterprises sued to block it.

Related: Prince Fought Big Labels For Ownership, Artistic Control

U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina Wright late Wednesday granted a temporary restraining order to stop the songs' release, and ordered Boxill to deliver the recordings to the estate. Wright said she would schedule a hearing later on a preliminary injunction.

The estate's lawsuit said Boxill signed a 2004 confidentiality agreement that the recordings would remain Prince's sole property. Prince sings and plays guitar and keyboard on the tracks.

Despite this, The Revolution gears up for their shows in the fall. Tickets go on sale Friday, with a presale Thursday through a Minnesota Public Radio station.