Apr 21, 2016 7:30 PM

The Best Prince Videos Available on YouTube

Most of Prince's music can't be found online (aside from on Tidal). Here are the best videos out there.

This image may contain Prince Electrical Device Microphone Human Person and Hair

Getty Images
Prince was notorious for staunchly defending access to his material. Unauthorized recordings are scrubbed from the Internet quickly and his music is almost impossible to find online outside of the catalog of his music currently streaming on Tidal. When a rare 1983 pre-*Purple Rain* performance at First Avenue in Minneapolis [surfaced](http://antiquiet.com/music/2010/05/prince-purple-rain-1983-video/), it got taken down from most sources in a matter of hours. The same is true for most of Prince's iconic music video library. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t exceptions. So in the wake of the virtuosic performer’s [passing](http://www.wired.com/2016/04/prince-appreciation/), we rounded up some of the best examples of Prince’s showmanship, musicianship, and otherworldly stage presence available on YouTube.
The 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony kicked off with Prince performing "Let's Go Crazy," "Kiss," and "Sign o' the Times," but it was his axe-wielding for the tribute to George Harrison that truly stole the show. Performing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" alongside former Traveling Wilburys members Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne—as well as Harrison's son Dhani—Prince breaks into his solo about three and a half minutes into the song. It could've been a somber sequence, but his guitar work is so incendiary that by the end of the song, everyone on stage is smiling at each other in awe.

Prince's performance during the Super Bowl in 2007 will likely go down as the greatest halftime show ever. (No offense, Beyoncé.) And while it's not surprising that he did an amazing set, the fact that he did it during a downpour is pretty incredible. The conditions were abysmal, but following a medley of "Proud Mary," "All Along the Watchtower," and "Best of You," Prince launched into perhaps the most situationally appropriate rendition of "Purple Rain" of his career.
Headlining Saturday night at Coachella in 2008, Prince unleashed a cover of Radiohead's "Creep"—the band's biggest radio hit that they also never perform. This video actually has a bit of interesting history behind it, since Prince repeatedly had the video taken down until frontman Thom Yorke gave a statement to the Associated Press saying the cover should live online since it's Radiohead's song. At this point there might be more videos of famous artists covering "Creep" than there are of the song being performed by the band that originally recorded it—but at least one of them is by Prince.

On an episode of *The Arsenio Hall Show* in 1991, Hall dedicated essentially his entire broadcast to performances by Prince. Only the trailer for *Purple Rain* is available on YouTube, so this barnburner performance of one of Prince's signature songs will have to suffice. Patti LaBelle is so stunned to introduce it she can barely read the cue cards.
It's no coincidence that most of the Prince performance clips available are covers—it's much harder to claim something should be taken down when the artist didn't write the song they're performing. Such is the case with this performance of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" with CeeLo Green at Madison Square Garden during the Welcome 2 world tour. Prince had a knack for taking any insanely catchy song and interjecting with guitar solos so fearsome nobody would dare say the original sounded better.

Comments

Topicsrip YouTube

Quell the Heat With Our Favorite Window Air Conditioners

These are the AC units we’ve trusted to cool our homes for months, if not years.

Matthew Korfhage

The Mother's Day Gifts You'll Love Giving Your Mom

From smart rings and everlasting flowers to weighted vests and LED masks, there's a gift for every kind of mom.

Nena Farrell

The Best Star Wars Gifts for Everyone in the Galaxy This May 4

These are the best Star Wars gifts in the galaxy for everyone, from Padawan fans to Jedi masters.

Simon Hill

The Best Cat Water Fountains for Pampered Pets

Ensuring your cat stays hydrated is one of the best ways to keep your pet healthy. The right pet water fountain can help.

Molly Higgins

Billie Eilish Doesn't Know if There Will Ever Be Another Billie Eilish

In an interview with WIRED ahead of her new concert film Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), Billie Eilish talked about whether or not future artists will be able to leverage SoundCloud the way she did.

Angela Watercutter

The Best Wireless Chargers to Refuel Your Phone (or Watch)

Stop fumbling for cables in the dark. These WIRED-tested stands and pads will take the hassle out of refueling your phone, wireless earbuds, and watch.

Simon Hill