We’re dipping back into the Far Out Magazine vault to bring you an all-star performance from an incredible Prince’s Trust show in 1987. It saw George Harrison sing The Beatles classic ‘Here Comes The Sun’ back by an all-star band.
When we say all-star, we really do mean it. The band included not only fellow Beatle Ringo Starr but also guitar genius Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Elton John and so many more. The moment Harrison joined the group to sing the Beatles classic will go down as one of his finest.
The Prince’s Trust has a longstanding tradition on putting on some incredible shows. While much of it’s funding is now done offstage, during the eighties the charity provided some incredible moments for fans who got the chance to see a host of legends all on one stage. But there was no better performance than the 1987 event.
On the bill that night was Eric Clapton, Elton John, Jeff Lynne, Phil Collins, Ben E. King, Bryan Adams and Dave Edmunds who all parted like The Red Sea to welcome Harrison and Starr. Elton John introduces the two musicians and if you needed proof of your undeniable influence on modern music then you’re sure to be satisfied after John proclaims you as the reason all of the aforementioned acts even existed. We think Clapton may fight you on that claim a little, but their importance is unquestionable.
As Starr and Harrison make their way on stage, Starr takes himself to the happy familiarity of the background while Harrison nervously straps on his guitar. The songwriter hadn’t performed live on stage since his 1974 and in the clip, you can see the butterflies in his stomach are well and truly flying. But Harrison delivers a spellbinding performance of ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ and his masterpiece ‘Here Comes The Sun’.
Backed by his all-star band Harrison soon finds the groove on the opening 1969 hit ‘Here Comes The Sun’ and delivers a goosebump-inducing performance which is guaranteed to send shivers down your spine.
It was the start of a good moment for Harrison as he was about to embark on perhaps one of the most lucrative albums a solo Beatle has ever provided in Cloud Nine. The album was released two months later and would see Harrison once again on top of the charts with his cover of ‘Got My Mind Set On You’.
Harrison would rarely perform live again, clearly unwilling to break his duct for either his solo career or his work with the Travelling Wilburys, he only really came back on stage for charity performances. His final one would be the Bob Dylan concert in 1992.
For now, sit back and watch one of the finest renditions of ‘Here Comes The Sun’ you’re ever likely to hear. Sung by George Harrison and backed by an all-star band, this performance is like no other.
