March 17, 2010
Jimi Hendrix would have been 68 now. Hard to believe. Although he passed away in 1971, Jimi’s legacy lives on and there are many fine musicians out there making it happen.
Sunday night’s concert at the Paramount Theater in Denver on March 14, 2010, was no exception. The sold-out three hour show could have gone on for another three hours and it wouldn’t have been enough for me.
Billy Cox on bass, was one of Hendrix’s original players back in the ‘60s and he showed no signs of slowing down.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd delivered a stellar performance of “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”—wow. His style was full of soul and grit and got down to the heart of Jimi’s music.
Jonny Lang was so amazing that as he played, his music took me out of my self and made me forget who and where I was. I was so mesmerized, I couldn’t even tell you what he played! Complaining about the altitude, Jonny only came onstage once—I was hoping for more. I’ve seen him in concert several times before and although I always think I’m prepared for it ahead of time, each time he gets under my skin.
Living Colour tore it up with so much energy on “Power of Soul,” and they were so tight, the audience went wild. And with Chris Layton (from Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Double Trouble” and Aerosmith’s Brad Whitford hammering the sound, Jimi would have been proud.
Joe Satriani performed “Three Stones from the Sun” and from the plethora of effects in his genius-sized toolbox, among others, produced sounds that seemed to flow like water—sounds I’d never heard from a guitar before. During “All Along the Watchtower,” the audience was on its feet and nearly delirious with emotion.
Among the other songs performed were: “Hey Joe,” “Fire,” “Foxey Lady,” “Red House,” “Are You Experienced?” “Crosstown Traffic,” “Purple Haze,” “Voodoo Chile,” and “The Wind Cries Mary.” I was hoping for “Star Spangled Banner” and “Machine Gun,” but I guess you just can’t please everybody.
The show also featured Eric Johnson, David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos, Susan Tedeschi, Doyle Bramhall II, Ernie Isley, and Robert Randolph—all of whom contributed to make this a most memorable evening—a tribute to the greatest and most influential guitarist of our time—Mr. Jimi Hendrix.
This is the kind of music that stirs my soul—a heavy-electric-infused, psychedelic mind trip, and easily one of the best concerts I’ve seen. Give me more!