CHARLESTON GAZETTE - ‘End of beginning’ for ‘Experience’ by Ray Brack:
Jimi Hendrix, that cocky, raucous rock rooster, found Charleston ready and worthy. In concert at the Civic Center last Saturday night, after the house lights had gone up and the show was apparently closing, the crowd caught Hendrix’ vibes, engulfed the stage and its phalanx of fuzz and the cock of the rock finally got down to work. The CivicCenter became Fillmore South as Hendrix growled ‘Wild Thing’ over air-raid siren guitar as the kids signalled ‘peace.’ With half the crowd of 5,000 pressed around the stage, Hendrix brought the experience to a climax by feloniously assaulting his Fender and the sound equipment and then dashing his guitar against a sound column. ‘Thank you, West Virginia,’ he shouted, ‘you’re really out of sight.’ But he was bored. Jimi Hendrix is bored with the Jimi Hendrix Experience. So are his guitarist, Noel Redding and his drummer, Mitch Mitchell. Their third U.S. tour, which brought them to Charleston, will certainly be their last as a group. He explained it to T-T-T while donning colliding red threads before the show:
Jimi: “I like shades of color that clash”
Jimi: “We’re not actually breaking up he said. We’ll play some events together now and then, but we’re bored with the Experience. We’ve got to do some of our own things.”
TTT: - Mitchell walked in and added :
Mitch: “It’s not that we’re breaking up. We never really formed. We have just been meeting our mutual needs. Now we’ll all branch out. We have things we want to do.”
Jimi: “[I’m interested in television. I also wants to get a book together and do an album on my own] that could include everything from acoustical guitar to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.”
TTT - He jumped into red umbrella-bottoms and slipped on light violet pumps.
Jimi: “[The Experience’s last album together should be out in about a month. It’s in the can, and late this month while we’re in New York for a MadisonSquareGarden
Concert, we’ll spend some in final mixing on the release.] We’re not sure at the title will be, but I think we’ll call it ‘The End of the Beginning.”
TTT - He clasped a turquoise belt around his hips wriggled into a purple vest that left plenty of bare midriff. Whipping a bright pink scarf off a hanger, and extending his arm he said, -
Jimi: “Here tie this on for me. Tight. No, tighter. [My first solo album, could appear by fall, it will show my] “new side.” [In addition to startling new departures musically, I plan to introduce a new type of song, mystical and full of social comment.] Music is stronger than politics. I feel sorry for the minorities but I don’t feel a part of one. And I think the answer lies in music. One of the worst statements people are making is ‘no man is an island.’ Every man is an island and music is about the only way we can really communicate. Forget about the mass love scene. That’s not where it is. It’s not building understanding. And I wish I could say this so strongly that they’d sit up in their chairs. My songs speak in different ways, but when I say ‘I’ I don’t mean ‘me’ but rather whoever I can relate to. I have a song on abortion and a song on Vietnam and a song on just about any problem. And my song on the campus thing today says the kids are shouting through a keyhole. They’re not being individuals.”
TTT - He plugged in his Fender and started tuning. Mitchell spoke up:
Mitch: “Yeah, we have things we want to do, like I want to do a concert at Carnegie Hall with Miles Davis and Roland Kirk. We’re trying to get it together right now. We just can’t go on playing concerts like this. You know, one group goes on then we go on.”
Jimi: “I died a thousand times in this group and was born again. But after awhile you have to get yourself straightened out. A person has to have five to ten minutes by himself every day. After this tour is over and our album is ready I’m going to take a long vacation - maybe in Morocco or Sweden or way out in the Southern California hills.”
TTT - He worked on his Fender.
Jimi: “This ragged old guitar never stays in tune. The time I burned my guitar it was like a sacrifice. You sacrifice things you love. I love my guitar.”
(Page?) ‘What’s Happenin’’ review by Jack Cook: “Like, dig: Last Saturday night I took in the Hendrix experience – or I should say – it took me! All week I’ve been asking customers to speak up, ‘cause, Man, the volume was real piercing. Martin was right - Hendrix really does stack the 200 Watt Marshall Amp’s (that’s British output rating - the equivalent American power is 550 Watt peak output!) And would you believe, I sat in the first row??!! l’ve heard about ‘swimming in sound’ and sound so ‘heavy’ that it ‘drips’ but this was the first time l’ve had that much tremendous volume and distortion pounding me In the face. Talk about an Exedrin Headache #47!
I really dug most of the sounds of the Chicago. I think they’re going to make it. But with the aid of several other gigantic mind blasters, including Suni, Fender. Guild. Kustom, and Altec strobe. Iights, Mr. Hendnx really laid it on us. It was an experience.
So, if power in sound is your bag, come on in and scope the 50 Watt (250 Watt Peak) Marshall Amp we have on the First Floor with, a 100 Watt (250 Peak Watt) Lead and !00 Watt Base Amp on order. Only, If you see me, Man, you’ll have to shout, like I think my ears bugged out.”
Sujet: Charleston (Civic Center) : 10 mai 1969 
Mar 13 Juil 2010 - 22:50
