The Experience Hendrix Tour 2019
Concert
The Palace Theater Albany, New York
April 3, 2019
The pictures I have
provided were snapped by me with my phone to give you an idea of the backdrop
to the music prior to the show. That screen changed with each song and it was
very trippy psychedelic colors and images that mirrored the timeframe of Jimi
in his prime. -Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
The Electric Church arrived in Albany, NY last night with
its all-star cast for the Experience Hendrix 2019 Tour. The music of Jimi Hendrix continues to thrive
and be embraced by fans worldwide. This is a tour I have been wanting to catch
for several years now and I finally made it, and so glad I did.
The best thing that could happen to this event is the
involvement of Billy Cox. Anyone familiar with Jimi’s music knows that they
were friends for a long time and Billy played bass on some of Jimi’s albums.
Also, with Janie Hendrix involved it makes everything legit. Also having a
powerhouse rhythm section like Chris Layton (drums) and Kevin McCormick (bass)
makes the entire gig more presentable and helps the other musicians blend into
the Hendrix songs.
What you will witness at one of these shows is quite a
display of musicianship, primarily guitar heroes having a really good time. The
music of Hendrix is timeless as is his legend and persona. With that thought in mind, how do all these
current artists interpret the music of this fabled performer?
The wide array of styles with the musicians tells the tale.
With Billy Cox, you have the living legend, the reigning high priest of The
Electric Church. He is the only one left and he has done a great job of playing
bass and singing in a live setting, as he did last evening. Having Billy as the
main cog in the wheel for this presentation is key to its success.
One of my favorites, Eric Johnson, kicked off the night with
Dweezil Zappa. This was the segment of the show I enjoyed the most. Actually, anytime Eric took the stage it was
enjoyable. Eric’s sound is instantly recognizable, as it is with most
high-level players. One has to remember that Dweezil is excellent as well, the
fact alone that he mastered father Frank’s music is an incredible feat. One of the more consistent presences on stage
was Mato Nanji. Not a name that is as
well known as some of the others but he was part of the act at least 75% of the
time and he was consistently excellent emulating Jimi’s music.
Another treat was The Slide Brothers. Calvin Cooke and Chuck
Campbell. Man did those to wail away at every opportunity! The added a
dimension to the music that made it all more as close to the original sound as possible.
They were the X factor of the night.
One of the many high points of the evening was Johnny Lang
with his powerful vocals and guitar playing. I thought his vocals were the
strong point in regards to the songs covered. He is more of a straight-ahead
bluesman with no tricks or fluff.
Sometimes that is just what the doctor ordered and he is a good fit for
Jimi’s music. And I cannot forget the vocals of Henri Brown, who brought the
sold-out crowd to its feet towards the end of the night.
Then Dave Mustaine of Megadeth came out and played. He did
an admirable job with his flying V guitar. And towards the end of the show was
the Three Amigos, Joe Satriani (guitar), Doug Pinnick (bass) and Kenny Aronoff
(drums). Now, this was a picture I could not forget as all three do not have
one hair follicle to show, if they painted themselves blue, they could pass for
that other group we all know. All of that aside, this was the highlight of the
evening I would think for most guitar fans.
Kenny was a madman on those skins, he is so fast and so
powerful after all these years, age has not affected him one bit. Pinnick with
has bass hanging nearly to his ankles, and he can still reach it, by the way,
sounded a lot like Jimi when he sang. For me, Satriani has been a favorite
since his first release back in the 80s. This night however I did not
appreciate him as much. The idea here I would think is to play Jimi’s music but
in your own way and still keeping with the original sound as much as possible.
Joe likes to use that whammy bar and make squealing sounds and such. I am not a
fan of that so much. So, from my point of view, I wanted to see Joe that
masterful guitar player, crank out the music of Hendrix minus all of the extra
effects. He needs to save all that flashy technical playing for his own shows.
This is a matter of personal taste and opinion and I am sure plenty of fans
enjoyed that part of the show.
And lastly, I need to give the nod to blues legend Taj
Mahal. The man is getting on in years but can still belt out the blues and play
that six-string. That is a lot of talent
to witness in one concert and it is a night I never will forget.
The bottom line is respecting and celebrating the music of
the greatest guitar player that walked this earth. That is the reason for the
Experience Hendrix Tour. They do succeed with an amazing show that runs for 2.5
hours. It is a must-see affair. So, are you experienced?
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
April 5, 2019
