HEAR IT AND "WEEP"

Producer/director Joel Gallen, Tom Petty and Heartbreakers drummer Steve Ferrone recall Prince’s monumental extended solo on George Harrison’s Beatles classic “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” which climaxed the 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, in a fascinating New York Times piece.

“They never rehearsed it, really,” Gallen marvels. “[Prince] never really showed us what he was going to do, and he left, basically telling me, the producer of the show, not to worry. And the rest is history. It became one of the most satisfying musical moments in my history of watching and producing live music.”

“I think George would have liked it a lot,” Petty reckons.

Referencing the Times story is a great excuse to geek out over Prince’s mind-blowing three minutes again—the solo starts at 3:23. By the way, the audio of the performance is available for download on iTunes.