Hendrix's Ill-fated Blue Wild Angel Concert

[westen44]

Although close to being a Hendrix completist, I had never watched or listened to the Isle of Wight concert.  Through the years, I had heard that it was his worst one and I had believed those reports.  However, it wasn't until now that I realized just how bad the concert really was. 

Fortunately, there is an excellent BBC review from 2002 which does a great job of summarizing the concert.  There may not be a great deal I can add except for a summary of my own impressions.  But it would be hard to even begin with all the things that were wrong with this concert.  Being such a Hendrix fan, I actually found myself somewhat stunned from time to time while listening.  But he was tired, jet-lagged, unenthusiastic about being there, jaded over his old material and still only able to come up with very few good new songs.  When Hendrix shoved his guitar to the floor at the end of the concert, at this point that was not surprising.  As someone who has spent a lot of money through the years on Hendrix CDs and DVDs, mostly CDs, this concert is the one thing I would not recommend to anyone.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/whbd/

[uwe]

Hendrix played almost totally on feel. And he knew that he was in a league of his own as a guitarist and performer. That mix didn't bode well when it came down to delivering a disciplined, professional performance when his spirits were down.

And those frequent open air festival gigs that work under their own set of rules and aren't really a fertile soil for musical development can't have helped either. I guess he was fed up with being billed as the exotic maverick/headliner crowd pleaser. Woodstock had become an albatross around his neck.

[westen44]

The Isle of Wight is in direct contrast to the Atlanta Pop Festival held several months earlier.  As Billy Cox has noted, there Hendrix was fueled by the enthusiasm of the crowd.  To me it wasn't the greatest performance, either, but it was far better than the Isle of Wight. 

[eb2]

Most Hendrix fans find Isle of Wight disturbing.  The whole not giving a shit vibe comes through. I remember the first time I heard it. I love it because of how trashy it was.

[westen44]

Here is a positive review of Isle of Wight.  That's not something you'll see too much.  I disagree with most of what this guy is saying.  But I kind of admire him for trying to be so positive.  Maybe he even has a few valid points.  I would genuinely be open to that.  But so far I haven't seen much that looks valid to me and I've read the article twice.   As much as I like Hendrix, I'm not sure if I would be able to watch that DVD again, either. 


https://irom.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/dvd-review-jimi-hendrix-blue-wild-angel-screened-at-the-grammy-museum/