Did anyone in rock history rise to the big occasion better than Prince? His Super Bowl halftime show in the Miami rain stands as the best has come close to matching his concert in the Miami rain, and his blistering guitar solo at his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame left a stage full of icons in awe. The original video has been viewed over 100 million times on YouTube, but now Joel Gallen, who produced the original broadcast of the concert, has re-edited the footage to focus more on Prince.
The 2004 HoF class also included George Harrison, selected posthumously as a solo performer, which is why fellow Wilburys Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne were there. Petty sang “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” while Marc Mann, Jeff Lynne’s lead guitarist, providing the Claptonesque fills for the first three minutes of the song. At about the 2-minute mark you can see Dhani Harrison smiling toward the wings as Prince gets ready to emerge.
Mann stuck closely to Eric Clapton’s understated, tasteful licks, but Prince obliterated that approach. His guitar doesn’t just weep — it wails, it moans, it gnashes its teeth. He even works in a Nigel Tufnel moment at about the 4:30 mark, when he leans back so far a roadie has to hold him up and put him back on his feet.
Gallen said, “Seventeen years after this stunning performance by Prince, I finally had the chance to go in and re-edit it slightly – since there were several shots that were bothering me. I got rid of all the dissolves and made them all cuts, and added lots more close ups of Prince during his solo.” A side-by-side comparison shows there isn’t much difference, but it’s a fine excuse for hearing this again.
