Although he has become increasingly synonymous with tie-dye shirts further stained and streaked with highly-caffeinated soda hanging off of gangly, teenage-gamer bodies, Planet K-purchased dorm room, black light posters and white dudes that listen exclusively to Tool, Sublime and Bob Marley (but always have really good weed), Jimi Hendrix is still the shit....
And he may have saved rock 'n' roll from itself.
Elvis was packing on the heft, Lennon and McCartney were self-righteously trying to save the world, (one tender ballad, Chuck Berry-ape or dystopian, sound collage at a time), and Dylan was off in Woodstock, raising a family, reading The Bible and writing country tunes.
In 1966, Hendrix headed to London to work with The Animals keyboardist Chas Chandler as his manager. There he joined with Noel Redding on bass and Mitch Mitchell on drums to form the first incarnation of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Describing The Experience's sound as "a mixture of rock, freak-out, rave and blues," Hendrix took London by storm. With only 3 full-length studio LPs released in his short time as a rock 'n' roll heavy-hitter, Hendrix cemented his legacy as the grooviest, sexiest, most awe-inspiring American guitarist since Chuck Berry and until Prince.
On Friday, March 4, The Majestic Theatre will host the "2016 Experience Hendrix Tour." Bringing along a caravan of noodly, spaced-out players such as Dweezil Zappa, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Johnny Lang, Eric Johnson, combative shredder Zakk Wylde and Hendrix' primary influence, old friend and blues god, Buddy Guy, the group will be anchored by The Experience and Band of Gypsys' bass player Billy Cox. If you're going to pay homage to one of the most inventive musicians in the last century of popular music, you could do a lot worse.
The 2016 Experience Hendrix Tour also includes guitarist Mato Nanji of Indigenous, vocalists Henri Brown and Noah Hunt, and drummer Chris Layton, who was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Additionally, special guests will also include Keb’ Mo’, Doyle Bramhall II, Ana Popovic and the Slide Brothers. More special guests will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets for the jam will go on sale this Friday, October 30, at 10am and can be purchased directly from the Majestic box office or from ticketmaster.com or charged by phone at 800-745-3000.
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