Think about all the gigs you’ve ever attended. How many of those can you say were truly world-changing? If the music gods were smiling on you, then perhaps one of them. I’ve been fortunate enough to go to some utterly incredible shows over the years, but somehow I don’t think any of them changed the way I (or anyone else) thought about music. Zeppelin at the O2 was magnificent, but (assuming all went to plan) we knew that Zep were capable of playing a blinder. The shock and awe was different from the way I’d imagine it was if you’d been watching an incendiary Zep when they first arrived on the scene. No, the world-changing shows are invariably the ones that sadly we didn’t see. And the reasons for not going are many – maybe they took place before you were born; maybe you couldn’t get a ticket; maybe you lived on the other side of the planet; maybe it’d just been a long day at work and you couldn’t be arsed to go out… Whatever the reason, you weren’t there, so you have to live vicariously through those who were. Which is what we’re doing this issue. Jimi Hendrix turned popular music on its head. And nowhere was he better than when he turned his magic on in the live arena. Whether it was his first public appearance, or playing to his biggest crowd on American soil, he changed the world. Read all about it…
Siân Llewellyn, Editor
Classic Rock 217: News & Regulars
