The jacket notes for Live in Maui relate the shambolic story of Rainbow Bridge, an idiotic potpourri of a movie redeemed only by 17 minutes of the Jimi Hendrix concert included in this new collection. Writer Jeff Slate describes the hasty set-up on a makeshift stage at windswept Haleakala Crater before a small invited audience seated according to their Zodiac signs. It could have been a shambles, but Hendrix gave a fiery performance.
Live in Maui is the first official release of the entire July 30, 1970 concert. Working from a blues foundation, Hendrix manipulated the electrical output of his guitar—coaxing and cajoling high-amp industrial sonics and wailing acidic tones as drummer Mitch Mitchell wields the sticks with a determined hand while bassist Billy Cox maintains the pulse. With a jazzman’s sense of possibility, Hendrix never played a song the same way twice, evident on this collection’s loud and powerful versions of “Foxey Lady,” “Purple Haze” and “Spanish Castle Music.” In addition to the two CDs containing the entire concert, Live at Maui includes a Blu-ray with footage shot at the event.
