Londres (Astoria, Finbury Park) : 31 mars 1967

Londres (Astoria, Finbury Park) : 31 mars 1967


Deux show auraient eu lieu ce 31 mars !

Je n'ai trouvé que la setlist (sans doute incomplète) du second show :
- Foxy Lady
- Can You See Me
- Hey Joe
- Purple Haze
- Fire

Citation :

fonkyfreak a dit : Le beau gosse à droite, Engelbert Humperdinck, était un énorme concurrent de Tom Jones à cette époque (mais juste pour le côté crooner-tombeur).

Cat Stevens a un flingue !!

Citation :

purple jim a dit :  Son tube à l'époque était "I'm Gonna Get Me A Gun". Il le chantait en brandissant le Colt. Voici un clip (sans le Colt):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBuUtvFObQE

NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS - ‘Walker Surprises’ by Keith Altham:
“WE WERE WELL and truly blitzed with “mini-happenings” on the Walker Brothers’ tour opening night, at Finsbury Park Astoria last Friday, when Jimi Hendrix literally set the scene alight after his guitar exploded in a sheet of flames at the end of his act….
“The Jimi Hendrix Experience are a musical labyrinth-you either find way into the solid wall of incredible sound, or you sit back and gasp at Hendrix’ guitar antics and showman-ship, wondering what it’s all about.
The sounds are something new-you either dig it or you do not. “Foxey [sic] Lady,” “Can You See Me” and Jimi’s two hits, “Hey Joe” and “Purple Haze,” were the entire Hendrix programme.
Finale to Hendrix’ act came about when his guitar burst into flames, by “accident” we are assured, and precipitated the entrance of a security officer who sprayed detergent from a canister all over compere Nick Jones.”

MELODY MAKER - ‘Hendrix: ‘clean act’ by Chis Welch
“Guitar star Jimi Hendrix who jumped into the MM Pop 30 this week at 15 with “Purple Haze” was warned to “clean up” his act on his tour with the Walker Brothers this week.
The tour opened at Finsbury Park Astoria, London, last Friday and his manager Chas Chandler told the MM on Monday: “After Jimi’s performances on Saturday and Sunday night I was told he had got to change his act. The tour organisers said he was too suggestive. I think this is a joke myself and there’s not a chance of his changing his set.”
BURNED HAND
Said Jimi: “All I want to do is play my guitar and sing. I’m bemused, I play the way I play and I can’t understand the situation at all.”
At the opening night Jimi sustained a burned hand when his guitar accidentally burst into flames at the climax of his act.
Writes MM’s Chris Welch who was reviewing the show: “Hendrix was lying on stage playing the guitar with his teeth when it suddenly burst into flames.
“Jimi leapt backwards and ran off stage followed by his group. The guitar was left burning dangerously near the closed curtains, and compere Nick Jones ran and tried to pick it up, burning his hand in the attempt. An attendant rushed on stage with a fire extinguisher and put out the flames which were leaping ten feet in the air”

HIT PARADER - Chas Chandler interview :
“The first night we knew we had to pull something sensational to get a good press reaction and so the guitar that burst into flames was contrived. Of course, we all maintained it was an accident and Jimi even wore a bandage the second house to make it look good. In fact we soaked it in petrol and deliberately set light to it - the organizers were running around in circles trying to find the culprit and examine the guitar which had mysteriously disappeared. I distinctly remember Tito Bums waving a fist at me and shouting, ‘You can’t get away with things like this, Chas - if we find that guitar I’ll have you prosecuted.’ Underneath his overcoat I could make out the charred end of an electric guitar”

Une vidéo sympa sur le package tour du Jimi Hendrix Experience avec Engelbert Humperdinck, Cat Stevens & The Walker Brothers :

Très intéressant.

J'aime bien la qualification de « surreal package tour » pour la tournée avec les Monkees.

Quant à tourner avec Engelbert Humperdick, il faut bien avouer...

Cela dit, je ne suis pas certain qu'à l'époque on opposait autant les styles en « chapelles » et un amateur du folk-rock de Cat Stevens pouvait aussi apprécier le déchaînement des guitares de Jimi Hendrix. Il n'y a qu'à regarder l'affiche de Woodstock pour se rendre compte de la diversité de la programmation.

Pour ce qui est des Walker Brothers, on comprend l'inquiétude de Jimi par rapport à un public impatient de voir son idole et peu soucieux des premières parties. Dans mon souvenir, il me semble pourtant que l'on a commencé à siffler les premières parties plutôt à partir de la fin des années 70, surtout quand la programmation nous refilait des groupes amateurs indigents et/ou appartenant à la même maison de disques que la vedette. Je me souviens aussi que le public folk était plutôt sympa et ouvert, même si les rockers purs et durs les faisait un peu marrer.

La réaction de la fan qui chronique le concert est assez compréhensible pour l'époque : « Did he really have to cremate it [the guitar] at the end ? »

J'aime bien la réaction franche et probablement pas agressive de Jimi à l'écoute du duo Frank et Nancy SInatra : « You just know what notes are coming next ».

Encore une question d'époque : on constate qu'il y a une bienveillance entre les artistes comme en témoignent les déclarations de Cat Stevens et Engelbert Humperdick sur Jimi et celle de Jimi sur les autres musiciens, et qu'au final, malgré tous les incidents, Jimi ne se déclare pas si déçu ou malheureux que ça de cette tournée.

Merci pour ce lien : cette petite vidéo offre bien plus que ne le promet son titre accrocheur.