September 18, 2020, sadly marks 50 years since the passing of the legendary Jimi Hendrix. To mark this event, journalist/author Greg Prato has assembled a new book, Avatar Of The Electric Guitar: The Genius Of Jimi Hendrix, that features interviews with renowned guitarists (including Alex Lifeson, Steve Vai, Adrian Belew, KK Downing, and Kirk Hammett, among others), discussing what made Hendrix so special, and ultimately, a legend. Below is an excerpt from a chapter entitled ‘In Concert,’ which is described as “Those lucky to have seen Jimi live on stage share their memories.” To order a copy of Avatar Of The Electric Guitar: The Genius Of Jimi Hendrix, click here.
###
ANDY POWELL: I saw two of his early shows when he came to England. One was playing at the Royal Festival Hall [on September 25, 1967] – which was a very staid, “classical” kind of venue in London. And then I saw him play at one of the early festivals – the Woburn Music Festival at Woburn Abbey [on July 6, 1968]. I guess I must have been about 16 or 17.
I liked his sense of humor on stage. I’ll never forget when at the Royal Festival Hall show, it was kind of a sedate audience. Everyone was very reverential towards guitar players in those days – like, they’d clap at the end of a solo. And after one song, this young girl got up – I guess she wanted to move seats in the auditorium. It was a seated venue – largely used for classical music. And she walked down the steps…actually, I think she was going to the bathroom. [Laughs]
And as she walked down, she was sashaying down the stairs, Jimi got on the wah wah pedal, and he actually – as she took a step – was going, “Wah-wa-wah-wa-wah.” He created this really comedic version of her hip movements on the stairs. He had this cartoon mind. He picked up on the movement that she was making. And she picked up on it and the audience picked up on it – we all laughed. It was just a wonderful moment and I’ll never forget it. That was his kind of cheeky sense of humor. And I think that endeared him to the London audiences. He was spontaneous.
KK DOWNING: I don’t think it was until his first tour of the UK – I think it was the first tour. I was born in ‘51, so in ‘67, I would have been 16. I got to see him on that tour a couple of times – in Coventry [November 19, 1967 at the Coventry Theatre] and in Bristol [November 24, 1967 at Colston Hall]. The first two shows were monumental. I went to the Coventry Theatre on a train, and we didn’t buy a ticket. It was one of those things – in those days, you thought you could get away with it. We’d just open up the fire exits, because we didn’t have any money.
But I got to see the concert, and it was the one where he was headlining, and Pink Floyd were on there, and the Move and the Nice. I remember it well. It was all of that…in one night! It was quite amazing, really. Blown away. And then it was about a week later that I went to Bristol, and I remember sitting on the train, got into the concert, and was just an absolute fan.
But the thing is, Hendrix was a dangerous show at the time. I remember it, because the first show I saw in ‘67, people literally jumped from the balconies and stormed the stage…and I was one of them! It was just a “thing” back then. And this happened to me in Priest later on at a couple of gigs – Manchester, I remember. Back in the day, my friends would storm the stage. And it happened with Hendrix, because his show was so electrifying.
People just went crazy, because he came on and he had his back to the audience…and everybody was waiting for this moment to see this guy. He comes on with his back to us, he’s holding that note – going into “Foxy Lady” – turns ‘round, starts throwing shapes, and people were just going crazy. It was the best thing – and still is, today. I haven’t seen anything that had more of an impact on me for an on-stage performer. It’s not to say people didn’t get hurt – but that was part of it.
So, when I went to Bristol, they opened with “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” and it didn’t get the same response. I don’t know if it was Hendrix’s way of “toning it down,” but it was still great to see him again, because later on, it changed. People like me, who witnessed all of these live performances, did notice a change, and we understood why the change happened. A lot of people probably don’t have an awareness of what went on. But it certainly did go on.
BILLY SHEEHAN: So, me and the guitar player that I was playing with at the time wanted to go down to the see the show – Soft Machine opening up for Jimi Hendrix at the Buffalo War Memorial Auditorium [on March 23, 1968]. We didn’t have a ride, so we thought we would take a bus, but it was late and there were no buses running – we were running down the street, trying to get downtown. By the time we got one bus we weren’t sure where it took us. We were just kids from the suburbs – we had no idea where we were. We were deep in the heart of Downtown Buffalo. Which is not what it is today – it was dangerous and tough.
But we got down there and walked in just as Soft Machine was playing and they had a screen that went from top to bottom of the Aud. A huge, giant screen, that they projected these amoeba-like shapes on. We didn’t know anything about drugs…but there was a funny smell in the air. People were smoking dope – but we didn’t know what the smell was. Soft Machine played, and we thought, “That’s pretty amazing.” Then Hendrix comes out and the place goes berserk.
And Jimi kind of stands on the base of the mic stand and is singing the opening song, “Fire.” We’re all thinking, “Jimi…what’s wrong? Go nuts! Do something!” And then when he sings, “Oh, move over Rover, and let Jimi take over,” he jumps back from the mic stand, puts the guitar in his crotch, plays [sings guitar solo], and the whole place goes crazy. That was the first time I had ever witnessed a rock show. The next day, things didn’t even look the same to me – it was like a whole other world after seeing Jimi play. It was just mind-blowing. I became so enamored with him and his records. But watching him perform was the thing that really pushed it over the edge for me. At that point, I knew where I wanted to go and I knew what I had to do.
DON FELDER: I actually saw him perform live at Woodstock, along with everybody else that was there – Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, Santana…on and on. But he actually stood out – heads and above. The energy off his stage was unbelievable. I remember seeing Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – which I didn’t know my old high school buddy, Stephen Stills, was going to be at Woodstock. And all of a sudden…there he was on stage! Seeing that kind of gave me some hope – “If he can do it, I can do it, too.” That and the amount of rain and mud and hard conditions.
We took this nineteen fifty-something Travelall – which was a predecessor to a Suburban. We had a big mattress, and along the way, we bought some groceries and food and bottles of water, put them in that Travelall, and parked really close to the entrance of Woodstock. So, when it got really bad, we could go back and get in this Travelall, and let some storms and rain go by. I think we missed a few acts because we were in the Travelall, but in the long run, over three solid days of music, it turned out to be a smart thing – we had food, water, and shelter.
ULI JON ROTH: I saw him live twice – the first time when he was at the peak of his musical zenith. That was the last Experience tour that he did in Europe – January ‘69, in Hamburg. And then I was at his very last show – the Isle of Fehmarn [on September 6, 1970], just a few days before he died.
I was lucky enough to be backstage, and I took a lot of photos. I didn’t meet him – I was right next to him, but I didn’t dare talk. He was obviously preoccupied with something and I was just 15 years old. I didn’t want to “intrude.” There were many people there. But I certainly will not forget that. And I was lucky to be at very close quarters during that show, and I took in the whole show. I was right in front of him.
