Londres (Saville Theatre) : 4 juin 1967 [Premier concert]

Londres (Saville Theatre) : 4 juin 1967 [Premier concert]


Titres (selon les témoignages) :

- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
- Foxy Lady
- Like A Rolling Stone
- Drum Solo
- Manic Depression
- Hey Joe
- Purple Haze
- The Wind Cries Mary
- Are You Experienced

Photos Backstage de ce concert ICI



Il n'existe aucun enregistrement audio de cette performance, qui malgré de gros soucis d'ordre matériel, reste l'une des plus marquantes de l'Experience des débuts. Pour preuve, le témoignage de Paul McCartney :

"Je me souviens de lui jouant au Saville Theatre un dimanche soir, le 4 juin 1967. Brian Epstein, qui possédait le théâtre, le louait les dimanches. Le rideau s'est ouvert, et Jimi a démarré son show par la chanson "Sgt. Pepper", et le disque n'était sorti que le jeudi d'avant, alors c'était vraiment un beau compliment. C'est vraiment un souvenir qui reste dans ma mémoire, parce que je l'admirais tant... Je crois que ce fut l'un des plus grands honneurs que l'on m'ait fait dans toute ma carrière. Je suis sûr qu'il dirait que ce n'était pas un honneur et que c'est lui qui était honoré, mais, pour moi, ça restera comme un merveilleux souvenir."

Source : Many Years From Now, le livre signé Barry Miles & Paul McCartney publié en 1998.

Les chroniques d'époque en v.o. :

Hugh Nolan, in Disc and Music Echo (10 June 1967)

HENDRIX: impact of a 50-megaton H-BOMB!

A packed Saville Theatre audience erupted on Sunday night as Jimi Hendrix announced that this would be his last gig in Britain "for a long, long time" - and then proceeded to smash a beautifully-painted guitar and hurl the pieces into the clamouring crowd.
It was the highpoint of Jimi's meteoric rise to fame in this country - and of a superb night's exiting sounds at the Saville, with a bill which included current chart-toppers, Procul Harum, and a mind blowing set from ex-Moody Blue Denny Laine and his Electric String Band.
But it was Jimi's audience and Jimi's night. In all the scenes of wild acclaim with which Jimi Hendrix and his Experience have been greeted since they first exploded onto our rather tired ears none equalled Sunday's, when after a raving and tumultuous set the whole audience rose to its feet.
He started his set with a driving version of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" - a nice tribute from three fine progressive musicians to today's leaders of progressive sounds.
Then he blasted out "Like A Rolling Stone," "Hey Joe," Purple Haze," and "The Wind Cries Mary" - all played with as much force and drive as he's ever played with before, despite long hold-ups because of trouble with his amplifiers.
Throughout the whole set Jimi kept up a constant stream of happy talk, achieving a fantastic sense of communication with the star-studded audience. Despite the the amplifier hang-up he refused to be flustered, telling the audience: "This is our last gig here for a long time so we're gonna make it nice!"
Then, to a smashing, ear splitting "Are You Experienced" Jimi was handed a guitar from the wings - a guitar he'd painted in glorious swirling colours and written a poem on the back dedicated to Britain and it's audiences - and bathed in a flickering strobe light, crashed the guitar about the stage and hurled what was left of it to eager souvenir-hunters in the audience.
If he ever returns to Britain or not, Jimi Hendrix can be sure that things will never be the same again here since his Experience hit town with all the impact of a 50 - megaton H-Bomb.


Chris Welch in Melody Maker.

Jimi Hendrix made a tremendous initial impression. Dressed in brilliantly coloured clothes, Jimi roared into "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," while Mitch Mitchell's drums lit up with flashing coloured lights, high on a special rostrum.
Then came the first of long delays while microphones were fixed. The audience were so keyed-up they didn't mind while road managers nipped on and off stage attempting running repairs.
The group soldiered on with "Foxy Lady," and "Like A Rolling Stone," then came a mammoth breakdown when the amps blew and for minutes on end there was no music. Mitch who had been playing wonderfully well, filled in with a drum solo, while bassist Noel Redding chatted chirpily to the audience.
After the troubles had been sorted out Jimi remarked: "I feel like getting nasty," and launched into "Manic Depression" followed by "Hey Joe," "Purple Haze" and "The Wind Cries Mary." Running half an hour over-time the group concluded with a freak-out of guitar smashing by strobe light. Bits of the guitar were then thrown into the audience for collectors, while Mitch's drum stand was left in a state of collapse. Own up lads, who needs all that?


Norrie Drummond for New Musical Express

BAD SHOWS BRING JIMI DOWN ... but he needn't have worried about Sunday's

Jimi wasn't really in the best of spirits when I met him. The previous evening his concert at London's Saville Theatre had been plagued with amplifier problems and it was still worrying him.
"Man, it really brings me down when these amps don't work," he said, lighting his first cigarette of the day, "and they were new ones too."
Manager Chandler entered the room bearing cups of coffee. "Despite the troubles it was still a great show," enthused Chas, "but you should have seen them in Sweden."
Three entirely new forms of British pop music were brought together on Sunday evening for one of the most exciting shows to be staged at London's Saville Theatre. Three first-rate acts - all of them attempting something new, all of them original and very interesting.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - raucous, earthy and brilliant ; the Procul Harem - Britain's most talked about group at the moment - and the first major appearance of Denny Laine with his Electric String Band.
Both performances, not surprisingly, were completely sold out.
Hendrix - despite amplifier trouble - was as dynamic as ever.
If anything his act was better than usual. He worked harder to compensate for the hang-ups, closing with a vicious and extraordinary smash-up.
His opening number - a potted version of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" - amused Paul McCartney, who was sitting in Brian Epstein's box. He continued with "Hey Joe," "Foxy Lady," "Purple Haze" and a string of other numbers before an explosive finale.

Source : http://www.digitalhighway.co.uk/axis/reviews/2116.asp

28. Dimanche 4 Juin 1967. Film du concert donné au Saville Theatre de Londres. Les Beatles étaient dans la salle. The Jimi Hendrix Experience interprète: "Sergeant Pepper Lonely Heart Club Band", "Like A Rolling Stone", "Manic Depression", "Hey Joe", "Purple Haze", "The Wind Cries Mary", et "Are You Experienced" manquant pour l'instant.

Trouvera -t-on un jour trace du film de ce concert, avec les Beatles dans la salle, deux jours après la sortie de l'album "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band"

Cette affiche connue présente une photo de Karl Ferris prise après le concert du 4 juin (entre le 7 et le 10 juin).

Merci les gars!

Photos Backstage de ce concert ICI