On the first anniversary of George Harrison’s untimely death, celebs from across the showbiz spectrum joined forces to throw the Concert for George; a one-off show at London’s Royal Albert Hall to celebrate the life, music, and legacy of the ex-Beatle.

But when one fellow star and life-long friend of Harrison’s realized he wouldn’t be able to attend the official memorial concert, he stunned fans by tagging a surprise third encore onto the end of his own New York concert, crafting one of the most spectacular and heartfelt George Harrison tributes the world has ever seen. Now standing with more than half a million YouTube views, Music Man readers can watch the moment unfold in the video below…

The date is November 13, 2002, and Bob Dylan is wrapping up his night performing at New York City’s iconic Madison Square Garden when the stage lights rise for the final time. The crowd goes wild as they instantly recognize the opening lines of “Something” – one of George Harrison’s greatest songs, written during his time in The Beatles.

Dylan’s version rings true to the original, yet comes glitzy with twists of Dylan’s own making as he refashions the melodies and lyrical flow, his raspy voice adding a brand new ambiance to the love song.

So, why did Dylan go to such lengths to tribute George Harrison? The pair had been friends for decades, first crossing paths in 1964 and sustaining their chemistry well into the 1990s, jamming together, writing songs beneath each other’s inspiration, and supporting each other during solo concerts. In 1988, Dylan and Harrison even formed a supergroup with Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty, named The Traveling Wilburys, with the band’s two albums entering the Top 20 on both the US and UK album charts.

Harrison revealed his love for Dylan’s work in an interview with Melody Maker, stating, “Every single thing he does represents something that’s him. He may write better songs tomorrow, sing high on this album and low on another, go electric or acoustic, go weird or whatever, but the basic thing that causes all this change is an incredible character named Bob Dylan. He’s the looniest person I know.”

Dylan was equally moved by Harrison’s talent, at one point telling Rolling Stone about an “uncanny ability” Harrison possessed in the songwriting room: “George had an uncanny ability to just play chords that didn’t seem to be connected in any kind of way and come up with a melody and a song. I don’t know anybody else who could do that, either. What can I tell you? He was from that old line of playing where every note was a note to be counted.”