With this one solo, Prince solidified his name as a guitar god! The Purple One ran rampant onstage at George Harrison’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, delivering a mind-bending solo on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” that left fans in shock and awe. The star-packed performance initially centered around lead vocals from Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, while Steve Winwood provided some tasty licks and Harrison’s son Dhani provided acoustic guitar and backup vocals.
Prince initially sat back, but shortly after the three-minute mark, Prince boldly strode to the center of the stage and dropped a face-melting solo. It’s one of those solos that just make you pull a nasty face as you dig the mean licks. Prince combined groove, technique, and stage theatrics into one to create a legendary rock and roll moment. The Music Man readers might just want to tune in from 4:40 onward to see the big cheesy grins on the faces of Petty and Dhani, which just say it all.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame uploaded an HD version of the 2004 performance in May 2021, and it has since been viewed 39 million times. Fans wrote nearly 36,000 comments below the video, adding thoughts such as “Tom Petty and Dhani Harrison know they are taking part in a legendary moment right then and there as Prince wraps up the solo, and Prince knows it too by the grin on his face” and “This is stone cold, hands down one of the greatest solos ever. A master class clinic by the artist formerly known as… legend!”
Prince has written some of the greatest hits over the years, but there’s something about his live shows that always takes things to another level. Prince delivered one of his most memorable live performances at his estate in Paisley Park, Minnesota in 1999. In addition to the most excellent groove provided by the band, the performance is also notable for featuring some real fretboard fireworks and killer vocals from The Purple One.
The Beatles released “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” on November 22, 1968, as part of their ninth studio album, The White Album. Harrison is the sole credited songwriter on the song, while George Martin handled production. Harrison didn’t get the chance to contribute all that many Beatles songs compared to Paul McCartney and John Lennon, but he nonetheless created some of the band’s most enduring songs. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” is definitely one of them, as evidenced by the fact that Rolling Stone listed it at number 135 on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, among other honors.