The band on stage was full of legends: Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Steve Winwood. Standing among them, playing guitar, was George’s son, Dhani Harrison.
Prince was there too. He was being inducted into the Hall of Fame himself that same night. At first, he stays off to the side, quietly playing along.
It almost didn’t happen. According to Rolling Stone, George’s widow, Olivia, had wanted the performance to include only people who knew George. Organizers persuaded her to let Prince play.
Near the end of the song, Prince steps to the center of the stage and lets loose with a solo of about two minutes, full of soaring high notes. He leans back off the edge of the stage so far that someone has to hold him up. When he finishes, he tosses his guitar into the air and walks off before the song has even ended.
Watch Dhani’s face during the solo. His delight says it all. Backstage, he joked, “I want to be friends with him. We’re the same height.”
Paul Shaffer, who led the band that night, said Prince kept “a little something in reserve” for the real performance. “He just killed it that night,” he said.
Many people call it the greatest moment in the history of the Rock Hall ceremonies. Once you see it, it is easy to understand why.
Have you ever seen a better guitar solo? Share this with a friend who loves the Beatles.
