The Lovesexy Band is the unofficial designation for the ensemble that accompanied Prince during the widely praised Lovesexy Tour, which took place from July 1988 to February 1989, encompassing over 70 performances across Europe, the United States, and Japan. This group initially formed in early 1987 as the live band for the Sign "☮" the Times Tour, featuring a core of musicians who had recorded with Prince on Sign "O" The Times, supplemented by additional vocalists, instrumentalists, and choreographers. Unlike The Revolution, which performed from 1983 to 1986, and The New Power Generation, which emerged in the later years, this "87-89 Band" did not adopt an official name, as all studio albums from this period were credited solely to Prince. Following the conclusion of the tour, the Lovesexy Band was disbanded, although three members—Levi Seacer Jr., Mico Weaver, and Matt Fink—continued to collaborate with Prince in another unnamed pre-NPG formation.

During May and June of 1987, the band participated in over 30 shows on the Sign "☮" the Times Tour across Europe. In December of that year, several musicians joined Prince at his newly established Paisley Park Studios for recording sessions for Lovesexy; however, two backing singers and dancers, Greg Brooks and Wally Safford, left the ensemble shortly thereafter. The album Lovesexy, completed in just seven weeks, was intended to replace The Black Album, which Prince had infamously canceled at the last minute, resulting in significant financial repercussions for Warner Bros. Records. Released in May 1988 under Paisley Park, Lovesexy experienced relatively modest sales and chart performance in the United States compared to Prince’s earlier albums. Nonetheless, the subsequent Lovesexy Tour, despite its considerable production expenses, achieved notable commercial and critical acclaim. The first leg of the tour commenced in July 1988, featuring over 30 performances in countries including France, Italy, Belgium, the UK, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, and West Germany. Following a brief five-day intermission, the U.S. section unfolded with 38 concerts from September to November 1988. The tour culminated with eight performances in Japan during February 1989, covering cities such as Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka.

One highlight of the tour was the concert held on September 9, 1988, at Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, which was filmed and broadcast semi-live across Europe and several other countries. Although Prince initially intended to air one of the shows in the Netherlands, where audience enthusiasm was particularly high, logistical issues with venue capacity for a large overhead rig necessitated the production's relocation to West Germany. In 1989, the performance was released in Europe and the UK by PolyGram Music Video/Palace on two VHS tapes, Lovesexy Live 1 and Lovesexy Live 2, as well as on Laserdisc (in CDV format, a short-lived hybrid). The video was extensively edited, often employing alternate camera angles compared to the television broadcasts. Lovesexy Live thus became the third official concert video by Prince, following Live (1985) and Sign "O" The Times (1988) on VHS/Laserdisc.

Lineup - Prince — lead and backing vocals, guitars, piano - Sheila E. — drums, percussion, vocals - Levi Seacer Jr. — bass, vocals - Mico Weaver — guitar, vocals - Dr. Fink — keyboards - Boni Boyer — keyboards, vocals - Eric Leeds — saxophone, flute - Atlanta Bliss — trumpet - Cat — choreography, backing vocals