ChicanoBatman
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I have had the greatest opportunity to see Prince twice. Not fully understanding his guitar prowess the first time, I was floored when he left the stage at The Gorge the second time, playing a 15 min solo through crowds. Couldn't see him, but the tidal swell around him, and the massive response was hard to miss. Fucking Legend.
jettsmom4868
RIP Tom Petty
Tunica
I read somewhere he did that, b/c they didn't give him a part to sing. Thanks Prince, whatever motivated you to play it like that.
shanasphone350
He was truly talented in the art of music. His essence was sound and music. We may never see this talent again in our lifetime. He transcended with sound. It was true beauty and artistry.
brownribbon
Well who the fuck was #2? Or #100 for that matter?
barbarian818
What always struck me about that performance was how he made it about him. More than once the others try to sing the next verse, only to abandon it when Prince plowed through. For one of them, he did do the raised hand "lemme go off on this" but he never gave it back. It showed what a great musician he was and at the same time, not so great band mate.
5knotcans
One of the top 100 transgressions in modern musical history.
machstormer
Sauce: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWRCooFKk3c
taez555
The funny thing, Prince is in general was a wayyyy better guitarist than this video shows. It's just that he was a control freak and didn't allow any of his music on Youtube, so when he died this was the only tune people could watch(since he didn't own the rights), and everyone latched on to it. Go look up his live performance of Fury on SNL.
Causeitsmadeofmeat
Thanks for the word on "Fury"; a true tour de force
UpNorthAndFreezing
Thank you. This solo was the holy Grail for casual prince listeners. Although it was massive.. it only barely touches his genius.
yamsonyamsonyams
Im assuming that’s true because people show me this video to talk about how great he was and it’s honestly rather mid
CobainsSarcoma
he covered Creep by Radiohead and wanted it pulled from YouTube Radiohead said 'not your song, not your call, it's staying up'
boxbackknitties
You ever see the Just My Imagination from '88? It's pretty righteous. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO-B5trlkJo
TexMexHex
That's fine. He was better than any of the top 100 anyway.
KilroyLichking
alright lets play some blues riff in B watch me for the changes and try to keep up.
jalcantara88127001
Nice. My kid will love that one.
DutchBoeremeisie
RetrogradeLlama
Fun fact: the original was in B-flat. So is the movie soundtrack.
I’m guessing that they didn’t like the way “B flat” sounded in the script. The sentence does get a little cumbersome if you add the “flat” part in there.
HardyandRamanujan
Did not know. Blues in B flat is a somewhat unusual key for a guitarist
MyGreatestFearBoner
Polymathena
He could play any instrument with facility. It rained for a month straight starting the day he died. Mother Nature mourning one of her greatest gifts
Omnimorph2112
Problem with being too amazing in too many things is people have the tendency to overlook them on an individual basis. I struggle to think of a better out and out musician than Prince. In terms of talent, he was just on a completely different level.
serendrewpity
^^^^^---- This! The word genius is over used to the point its lost meaning. This guy not just played so many instruments but excelled at most of them. Then to throw in that you are even a great song writer too. And he does this across multiple genres. I struggle to think there is anyone close to that.
UnattendedDeviant
I saw him live once. I always remember him on top of speaker and his guitar shooting a stream of white liquid during a Little Niki solo. I was in college and so wasted the stadium steps appeared to steep to walk up when I needed to go pee.
I misss his music and talent.
screwmedailab
I saw him in the twin cities BEFORE he was Prince.
ChippinStrata
He was always prince. And thats awesome.
pulpdog
"Prince's guitar skills were so underrated, it's like he was trying to keep them a secret. Alas, his genius was exposed, and the world was left in awe, wondering how one person could be so ridiculously talented."
Hexrowe
You know how there's that evergreen story about this musician or that having sold their soul to the Devil at a crossroads at midnight for their unbelievable musical prowess, right? Right. Well this guy - THIS frigging guy - this here guy had a weekly midnight appointment at that crossroads to give the Devil lessons.
redsmerf
Robert Johnson would be the musician you're thinking of
Hexrowe
Oh, no, it goes back way further than that - even that very article says the story was "originally" about Tommy Johnson (no relation), a slightly earlier blues guitarist. It was also a popular rumor about Paganini a couple of centuries prior, the Christian association between musicians and the Devil is well over a thousand years old, and in a broader sense the motif of music and crossroads and spirits/gods goes WAAAYYY back to pre-Roman Mediterranean and Africa.
MrFancyPanzer
Such a good performance, he's on stage with some stellar guitarists, then he just walks on and kicks everyone's dicks in with that solo.
nation543
Prince was a really great guitarist and a great songwriter. People have a "thing" against him because he was nonbinary, plus the whole "Artist Formerly Known As." I didn't know/understand anything about him until the last 10-15 years, and looking at his life and talent, this MF was a fucking LEGEND.
RIP Prince & Tom Petty.
DavedandConfused
Got to see Prince at a small club in Toronto once, because he wanted a practice night for an upcoming tour. It was a really “small club up close” vibe. He was amazing, can’t even describe it and give it justice
aShogunNamedMarcus
Jann Wenner is a tool
Wafflesaur
When he put the guitar down it needed a cigarette and a mop.
BobWeAdaBabyEetsAboy
Fun fact: He was told to NOT prolong the solo... if you watch everyone in the band when he starts shredding they all look at each other like "Yeah, let's fucking do this."
linexnewt
Yep, he planned to do that and didn't tell anyone else. If I remember right, they gave the solos during the song to someone else, and said he could do one at the end. I forgot where I read the story on that but it's a good read. (there are several accounts of it out there)
BobWeAdaBabyEetsAboy
Also, George Harrison's son is on the acoustic behind him and is so happy to just be there. I love this clip.
angpanange365
Gives me chills
SchrodingersDictator
He looks like Zack Oyama.
ricpaul
His smile is pure joy...
CobainsSarcoma
eric clapton wasn't even the second best guitarist in the yardbirds hell he only made second best in blind faith on a technicality
TwoForSpookin
No one should feel pride nor shame for RS inclusion/exclusion.
spangolio
i bet most of the list shouldn't be on it...shred wankers
rrlyrae
i do not mean to put down the artist formerly known as the artist formerly known as prince, but his performance in part stands out because everyone else there was phoning it in. tom petty's playing and signing were passable. the guy to petty's right sounded like he was trying to play "dont bring me down," and the only thing i can say about dani harrison was that he was present on stage. prince had nowhere to go but up (granted, they gave him a blue origin & he launched a saturn v).
nosadpandas
We didn’t deserve him. As a musician who has laid down my guitar, let the dust settle, and have space for those who are far, far better than I… what a legend.
makesense
He's literally #14 on their list of the Top 250 Guitarists. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-guitarists-1234814010/keith-richards-16-1234814213/
ImAWeirdMom
This was the 2003 list. It's not hard to figure that out.
https://www.guitarworld.com/news/prince-while-my-guitar-g">e">https://www.guitarworld.com/news/prince-while-my-guitar-gently-weeps-solo-rolling-stone
https://guitar.fandom.com/wiki/Rolling_Stone_Greatest_(2003)
ImAWeirdMom
How it's not hard:
Prince is dead so he definitely didn't play this after the current 250 list was released
The song he is playing is famously while my guitar gently weeps which is a simple Google to find articles about this performance, when it happened, and that it was as a response to being left off the list
makesense
Dude....never claimed this was after the 250 list. You just do not typically see someone 'not in the top 100' suddenly be #14. But it appears he wasn't on the 100 list. Now, get 100 people together to determine the 'top' of any list involving thousands of possibilities and you'll find that A) some people get missed, and B) some people drop off the list because of how you tabulate those results.
makesense
Thank you. Now.....I could also bring up that those lists are normally compiled as the results of what several people vote on, and maybe Rolling Stone itself is not to blame. There are people not on the 250 list that some are complaining weren't included too.
reccenters
Now, yeah. But the week of this performance, he was omitted from the top 100 list by RS.
makesense
Source?
reccenters
You have the internet, go look.
makesense
A) Unlike others who went to actually provide a source, you just wanted to be an ass.
B) When you post something that makes a claim, PUT A SOURCE IN THE FIRST PLACE. Not doing so is the tactic of ALMOST EVERYONE who just copies and pastes what others have done and is trying to push falsehoods.
reccenters
https://www.guitarworld.com/news/prince-while-my-guitar-gently-weeps-solo-rolling-stone Here you go, you lazy fuck.
peterBodyWrecker
Clapton was once asked how it felt to be the greatest guitarist ever. He replied, "I dunno, ask Prince."
zifnabthewizard
Which is funny in this context because Rolling Stone LOOOOVED Clapton
purebordem
Also a douche and antivaxxer so at least he knew his place
zHurk777
clapton probably has nightmares about Hendrix.
nation543
That's amazing. Clapton is a great guitarist but definitely not the greatest ever. I'd put John Petrucci above him.
davesaint01930
Petrucci is my 3rd. Eric Johnson, Joe satriani, then John.
ExistentialDreadlocks
desalniettemin
Jeff Beck: hold my beer.
SchrodingersDictator
I’m kinda curious, where do we place Mark Knopfler on the list? I generally tell people he’s not the greatest, but maybe the most emotive guitarist. Im curious what the consensus is.
onecowboytoo
Lindsey Buckingham would like a word, too. When he was out of Fleetwood Mac, they had to have 2 guitarists replace him.
Kojak1970
Knopfler is a FANTASTIC guitarist and songwriter, I'd put him right beside David Gilmour. Prince was an incredible musician, he could play so much more than guitar. I'd put Jeff Beck as the best overall guitarist, with Randy Rhoads, Buckethead, and Steve Vai as honorable mentions.
GordonFreeman59
Mark Knopfler is the favourite guitarist of your favourite guitarist :)
Snarkoleptic
There are so many modern guitarists that are leaps and bounds above all of the classic guitarists including Petrucci: Abasi, Zytecki, Govan, Nito, Henson, Nishimura, Manuel Gardner, etc. Only a few classics have a magic that transcends technique, I'd say Gilmour is maybe the best one in that regard.
onecowboytoo
There is a whole hell of a lot more to playing guitar than technique. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuHZpgN8UCo
Snarkoleptic
Why do you think technique means they're not just as musical? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzHQQEFCyX0