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. 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!”
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.
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 at
ajimihendrixvision.com/showtimes/.
Visit experiencehendrixtour.com for artist line-ups for each of the following remaining 2024 Experience Hendrix Tour dates:
09/25 – Santa Rosa, CA – Luther Burbank Center for the Arts
09/26 – Saratoga, CA – The Mountain Winery
09/27 – Las Vegas, NV – Smith Center
09/28 – Highland, CA – Yaamava’ Theater
09/29 – Tucson, AZ – Fox Theatre
10/01 – Anaheim, CA – City National Grove
10/03 – San Diego, CA – Rady Shell At Jacobs Park
10/04 – Mesa, AZ – Mesa Arts Center/Ikeda Theater
10/05 – Albuquerque, NM – Mesa Arts Center/Ikva Auditorium
10/06 – Colorado Springs, CO – Pikes Peak Center
10/09 – San Antonio, TX – Majestic Theatre
10/10 – Houston, TX – Bayou Music Center
10/ 11 – Ft. Worth, TX – Will Rogers Auditorium
10/12 – Tulsa, OK – River Spirit Casino
10/13 – Shreveport, LA – Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
10/15 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
10/16 – Evans, GA – Columbia Country Performing Arts Center
10/17 – Clearwater, FL – Ruth Eckerd Hall
10/18 – Pompano Beach, FL – Pompano Beach Amphitheater
10/19 – St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheater
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