Jimi Hendrix
Live At Woodstock

THE REVIEW

August 1969. Last day of Woodstock. The apotheosis of the "3 Days of Peace and Music," the greatest rock concert of all time. Crosby Stills and Nash, Grateful Dead, Iron Butterfly, Joe Cocker, The Who, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Santana... These are just some of the 24 groups that participated in the event, but none of their performances will remain in the history of music as much as the performance of Jimi Hendrix and his gladiators. It's no coincidence, in fact, that if you mention "Woodstock" to any guy, he will think in the order of the words: "Joint, Sex, Acid, Peace, and Jimi Hendrix." When I bought this double CD, I was really sure I was making a great purchase, adding the cherry on top to my Live collection. I wasn't wrong. "Ladies and gentlemen: The Jimi Hendrix Experience." The band takes the stage. It's their time. After a brief intro by Jimi, here comes his Stratocaster making everyone else eat dust, starting with a fantastic "Message To Love." The usual huge riff with Jimi's usual deep voice precedes the heavenly/hellish (choose what you like) solo on his flipped-over Fender. "Hear My Train A Comin'" also flows smoothly, dragging me towards alternating between two parallel cosmos: from the rough and extreme dimension of "Spanish Castle Magic" to the softer and smoother one of "Red House" and "Lover Man," then returning to the hard and solid world of the wonderful, incredible, and a myriad of other adjectives "Foxey Lady." What limitless orgasm! What magnificent ecstasy fills my head every time I can hear even a single note. My ninth symphony. My Ludwig Van. Then comes “Jam Back At The House,” and it's already time to press eject and put on the second disc. Damn! Just when I was reaching Nirvana. But here the journey resumes, and here comes "Izabella," the warm-up, the stretching, the preparation for the World Cup final. And finally, we’re here. "Fire" kicks off 25 minutes of turning inside out like a sock. My skeleton pops out. "Voodoo Child," the hardest thing in nature. 13.40 minutes of one guitar lick after another. My colors: red, Pompeian red, lobster orange, funeral purple, inky blue. At inky blue, I always enter cardiovascular coma. "Star Spangled Banner." The ultimate work of a guitarist's expressive capability. "Go ahead, make war, do it. But remember that you'll never stop us, you bastards! Here! Take these six-string bombs! Peace, damn it!". The message of an entire nation, tired of death and violence, performed without even a word. Damn, what a performance with all and counter all balls. But, plot twist in the extra time of the second half: here comes the unmistakable intro of "Purple Haze." Delirium. Acid rains of applause from people on acid. We're here. An improvisation and "Villanova Junction" anticipate the penalties. Here comes "Hey Joe," finally declaring the much-anticipated verdict. Jimi Hendrix: 16 (the tracks) – Rest of the world: 0 Jimi Hendrix: vocals, lead guitar Billy Cox: bass, backing vocals Mitch Mitchell: drums Juma Sultan: percussion Larry Lee: rhythm guitar Jerry Velez: percussion