The Day Prince’s Guitar Wept Loudest

On March 15, 2004, George Harrison was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. As part of the ceremony, an all-star band performed “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” Mr. Harrison’s best-known Beatles song. The group featured Tom Petty and two other members of the Heartbreakers, as well as Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, Dhani Harrison (George’s son) and Prince, himself an inductee that year. Marc Mann, a guitarist with Mr. Lynne’s band, played Eric Clapton’s memorable solo from the album version of the song. But Prince, who essentially stood in the dark for most of the performance, burned the stage to the ground at the song’s end.

His three-minute guitar solo is a Prince milestone, a chance to see him outside of the purple-tinted (for once, he is dressed in red) context of his own meticulous studio craft. This was Prince the Lead Guitarist, those chops apparent on songs like "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?," "Electric Chair" and "When Doves Cry" were given free range to roam. And when he tossed his instrument into the air at the very end of the song, it never appeared to land: it was almost as if Mr. Harrison had grabbed it himself. 

Personally, as someone who can distinguish a legendary guitar player from a novice, this solo was breathtaking. Prince makes it look easy. He not only can play the instrument well, but he has great presence on stage. Prince offered something unique to the world of music, and in a time where the black identity was misrepresented, he reengineered a new image that defied traditional African American stereotypes.

Several people who were onstage or at the ceremony that night recalled Prince’s involvement and performance. The one I found most interesting was the excerpt from Gallen. Where he talks about Prince wanting to perfect the performance. It reminds me of myself at times: constantly stressing about perfecting a paper, or an assignment, or a baseball swing. Regardless of what it is, those character traits made me appreciate my habits. Gallen also highlighted his work ethic and his busy days. He points out that although Prince had an incredibly work ethic, he had incredibly confidence about himself, which enabled him to thrill the crowd. I also can relate to out working individuals, as well as being confident about your work, as these are by-products of playing sports.

Citation: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/28/arts/music/prince-guitar-rock-hall-of-fame.html