Sep 24 2024
(Kristen Forbes photos)
Last week saw the launch of The Experience Hendrix Tour for the first time since the
(pre-pandemic) 2019 edition. This marks the tour’s 20th anniversary, and the kickoff took place, most fittingly, at the Paramount Theater in Seattle, the hometown of Jimi Hendrix. For the occasion and by arrangement with the city’s Museum of Pop Culture (MoPop), the Fender Stratocaster guitar that Jimi Hendrix played at Woodstock in 1969 was brought to the stage. Jimi’ sister Janie Hendrix, President and CEO of Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. and Authentic Hendrix, LLC, brought the priceless guitar, known as Izabella, to the venue where it was played by a number of EH Tour participants including Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eric Johnson and Ayron Jones.
The tour continues through October 19th with a varying line up of players playing homage to the legacy of Jimi Hendrix, including Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Zakk Wylde, Samantha Fish, Dweezil Zappa, Taj Mahal, Hunter Hayes, The Doors’ Robby Krieger, Chuck Campbell and Calvin Cooke from The Slide Brothers, Stanley Jordan, Ally Venable, Mato Nanji, Dylan Triplett, Arthur Menezes, Mathias Lattin, Henri Brown and the aforementioned Shepherd, Johnson and Jones, as well as drummer Chris Layton from Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band’s Kevin McCormick and Noah Hunt, and other notable players.
The concept for the Experience Hendrix Tour dates back almost 30 years to the 1995 Seattle Bumbershoot Festival. Experience Hendrix sponsored a three-hour show, under the musical direction of Narada Michael Walden that featured former Jimi Hendrix Experience and Jimi Hendrix Band of Gypsys alumni Mitch Mitchell, Noel Redding, Billy Cox and Buddy Miles. A single concert at San Diego’s Street Scene in 2001 and 2002 expanded by 2004 into a full-fledged national tour with this year’s outing marking the 20th anniversary of the Experience Hendrix Tour. The tour presents a host of great artists collaborating and interpreting Hendrix’s legendary songs as part of a powerhouse, three-hour concert experience. The wide range of multi-generational artists who participate in a reflection of the ecumenicism of Jimi Hendrix’s classic repertoire and the diversity of those whose lives have been indelibly affected by his music.
Janie Hendrix commented, “The Tribute Concert Tour is at the heart of the mission to memorialize Jimi and celebrate him for his musical influence on the world. When we had our first Tribute Concert, in was on the heels of winning the fight to regain Jimi’s music rights. This year’s tour has the distinction of being our first after a global shutdown. In a sense we’ve won another fight, and this is our celebration in honor of Jimi! Having Izabella with us on stage for this tour is an amazing feeling. This instrument was such an incredibly special guitar to Jimi. So special, in fact, he wrote a song about her. I think the lyrics ring true even now. They still have relevance and meaning. Jimi talked about winning the fight for the sake of love. And that’s the message we want to convey all across the country. Anything you love has to be worth fighting for. Izabella and Jimi’s positive musical message live on; Jimi continues to inspire!”
The 2024 Experience Hendrix Tour is sponsored by Marshall, Fender Musical Instruments, Hal Leonard Publications and Dunlop. Marshall amplifiers have long been associated with Jimi Hendrix and were his amplifiers of choice during his career. Fender is now celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster, the guitar most often associated with Jimi Hendrix. Dunlop are makers of gear and accessories and recently launched line of Authentic Hendrix ’68 Shrine Series of stomp boxes/effects pedals, while Hal Leonard, the world’s largest print music publisher, has long had an association with Experience Hendrix, L.L.C.
In addition to the tour, this fall is a busy time for Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. with the October 4 release of Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision, in partnership with Legacy Recordings (the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment). This deluxe box set contains the feature-length documentary of the same name, plus 39 audio tracks (38 previously unreleased) on either 3 CDs or 5 vinyl LPs. Every track was recorded between June and August of 1970 at Electric Lady Studios with drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Billy Cox, just before Hendrix’s untimely death the following month. Pre-order Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision box set here: https://jimihendrix.lnk.to/ELSAJimiHendrixVisionPR
The documentary chronicles the creation of the still fully operational recording studio, rising from the rubble of a bankrupt Manhattan nightclub to becoming a state-of-the-art recording facility inspired by Hendrix’s desire for a permanent studio. It is currently on a worldwide theatrical run and showtimes can be found here: https://ajimihendrixvision.com/showtimes/
More about “Izabella,” the Olympic White Fender Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix played at Woodstock from the Museum of Pop Culture: “While Hendrix owned many Stratocasters in his lifetime, this Strat seemed to be a favorite. He purchased it new at Manny’s Music in New York City, most likely in the fall of 1968, and played it at several shows between October 1968 through September 1970. The guitar has survived relatively unscathed given Hendrix’s aggressive playing style, but upon close inspection there are many indications of use, including small indentations along the body, which could be from Hendrix’s rings as he played. There is also worn finish on the headstock near where the strings attach, where Hendrix may have wedged a cigarette during performances. As he was left-handed and left-handed guitars were hard to find at the time, some modifications needed to be made to this right-handed guitar, including reversing the strings and the bone nut near the headstock, switching the position of the strap pin from the longer horn to the shorter horn, and then playing the guitar upside-down. The 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair was one of the decade’s defining cultural events, and Jimi Hendrix’s extraordinary, unprecedented rendering of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ was a defining moment of the festival. With this guitar, Hendrix evoked the majesty of America while also summoning the howling undercurrents of dissonance and violence echoing the Vietnam War and the nation’s deep racial struggles. Shortly before his death on September 18, 1970, Hendrix gave this guitar to Mitch Mitchell (1946-2008), the drummer for the Jimi Hendrix Experience.”
Visit www.experiencehendrixtour.com for artist line-ups for each of the following remaining 2024 Experience Hendrix Tour dates:
Sept 25 – Santa Rosa, CA – Luther BurbankCenter for the Arts
26 – Saratoga, CA – The Mountain Winery
27 – Las Vegas, NV – Smith Center
28 – Highland, CA – Yaamava’ Theater
29 – Tucson, AZ – Fox Theatre
Oct 1 – Anaheim, CA – City National Grove
3 – San Diego, CA – Rady Shell At Jacobs Park
4 – Mesa, AZ – Mesa Arts Center/Ikeda Theater
5 – Albuquerque, NM – Mesa Arts Center/Ikva Auditorium
6 – Colorado Springs, CO – Pikes Peak Center
9 – San Antonio, TX – Majestic Theatre
10 – Houston, TX – Bayou Music Center
11 – Ft. Worth, TX – Will Rogers Auditorium
12 – Tulsa, OK – River Spirit Casino
13 – Shreveport, LA – Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
15 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
16 – Evans, GA – Columbia Country Performing Arts Center
17 – Clearwater, FL – Ruth Eckerd Hall
18 – Pompano Beach, FL – Pompano Beach Amphitheater
19 – St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheater