Experience Hendrix Tour Set for March 2010

Guitar World is reporting that Experience Hendrix, the fourth edition of the biennial concert tour that features an all-star line-up of music greats paying homage to the music and legacy of Jimi Hendrix, gets underway in early March of next year with special performances across the country.

Featured artists who will be performing music written and inspired by Jimi Hendrix include some of the best known and most respected artists in contemporary rock and blues, including Joe Satriani, Jonny Lang, Eric Johnson, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Brad Whitford (of Aerosmith), Doyle Bramhall II, Ernie Isley, Living Colour, Double Trouble’s Chris Layton, along with bassist Billy Cox. Cox, who first befriended Hendrix when the two were in the 101st Airborne Division of U.S. Army, played in both the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Band of Gypsys and performed with Hendrix at such landmark festivals as Woodstock and the Isle of Wight. Cox commented, "It's a thrill for me to play Jimi's music for audiences now as it was in the 1960s. The Experience Hendrix tours have shown how timeless this music really is." Joe Satriani remarked, "I finally get to pay tribute to my hero the right way, on stage with an amazing, once in a lifetime, line up of musicians!" Sacred Steel featuring Robert Randolph, Susan Tedeschi and David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos are also performing on selected Experience Tour dates.

Various combinations of these music greats will be performing Jimi’s signature songs including “Purple Haze,” “Voodoo Child (Slight Return), “The Wind Cries Mary,” “Little Wing” and “Red House.” As has been the case with previous Experience Hendrix tour incarnations, special guests are expected to sit in at many of the dates making the concerts all that much more memorable for both new and veteran Hendrix fans. Past special guests have included Paul Rodgers, Buddy Guy and Carlos Santana.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd, a veteran of several Experience Hendrix tours, remarked, “Jimi Hendrix’s music has really inspired to push the limits of my own music. He didn’t observe any boundaries musically. He was an amazing player and a tremendous showman so I incorporated some of his showmanship in what I do.” As far as having been part of the Experience Hendrix touring phenomenon, Shepherd noted, “It touches you on the inside and gets you fired up.”

The Experience Hendrix Tour is presented by Experience Hendrix, LLC, the Hendrix family-owned company founded by James A. “Al” Hendrix, Jimi’s father, entrusted with preserving and protecting the legacy of Jimi Hendrix. Earlier this year, Sony Music Entertainment’s Legacy Division and Experience Hendrix entered into a worldwide catalog licensing venture to make all of Jimi’s extraordinary music, including classic albums, never before heard archive recordings, and filmed concerts available through all forms of media.

Launching on the west coast, the month-long tour will bring the troupe of players, each a headliner in his or her own right, to concert venues in major U.S. markets including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, St. Louis and Atlanta.

Notes Experience Hendrix Tour producer John McDermott, “The line-up for this tour reflects the breadth of Jimi’s ongoing influence that reaches down through the generations. The guests that have been attracted to participate are enthusiastic about the proposition of performing with their counterparts. That mindset underscores the fact that the Experience Hendrix tour is all about musical camaraderie and the recognition that Jimi Hendrix, undeniably, casts the longest shadow in the realm of great music and great musicians.“
Janie Hendrix, CEO of Experience Hendrix noted, "Everyday, we see how Jimi's musical legacy continues to transcend generational and cultural boundaries. This tour is our way to give a live concert experience that reflects the genius of his unifying spirit. Part of our mission is to share Jimi’s music with audiences of all ages and these tours continue to play a key role in fulfilling that vision. As my brother said, 'We want our sound to go into the soul of the audience, and see if it can awaken some little thing in their minds...'cause there are so many sleeping people…' "

Experience Hendrix Tour 2010 dates:

(Tickets now on sale)

March
4 - Santa Barbara, CA - Arlington Theater (1)
5 - Los Angeles, CA - Gibson Amphitheater (1)
6 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint @ Hard Rock (1)
7 - Mesa, AZ - Ikeda Theater (1)
9 - Fresno, CA - Table Mountain (1)
10 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theater (1, 2)
12 - Reno, NV - Silver Legacy (1, 2)
14 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre (1, 2, 3)
16 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater (1, 2, 3)
17 - Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theater (1, 2, 3)
18 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theater (1, 2, 3)
20 - St. Louis, MO - Fox Theatre (2, 3)
21 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater (2, 3)
23 - Akron, OH - Civic Theatre(2)
24 - Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theatre (2)
25 - Red Bank, NJ - Count Basie Theater (2)
27- Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre (2)

1 = David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas appearing
2 = Sacred Steel featuring Robert Randolph appearing
3 = Susan Tedeschi appearing