[medium jim]

I was lucky enough to see Jimi play live at the Newport Pop Festival.  In fact it was my first Rock Concert. 

Jim

[jazzcourier]

You mean "Newport '69" aka Newport Pop Festival at Devonshire downs.I was there too! That was a great weekend,too say the least.Fortunate to have seen Hendrix five times,make that six,if you you count standing outside "Thee Experience" on the strip listening at the back door as Jimi jammed with Earl Hooker.Just one of those clubs that would not let you in if you were under 21.Got them to open the back door though.Wish i had a tape of that.Did see him walk into the club right past us with his guitar.I looked at my friend and i think we both soiled our shorts at the same time.

[medium jim]

I went on Sunday and Hendrix wasn't scheduled but early in the afternoon hit the stage with a rag tag assemblage that included Buddy Miles, Jack Cassidy and several from Bloomfield's then band.  A great day...was blown away by Johnny Winter!

I remember leaving and there were some Hari Krishna's in full regalia passing out balls of some sort of food.  I was hungry and gladly wolfed it down,lol.

Devonshire Downs is now a bunch of office buildings.

Jim

[jarcher]

So jealous of all those who got to hear / see him in concert! I'd trade that for half a dozen other concerts I've been to.

Never remember his birthday, but always his DOD as it was two years prior to the day of my birth.

Think we all need to put on a Hendrix album in his honor!

[medium jim]

Electric Ladyland would do just fine...

Jim

[Rclark]

You got to see him play, wow, that's damn cool. Can you describe it some? Was it with Billy Cox or Noel Redding?

RIP Jimi. My all time favorite.

[medium jim]

You got to see him play, wow, that's damn cool. Can you describe it some? Was it with Billy Cox or Noel Redding?

RIP Jimmy. My all time favorite.

None of the above.  It was a hodge podge of musicians he jammed with on Sunday...the most notables were Buddy Miles (band of gypsies) and Jack Cassidy of Jefferson Airplane.

Jim

[jazzcourier]

We are going back some,what,43 years or so,and trying to piece together the memories is sometimes  difficult.The flurry of "Pop" festivals  lasted a few good years.I tend to remember better the bands that excelled and were rarely in the area.I mean,just how many times could you see the Chambers Brothers? They were on every festival,big show.Other "local" bands that were always around fared better,like "Sweetwater",an unusual, innovative ensemble that never got far.The singer died.That is another story.Some of these "festivals" weere grueling marathons,like the Newport festival the year before,imagine being stuck in a dirt field with no facilities,water,bad Mexican pot and suffering through an act like Tiny Tim? Don't tell me we didn't suffer for our art.The next year was better-Newport '69,at the Devonshire Downs fairgrounds,the sound and sight lines were much better and there was less human congestion.I vivdly recall the Rascals,Johnny Winter and the amazing performance of Mother Earth with Tracy Nelson's showstopping rendition of "down so low".One of the first gigs for "Pogo" soon to be known as "Poco" thanks to a lawsuit from Walt Kelly.The country rock hybrid was an emerging and exciting diversion and the Furay/Messina harmonies were stunning.Booker T. and the M.G.'s were rarely seen and cooked,as expected.Yes,that really was Steve Cropper!
   The Electric Flag was well past the Mike Bloomfield stage,he was pretty much out of his own band by the time the record came out and Buddy Miles had taken over the band.The guitarist replacing Bloomfield was Hoshal Wright,as sort of "Curtis Mayfield" type player who would later become part of the Taj Mahal band.Too bad it was not Bloomfield,jhe was a gifted and extradordinary translator of the B.B. King style of guitar.That "Flag" band was filled with veteran R&B players,like Miles,who had long runnig addictions that unfortunatly transfered to Bloomfield.I must have gone to five gigs to see Bloomfield that were cancelled.The couple of times i did see him are cemeted in my memory.The sheer intensity that smouldered from his Les Paul goldtop were like serpents poised to strike.Few guitatrists could tell such a convincing story.Each note appeared as an expression of anguish on his face sumoned forth through his hands.To replace Bloomfield was to rebuild the pyramids.Buddy Miles kept that band alive,and they were good,even if he was possibly the worst drummer in the world.
     When Hendrix came on for the "Jam" he was backed by Miles and bassist Harvey Brooks,still with the Electric Flag.This is what i recall.Booker T. might have been on keyboards.I always felt this was a "proto-type" for the "Band of Gypsies".Hendrix always seemed smaller in person,maybe that is why he wore those hats and scarfs,you expected some giant,but he was small and borderline wiry.He strted out with a slow," Soul" type vamp,like in 2/4, feeling the rhythm,working his way into the groove,breaking out his chops little,by little.Pretty soon the whole place is shaking,erupting,the tornado has hit town.You could feel his passion and abandon for the next improvised explosion of sound.This was all "in control" inside the tune,pushing the changes,rattling the chains and crushing the bones of the guitar."Slow Blues",like meat falling off the bone.Done.Finished."Yeah,heh,heh" This is what made him happy and made him smile.He lived inside these Jam sessions with no borderlines to confine him.He was the hippest and the coolest and the baddest,he read the book,re-wrote the book and then burned the book in your lap.

[JohnR]

That's kind of amazing, isn't it really. (70)

[bummrush]

 I cant imagine what he would be like at 70,so hard to picture.

[DARTH AUDIO]

He probably would be the opening act for the AARP Rolling Stones!! As Dirty Harry once said, "Man's got to know his limitations"!! I recently saw Ian Anderson's "Thick as a Brick" tour. It was kind of depressing!! He had some dude filling in on the parts he can't sing anymore. I left half way through TAAB 2. Plus, I'm 54 and I felt like I was the youngest person there?? 

[Diamond Dog]

     When Hendrix came on for the "Jam" he was backed by Miles and bassist Harvey Brooks,still with the Electric Flag.This is what i recall.Booker T. might have been on keyboards.I always felt this was a "proto-type" for the "Band of Gypsies".Hendrix always seemed smaller in person,maybe that is why he wore those hats and scarfs,you expected some giant,but he was small and borderline wiry.He strted out with a slow," Soul" type vamp,like in 2/4, feeling the rhythm,working his way into the groove,breaking out his chops little,by little.Pretty soon the whole place is shaking,erupting,the tornado has hit town.You could feel his passion and abandon for the next improvised explosion of sound.This was all "in control" inside the tune,pushing the changes,rattling the chains and crushing the bones of the guitar."Slow Blues",like meat falling off the bone.Done.Finished."Yeah,heh,heh" This is what made him happy and made him smile.He lived inside these Jam sessions with no borderlines to confine him.He was the hippest and the coolest and the baddest,he read the book,re-wrote the book and then burned the book in your lap.

So...are you experienced ? It would appear that you certainly are ! I am unbelievably jealous - your post put me right there ! 

D.D.

[medium jim]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1523589778541848567#

Funny how everyone has a different name for the bassist....I distinctly remember seeing Jack Cassidy on stage playing bass....however, musicians were all over the stage...Buddy Miles was rather obvious....I recall that there was actually several different bass players during the 2 hour jam.  It is entirely possible members of Booker T & the MG's were on stage as they came on later.   

What I do remember was that Jimi broke a lot of strings and it clearly was upsetting him.   I was about 150' from the stage, very surreal for a 12 year old!


Here's the set list:

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/jimi-hendrix/1969/san-fernando-valley-state-college-northridge-ca-3bddcc20.html

Jim

[jazzcourier]

Thanks for the video and playlist! Rather spartan stage setup considering what the rock concert became.The music speaks for itself,as always.Great to relive some of that music.I was 17 and facing draft registration ,wondering where the hell the world was heading.Providence shined it's light on me as they began the draft lottery and i got a high number and avoided conscription.I could live my life.
    I wonder if the girls would try to climb the stage today for Jimi.Too busy texting?

[medium jim]

They had what they needed!  At night there was a huge backdrop/screen where they projected what appeared to be an oil on water color display that was very colorful and interesting.  Today it would be deemed rather primitive.

Jim

[MttBsh]

Funny, just this morning I was thinking about what Jimi might be doing today if he was still with us. Even before his death 42 years ago he was trying to distance himself from the bombastic "Foxy Lady" and "Purple Haze"  rock theatrics and move in adventurous new directions.  Where would his heart and soul have led him over the decades? 

Band of Gypsies remains the greatest live rock guitar recording I've ever heard.   

[lonewolfny42]

1st. Time.....1968 ....Flushing Meadow Park.... wearing my nehru shirt...



....note those ticket prices....


2nd. time....1969 ....last to play....as the sun rose...





3rd. time....and my last.... ..... Fillmore East - New Years Eve 1969...Band of Gypsies...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NStNCBrkCLE



The Fillmore East was a great place....and what shows....an example...

[Chazro]

Huge Hendrix fan!  The question about how Jimi would look, or what kinda shape he'd be in, today got me to thinking about a music documentary I saw recently on Netflix; Eric Clapton's 'Crossroads' concert.  Featuring quite a few guitarists but the ones that (to me) pertain to the question were Hendrix contemporaries Jeff Beck, Clapton, & Johnny Winter.  Beck looked like an aging rocker, not as bad as Wood & Richards do, but still a little foolish with thick silver arm and wristbands (still playing strong though!).  Clapton looked like a somewhat long-haired yuppie from the suburbs, but at least had an age appropriate look.  Poor Johnny W. looked and sounded like he's a billion yrs old.  Had to play sitting down (so did B.B. King, but he's 80-something!).  Being albino, he always seemed frail, even in his youth.  Of course, the massive heroin addiction didn't help, although Clapton, Richards & others seem in much better shape having gone down the same road.  Anyhow, hard to guess where Jimi would've wound up in this scenario.  I choose to believe he'd be more in an aging Miles Davis mode!;)  Still wavin' his freak flag high!!