Any band claiming they get on without problems probably does not want to air out their dirty laundry. It’s nearly impossible for strong-willed people who share the spotlight to live in rainbow land all the time. Another band that struggled to keep going was none other than the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Bill Frisell had the chance to see them live in Denver before the fallout, and here’s what he had to say to Guitar Player about that performance that changed everything.
“Then I saw him again at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver on September 1, 1968,” Frisell recalled the day he saw Hendrix and the band at the festival. “I think it might have been the last gig he did with Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding, and I remember something was going on like he was upset about something during the concert.”
The jazz guitarist was right about his inkling about Hendrix being on edge during that performance, as the behind-the-scenes stuff was at the breaking point before they got on stage. Noel Redding revealed in 1969 to Rolling Stone that Hendrix was very uptight and nervous about the band, the performances, and his music. Even though everything was going great and they were living the dream, Hendrix couldn’t enjoy the band’s success.
Right before their performance in Denver in 1969, Hendrix told a reporter that he was thinking about expanding the band before asking Redding or Mitch Mitchell if that were something they would be on board with, which was the last straw for the bassist as he left the band after the performance to form his band ‘Fat Mattress.’
Even though Hendrix asked Redding to come back, the bassist was done with being a part of the Experience. Although Mitchell continued to work with Jimi, they were not in the best position either. After a while, everyone had moved on with their endeavors, including Hendrix with his new band, Band of Gypsys. So that day, Bill Frisell, sensing the tension between the bandmates, had a lot of built-up baggage that had spilled without any takebacks.
