Experience Hendrix 11/3/2008

Nob Hill Masonic Center
San Francisco, CA (8:00 - ~11:30 pm)
http://www.experiencehendrixtour.com/

Mitch Mitchell & Billy Cox of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, plus Doyle Bramhall II, Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, David Hidalgo, Eric Johnson, Robby Krieger, Jonny Lang, Chris Layton, Mato Nanji, Cesar Rosas, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Hubert Sumlin.

A phalanx of guitar players tried to conjure Jimi Hendrix in San Francisco last night. They almost succeeded--at least they showed that a little bit of Jimi is in every electric guitarist.

The Nob Hill Masonic Center is a pretty plush venue. There is a five-level parking garage directly beneath the auditorium, so we drove right in (paying $15 extra), and took an elevator up to the hall in the same building. There are about 25 rows of cushioned seats in a semicircle around the stage on the ground floor, and some more on a balcony. We were in row "S", right of the stage, with a clear view of most of the proceedings.

Eric Gales: Purple Haze, Foxy Lady

Gales opened with the two best-known of Hendrix compositions, tearing through them with plenty of flash, speed, and authenticity--and reminders to the audience to applaud via stopping and holding his hands up to his ears after almost every solo. But he's a good player and in the unenviable position of opening, so we'll forgive that minor annoyance.

Robbie Krieger, Mato Nanji: Manic Depression

The legendary Doors guitarist played rather quietly through this one, one of only a couple of Gibson guitar players in the bunch (the tour is sponsored by Gibson--a brand Jimi rarely played). Mato Nanji was also an understated but solid soloist--actually not an unwelcome break from the loud screeching trebles we'd hear most of the night.

Doyle Bramhall II: Angel, Remember

Bramhall played slide, and never seemed to catch his stride on these two numbers. I could imagine him perhaps doing them quite impressively on other nights, but just didn't see it tonight, and I was starting to wonder if this whole show was going to be a wash.

Jonny Lang: Rock Me Baby

Blues guitar wunderkind Lang finally brought a little bit of fire to the proceedings.

David Hidalgo, Krieger, Bramhall: ?Blues number

The Los Lobos guitarist joined the other two understated players for a 12-bar blues I couldn't identify. I like Los Lobos, but when I think "Hendrix-influenced guitar music," that's not really where I tend to go...

Eric Johnson: Love or Confusion

Okay, now we start to get somewhere. Johnson is one of a handful of modern guitar wizards in the Hendrix tradition, a la Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and the like. A likeable, unassuming guy, he produces cascades of notes in a nice round tone--sometimes too quiet for the high-powered backing, but again rather a nice reprieve from the piercing top-of-the-neck screaming of some others.

+ Gales: May This Be Love, Bold As Love, Are You Experienced

Gales returned to join Johnson for an inspired rendition of May This Be Love (aka "Waterfall"), and stuck around through a few more, having mostly the good sense to not try to upstage Johnson.

Brad Whitford, Jonny Lang: Fire, The Wind Cries Mary, Spanish Castle Magic

OK now here we go. Whitford of Aerosmith and Lang, returning, gave an (insert incendiary adjective here: "scorching"?) rendition of Fire, Lang delivering one of the best vocal performances of the night. When two guitarists attempt to solo at the same time, it's a very tricky proposition unless they can agree to stay each in their own tonal neighborhoods. The urge to go high and trebly is often overwhelming when you want to cut through the sonic sludge, and that works for one guitar but not two. Both of these guys are excellent, impressive players, but playing simultaneously, they cancel each other out.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd (Noah Hunt on vocals): Come On, I Don't Live Today, Voodoo Child, Slight Return

Shepherd is another hot guitarist, and he did fantastic versions of these songs, especially the segued-together Voodoo Child/Chile. I had to look up Noah Hunt on the web, but he is a great singer who performs with Shepherd regularly.

Hidalgo, Cesar Rosas, + Nanji?: Can You See Me, Little Wing, Them Changes

Now we had another Los Lobos guitarist, and I don't know, these guys just didn't grab me that much, but they did creditable versions of the songs.

Hubert Sumlin: Shoulda Quit You

Sumlin is one of Jimi's stated influences. At 77 years of age (Hendrix would be 65 now), he was spry and chipper, of course not a dazzling guitar-god, but that's not what he was there for. It was nice to have him included, and he came out again for several songs and the other players always deferred to him.

Buddy Guy, Ric Hall, others: Best Damn Fool, Hoochie Coochie Man, ... Red House

Buddy Guy is another Hendrix influence, and I guess the headliner here. He's a great bluesman, and he plays the audience well, getting laughs with some clever lines and his delivery. He's also a killer guitarist, and he could riff with the best of them. Ric Hall, uncredited, plays rhythm for Guy mostly, but did get a chance to step out and play a couple of solos and show off his ZZ Top-style twirling guitar...

I felt the show devolved in here somewhere, and it stopped being about Jimi and started being about Buddy--not at all a bad person for "it" to be "about," but not what we came for. At one point, Guy held the same feedbacking note for upwards of a minute, and that was it for me.

All in all, this review might belie the fact that it was a very good show with a lot of high points, and in fact a little of that Hendrix spirit throughout... In case it wasn't obvious, there is a little of Jimi on EVERY ROCK GUITARIST, since he first appeared on world stages in 1966/1967. Listening to "American Woman" from the Guess Who's live album on the way home, I could not help thinking THAT was a tribute to Jimi as well.

What we saw here was that there was so much to Jimi, any other guitarist can possess even some small fraction of it and use it as his (no women players here, were there!) entire act. I picture this tour going from city to city, and each player having standout nights and slow ones, overall a different, powerful show every night.