Fink's 'Purple' Nostalgia Trip Is Just What The 'Doctor' Ordered

July marked the 30th anniversary of the release of Prince’s Purple Rain movie and soundtrack. It’s fitting that a group featuring his longest-running band member is touring the country, treating fans to live performances of some of Prince’s greatest hits.

The Purple Experience, led by Prince’s former keyboardist Matt Fink, aka “Dr. Fink,” played the Fraze Pavilion in the Dayton suburb of Kettering on July 24. Fink was a member of The Revolution, Prince’s band that was featured in the Purple Rain movie.

True to his stage name, “Dr. Fink” is famous for wearing surgical scrubs as he pumps out funky riffs behind a bank of keyboards. While Prince has often switched up the lineup of his backup band, Fink was present for nearly the entire run of Prince’s Warner Bros. Records heyday, from 1978 to 1991.

 

 

 

(Read my review of Prince's concert  at the

Essence Festival  on July 4, 2014, at the following link: http://chrisbournea.blogspot.com/2014/09/looking-back-on-one-of-highlights-of.html)

 

During his band’s appearance at the Fraze Pavilion, Fink performed a selection of crowd-pleasing hits that spanned his tenure with Prince. From early material such as “Controversy” and “Uptown,” to “Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry,” The Purple Experience kept the crowd dancing and singing along to familiar lyrics. The band even performed ‘90s hits after Fink had left Prince’s band, including “Cream” and “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.”

 

MINNEAPOLIS MEMORIES - Matt Fink and Prince back in the day.
This photo is probably from the Controversy/Dirty Mind era in '80 or '81.

 

Purple Experience lead singer Marshall Charloff bears an uncanny resemblance to Prince and is able to move like him and hit those legendary high notes. However, Charloff’s lower register sounds more like Morris Day.

IS IT LIVE OR IS IT MEMOREX? - Marshall Charloff as Prince.

Since Prince seems intent on never repeating himself, a reunion with The Revolution may never happen. (Read my review of the re-released Purple Rain: The Complete Soundtrack at this link: http://chrisbournea.blogspot.com/2014/08/prince-to-release-new-music-purple-rain_27.html)

 

But for now, Dr. Fink’s Purple Experience provides fans with a satisfying nostalgia trip.

 

(This concert review was published in the July 30, 2014, edition of the Call and Post Newspaper.)