Post by Paul Sylvain on Sept 19, 2009 9:45:32 GMT -5
Jimi Hendrix died of a drug overdose on Sept. 18, 1970
I saw him (along with Canned Heat, Procol Harem and Ten Years After) at the Berlin Superfest, West Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 4 that year, just two weeks before. The Berlin concert was Jimi's last live performance.
The Berlin Superfest was such a strange event in so many ways. Procol Haren featured a young guitarist who later said he watched Jimi's performance that night and decided at that moment that he had to leave Harem and do his own thing. The Guitarit's name was Robin Trower.
Canned heat followed Procol Harem. Ironocally, the news earlier that day stated that Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson, who sang so many of Heat's biggest songs, played rhythm guitar and blues harp, had been found dead in a sleeping bag in California. I figured the band was not going to make it to Berlin, but it turned out they wre already in town. Bob "the Bear" Hite came out, said a few words about the loss of their "brother", then dug into some of the deepest blues I had ever hear up to that time. I remember Hite calling his blues harp a "Mississippi saxophone."
Ten Years After followed the Heat, and Jimi came out after TYA to close the show. Sadly, it was late, and as it turned out Jimi was not up to his best. About half the place (Deutchlandhalle) left after the first song or two. Hendrix was the only act not to draw an encore that night! I knew a guy who worked stage hand for that show, and he told me afterwards that Jimi and the band went back stage behind the current, waiting to get called back out ... but in never happened. Sad to think that a guy who still has such an influence on music to this day, suffered through such a bad set and response on what would be his last-ever concert.
I still remember it all well, though. I met Alvin Lee and the guys in Ten Years After a couple of times since the Superfest (most recently about seven years ago), and when I mentioned "Berlin" the first response was "the Jimi concert?" TYA bassist Leo Lyons told me that he and the guys in his band were shocked to disbelief when they heard that Jimi had died.
I'll bet Jimi never dreamed he would still be so influential almost four decades after his death.
Paul
Paul
I saw him (along with Canned Heat, Procol Harem and Ten Years After) at the Berlin Superfest, West Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 4 that year, just two weeks before. The Berlin concert was Jimi's last live performance.
The Berlin Superfest was such a strange event in so many ways. Procol Haren featured a young guitarist who later said he watched Jimi's performance that night and decided at that moment that he had to leave Harem and do his own thing. The Guitarit's name was Robin Trower.
Canned heat followed Procol Harem. Ironocally, the news earlier that day stated that Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson, who sang so many of Heat's biggest songs, played rhythm guitar and blues harp, had been found dead in a sleeping bag in California. I figured the band was not going to make it to Berlin, but it turned out they wre already in town. Bob "the Bear" Hite came out, said a few words about the loss of their "brother", then dug into some of the deepest blues I had ever hear up to that time. I remember Hite calling his blues harp a "Mississippi saxophone."
Ten Years After followed the Heat, and Jimi came out after TYA to close the show. Sadly, it was late, and as it turned out Jimi was not up to his best. About half the place (Deutchlandhalle) left after the first song or two. Hendrix was the only act not to draw an encore that night! I knew a guy who worked stage hand for that show, and he told me afterwards that Jimi and the band went back stage behind the current, waiting to get called back out ... but in never happened. Sad to think that a guy who still has such an influence on music to this day, suffered through such a bad set and response on what would be his last-ever concert.
I still remember it all well, though. I met Alvin Lee and the guys in Ten Years After a couple of times since the Superfest (most recently about seven years ago), and when I mentioned "Berlin" the first response was "the Jimi concert?" TYA bassist Leo Lyons told me that he and the guys in his band were shocked to disbelief when they heard that Jimi had died.
I'll bet Jimi never dreamed he would still be so influential almost four decades after his death.
Paul
Paul