George Harrison was taken from us far too soon, but he left one last brilliant gem for us with his final ever public performance. The Beatles legend appeared on TV in 1997 to help his old friend Ravi Shankar promote his new album at the time. George did not intend to perform, but a staffer put an acoustic guitar in his hand and asked him to play, and the guitarist generously performed two songs, “Any Road” and “All Things Must Pass.” All he needed was one acoustic guitar and that golden voice to create magic.
George’s rendition of “Any Road” shows that even shortly before his passing, he was still probably the greatest living singer-songwriter. It’s not many rock singers who drop some of their best songs on their final album, but George did just that with “Any Road”! The reaction from Ravi and his wife watching in total awe as George sings says it all. As far as The Music Man is concerned, peak George in his solo career always came when it was just him and his acoustic guitar – and this performance is no exception.
George gave his final public performance at the VH1 studio in New York City. Fans loved to see the historic capture and added comments such as “George’s last live performance with Ravi Shankar is a gift to us and them” and “I feel so much at peace when listening to our sweet Beatle George. He is missed so much by the world.”
George’s greatest live cut that is readily available online is surely his rendition of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” at The Prince’s Trust Rock Gala in 1987. It’s a very notable capture, as it was one of the closest things we ever had to a Beatles reunion. This is because it featured Beatles sticksman Ringo Starr on the drums, as well as Eric Clapton on lead guitar. The Music Man readers may recall that George famously brought in Eric to play the guitar solo on the original Beatles studio recording of the song.
George gave his final live performance on July 24, 1997, at the VH1 studios. He subsequently passed on November 29, 2001. The four-year gap between his final performance and his passing was largely due to battles with several health issues. Shortly after his VH1 appearance, George was diagnosed with throat cancer, which he attributed to years of smoking. The following year, he announced that he had beaten the cancer through radiotherapy treatments. The former Beatle was subsequently attacked at his home in Friar Park on December 30, 1999. The 34-year-old attacker stabbed George 40 times before being knocked out by George’s wife Olivia, who wielded a fireplace poker and a lamp. George’s friends speculated that the stress on his body from the attack allowed the cancer to return and spread. He then died at age 58 in a Los Angeles property (owned by Paul McCartney) while he was in America for cancer treatment.