Temple Stadium Philadelphia Pa 5/16/70 - PART III of III
And now . . . JIMI HENDRIX!

I couldn't breathe-Literally! Jimi Hendrix walked out to the front of the stage holding a dark Stratocaster with a white neck and was draped in a BEAUTIFUL kind of American Flag outfit and he spread his arms out in "Welcome". I had never seen him in this outfit, neither before, or since. So, until I saw Temple pics I thought I had maybe made up the American Flag scenario . . . His Flying V sat patiently behind, waiting for Red House . . .
He rapped for a minute and said something about the Liberty Bell being cracked and after a quick tune-up, Mitch Mitchell began pounding and out came Sgt Pepper. Never being a huge fan of this version, though I understood the fanfare aspect, I concentrated on clearing my head up a bit. Had I experienced hallucinogens prior, or was a bit older I'd have taken lots in stride, but as fantastic as I felt, right then I actually just wanted to be straight for this concert. I can't explain it. This was highly personal, and I felt this might be a once in a lifetime happening. Little did I know . . . . I really didn't want to see the Wild Sex Freak from Borneo. But I was still in another place, a very beautiful place, and I resigned myself to "Lie back and enjoy it". And all of a sudden, it was very very nice. I'll relate one or 2 more quick things & I'll get out of here.
I can't believe you got this far in the 1st place!
So I studied him. And I heard him. And I felt him. And I want to tell you. As I studied his face, he was not a guitar burner, but a man (this will become very important in a minute) and I saw this frustration - 1st, as I perceived it, in having to be there when I felt he obviously wanted to be somewhere else (like in a studio) and 2nd, possibly that he was wondering if we all came to see Jimi the clown & would we hate him if he didn't do Foxy Lady. And for a split second I perceived him thinking, Damn, What the fuck am I doing here?
I could be way off here - But I think not. And here is where the evening changed. EVERYTHING changed.
Three minutes later after a very rare and unbelievable Johnny B Goode, played with the help of his Ivory's, as he was getting into Machine Gun, he went thru a "shift" I'll call it, as he went inside himself, and found & unlocked what he always does, and that exact same energy that was looking down on us a minute earlier was specifically calling on him to "make" us hear & feel what was in his heart. I don't know if I'm being clear-so try this: In one split second, EVERY fiber in his body & soul became dedicated to the task of offering us the "gift" of his heart. There was all of a sudden, nothing else-for Hendrix, or for me. And me thinks, instantaneously, it was a thorough joy for him to be able to be there, knowing he was literally blowing our minds. And he was getting off on it. And lo & behold I felt tears running down my cheeks. He was locked into this frame of mind thru the entire show, until right near the end as he was finishing Voodoo Child and the reality that the show was coming to a close kicked in.
I also want to throw in here; There is something very different and very special about hearing music in an open air setting. Inside a building, the music bounces off walls and there is a special reverberation/echo inherent in the sound. When you are outside, the music passes thru you ONE time, and dissipates into thin air, never to be heard again. And that sound is indeed a very special noise.
Was Hendrix just an entertainer? Absolutely. Was he just a Rock guy getting his rock thing off? Yep. Did he care if you dug it or not? Possibly and probably. I've heard him on more than one occasion say, "If you don't dig it, that's cool, but if you open your heart & mind to it for a minute, you just might dig it".
Which brings me to the only other thing worth mentioning here. And it's just this. I always felt close to Jimi in a spiritual way. As did we all. And he was different than any rock star before him or after. I'd already seen more than 25 bands by that point since the 1st time I snuck out to see Canned Heat at The Electric Factory when I was 13 . . . .
Still, not knowing what to expect, I [literally] expected to see a God walk out on stage that night. That's what you all made him. A God. But as I watched him & reflected later on the way home (another story unto itself) and even as I ponder these thoughts today. Who I saw that day 38 years ago May 16, 1970 was NOT Jimi God. It was Jimi a Man. It was a fucking guy with a guitar slung over his shoulders. The difference between him and us was, he never took the damn thing off - because for HIM, he just couldn't. He was just a guy who could have been ANYBODY who decided to take the opportunity, since he finally had the spotlight during that short & ILLUMINATING 4 years, and wanted to do something special with his small but brilliant moment in time. He was a guy who thought he might want to leave us with, because it might help . . . . .
You gotta tell the children the truth. They don't need a whole lot of lies.
Cause one of these days, baby - They'll be running things . . .
So when you give them love - you better give it right.
Woman and Child - Man and Wife
The best love to have is the Love of Life.
Sadly & profoundly, we did not get to hear the quiet storm that was coming till after he passed 4 short months later. But my point: He was just a man I saw at Temple that night. Not a God. A man who came and gave us every fucking thing he had. A man who ALWAYS had an axe in his hands, fighting like a farmer. Just a guy with something on his mind. Something he thought was worth telling. And a showman who wanted to send us home with our jaws hanging open. He succeeded multiple times over. A man who did things a million people would have said nobody could have ever done. The people who never took that chance. Who never stepped up to face the "dare". The People who have never visited that special place - buried deep in their hearts. And knowing Jimi Hendrix was a man, was the reason I went home that night and was never ever afraid to pick up my guitar again. And when that show was over and everything fell quiet - It became the loudest sound I had ever heard in my life.
I'm going to make the decision here to omit the ride home 3 hrs late, 3 of us tripping in Little Jeff's fathers car, or that I ended up in Big Jeff's bathroom staring at myself until 5:30 that morning, questioning EVERYTHING that came B4. Thanx for asking me to finish this. I hope it was worth it. I'm exhausted. And very happy to have had the opportunity, even if it was a bit long.
Thank you all for being "out there"
Thank you Johan for the Post & for the other thing as well. You're the best

Peace & Long life 2 U all.
Thank you Jimi. 
Bookmarks