Saturday, August 15, 2009

Jimi Hendrix: "A Band of Gypsies" PWP



Bad weather and logistical problems caused long delays. Jimi Hendrix did not appear on the Woodstock Festival stage until Monday morning. The audience which had peaked at over 500,000 people, counted at most, 180,000, many of whom merely waited to catch a glimpse of Hendrix before leaving.

Festival MC Chip Monck introduced the band as "The Jimi Hendrix Experience", but Hendrix quickly corrected this to "Gypsy Sun and Rainbows, for short it's nothin’ but A Band Of Gypsies" and launched into a two hour set, the longest of his career.

As well as the two percussionists, the performance notably featured Larry Lee performing two songs and Lee sometimes soloing while Hendrix played rhythm in places. Most of this has been edited out of the officially released recordings, including Lee's two songs, reducing the sound to basically a three piece.

The concert was relatively free of the technical difficulties that frequently plagued Hendrix's performances, although one of his guitar strings snapped while performing "Red House". Jimi kept on playing.

The band, unfamiliar with playing large audiences and exhausted after being up all night, could not always keep up with Hendrix's pace. Regardless, the guitarist managed to deliver a memorable performance, climaxing with his highly-regarded rendition of the The Star-Spangled Banner, a solo improvisation which is now regarded as a special symbol of the 1960s era.


(Photo credit: Larry C Morris)

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