"Jimi Hendrix was given a tab of acid just before his show at Madison Square Garden where he was playing with Buddy Miles and Bill Cox.
The audience, as well as Hendrix, were completely freaked out by his irrational behavior.
The result was that Hendrix was discredited."
- Mae Brussell,
Helter Skelter, Gimme Shelter
"The aborted 1/70 BOG show at MSG is one if the strangest chapters in Jimi history. Exactly what went down is shrouded in mystery. All we know for certain is Jimi's condition was dubious and after two songs he refused to continue closing the BOG.
Buddy Miles claimed Mike Jeffery slipped Jimi bad LSD in an effort to embarrass him so he would reform the JHE. Buddy: "my sister and I saw Jeffery slip Jimi two tabs of LSD, and I personally saw Jimi take them. He looked so scared." Jeffery hiring a film crew to document the performance casts doubt on the story. In any event it was obvious things were not well. Johnny Winter was backstage and recalled: "when I saw him it gave me chills. It was the most horrible thing I'd ever seen. He came in with his entourage and it was like he was already dead."
After the second song Jimi cryptically announced "that's what happens when earth fu*ks with space" and refused to continue. Some reports have Jimi sitting on stage with his head in his hands crying. Jeffrey went backstage and fired Buddy on the spot. Billy Cox went home to Nashville.
This isn't your normal rock star shows up too loaded to do the gig though. Listening to the tape it's clear Jimi is not himself but there is some inspired playing during Who Knows. His voice is strange and distant giving everything an strange vibe, even his standard intro to the audience is ominous. Hard to describe other than it has "the spook". Earth Blues is more or less a train wreck though with Jimi distracted and forgetting the words. Footage shows Jimi hunched over in obvious pain. Perhaps the result of poorly manufactured dose of LSD?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSdVb_7sJ6E&feature=related - excellent recording of the complete show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM5k7uETjUs&feature=g-all&list=PLD83FD857D49F2A2C - big upgrade of the circulating Earth Blues footage
Buddy Miles claimed Mike Jeffery slipped Jimi bad LSD in an effort to embarrass him so he would reform the JHE. Buddy: "my sister and I saw Jeffery slip Jimi two tabs of LSD, and I personally saw Jimi take them. He looked so scared." Jeffery hiring a film crew to document the performance casts doubt on the story. In any event it was obvious things were not well. Johnny Winter was backstage and recalled: "when I saw him it gave me chills. It was the most horrible thing I'd ever seen. He came in with his entourage and it was like he was already dead."
After the second song Jimi cryptically announced "that's what happens when earth fu*ks with space" and refused to continue. Some reports have Jimi sitting on stage with his head in his hands crying. Jeffrey went backstage and fired Buddy on the spot. Billy Cox went home to Nashville.
This isn't your normal rock star shows up too loaded to do the gig though. Listening to the tape it's clear Jimi is not himself but there is some inspired playing during Who Knows. His voice is strange and distant giving everything an strange vibe, even his standard intro to the audience is ominous. Hard to describe other than it has "the spook". Earth Blues is more or less a train wreck though with Jimi distracted and forgetting the words. Footage shows Jimi hunched over in obvious pain. Perhaps the result of poorly manufactured dose of LSD?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSdVb_7sJ6E&feature=related - excellent recording of the complete show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM5k7uETjUs&feature=g-all&list=PLD83FD857D49F2A2C - big upgrade of the circulating Earth Blues footage
No comments:
Post a Comment