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.

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

Trump has remade the nation’s capitol in his own image. Ahead of the Fourth of July, WIRED guides you through the dizzying effects of DC’s makeover.

Hugo Lowell

Whether you’re at a festival, tennis match, or wedding, these hand fans and wearable cooling devices will make the heat way more bearable.

Kristin Canning

Top up your Qi2 Android phone or MagSafe iPhone with a magnetic wireless charging stand, pad, car charger, or power bank.

Simon Hill

Protect your expensive iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone Pro, or iPhone 17e with our favorite cases and screen protectors.

Julian Chokkattu

We found lots of math-filled and science-rich toys for tiny nerds to assemble, bake, squish—or even tear apart and rebuild.

Simon Hill

When going abroad, the right plugs are essential to keep your gadgets charged. These are my favorite travel adapters and chargers.

Simon Hill

Whether you’re near or far, keep an eye on your fur baby with our favorite pet cameras.

Molly Higgins

With these high-tech automatic litter boxes, gone are the days of scooping and smells. Welcome to the future.

Molly Higgins

When you need something that’s as mannishly masculinized as you can get for the Man™ in your life, we have you covered.

Matthew Korfhage

Keep your iPhone or Qi2 Android phone topped up with one of the best portable chargers.

Simon Hill

Discover the best Bluetooth speakers of all shapes and sizes, from waterproof clip-ons to a massive boom box.

Chris Haslam

Sitting at a desk for hours? Upgrade your WFH setup and work in style with these comfy WIRED-tested seats.

Julian Chokkattu