Hollywood Bowl: August 18, 1967, by Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix was already a smash in Swinging London, but he remained relatively unknown in America on Aug. 18, 1967. On that day, the Jimi Hendrix Experience was the opening act for the Mamas and the Papas at the Hollywood Bowl, a billing only slightly less unlikely than Hendrix’s brief, aborted stint opening for the Monkees.
Hendrix’s nine-song set at the Hollywood Bowl was recorded and has finally been issued. He tried to warm up the largely indifferent audience with a sonic assault on the most popular song of the moment, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” He shifted gears soon enough to the blues of “Killing Floor” before introducing his still unfamiliar originals (“Foxey Lady,” “Fire”) and Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone.”
Like a jazz musician, Hendrix’s performances were always in the moment, never copies of what came before. But unlike the jazz musicians who soon enough tried to reach the rock audience, Hendrix was fully engaged with the potential of the electric guitar, the power of distortion achieved through sonic boom amplification. The Experience, drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding, were supple enough to stay in sync with the bluesy shriekback of their bandleader.
Hollywood Bowl: August 18, 1967, by Jimi Hendrix
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