I was never a big Prince fan, seldom listened to much of what he did, with exception of "Little Red Corvette", so when I saw this on UA-cam, I watched only because of the other musicians on stage. Then came Prince's turn, and he blew the walls down. The most stunning performance I had seen in years. My opinion has changed dramatically in his favor. This was raw unadulterated genius on the stage, and it was exhilarating. Only one word: Wow.
I saw him in 2007, was never a big fan before that, I just knew his biggest hits. Seeing what he did live with a guitar absolutely blew me away so much I did whatever I could to get a ticket for a (sold out) later show and ended up near the front...extraordinary to witness him cover Hendrix etc. I turned to the girl next to me (I could only get one ticket so went alone, but chatting to her beforehand knew it was her own first time to see him) in astonishment and asked what she thought...she said she was disappointed, he was shorter than she'd expected LOL. I'll never forget that!
I know and it is so strange. When we used to say we liked Prince, it was like we used to have to explain why or at least felt we had to explain why. And now, it is like everyone sort of thinks they know why, but I get this feeling they only really understand half of it. Loving a guy because of the little things he did often and loving his love for music. Loving a guy who always wants to bend and squeeze music into a place where it has never been yet but will one day seem the norm, falling for a track that stands out to you personally but no one else you know will probably ever get to hear unless you play it to them, playing them an album and realising they love a track on there that you do not quite get the same buzz from. Not to mention watching concerts that go on so long that you actually start to get tiered out yourself and just want your bed, and you know you will never be able to remember half of it because there was just so much of it. And apparently, all he needed to do was a guitar solo and a bunch of people would think they got it, and to be fair they do... because Prince hit different people in different ways, which I think was kinda what he was always trying to do.
Did you ever see the video of James Brown birthday party where Michael Jackson was trying to convince James to bring a then unknown Prince onstage to play guitar? I love James Brown but the old jackass wouldn't even let Prince plug in the guitar. You could see from his face that he was a little weirded out. Prince took it in stride.
The story as told by Tom Petty is as follows: The producer asked Prince if he would play with the band on this song. He said he would, but he said he was not familiar with the song so he would have to listen to it a few times. He DID show up for the rehearsal (there is a picture of Prince walking the streets of NYC on his way to that rehearsal) but the guy who played the first solo kept playing when Prince was suppose to solo. The producer apologized to Prince and Prince said, “no problem, it will work out, don’t worry. Then Prince left. And…the rest is history.
There are so many myths, tall tales, & urban legends surrounding this performance -- which is a testament to just how magical, iconic, amazing, legendary, & timeless it is. The one constant throughout the dozens of different versions is that Prince DID NOT rehearse his solo. And there were three stages in getting to the final performnace: FIrst, it was not known whether or not Prince would want to particiapte in the tribute jam, so the producer did in fact finally ask him if he would do so, & he said yes -- Now Prince is known to be a huge Beatles fan, so he most likely had heard the song before & was just being coy (or not). The next stage was when he showed up for the meet & greet/rehearsal (he had rehearsed his own 10-15 minute performance earlier that day) & Marc was playing all the solos while Prince played rhythm & strummed -- There may or may not have been another run-through where the producers had Marc & Prince both take turns on short leads here & there, but at the end of the day, Prince did say, "Let Marc do what he does. & I'll just step in at the end & take the end solo -- Don't worry about it, it will work out."So there was some concern not only about whether Prince would show up for the performance, but also what he would end up doing -- Which is exactly how Prince likes it
My dad used to always say "you gotta suffer if you want to sing the blues", I'm sure he stole the line from somewhere. Based on the solos, I'm guessing Prince suffered more.
@@JahleeyahKalonji EXACTLY. If you look at him looking at the other people on stage, they were egging him on. They wanted MORE. George Harrison's son smiled when he came on cause he KNEW what was about to happen. Tom Petty (who has probably jammed with Prince before) was pushing him to continue.
@@JahleeyahKalonji Have another listen, but don't watch!!! Just listen to the music without any distraction. Do it.. Prince's solo is perfectly fine, but there's nothing "magical" about it. It's his visual flamboyance which kills... It's the cool vibe & gravitas he brings to the performance... because check it out: it's not just any old guitarist... IT'S PRINCE!!! the famed reclusive superstar... But if you strip away the hype and focus on the music, it's good without being amazing. Laughable when people mention this as one of the great guitar solos. That's also leaving aside the fact this is a cover version. George Harrison and Eric Clapton came up with all the original guitar parts - the chord progressions and note phrasing which Prince is incorporating for this solo.
I’ve been a guitar player for about 50 years. I hate comparisons in music because it’s not a competition. But damn . . . that’s the best rock guitar solo I have ever heard. RIP Prince.
It was very good. I think the lead in "sultans of swing" is one of the best of all time, I also love the mike Campbell's lead on "runnin' down a dream"
You are right, I am 60 today and a hard listener of every kind of music, mostly the classic and variances of rock from 60’s up today, Prince songs never really were between my tops but that interpretation, and the style, was impressive, he was always a show man, but that night was his golden closure since he died shorty after. I have seen as I said many lead guitars as Page, Blackmore, Santana, Hendrix and too many more but never had in my mind that Prince should be so magistral playing the lead guitar. Good for hm, that video has been watched too many times more than any other of Prince
@@cubarch Prince died a decade or so after this performance if that's what you meant? He did plenty of amazing stuff after this, I only saw him play twice and he beat this solo a number of times!
Prince quotes parts of the original Clapton outro solo in this performance. It wasn't just mindless shredding, this is a real heartfelt and sincere tribute to George and Prince takes it home with a performance for the ages.
One of the great things about this is the ensemble aspect. Prince is shredding the solo but keeps checking back with Tom and everyone else. Subtle nods and smiles communicate so much here!
YES!! It’s like he knew he was killing it, but he wanted to check with everybody else if he should KEEP killing it or not. He didn’t want to step on any toes. And they all recognized the greatness that was happening and just gave him the nod to keep playing. ❤❤
I love all of the comments posted here. I have followed Prince (thankfully) from his start; Prince was the front man in his band. So the reason he kept checking with Tom was because he( Tom) and Jeff were the leads on vocals and guitar, prince followed from the start If you watch the video again, you will see Tom break( at the end) the band. But when he gave the break sign, Prince Head was down and did not see Tom and went into a high pitch.Then Prince came back down and ended on point with a great performance of a great song. R.I.P. PRN.and T.P.
@@alixus10 Indeed...Prince doing stuff with other contemporaries is a rarity...for me it shows his humility and awareness of his ego. Perhaps he felt honoured to be playing with the other legends on stage...regardless of ones talent as others see it, how you see yourself isn't always the same..so to be surrounded by great players...I reckon it meant a lot to him .
What i love about prince's performance here is that he sometimes let the backing track shine through in the solo while he plays minimal notes and then absolutely shreds whenever he needs to.
Imagine being Dhani (George Harrison's son) here. Playing a tribute to your dad with all these incredible, legendary musicians, and Prince is playing some of the most incredible guitar work ever a couple metres in front of you. Must have felt absolutely unreal.
As they were honored to have him there as well … his appearance is chillingly like George and channeling George’s soul as it listened to this. His joy is spiritual 😇
@@daveelson213 People love conflict and controversy don't they? That's why you might choose to emphasize one word out of an interview that wasn't by a long shot a summation of his feelings; quite the opposite. A more honest, accurate description would include noting how much he enjoyed it, said it "went down so well" and recognized and appreciated being in the middle of a historic performance. In other words, the title of your link was clickbait, and you took the bait and managed to amplify one word to give the opposite impression of his overall response to the moment, which was that he fully enjoyed the privilege of being part of an epic performance.
Prince absolutely took over the stage while continuously meshing with the rest of the players. He managed to go out on the edge while Tom Petty was still doing vocals and never took away from the vocals. I don't know. How? He was completely tuned in to what the others were doing while doing what only he could do.
Great musicians LISTEN first, and then want to add what the song is asking for, without stepping on other components/musicians. Prince was a music and songwriting genius. Huge ego? Yes, but would never compromise the music.
I'm a Prince fan and i find it kinda funny that this show made so much impression around the world thanks to youtube, because Prince performed solo like that in pretty much ever live shows he did, after shows or whatever, he just didnt put them in his albums for some reason. Also interesting is that Prince, in every live show, deeply changes the arrangement of his songs, some time you barely recognize them, changed tempo, instruments, turning them into completely different songs, usually much better than the original.
Same here. He was under-rated as a guitar player and also a piano/keyboard player. I was fortunate to watch his rise from the very beginning. The last song on his debut album (I'm Your's) showed his skill on the guitar then and he just got bigger from there.
I think lots of guitarists respected Princes chops but he didn't really flaunt it as a main part of his music. Princes amazing ability to shred a guitar was a bit of a secret much like his skill on the basketball court. Not putting them in the same category musically but Flava Flav is an incredibly talented multi instrumentalist but he's more known for wearing a clock around his neck and having bits of spit in the corners of his mouth.
It made an impact because people actually got to see the performance rather than it being blocked. Good to see Prince’s estate seem to have relaxed the strict controls enabling those who might be new to his music to see that he was truly one of a kind...
Written in an article by the producer of this show just after Prince passed, an explination of how the rehersal and live show came about. That story tells us during the rehersal Prince was to play both solos. When that moment came the clearly true to note utterly perfect solo was performed by the stand in stage guitarist. Absolutly perfect. After that rehersal the producer came to Prince with an appology for having not been able to play those solos. Prince replied "he did great, have him play the first solo, and let me play the second" Prince knew he was setting up a masterpiece. The producer goes on to explain, Prince played that solo from sheer skill & completely unrehersed, live on stage as we all bear witness.
@@igor4305 Maybe.. for me he backed his ability to make it happen. Jazz Musicians learn a bunch of scales over time, then throw it away and improvise..you don't sit at home pre gig memorizing..in the moment man..back your talent
My MOST FAVORITE version of this song...right here. You got Dhani looking like a clone of his father...Prince killin' it right to the end proper...Tom Petty...Love!
@@rimmersbryggeri Sadly I never knew him personally but I am sure all those that knew him, like yourself, really did appreciate him yes. To millions he was "merely" an 80s/90s pop icon - not known for its virtuosic guitar
But also a showman. Perhaps he'd have been greater without the antics? The new "directors cut" of the video however, does reveal in the new close-ups a more nuanced side of Prince, which has softened my attitude slightly.
There was word that Prince was not mentioned in some magazines top 100 guitarists of all time and he had extra incentive. Guitar players have openly spoken about Prine and his ridiculously talented playing acumen. We get caught up I the high heels he wore and the pants that showed his ass but he was a guitar player through and through. This solo will be mentioned 100 years from now. He is finally immortalized as a musician.
Every time I hear this I just cry......weeping for my unfinished goals, the people I will soon leave behind, the world as it is, and the music of such talented musicians ....and watching George's son.....
I have heard that Prince never showed up to practice. He played this impromptu. Amazing. My then 2010 next door neighbor ( she was at least 75 yrs young ) came back from the Monterey Jazz Festival and told me enthusiasticly how good Prince was. He brought such joy.
No he didnt.... that song has been around for at least 40 years... in that time guitar playing evolved tech evolved ... what would have harrison sounded like on that solo if he did it present day... im not taking anything away from prince ...i really think he was one of the best guitarist ever.. but im not going to give him props on a song that he probably covered a million times
@@leonidabalante2638clearly you eyes are bad…..the performance, stage presence and playing stole the show….everyone can clearly see this except you….and back then it was all people were talking about….
Also plugged and unplugged his guitars himself in that downpour. That's dangerous af btw and he was by definition getting shocked while playing and soaking wet. I mean water splashed off the drums!!!
Classic George Harrison. His songs always stood out on the Beatles albums. Jeff Lynn nails the vocals and it feels good to see Dhani Harrison there. Prince shreds it!
@@beatmet2355agree with most of that but he definitely had WAY better songs than piggies and savoy truffle on his solo albums, especially the first triple album that had lots of songs made for the beatles that were rejected!
I think the most impressive part of Prince's solo is how perfectly it still fits with the rest of the song. For the first half of the song, he's happy to hang out on the side and play along, but when it's his time to shine, he still makes it about the whole performance. He always finds ways to make space for the vocals when they come back in, either by playing sustained notes, harmonizing, playing in a different register, or simply not playing and kind of "resetting". As great as the solo is, it's not there for him to show off, it's there to make the whole performance better. You can see it in how he looks at the rest of the band with that big grin on his face. You can see it on Dhani Harrison and Tom Petty's faces when Prince falls backward off the stage, and when Prince gets Tom jamming down low.
Prince is looking off to the side a lot because he's more or less asking the producer with a look if he should keep going. The producer kept nodding at him.
I am 70. I do not know the notes but I have been playing guitar and even composing music for almost 55 years. And it all started under the influence of The Beatles. Even my english came under their influence. Your presentation is great. This song with Prince is my No.1. Thank you for teaching me.
I didnt like the fact that Prince played an ego solo to get he attention in a concert about George Harisson life and work. So it us not a giod solo. It. Would be a good solo. In an occasion where it would be ok to present himswlf instead of George Harrison.
@@innosanto Jesus wept...Why do you think they invited him to play ? To politely strum a few chords ? It wasn´t a funeral, but a celebration....and Dhani Harrison loved it. See his smile @10:00 if you don´t believe me...
The video of this concert literally makes me cry. To see an artist so beautifully embody the music that they are playing is inspirational to the core. This is where music becomes transcendent.
What an artist like Prince playing with mega stars like Lynne and Petty it’s amazing but then killing the stage with his performance it’s incredible. The harmony and sentimental value he put on this song with his solo is amazing!!!😢😢❤❤
OMG, so happy a professional is recognizing the talents of Prince in this amazing video. I, too, can listen to this and CRY every single time I hear this song. It is a masterpiece, composed and performed by all the geniuses in the music world.
totally agree ... even in the stuff i didnt like he was never abrasive ... just not the chords i would have used ...it was like with flea ... i wrote a bass line 10 maybe 15 years earlier than aeroplane ...he came out with it note for note ... what do they call it ... convergant evolution ? prince never put his foot in the dog mess of nasty commercial to my knowledge ( what do i know lol )
@@BytebroUK The morning I started a new job, I woke up to a text message from a friend telling me Bowie died. I listened to his stuff my first day at a new place, doing my best not to cry while I did. Same job, 3 months later, Prince died. Fuck that job. Glad I left there in July of that year.
Prince was probably the most talented, and hardest working artist that ever existed. He played over 20 musical instruments, wrote every song that he recorded, and also was the producer and arranger of every song he wrote. I do not think any other artist would ever be his equal.
He actually did do a few cover songs, but it was incredibly rare. (He covered Sheryl Crow's "Every Day Is A Winding Road" and Joan Osborne's "One Of Us", for example) I get the feeling that Prince covering someone else's song meant he must have had *mad* respect for the original artist.
He covered "Best of you" by Foo Fighters at the super bowl halftime show in 2007. Dave Grohl has said being covered by Prince was his "proudest musical achievement".
Transcendent is the word. I knew nothing about this genius really, until I saw this clip. I've since watched it 50 times. It's stuff like this that reminds me what an amazing world we live in, and that life is beautiful. Thank you Prince. Respect.
Prince honoured the original as well as stamping his own style in this. This was the greatest solo ever, improvised and absolutely nailed. I’ve seen Page and he is a hero. As Clapton said when asked what it’s like to be the greatest living guitar player, “l wouldn’t know, you had better ask Prince”.
Prince SHOWBOATING?? Umm reckon... absolutely. However, just look at the expression on Danni’s face whilst Prince is honouring his Dad. Danni is sooo proud to be playing on the same stage as his own idols, not only performing with but also honouring his father. How wonderful.xxxx
I've watched it countless times and still do every year. And just as you said the look on Dhani's face gets me every time. He is just super honoured and loving it. You can't fake that... Very 😎
I thought the same and someone pointed that Dani said that Prince throwing that guitar was gratuitous😳. I couldn’t believe it but I watched the interview and he really said that, so sad.
@@bohemiatotal Hmmmm...I've not seen any interview. I wonder the context, spirit of the comment or even if he understood the meaning? 😳 Perhaps he did and at the time really felt that. I do get his performance was phenomenal & perhaps the guitar antics at the end seen as unnecessary and trying to take the spotlight away from the commemorative event. Prince was definitely just in the moment & seemed to be putting all be had into the performance for George. Cheers. 👍
Still sends a shiver down my spine even after listening to this over a hundred times ! If there’s a better guitar solo I have yet to hear it in 50 years
ln that one solo Prince sent shout outs to a more than a dozen great guitarists, little licks, riffs, progressions, chord changes, flourishes etc that others are known for.
There no words that can adequately express the guitar work Prince added to this performance. I have listened to this song for 50 years and Prince transcends all discriptions of genius.
I remember watching that vid for the first time. I hadn't even noticed that Prince was there, tucked all the way to the right. And then, BOOM! He comes in and absolutely crushes the end solo. It was only then that I learned how good a guitar player he was.
Tom Petty (Heartbreakers, The Traveling Wilburys) - lead vocals, guitar Jeff Lynne (ELO, The Traveling Wilburys) - co-lead vocals, guitar Steve Winwood (Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith)- organ Dhani Harrison - guitar, backing vocals Jeff Young (Jackson Browne) - piano Marc Mann (ELO, Oingo Boingo) - lead guitar Scott Thurston (The Motels, The Heartbreakers) - bass Steve Ferrone (AWB, Duran Duran, The Heartbreakers) - drums Jim Capaldi (Traffic) - persussion, tambourine Prince (aka "that handsome little guy with the red hat") - soul, swagger, heat, sexiness George Harrison - spiritual guidance Eric Clapton - blues inspiration Jimi Hendrix - cosmic influence
Prince is the ultimate Guitarist and the G.O.A.T. When God dedicated pure raw talent in your soul, you'll know how to make people feel so good inside. Thank you all the late and great musicians who left a legacy for us to continue to enjoy into the cosmos.
When we lost Prince it was like losing Hendrix, he was one of those guys that only comes around once in a very long while. The fact that Prince and Jimi almost shared the same time span, Prince was 12 years old when Jimi died is rare. Also losing Tom Petty what a great song writer was a great loss. Prince passed in 16 and Tom Petty a year later in 17. It was a heavy loss in music all around.
Absolutely. Some guys like Prince, Hendrix, John Lennon, George Harrison, Michael Jackson, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, Chuck Berry and others like Muddy Waters, Fat Dominos, etc., the list goes on, as you said, they come around once in a very long long time. Heavy loss you are right. I forgot to mention Elvis Presley. Who can forget the king, even though he always said he wasn't the king. He said Fat Dominos was. Great guy.
Prince to me is right handed Hendrix. They look like they're in a trance, they look like they are putting in zero actual effort and are just playing around with the guitar neck, they both rip emotion straight from the strings and into your ears. Both skinny dudes with incredibly fly taste in clothes and hats with fingers that are long, slender and perfect for playing guitar. When you can just smack the guitar around and have sound as perfect as they did, you're a special talent.
@@s.willis8426 .. and they reckon 'talent' and like this skill can be learnt .... ie. Nature or Nurture ... i think it is within the soul of some artists and no matter how good a technician/musician can be they may never capture the 'feel' of the music coming from within the person displaying it as Prince did at this gig .... my tuppence anyway ... brilliant .... i just wonder who caught the tele, or did it just go all the way up to the great gig in the sky...
@@BraveheartOBM It's a 2 part issue, you can take a trained musician and have him "learn" Prince's solo here and that trained musician can make a note for note replica of what Prince played. That said they will never "play like Prince" on their own, they can only replicate the notes and feel that his mind produced, they can't produce them as original thoughts and feelings like he did. An even better example might be David Gilmour (since the great gig in the sky came up even though he had nothing to do with that song other than being in the band). I can play pretty much every Floyd solo Gimour did because they aren't that complicated to replicate yet in no way do I compare to David Gilmour as a musician. Anyone can learn and recite a poem, it takes a special talent to write it originally.
@@inlikearefugee5194 incorrect. Prince didn’t even know this song. He rehearsed it with them and was getting upset cause the other solo guy (forget the name) was doing the solos instead and note for note. Prince left without showing his solo and told the producer not to worry
I love Prince because he was the first artist I “found” by myself. My dad and aunt turned me on to all kinds of music like Elton, Zeppelin, Bowie, Eddie Money, all of the regulars but when I heard Prince in 1980 he was my music, I found him on my own. I took a lot of grief because I grew up in a predominantly metal town. I still love Prince. He was/is a one of a kind artist that will happen only once. I am grateful I got to be here to witness him.
A memory I will never forget was attending Jazzfest in 2016. The event kicked off the day after Prince passed. Eight days later we watched My Morning Jacket cover Purple Rain as a tribute. As we stood near the stage soaking it all in, it started to rain. A truly ethereal experience. That was the start of a rainstorm so strong and long that we were ankle deep in water the next day and they canceled the Stevie Wonder headliner event. Such a memorable coincidence. (We were able to see Stevie, who came back in '17)
I liked Prince, then I saw him on the Purple Rain tour in Chicago. I fell in Love with Prince. I worked on air at a rock station and Prince was considered top 40, so we never played Prince until one night I was asked to work an overnight shift… It was a Saturday night, the regular guy called off two hours before and the PD called me, begging me to do the shift. I told him it was a request weekend and I planned on filling A LOT of request. Normally request weekends are one or two songs max per hour… My whole show was request and I just so happened to grab a couple of my Prince albums on my way out the door… lol It was a lot of fun that night. The PD did get some shit from the GM, but we had 5 stations under one roof at that location, so he had bigger fish to fry than one guy filling in and playing half a dozen Prince songs on a Saturday night!!
The fact that Eric Clapton performed Purple Rain as a tribute to Prince is in itself high praise - but this is another incredible solo that Clapton would be proud of since I believe he performed the original on the White Album
Pure Gold! Prince would have had a great conversation with this chap ... Reverence to Prince is so deserved... The kid walked the walk ... Tom Petty and band looked blown away cause it was all impromptu from Prince 😂🤣😂. R.I.P. Prince and Tom ... 🥰
I agree with you completely. This is one of the greatest ensembles of artists performing one of the greatest songs of all time with my man Prince on guitar solo. My favorite artist! Love it!
My 14 year old daughter is learning to play the guitar and we watch this video together. Goosebumps every time! Prince brought the song to another level. A true artist. A legend. Rest in paradise, king!
John and Paul always said they wanted George in the band because he knew more chords than they did. Prince in this performance shreds ungently the weeping of the guitar like nobody else. Wonderful!
There is just something so very special about this performance. From all contributors. But Prince just found another level, and all the other greatness on stage recognized that and let him flow with it. ❤️❤️
Prince arrived on the scene for me in a personal dead space for music: I was raising young kids and otherwise distracted. I have to say that I was blown away by his guitar skills the first time I watched this performance. I was familiar with his songs but simply had no idea he was such a dominant guitarist. Your coverage here is excellent.
I forgot to breathe when i first seen Prince's guitar 🎸 solo he performed on While My Guitar Gently Weeps at the induction ceremony. What a beautiful, great moment that was. I'm so envious of people who are just shredding the guitar like that. I don't think its something you can learn, you have to be born to be an artist like that. I definitely need to check out more of his albums. I only discovered The Beatles recently and that is what got me into this song.
Doug, Thank you so much for this video. You just put the right words on this great and underestimate amazing singer, guitar player who came to destroy the stage in that scene. Glad that you went to the details of the son and your expressions are the same I have when I see the video over and over again. As of every Friday night it’s concert time in my house with wine and all the great videos and this one is on the list every Friday. Prince deserves so much more but we are here to pay tribute to our little brother who just left a note of who he was and still is in music, in our hearts and the memories he left us are incredible! Thank you again my friend and let’s keep celebrating Prince!!
Prince being prince tho, would’ve picked this apart at home in his own time and would’ve found all the areas on the neck he liked and had them locked and loaded for the performance. We’re talking about a guy who slept 3 hours a day because he was so committed to his music. Truly remarkable human being.
This tribute for George Harrison was a song where Prince absolutely stole the show…I had never heard him play with such vigor…Such a talent… Thanks for the explanation of the chords for that piece…Even during your tutorial which was interesting I could not help but hear that solo in the background…I have listened to this particular piece a number of times…hearing this explanation of it made it even more exciting…Thank you…
Prince did show for the rehearsal. He was supposed to play the classic solo but no one told the other solo guitar player. You could see had prepped an almost exact copy of George's solo. Prince said don't worry about it he would just do an outro solo. That was never rehearsed. He just improvised it.
Stupendous ,left all who heard this STUPIFIED!!Prince shined and took nothing away from the other awesome players up on that stage.RIP .purple one.👍👍👍👍
It's funny. I was born in '81 and raised on hard rock/metal. Naturally my musical taste runs VERY heavy. It was that Super Bowl halftime that I realized he was a badass and when I first saw this performance it just reinforced it. Not always my thing musically, but one hell of a talented dude.
This was a classic performance bringing all of the musicians we all knew together. When Prince did his solo and was smiling, showing the late George’s son what rock guitar could be, it was truly magical!
We recently found this video with prince. It is off the rails at the end! Wow so happy to see it hit you as hard as us. So much so that our band is now doing this version. I was so inspired by this! I even wear a hat on stage and have a purple bass that I play in honor of the great one Prince. 💜 I get chills at the end with how much passion he played with. So glad you share in noticing it too!
It's unfortunate that most geniuses don't get the recognition they deserve until they're already gone. RIP Prince and so many others that molded music.
I've always heard the story of rehearsal is that Prince did show up for rehearsal but one of the Heartbreakers spent so much time working on his solo that Prince get a chance to groove his solo with the band. They asked him if they needed to go long but he said, "No, I think I've got something."
Doug, I think the other lead guitarist was Marc Mann but I may be mistaken....!!! Marc Mann is an American keyboardist, guitarist, programmer, arranger and conductor. He has a Master's Degree in Music from UCLA. Mann is known for his work with Oingo Boingo, Jeff Lynne and the Electric Light Orchestra. Mann is credited as performer, arranger or producer on 54 albums.
I will always tell people Prince is the most underrated musician of all time. Sure, people know his songs, but most people don't know how truly profound his talent on an instrumental level was.
Truth. I was so looking forward to the change in direction at the time of his passing... to quiet, keyboard presentations. oohhhhhhh, they would have been sublime.
Prince’s solo was from another galaxy. This man had serious skill on lead guitar. When George Harrison wrote this masterpiece he 4-sure meditating. It’s so crazy seeing all of these musicians leaving us. And also I wanna say, you sir as a musician and teacher yourself made this video moment even better for me with your breaking all the chords down and explaining what was being played on that stage. As a bassist myself I really appreciate your input. You helped my understanding a lot. One last thing; I would loved to have seen Prince and Clapton play this masterpiece on stage together. That would’ve been a real treat. Peace out.🎼🎼🎼👍🏾
Thank you so much for this Doug! For the education of the song and performance while keeping the FEEL close at heart. This is truly one of those special and magical music performances. Someone said that this was Prince's "hold my beer" moment. While that is fun and possibly true, he also came out and became one with the rest of those insanely talented musicians. Touching. Emotional. Music is powerful in so many ways. Thank you again! Absolutely love your channel!!!
Hi Doug, thanks for all you do with your videos, I really appreciate it. Having just watched this breakdown of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," I wanted to add a bit of context to the night in question. I was there, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, covering the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony for a media outlet. Many (most?) journalists are jaded, and when we're on site, we're there to do a job; however, when this performance began, there was a noticeable change in the energy in the press room -- we could just tell somethiing special was going to happen. Then Prince stepped forward. We ALL stopped working. When the song ended, that same jaded press corps gave a standing ovation to the screens we were watching. We KNEW we had just witnessed a performance for the ages. And all these years later, it still hits the same way.
It's not a Tele; it's a H.S. Anderson/Hohner Mad Cat :) Way more flair in the Mad Cat (binding, flame maple top and back, walnut stringers in the seams of the flame maple, different bridge). I have a Mad Cat because of Prince =D
Jeff Healy and Alex were both vastly overrated compared to how underrated Prince was. And that’s with all due respect to both of those players... Prince was a virtuoso player on a multitude of instruments. There are few in the same league on a guitar and even fewer as a complete musician. Any other view seems like you haven’t done your research. Again, just a testament to how good Prince was, not the inferiority of other musicians.
@@mwfmtnman Ace and kid are both far more insulting than anything I said. Do your homework. Lifeson and Healy were both talented musicians. But they couldn’t touch Prince on his worst day. You could ask both of them and I’m fairly certain they would both acquiesce. And the fact you don’t agree with that statement shows how underrated Prince was as a musician. Facts.
Decades later and my music teachers still have a uniquely special place in my memories and life for having connected me to music (analysis, clarinet, piano, and I later picked up acoustic guitar on my own). They were also enthusiastic in teaching and it helped to shape my worldview and appreciation of music. Also, I came across the remasterd video of the 2004 performance with Prince a few hours ago and only have one word. Wow. Keep teaching, shaping lives, and thanks for making this video. Great piece to dissect and that performance was awesome.
I’m an old dead head Beatles stones who.. ect…. Price was not a thought in my mind. After this video I started to research Price. Before he past….. the best guitar player on earth. I didn’t realize how talented he was. I can’t explain how talented he was. He was a pioneer. And I hope he forgives me for not realizing this until a year before he past.
With all of his showmanship and stage presence, Prince’s guitar playing was his tool to reach musicians. There’s no BS in his playing, just pure magic. RIP.
Thank you Doug, l'm watching your youtube again, and loving it. Like you, I could listen to this every day. I also enjoyed your backstory on the happenings of 1968, and perhaps what George H. had in mind when he wrote this. And Prince's performance is just mind blowing. All best to you.
Thank you for featuring this great Harrison song and for your illuminating analysis of the chords. I have been listening to that song ever since I first bought the "White Album" in 1969 as a young teen. I have always felt the long outro of the song to be a meditative chant that touches my soul and wanting it to keep going on and on.
I was never a big Prince fan, seldom listened to much of what he did, with exception of "Little Red Corvette", so when I saw this on UA-cam, I watched only because of the other musicians on stage. Then came Prince's turn, and he blew the walls down. The most stunning performance I had seen in years. My opinion has changed dramatically in his favor. This was raw unadulterated genius on the stage, and it was exhilarating. Only one word: Wow.
Rolling Stone released their top guitarists list just before this performance and Prince wasn't on it. This was his "fuck you".
Check out his live version of Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love. Outstanding - he does know his way around a fret board....
Same. His music never rang my bell, but this dragged down the bell tower. Awesome.
Prince is the best guitarist of all time.
YEP YEP and likewise!
The look on George Harrison's son's face when Prince lets rip is wonderful too see..
That was awesome watching him light up when Prince stepped in for his incredible solo
Dhani Harrison looks so moved, so happy to have Prince shred it for his dad's - IMO - best song. Delightful to see -
I have a feeling that it was only the hardcore Prince fans who knew what a great guitarist he was. The rest of us only found out later.
I saw him in 2007, was never a big fan before that, I just knew his biggest hits. Seeing what he did live with a guitar absolutely blew me away so much I did whatever I could to get a ticket for a (sold out) later show and ended up near the front...extraordinary to witness him cover Hendrix etc. I turned to the girl next to me (I could only get one ticket so went alone, but chatting to her beforehand knew it was her own first time to see him) in astonishment and asked what she thought...she said she was disappointed, he was shorter than she'd expected LOL. I'll never forget that!
Or maybe those that missed his Super Bowl show.
Prince plays every instrument besides composed and write pure genius !
I know and it is so strange. When we used to say we liked Prince, it was like we used to have to explain why or at least felt we had to explain why. And now, it is like everyone sort of thinks they know why, but I get this feeling they only really understand half of it. Loving a guy because of the little things he did often and loving his love for music. Loving a guy who always wants to bend and squeeze music into a place where it has never been yet but will one day seem the norm, falling for a track that stands out to you personally but no one else you know will probably ever get to hear unless you play it to them, playing them an album and realising they love a track on there that you do not quite get the same buzz from. Not to mention watching concerts that go on so long that you actually start to get tiered out yourself and just want your bed, and you know you will never be able to remember half of it because there was just so much of it. And apparently, all he needed to do was a guitar solo and a bunch of people would think they got it, and to be fair they do... because Prince hit different people in different ways, which I think was kinda what he was always trying to do.
Did you ever see the video of James Brown birthday party where Michael Jackson was trying to convince James to bring a then unknown Prince onstage to play guitar? I love James Brown but the old jackass wouldn't even let Prince plug in the guitar. You could see from his face that he was a little weirded out. Prince took it in stride.
The story as told by Tom Petty is as follows: The producer asked Prince if he would play with the band on this song. He said he would, but he said he was not familiar with the song so he would have to listen to it a few times. He DID show up for the rehearsal (there is a picture of Prince walking the streets of NYC on his way to that rehearsal) but the guy who played the first solo kept playing when Prince was suppose to solo. The producer apologized to Prince and Prince said, “no problem, it will work out, don’t worry. Then Prince left. And…the rest is history.
There’s also a picture of Prince rehearsing with the band
There are so many myths, tall tales, & urban legends surrounding this performance -- which is a testament to just how magical, iconic, amazing, legendary, & timeless it is. The one constant throughout the dozens of different versions is that Prince DID NOT rehearse his solo. And there were three stages in getting to the final performnace: FIrst, it was not known whether or not Prince would want to particiapte in the tribute jam, so the producer did in fact finally ask him if he would do so, & he said yes -- Now Prince is known to be a huge Beatles fan, so he most likely had heard the song before & was just being coy (or not). The next stage was when he showed up for the meet & greet/rehearsal (he had rehearsed his own 10-15 minute performance earlier that day) & Marc was playing all the solos while Prince played rhythm & strummed -- There may or may not have been another run-through where the producers had Marc & Prince both take turns on short leads here & there, but at the end of the day, Prince did say, "Let Marc do what he does. & I'll just step in at the end & take the end solo -- Don't worry about it, it will work out."So there was some concern not only about whether Prince would show up for the performance, but also what he would end up doing -- Which is exactly how Prince likes it
So you're telling me one of the greatest guitar players of all time had never heard of the song While My Guitar Gently Weeps?? Yea okay
@@rbh224 he was a huge beatles fan, there is zero way this is true
You got the story mostly right.
If Clapton's solo was gently weeping on the original, Prince's was uncontrolled sobbing
My dad used to always say "you gotta suffer if you want to sing the blues", I'm sure he stole the line from somewhere. Based on the solos, I'm guessing Prince suffered more.
The uncontrolled sobbing of a bad Hollywood actor trying to win an Oscar nomination.
@@carlmarks8170 and yet they made him continue because they knew it would be epic
@@JahleeyahKalonji EXACTLY. If you look at him looking at the other people on stage, they were egging him on. They wanted MORE. George Harrison's son smiled when he came on cause he KNEW what was about to happen. Tom Petty (who has probably jammed with Prince before) was pushing him to continue.
@@JahleeyahKalonji Have another listen, but don't watch!!! Just listen to the music without any distraction. Do it.. Prince's solo is perfectly fine, but there's nothing "magical" about it. It's his visual flamboyance which kills... It's the cool vibe & gravitas he brings to the performance... because check it out: it's not just any old guitarist... IT'S PRINCE!!! the famed reclusive superstar... But if you strip away the hype and focus on the music, it's good without being amazing. Laughable when people mention this as one of the great guitar solos.
That's also leaving aside the fact this is a cover version. George Harrison and Eric Clapton came up with all the original guitar parts - the chord progressions and note phrasing which Prince is incorporating for this solo.
I’ve been a guitar player for about 50 years. I hate comparisons in music because it’s not a competition. But damn . . . that’s the best rock guitar solo I have ever heard. RIP Prince.
It was very good. I think the lead in "sultans of swing" is one of the best of all time, I also love the mike Campbell's lead on "runnin' down a dream"
You are right, I am 60 today and a hard listener of every kind of music, mostly the classic and variances of rock from 60’s up today, Prince songs never really were between my tops but that interpretation, and the style, was impressive, he was always a show man, but that night was his golden closure since he died shorty after. I have seen as I said many lead guitars as Page, Blackmore, Santana, Hendrix and too many more but never had in my mind that Prince should be so magistral playing the lead guitar. Good for hm, that video has been watched too many times more than any other of Prince
You may be right...
@@cubarch Prince died a decade or so after this performance if that's what you meant? He did plenty of amazing stuff after this, I only saw him play twice and he beat this solo a number of times!
Ever listen to The Wall, Jimi, Santana, Stevie Ray?
There’s a moment in this when Prince looks at Tom like ‘should I keep playing?’ & Toms like Hell yes!
I think that moment is more "i'm gonna keep going" and petty says "fuck yeah!"
Prince quotes parts of the original Clapton outro solo in this performance. It wasn't just mindless shredding, this is a real heartfelt and sincere tribute to George and Prince takes it home with a performance for the ages.
One of the great things about this is the ensemble aspect. Prince is shredding the solo but keeps checking back with Tom and everyone else. Subtle nods and smiles communicate so much here!
YES!! It’s like he knew he was killing it, but he wanted to check with everybody else if he should KEEP killing it or not. He didn’t want to step on any toes. And they all recognized the greatness that was happening and just gave him the nod to keep playing. ❤❤
Prince is sneaking in so many things in that solo , emulating and doing it better....
I love all of the comments posted here. I have followed Prince (thankfully) from his start; Prince was the front man in his band. So the reason he kept checking with Tom was because he( Tom) and Jeff were the leads on vocals and guitar, prince followed from the start If you watch the video again, you will see Tom break( at the end) the band. But when he gave the break sign, Prince Head was down and did not see Tom and went into a high pitch.Then Prince came back down and ended on point with a great performance of a great song. R.I.P. PRN.and T.P.
You can almost see him asking permission from Tom for that very last bit
@@alixus10 Indeed...Prince doing stuff with other contemporaries is a rarity...for me it shows his humility and awareness of his ego. Perhaps he felt honoured to be playing with the other legends on stage...regardless of ones talent as others see it, how you see yourself isn't always the same..so to be surrounded by great players...I reckon it meant a lot to him .
What i love about prince's performance here is that he sometimes let the backing track shine through in the solo while he plays minimal notes and then absolutely shreds whenever he needs to.
Imagine being Dhani (George Harrison's son) here. Playing a tribute to your dad with all these incredible, legendary musicians, and Prince is playing some of the most incredible guitar work ever a couple metres in front of you. Must have felt absolutely unreal.
yes just look at the incredible joy on his face watching Prince play .
@@grahamanderson4466 dhani actually thought it was gratuitous...... ua-cam.com/video/zQLPd-aw_mM/v-deo.html
As they were honored to have him there as well … his appearance is chillingly like George and channeling George’s soul as it listened to this. His joy is spiritual 😇
@@daveelson213 People love conflict and controversy don't they? That's why you might choose to emphasize one word out of an interview that wasn't by a long shot a summation of his feelings; quite the opposite.
A more honest, accurate description would include noting how much he enjoyed it, said it "went down so well" and recognized and appreciated being in the middle of a historic performance.
In other words, the title of your link was clickbait, and you took the bait and managed to amplify one word to give the opposite impression of his overall response to the moment, which was that he fully enjoyed the privilege of being part of an epic performance.
@@Gregorypeckory no. He said it end of.
Prince absolutely took over the stage while continuously meshing with the rest of the players. He managed to go out on the edge while Tom Petty was still doing vocals and never took away from the vocals. I don't know. How? He was completely tuned in to what the others were doing while doing what only he could do.
Bravo, you absolutely nailed the scenario with your brilliant observation sir!!!!
Great musicians LISTEN first, and then want to add what the song is asking for, without stepping on other components/musicians. Prince was a music and songwriting genius. Huge ego? Yes, but would never compromise the music.
I love his little smirk he gives petty like yeah, I’m a bad ass!!😂.. just a handful of legends in there element
Amen!✊🏽
Spot on, man!
I'm a Prince fan and i find it kinda funny that this show made so much impression around the world thanks to youtube, because Prince performed solo like that in pretty much ever live shows he did, after shows or whatever, he just didnt put them in his albums for some reason.
Also interesting is that Prince, in every live show, deeply changes the arrangement of his songs, some time you barely recognize them, changed tempo, instruments, turning them into completely different songs, usually much better than the original.
Most underrated comment...;)
Same here. He was under-rated as a guitar player and also a piano/keyboard player. I was fortunate to watch his rise from the very beginning. The last song on his debut album (I'm Your's) showed his skill on the guitar then and he just got bigger from there.
I think lots of guitarists respected Princes chops but he didn't really flaunt it as a main part of his music. Princes amazing ability to shred a guitar was a bit of a secret much like his skill on the basketball court. Not putting them in the same category musically but Flava Flav is an incredibly talented multi instrumentalist but he's more known for wearing a clock around his neck and having bits of spit in the corners of his mouth.
Throw in the Beatles and anything gets magnified 10,000 times. It was a big deal that Clapton got to play with the Beatles back in 1968 too.
It made an impact because people actually got to see the performance rather than it being blocked. Good to see Prince’s estate seem to have relaxed the strict controls enabling those who might be new to his music to see that he was truly one of a kind...
Written in an article by the producer of this show just after Prince passed, an explination of how the rehersal and live show came about. That story tells us during the rehersal Prince was to play both solos. When that moment came the clearly true to note utterly perfect solo was performed by the stand in stage guitarist. Absolutly perfect. After that rehersal the producer came to Prince with an appology for having not been able to play those solos. Prince replied "he did great, have him play the first solo, and let me play the second" Prince knew he was setting up a masterpiece. The producer goes on to explain, Prince played that solo from sheer skill & completely unrehersed, live on stage as we all bear witness.
thanks for sharing!
well to be fair, when you are a genius you dont really need to rehearse...
And, I think Marc Mann makes a good job with the first solo also. For some reason I like it more since it's more classical.
@@SiFiClarki cant believe this is improvised he must have prepared for it on its own right
@@igor4305 Maybe.. for me he backed his ability to make it happen. Jazz Musicians learn a bunch of scales over time, then throw it away and improvise..you don't sit at home pre gig memorizing..in the moment man..back your talent
My MOST FAVORITE version of this song...right here. You got Dhani looking like a clone of his father...Prince killin' it right to the end proper...Tom Petty...Love!
The reaction conversation kinda dismissed one of the most important people on the stage
Prince was a genius. A truly under appreciated guitarist and a remarkable musician - brings a tear to my eye
Oh... and you’re awesome. Love the knowledge and breakdowns - awesome
No he's not, he's just not as well known as many others. Very highly esteemed by everybody that knows him.
@@rimmersbryggeri Sadly I never knew him personally but I am sure all those that knew him, like yourself, really did appreciate him yes. To millions he was "merely" an 80s/90s pop icon - not known for its virtuosic guitar
I never had the feeling that he’s underappreciated as a guitarist.
But also a showman. Perhaps he'd have been greater without the antics? The new "directors cut" of the video however, does reveal in the new close-ups a more nuanced side of Prince, which has softened my attitude slightly.
There was word that Prince was not mentioned in some magazines top 100 guitarists of all time and he had extra incentive. Guitar players have openly spoken about Prine and his ridiculously talented playing acumen. We get caught up I the high heels he wore and the pants that showed his ass but he was a guitar player through and through. This solo will be mentioned 100 years from now. He is finally immortalized as a musician.
Yeah, shame on Rolling Stone Magazine...
Every time I hear this I just cry......weeping for my unfinished goals, the people I will soon leave behind, the world as it is, and the music of such talented musicians ....and watching George's son.....
I have heard that Prince never showed up to practice. He played this impromptu. Amazing. My then 2010 next door neighbor ( she was at least 75 yrs young ) came back from the Monterey Jazz Festival and told me enthusiasticly how good Prince was. He brought such joy.
Prince deservedly stole the show but Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty harmonizing is magnificent.
Yes indeed. Lynne has one of those lovely melodic voices that is
for me impossible to dislike..geezer
Ну принс того стоит!!!!
No he didnt.... that song has been around for at least 40 years... in that time guitar playing evolved tech evolved ... what would have harrison sounded like on that solo if he did it present day... im not taking anything away from prince ...i really think he was one of the best guitarist ever.. but im not going to give him props on a song that he probably covered a million times
@@leonidabalante2638clearly you eyes are bad…..the performance, stage presence and playing stole the show….everyone can clearly see this except you….and back then it was all people were talking about….
Jeff’s voice in this song is legitimately my favorite part of this cover
Prince's super bowl halftime show was the best one ever. He played 4 different electric guitars in a driving downpour and absolutely crushed it.
+1 Purple Rain in the pouring ass rain was epic ua-cam.com/video/lElCzhjiPX8/v-deo.html
What are you talking about.. That was Prince's concert with Superbowl as additional show...lol
@@abrahambramantino1591 Truth.. and with Colts Vs Bears playing he was the most talented all night by a very wide margin
Also plugged and unplugged his guitars himself in that downpour.
That's dangerous af btw and he was by definition getting shocked while playing and soaking wet. I mean water splashed off the drums!!!
And didn't mess up his hair
Classic George Harrison. His songs always stood out on the Beatles albums. Jeff Lynn nails the vocals and it feels good to see Dhani Harrison there. Prince shreds it!
I love all four of his songs on the white album, the three on revolver and both on Abbey Road.
@@beatmet2355agree with most of that but he definitely had WAY better songs than piggies and savoy truffle on his solo albums, especially the first triple album that had lots of songs made for the beatles that were rejected!
@@DerekDerekDerekDerekDerekDerek ATMP is my favorite album by any of the Beatles and the songs are great, but so are Savoy Truffle and Piggies.
George was the best musician in the Beatles.
What tuning was he in when they did this song
Even as an absolute metalhead " Sometimes It Snows In April" always cuts through me....
RIP Prince,- and thank you for all the dancing of my youth.
Amen!
Have you seen him perform it solo from the Musicology tour? Amazing
@@inspectorbudget Thanks for that I'll check that out! One of my favourites!!
Sometimes it snowsnin Apri
🤘
I think the most impressive part of Prince's solo is how perfectly it still fits with the rest of the song. For the first half of the song, he's happy to hang out on the side and play along, but when it's his time to shine, he still makes it about the whole performance. He always finds ways to make space for the vocals when they come back in, either by playing sustained notes, harmonizing, playing in a different register, or simply not playing and kind of "resetting". As great as the solo is, it's not there for him to show off, it's there to make the whole performance better. You can see it in how he looks at the rest of the band with that big grin on his face. You can see it on Dhani Harrison and Tom Petty's faces when Prince falls backward off the stage, and when Prince gets Tom jamming down low.
Prince is looking off to the side a lot because he's more or less asking the producer with a look if he should keep going. The producer kept nodding at him.
I am 70. I do not know the notes but I have been playing guitar and even composing music for almost 55 years. And it all started under the influence of The Beatles. Even my english came under their influence. Your presentation is great. This song with Prince is my No.1. Thank you for teaching me.
That solo from Prince seems to come from another universe!
YOU KNOW it is good when a classical composer gets the "stank face" while listening to your solo!
I was thinking the exact same thing. You don't often see the stank face in that setting.
Exactly!
I didnt like the fact that Prince played an ego solo to get he attention in a concert about George Harisson life and work. So it us not a giod solo. It. Would be a good solo. In an occasion where it would be ok to present himswlf instead of George Harrison.
@@innosanto I understand. Prince was definitely an ego prince!
@@innosanto Jesus wept...Why do you think they invited him to play ? To politely strum a few chords ? It wasn´t a funeral, but a celebration....and Dhani Harrison loved it. See his smile @10:00 if you don´t believe me...
The video of this concert literally makes me cry. To see an artist so beautifully embody the music that they are playing is inspirational to the core. This is where music becomes transcendent.
Same here I cry every time
Weeping right now.
What an artist like Prince playing with mega stars like Lynne and Petty it’s amazing but then killing the stage with his performance it’s incredible. The harmony and sentimental value he put on this song with his solo is amazing!!!😢😢❤❤
I put this on every now and again as a big Beatles and Prince fan, and I find that it always makes me weep as well.
Same
OMG, so happy a professional is recognizing the talents of Prince in this amazing video. I, too, can listen to this and CRY every single time I hear this song. It is a masterpiece, composed and performed by all the geniuses in the music world.
Oh my, George such a lovely person.
I've always said if you want to know what a soul looks like watch a guitarist !
When Prince played this I can feel it in my bones through to my soul.
Prince was just so tasteful with his playing. Everything fit exactly how it was supposed to.
totally agree ... even in the stuff i didnt like he was never abrasive ... just not the chords i would have used ...it was like with flea ... i wrote a bass line 10 maybe 15 years earlier than aeroplane ...he came out with it note for note ... what do they call it ... convergant evolution ?
prince never put his foot in the dog mess of nasty commercial to my knowledge ( what do i know lol )
Yea probs not improvised
Harrison’s son was happy - so that is the clincher. Tugged at my heart strings.
Prince and David Bowie leave a big hole in the universe.
That was not a good year in my life, mainly for those reasons.
@@BytebroUK The morning I started a new job, I woke up to a text message from a friend telling me Bowie died. I listened to his stuff my first day at a new place, doing my best not to cry while I did. Same job, 3 months later, Prince died. Fuck that job. Glad I left there in July of that year.
Although not the same year, would anyone else agree that Freddie Mercury was one of those who also was one-of-a-kind?
... and Eddie Van Halen.
same 😭
Prince was probably the most talented, and hardest working artist that ever existed. He played over 20 musical instruments, wrote every song that he recorded, and also was the producer and arranger of every song he wrote. I do not think any other artist would ever be his equal.
He actually did do a few cover songs, but it was incredibly rare. (He covered Sheryl Crow's "Every Day Is A Winding Road" and Joan Osborne's "One Of Us", for example) I get the feeling that Prince covering someone else's song meant he must have had *mad* respect for the original artist.
@@fnjesusfreak same. If he covered it, it was in homage.
He covered "Best of you" by Foo Fighters at the super bowl halftime show in 2007. Dave Grohl has said being covered by Prince was his "proudest musical achievement".
Prince > MJ.
I’d say Merle Haggard was just as good. He also could play every instrument and wrote at least as many great tunes.
Transcendent is the word. I knew nothing about this genius really, until I saw this clip. I've since watched it 50 times. It's stuff like this that reminds me what an amazing world we live in, and that life is beautiful. Thank you Prince. Respect.
Prince honoured the original as well as stamping his own style in this. This was the greatest solo ever, improvised and absolutely nailed. I’ve seen Page and he is a hero. As Clapton said when asked what it’s like to be the greatest living guitar player, “l wouldn’t know, you had better ask Prince”.
Prince SHOWBOATING?? Umm reckon... absolutely. However, just look at the expression on Danni’s face whilst Prince is honouring his Dad. Danni is sooo proud to be playing on the same stage as his own idols, not only performing with but also honouring his father. How wonderful.xxxx
I've watched it countless times and still do every year. And just as you said the look on Dhani's face gets me every time. He is just super honoured and loving it. You can't fake that...
Very 😎
I thought the same and someone pointed that Dani said that Prince throwing that guitar was gratuitous😳. I couldn’t believe it but I watched the interview and he really said that, so sad.
@@bohemiatotal Hmmmm...I've not seen any interview. I wonder the context, spirit of the comment or even if he understood the meaning? 😳
Perhaps he did and at the time really felt that. I do get his performance was phenomenal & perhaps the guitar antics at the end seen as unnecessary and trying to take the spotlight away from the commemorative event.
Prince was definitely just in the moment & seemed to be putting all be had into the performance for George.
Cheers. 👍
Not a showboat, great great ARTIST.
I KNOW THE FEELING.
I think there is a back story to Dhani and Prince wanting to make him smile, and let's not forget...where did that guitar go at the end??
Still sends a shiver down my spine even after listening to this over a hundred times ! If there’s a better guitar solo I have yet to hear it in 50 years
The better solo has been around for ages ua-cam.com/video/BjJORx8xnnA/v-deo.html
@@fletmok3548 it’s good but it’s not Prince good
Oh please. There are MANY guitar solos by MANY guitarists in the LAST 50 YEARS that are awesome. You haven't been listening.
Only Jimi. Voodoo Chile live with Steve winwood. Might be on the Are U Experienced album.
Prince threw the guitar up for George to hold onto until he got there
Aww man ... no, I've just got something in my eye ...
Awww my heart breaks.
Are you trying to make me cry even more!?
That one cut me deep.
Did you notice the guitar didn’t come back down - so it must be true!
Never thought much about Prince until I listened to this rendition. His power blew me away. I've watched this video many many times.
Dig in to Prince after show performances. Looser than the concerts and tons of jamming. Just absolute shredding backed by top notch players!
ln that one solo Prince sent shout outs to a more than a dozen great guitarists, little licks, riffs, progressions, chord changes, flourishes etc that others are known for.
I don't about a dozen but to me I heard shout outs to Clapton, Hendrix, Santana, Di Meola, Atkins......
Like just before he nods at Tom Petty. Don't know why, but the chords he plays reminds me of "learning to fly" I think
So I wasn't imagining the nod to Pete Townshend with the arm movements?
Yeah, he did a Townsend move
There no words that can adequately express the guitar work Prince added to this performance. I have listened to this song for 50 years and Prince transcends all discriptions of genius.
Doug, your piano playing to the song sounded amazing! 👌🏼👌🏼
I remember watching that vid for the first time. I hadn't even noticed that Prince was there, tucked all the way to the right. And then, BOOM! He comes in and absolutely crushes the end solo. It was only then that I learned how good a guitar player he was.
Tom Petty (Heartbreakers, The Traveling Wilburys) - lead vocals, guitar
Jeff Lynne (ELO, The Traveling Wilburys) - co-lead vocals, guitar
Steve Winwood (Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith)- organ
Dhani Harrison - guitar, backing vocals
Jeff Young (Jackson Browne) - piano
Marc Mann (ELO, Oingo Boingo) - lead guitar
Scott Thurston (The Motels, The Heartbreakers) - bass
Steve Ferrone (AWB, Duran Duran, The Heartbreakers) - drums
Jim Capaldi (Traffic) - persussion, tambourine
Prince (aka "that handsome little guy with the red hat") - soul, swagger, heat, sexiness
George Harrison - spiritual guidance
Eric Clapton - blues inspiration
Jimi Hendrix - cosmic influence
Masters in their own right
Prince is the ultimate Guitarist and the G.O.A.T. When God dedicated pure raw talent in your soul, you'll know how to make people feel so good inside. Thank you all the late and great musicians who left a legacy for us to continue to enjoy into the cosmos.
A song that you never want to end incredible performance
When we lost Prince it was like losing Hendrix, he was one of those guys that only comes around once in a very long while. The fact that Prince and Jimi almost shared the same time span, Prince was 12 years old when Jimi died is rare. Also losing Tom Petty what a great song writer was a great loss. Prince passed in 16 and Tom Petty a year later in 17. It was a heavy loss in music all around.
Absolutely. Some guys like Prince, Hendrix, John Lennon, George Harrison, Michael Jackson, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, Chuck Berry and others like Muddy Waters, Fat Dominos, etc., the list goes on, as you said, they come around once in a very long long time.
Heavy loss you are right.
I forgot to mention Elvis Presley. Who can forget the king, even though he always said he wasn't the king. He said Fat Dominos was. Great guy.
Prince to me is right handed Hendrix. They look like they're in a trance, they look like they are putting in zero actual effort and are just playing around with the guitar neck, they both rip emotion straight from the strings and into your ears. Both skinny dudes with incredibly fly taste in clothes and hats with fingers that are long, slender and perfect for playing guitar.
When you can just smack the guitar around and have sound as perfect as they did, you're a special talent.
@@s.willis8426 .. and they reckon 'talent' and like this skill can be learnt .... ie. Nature or Nurture ... i think it is within the soul of some artists and no matter how good a technician/musician can be they may never capture the 'feel' of the music coming from within the person displaying it as Prince did at this gig .... my tuppence anyway ... brilliant .... i just wonder who caught the tele, or did it just go all the way up to the great gig in the sky...
@@BraveheartOBM It's a 2 part issue, you can take a trained musician and have him "learn" Prince's solo here and that trained musician can make a note for note replica of what Prince played. That said they will never "play like Prince" on their own, they can only replicate the notes and feel that his mind produced, they can't produce them as original thoughts and feelings like he did.
An even better example might be David Gilmour (since the great gig in the sky came up even though he had nothing to do with that song other than being in the band). I can play pretty much every Floyd solo Gimour did because they aren't that complicated to replicate yet in no way do I compare to David Gilmour as a musician. Anyone can learn and recite a poem, it takes a special talent to write it originally.
And lost them both from the same cause.
Prince did come to the rehearsal, actually. He said as much. He noted he held back at rehearsal, as to really slay during the performance.
Nope, according to Tom Petty, he didn't.
@@inlikearefugee5194 incorrect. Prince didn’t even know this song. He rehearsed it with them and was getting upset cause the other solo guy (forget the name) was doing the solos instead and note for note. Prince left without showing his solo and told the producer not to worry
@@Jayden-sh2jt Nonsense, that's your own imagination.
@@inlikearefugee5194 stated from the director or producer
You are correct! www.nytimes.com/2016/04/28/arts/music/prince-guitar-rock-hall-of-fame.html
I love Prince because he was the first artist I “found” by myself. My dad and aunt turned me on to all kinds of music like Elton, Zeppelin, Bowie, Eddie Money, all of the regulars but when I heard Prince in 1980 he was my music, I found him on my own. I took a lot of grief because I grew up in a predominantly metal town. I still love Prince. He was/is a one of a kind artist that will happen only once. I am grateful I got to be here to witness him.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, I've been waiting to hear a professional break this awesome performance down. Music picks up where words won't do.
A memory I will never forget was attending Jazzfest in 2016. The event kicked off the day after Prince passed. Eight days later we watched My Morning Jacket cover Purple Rain as a tribute. As we stood near the stage soaking it all in, it started to rain. A truly ethereal experience. That was the start of a rainstorm so strong and long that we were ankle deep in water the next day and they canceled the Stevie Wonder headliner event. Such a memorable coincidence. (We were able to see Stevie, who came back in '17)
The way Prince massaged those bends, my goodness.
Prince was a musical genius. There was nothing left for that guitar to do but ascend to heaven. RIP Prince! 💜🕊💜🕊💜🕊
Prince is the GOAT 🐐 of our time! Period
I liked Prince, then I saw him on the Purple Rain tour in Chicago. I fell in Love with Prince. I worked on air at a rock station and Prince was considered top 40, so we never played Prince until one night I was asked to work an overnight shift… It was a Saturday night, the regular guy called off two hours before and the PD called me, begging me to do the shift. I told him it was a request weekend and I planned on filling A LOT of request. Normally request weekends are one or two songs max per hour… My whole show was request and I just so happened to grab a couple of my Prince albums on my way out the door… lol It was a lot of fun that night. The PD did get some shit from the GM, but we had 5 stations under one roof at that location, so he had bigger fish to fry than one guy filling in and playing half a dozen Prince songs on a Saturday night!!
The fact that Eric Clapton performed Purple Rain as a tribute to Prince is in itself high praise - but this is another incredible solo that Clapton would be proud of since I believe he performed the original on the White Album
Pure Gold! Prince would have had a great conversation with this chap ... Reverence to Prince is so deserved... The kid walked the walk ... Tom Petty and band looked blown away cause it was all impromptu from Prince 😂🤣😂. R.I.P. Prince and Tom ... 🥰
There are no appropriate words to describe the level of talent between Prince and Tom Petty and Jeff Lynn.
So I won't try.
I agree with you completely. This is one of the greatest ensembles of artists performing one of the greatest songs of all time with my man Prince on guitar solo. My favorite artist! Love it!
My 14 year old daughter is learning to play the guitar and we watch this video together. Goosebumps every time! Prince brought the song to another level. A true artist. A legend. Rest in paradise, king!
John and Paul always said they wanted George in the band because he knew more chords than they did. Prince in this performance shreds ungently the weeping of the guitar like nobody else. Wonderful!
Anybody who respects Prince so much has to be a very good friend of mine
Best Show Halftime of a Super Bowl all Time ....! PRINCE.
In the pouring rain... it was brilliant!
YEP ^^^. NO. Debate.
“Can you make it rain harder?” - Prince, preshow
Absolutely 💯!!!
Purple Rain
Never fails, Prince's guitar weeps and I get goosebumps.
... and I ball my eyes out, something about the whole damn thing...
SAME
Watching Prince play off of Tom was just two brilliant musicians killing it.
There is just something so very special about this performance. From all contributors. But Prince just found another level, and all the other greatness on stage recognized that and let him flow with it. ❤️❤️
and then the greats realised they were in the presence of greatness.
Prince arrived on the scene for me in a personal dead space for music: I was raising young kids and otherwise distracted. I have to say that I was blown away by his guitar skills the first time I watched this performance. I was familiar with his songs but simply had no idea he was such a dominant guitarist. Your coverage here is excellent.
I forgot to breathe when i first seen Prince's guitar 🎸 solo he performed on While My Guitar Gently Weeps at the induction ceremony. What a beautiful, great moment that was. I'm so envious of people who are just shredding the guitar like that. I don't think its something you can learn, you have to be born to be an artist like that. I definitely need to check out more of his albums. I only discovered The Beatles recently and that is what got me into this song.
Doug, Thank you so much for this video. You just put the right words on this great and underestimate amazing singer, guitar player who came to destroy the stage in that scene. Glad that you went to the details of the son and your expressions are the same I have when I see the video over and over again. As of every Friday night it’s concert time in my house with wine and all the great videos and this one is on the list every Friday. Prince deserves so much more but we are here to pay tribute to our little brother who just left a note of who he was and still is in music, in our hearts and the memories he left us are incredible!
Thank you again my friend and let’s keep celebrating Prince!!
Legend says that guitar is still in orbit today.
Prince being prince tho, would’ve picked this apart at home in his own time and would’ve found all the areas on the neck he liked and had them locked and loaded for the performance. We’re talking about a guy who slept 3 hours a day because he was so committed to his music. Truly remarkable human being.
Yes i think so bro..correct🤙
Prince was fearless and very necessary...You really can't have anything but respect for how he did his life...his way.
And some say that guitar is still up in the air to this day
Thanks for helping me decipher this Magnificent Masterpiece! I am not a musician but I knew something special was happening here! RIP, Roger Nelson✴
This tribute for George Harrison was a song where Prince absolutely stole the show…I had never heard him play with such vigor…Such a talent…
Thanks for the explanation of the chords for that piece…Even during your tutorial which was interesting I could not help but hear that solo in the background…I have listened to this particular piece a number of times…hearing this explanation of it made it even more exciting…Thank you…
Prince did show for the rehearsal. He was supposed to play the classic solo but no one told the other solo guitar player. You could see had prepped an almost exact copy of George's solo. Prince said don't worry about it he would just do an outro solo. That was never rehearsed. He just improvised it.
copy of clapton's solo I think, IClapton played the solo on the original right?
You mean Clapton's solo.
“…the other solo guitar player…” was Marc Mann.
@@ThouArtAGeek correct
@@musicatmidnight3459 guitar is not my first instrument but even I can copy clapton's solo on that song....No chance if me copying Prince.
Stupendous ,left all who heard this STUPIFIED!!Prince shined and took nothing away from the other awesome players up on that stage.RIP .purple one.👍👍👍👍
It's funny. I was born in '81 and raised on hard rock/metal. Naturally my musical taste runs VERY heavy. It was that Super Bowl halftime that I realized he was a badass and when I first saw this performance it just reinforced it. Not always my thing musically, but one hell of a talented dude.
That’s exactly how I would put it ,I don’t have any Prince material but an incredible musician...👍
@@mudskipper0075 Agreed.
Damn straight.
This was a classic performance bringing all of the musicians we all knew together. When Prince did his solo and was smiling, showing the late George’s son what rock guitar could be, it was truly magical!
We recently found this video with prince. It is off the rails at the end! Wow so happy to see it hit you as hard as us. So much so that our band is now doing this version. I was so inspired by this! I even wear a hat on stage and have a purple bass that I play in honor of the great one Prince. 💜 I get chills at the end with how much passion he played with. So glad you share in noticing it too!
It's unfortunate that most geniuses don't get the recognition they deserve until they're already gone. RIP Prince and so many others that molded music.
I've always heard the story of rehearsal is that Prince did show up for rehearsal but one of the Heartbreakers spent so much time working on his solo that Prince get a chance to groove his solo with the band. They asked him if they needed to go long but he said, "No, I think I've got something."
Thank you for posting, I grew up listening to ELO and Tom Petty great to see all that talent and then Prince making that guitar sing
Doug, I think the other lead guitarist was Marc Mann but I may be mistaken....!!! Marc Mann is an American keyboardist, guitarist, programmer, arranger and conductor. He has a Master's Degree in Music from UCLA. Mann is known for his work with Oingo Boingo, Jeff Lynne and the Electric Light Orchestra. Mann is credited as performer, arranger or producer on 54 albums.
I will always tell people Prince is the most underrated musician of all time. Sure, people know his songs, but most people don't know how truly profound his talent on an instrumental level was.
Truth. I was so looking forward to the change in direction at the time of his passing... to quiet, keyboard presentations. oohhhhhhh, they would have been sublime.
Twice the dummy played some retarded open 1st string fast picking dreck that 100% didn't fit. Mann's middle solo=much more tasteful
Prince’s solo was from another galaxy. This man had serious skill on lead guitar. When George Harrison wrote this masterpiece he 4-sure meditating. It’s so crazy seeing all of these musicians leaving us. And also I wanna say, you sir as a musician and teacher yourself made this video moment even better for me with your breaking all the chords down and explaining what was being played on that stage. As a bassist myself I really appreciate your input. You helped my understanding a lot. One last thing; I would loved to have seen Prince and Clapton play this masterpiece on stage together. That would’ve been a real treat. Peace out.🎼🎼🎼👍🏾
Thank you so much for this Doug! For the education of the song and performance while keeping the FEEL close at heart. This is truly one of those special and magical music performances. Someone said that this was Prince's "hold my beer" moment. While that is fun and possibly true, he also came out and became one with the rest of those insanely talented musicians. Touching. Emotional. Music is powerful in so many ways. Thank you again! Absolutely love your channel!!!
That moment he wraps it up, passes it back to Petty, and Petty says, nope, you’re not done.
Yeah, I caught that!! So he just kept jammin ❤❤
thanks for pointing that out x
Hi Doug, thanks for all you do with your videos, I really appreciate it.
Having just watched this breakdown of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," I wanted to add a bit of context to the night in question. I was there, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, covering the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony for a media outlet. Many (most?) journalists are jaded, and when we're on site, we're there to do a job; however, when this performance began, there was a noticeable change in the energy in the press room -- we could just tell somethiing special was going to happen.
Then Prince stepped forward. We ALL stopped working.
When the song ended, that same jaded press corps gave a standing ovation to the screens we were watching.
We KNEW we had just witnessed a performance for the ages.
And all these years later, it still hits the same way.
Doug, all your videos are da^^n special, thank you for the information and fun you provide
As I weep I have to say that Prince absolutely nailed it . Bravo .
Thanks for the content !
That has to the the best guitar solo ever captured on a Telecaster. Prince is just sublime in this performance.
It's not a Tele; it's a H.S. Anderson/Hohner Mad Cat :) Way more flair in the Mad Cat (binding, flame maple top and back, walnut stringers in the seams of the flame maple, different bridge). I have a Mad Cat because of Prince =D
@@Kylora2112 fair enough! Same shape, so I assumed Fender 👍🏻
I'm guessing you're not familiar with Roy Buchanan.
Not a Telecaster dude, it’s a H S Anderson “Mad Cat”
Page played the solo to Stairway on a tele that was hanging on the wall where they recorded it. Tele and a Princeton amp...
Prince was a real talent, and the most underrated guitar player in the history of music.
I would argue that Alex Lifeson is as underrated
Jeff Healy and Alex were both vastly overrated compared to how underrated Prince was. And that’s with all due respect to both of those players... Prince was a virtuoso player on a multitude of instruments. There are few in the same league on a guitar and even fewer as a complete musician. Any other view seems like you haven’t done your research. Again, just a testament to how good Prince was, not the inferiority of other musicians.
@@Jestinphish420 in your opinion ace. No need to be insulting kid
@@mwfmtnman Ace and kid are both far more insulting than anything I said. Do your homework. Lifeson and Healy were both talented musicians. But they couldn’t touch Prince on his worst day. You could ask both of them and I’m fairly certain they would both acquiesce. And the fact you don’t agree with that statement shows how underrated Prince was as a musician. Facts.
prince is only underrated by fools.
Decades later and my music teachers still have a uniquely special place in my memories and life for having connected me to music (analysis, clarinet, piano, and I later picked up acoustic guitar on my own).
They were also enthusiastic in teaching and it helped to shape my worldview and appreciation of music.
Also, I came across the remasterd video of the 2004 performance with Prince a few hours ago and only have one word. Wow.
Keep teaching, shaping lives, and thanks for making this video.
Great piece to dissect and that performance was awesome.
I’m an old dead head Beatles stones who.. ect…. Price was not a thought in my mind. After this video I started to research Price. Before he past….. the best guitar player on earth. I didn’t realize how talented he was. I can’t explain how talented he was. He was a pioneer. And I hope he forgives me for not realizing this until a year before he past.
With all of his showmanship and stage presence, Prince’s guitar playing was his tool to reach musicians. There’s no BS in his playing, just pure magic. RIP.
Great coverage, but also great piano playing!! Thanks so much, Doug!!
‘George Harrison’s like what’s going on’ - it is spooky how much Dhani looks like George!
He's a clone.
He told him to play it over the top
@@alanfickrealtor no he didn’t
Thank you Doug, l'm watching your youtube again, and loving it. Like you, I could listen to this every day. I also enjoyed your backstory on the happenings of 1968, and perhaps what George H. had in mind when he wrote this. And Prince's performance is just mind blowing. All best to you.
Thank you for featuring this great Harrison song and for your illuminating analysis of the chords. I have been listening to that song ever since I first bought the "White Album" in 1969 as a young teen. I have always felt the long outro of the song to be a meditative chant that touches my soul and wanting it to keep going on and on.