The band Jimi Hendrix called the best he ever toured with: “Ridiculously good”
Word of mouth is an important thing in music. You can put all the money you want into marketing and advertisements, but no sales pitch will ever be as impactful as someone whose taste you like telling you to listen to somebody. This is something that Jimi Hendrix had on his side, and it’s what helped him propel to fame so quickly once he started doing gigs.
He needed only a couple of moments setting foot under the spotlight to make the mouths int he audience gasp and consequently begin swinging as they talked of the hottest new guitar cat in town. Hendrix would only need a few weeks to become the most talked-about guitarist in the world following one iconic performance on a London stage.
What many people don’t realise about Hendrix is the small amount of time he spent in the spotlight. Throughout his career, he was only a mainstream artist for four years. When you think about the other artists from that period who have gone on to have a legacy comparable to Hendrix’s, you begin to understand just how much of an achievement that was. Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, and David Gilmour have been making music for decades, yet they still find themselves in the same conversation as Hendrix.
A large part of what made Hendrix so popular amongst music lovers was his live performance. Jeff Beck was famous for bringing the guitarist to the front of the stage, but Hendrix took this new affinity towards the six-string and amplified it to 11. He would play with his teeth, with the guitar behind his head, spend whole sets improvising and even lit his guitar on fire. The only words leaving people’s mouths after going to a Hendrix show were those of praise, telling others that they have to get themselves to one, too.
It’s clear that Hendrix held the sanctity of the live show close to his heart, as is seen in how much time he put into perfecting his performances and how much he rated other bands that he saw live. Some, who became giants in the music industry, didn’t impress Hendrix. For instance, though he liked a fair bit of Pink Floyd’s music, he was never impressed much with their live performance.
His main critique of Floyd was that they put too much into their set design and not enough into their sound. “Here’s one thing I hate, man,” he said, “When these cats say, ‘Look at the band. They’re playing psychedelic music!’ All they’re doing is flashing lights on them and playing ‘Johnny B. Goode’ with the wrong chords.” It was clear Pink Floyd fell under this umbrella. When asked about the band, Hendrix said, “I’ve heard they have beautiful lights, but they don’t sound like nothing.”
Ironically, though, while touring with Pink Floyd, Hendrix came upon one of his favourite live bands. The Nice were a prog rock band who rose to fame towards the late 1960s. They had a funk-infused sound but could also build impressive soundscapes throughout their sets. They were keen on adding layers to whatever noise they made to develop atmosphere and make gigs borderline cinematic.
Their efforts certainly rubbed off on Hendrix, who said, “The Nice were my favourite group on the tour – their sound is ridiculously good, original, free, more funky than West Coast.” Over the years, Hendrix paid a lot of compliments out to smaller bands. As well as doffing his cap to the icons of the day, like Bob Dylan and The Beatles, Hendrix was happy to share the spotlight with smaller acts. The Nice weren’t a band ever truly capable of matching him in legacy, but for one tour, at least, they gave as good as they got.
Hendrix knew just how important it was to have people say good things about you as a performer, as it helped him build his profile as one of the best guitarists in the world. As such, when he saw a live band he loved, he was quick to hand out praise, as can be seen in his high praise of The Nice, a band that has since fallen slightly off the radar but remains a pivotal milestone in live performance and prog rock.
