10 of George Harrison’s Best on-Stage Collaborations
The quiet Beatle didn’t like performing much. After touring the world throughout Beatlemania, George had had enough. However, he loved it when he got to play with a band or with his friends. Here is a list of George Harrison‘s best on-stage collaborations.
Delaney and Bonnie/Eric Clapton
In 1969, George watched Eric Clapton and husband and wife duo Delaney and Bonnie perform in Bristol. The act invited George to join the tour, and he agreed. He played the next night. It was his first stage performance since The Beatles’ final concert in 1966. According to Beatles Bible, George appeared for five of the tour’s six dates, playing two shows each night.
George told Timothy White at Musician Magazine that performing with the duo influenced his slide guitar work, which he’d just begun to play. Delaney gave George a slide bottleneck and asked him to play the slide guitar on “Comin’ Home.” George said, “I’d never attempted anything before that, and I think my slide guitar playing originated from that. I started writing some slide songs on that tour, one of which later came out on ‘Thirty Three & 1/3,’ called ‘Woman Don’t You Cry For Me.’
On the live album, George is credited as “Mysterioso.”
Concert for Bangladesh
George organized the Concert for Bangladesh in only a couple of weeks. His friend Ravi Shankar told him of a humanitarian crisis happening in Bangladesh. George invited all his friends to perform during the benefit concert’s two shows. Among the performers were Clapton, Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, Badfinger, and Billy Preston. George invited all his fellow Beatles, but only Ringo Starr joined the line-up.
‘Dark Horse’ tour
George embarked on his American Dark Horse tour in 1974 without a voice and with a bad case of laryngitis. However, he pushed on. It wasn’t the best tour. Fans didn’t like that he didn’t play any Beatles songs and opted for long Indian music sessions from Shankar and others. However, George got to play with some new people, including Willie Weeks and Andy Newmark. Preston came along too.
‘SNL’
In 1976, George signed on as the musical guest on SNL while Paul Simon had hosting duties. However, the pair performed together. They played “Here Comes the Sun” and “Homeward Bound.” Later, Simon spoke highly about his performance with George during a special edition of Rolling Stone, “Remembering George.” He said, “It must have seemed as strange to him to be harmonizing with someone other than Lennon or McCartney as it was for me to blend with someone other than Art Garfunkel. Nevertheless, it was an effortless collaboration.”
Carl Perkins TV special
There is a break in George’s performances between the late 1970s and the mid-1980s. One of George’s first on-stage performances coming out of his hiatus was a collaboration between him and tons of the best guitarist in rock for a 1985 TV special honoring Carl Perkins. It was called Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session, and George was joined by Ringo, Clapton, Rosanne Cash, Phantom, Rocker & Slick, and Dave Edmunds.
Birmingham Heart Beat Charity Concert
In 1986, George made a surprise appearance during the finale of the Birmingham Heart Beat Charity Concert, an event organized to raise money for the Birmingham Children’s Hospital. There were performances from Steve Gibbons, The Rockin’ Berries, The Move, Ruby Turner, The Applejacks, and The Fortunes. George played “Johnny B. Goode.”
Prince’s Trust Concert
One of George’s best on-stage collaborations happened at 1987’s Prince’s Trust Concert. Initially, George thought the charity was trying to trick him into a Beatles reunion when he found out Ringo was also set to perform. However, there was no trick. George and Ringo played “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Here Comes the Sun.” George also had friends Clapton, Jeff Lynne, and Elton John on stage with him.
The Beatles’ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony
Paul McCartney didn’t attend The Beatles’ Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1988, but George and Ringo (plus John Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono) attended. Later, George and Ringo performed The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There” with Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger, and others.
1991 Japanese tour
In 1991, George embarked on a 12-show tour of Japan with Clapton and his backing band. Initially, George didn’t want to do it. However, he eventually realized its benefits. It was the only time George would have an easy tour. He didn’t have to assemble a backing band. George just had to show up, and he had a great time.
Bob Dylan’s 30th-anniversary concert
George performed with Dylan, Clapton, Roger McGuinn, Tom Petty, and Neil Young at Dylan’s 30th-anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden in 1992. George performed “Absolutely Sweet Marie” and “My Back Pages” with everyone else. It was one of George’s last on-stage performances.
An honorable mention that didn’t make the list is George’s surprise performance with John Fogerty and Dylan at a Taj Mahal and the Graffiti Band’s gig in 1987. It’s worth pointing out that almost every time George entered a stage, he performed with many of his friends or other great musicians. He was hardly alone. George wouldn’t have wanted it that way; he didn’t like being upfront.
George’s ideal gig was a remote Holiday Inn where he and his friends could just jam. However, he did get to jam tons of times.
