The Jimi Hendrix Experience/The Move/Pink Floyd/The Nice/Amen Corner/Eire Apparent Package Tour


Below are New Musical Express pieces from various issues prior to the Tour - Thanks to Mick Coyne!


16 September 1967:



                                                         30 September 1967:



28 October 1967:



14 November 1967 London Royal Albert Hall

14 November 1967 The Tour starts at the London Royal Albert Hall

 


During the afternoon the Jimi Hendrix Experience rehearse

 

The show that night includes the following songs:

Foxy Lady, Fire, The Wind Cries Mary, Hey Joe, The Burning of the Midnight Lamp, Spanish Castle Magic and Purple Haze

 

Here is a review of the show by Nick Logan which appeared in the 18 november issue of Musical Express:

'Hail Jimi Hendrix, the personality, the contortionist, the wise-cracker, the exhibitionist. Hail Noel Redding, and Mitch Mitchell, his traumatic Experience. How they were needed to close the package which opened up at London's Albert Hall... The bill seemed as if it would never get off the ground. Thank goodness for Hendrix the untamed and the unchained swinging down from the trees through Knightbridge and Kensington to set the masses on fire in an ectoplasma of sound.... Most of all it was Hendrix the showman, the king-size personality. And that was just what the rest of the group tour of first-timers lacked - personality.... A worthwile tour for Hendrix fans but lets hope the rest improve a little as it progresses.'

 

Chris Welch in the 25 november issue of Melody Maker:

'The Hendrix-Move tour thundered off on its trip round Britain with a deafening start...The Floyd gave one of their colourful and deafening displayes of musical pyrotechnics, and indeed all the groups were painfully loud...The Eire Apparent practically damaged my hearing system for life; the Nice, my favourite group, blew their cool; the Amen Corner raved like a show band, and the Move thundered along in a shower of 'Flowers in the rain'. Jimi was great, and deserved the ovation, but really Mitch and Noel shouldnt make announcements. Sorry lads, but Jimi sounds better with the chat'

from Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey book:

'At each gig, the headlining Hendrix was allotted exactly 40 minutes. The Move, who preceded him onstage, had just half an hour. And the Floyd was expected to sum up what they were all about in precisely 17 minutes!...As the tour wore on, Barrett appeared increasingly morose and depressed. Jimi Hendrix, unaware as almost everyone else of the underlying seriousness of Syd's condition, took to addressing him ironically as 'Laughing Syd Barrett'.


If you attended this show, or know anyone who did, please drop us a note at  novdec1967@yahoo.com , we would really appreciate hearing from you!



15 November 1967 Bournemouth Winter Gardens

15 November 1967 Bournemouth Winter Gardens

 


Seemingly only advertised in the Bournemouth Echo of 3 November, the package tour makes it to Bournemouth on the 15th.

 

Sadly the Bournemouth Winter Gardens was demolished in 2007, to be replaced by a new Arts-Centre.
Here are some pictures of what the venue looked on the inside.

 

We havent been able to locate any local newspaper reviews let alone a photo from this show.


If you went to this show, or know anyone who was there back then, please drop us a note at novdec1967@yahoo.com

We would really appreciate hearing from you!

17 November 1967 City (Oval) Hall, Sheffield

17 November 1967 City (Oval) Hall, Sheffield

 

On 17 November the package show played the City Hall in Sheffield.

 

Noel Redding, Bass player in the Jimi Hendrix Experience wrote in his diary after the shows this night:

'Sheffield was terribly enthusiastic about us and we got torn apart coming out of the hall, losing clothing, glasses, hair. I always wondered what would happen if the detachables and semi-detachables (like hair) ran out'

 

An unknown reporter of the Sheffield Star noted:
'Like an electrified golliwog,  Jimi Hendrix threw himself into a live-wire act that featured his intricate guitar interpretation. Quite an EXPERIENCE'

 

If you or anyone you know attended either of the shows on this date, please drop us a note at novdec1967@yahoo.com
We would really appreciate hearing from you!

18 November 1967 Empire Theatre Liverpool

18 November 1967 Empire Theatre Liverpool

 

On the 18th the Tour played the Liverpool Empire Theatre.

 

Unfortunately, not a single eyewitness account of this nights' shows ever surfaced.
No newspaper reviews from this day's proceedings has been located.

 

If you or anyone you know attended one of the shows at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, please drop us a note at novdec1967@yahoo.com

We would really appreciate hearing from you!




19 November 1967 Coventry Theatre, Coventry

19 November 1967

Coventry Theatre, Coventry

 

On 19 November the Tour plays 2 shows at the Coventry Theatre.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience plays, among others, these songs:

Hey Joe
The Wind Cries Mary
Purple Haze
Wild Thing



Coventry Evening Telegraph (20 November): “Pop’s new wave splashed into Coventry, and on the crest of it was the Jimi Hendrix Experience, one of the most exciting happenings since the Beatles. More than 3,000 youngsters attended two houses at the Coventry Theatre - and a good proportion rushed the stage and shouted for more at the climax of the group’s act. Jimi mixed pop’s new sounds with the rawest of blues, uninhibited showmanship and a brilliant musical technique. He can play guitar with his teeth, lying on
 the stage, or behind his back - and do it better than most in a more conventional position. The result was a stunning, completely individual performance which included hits like ‘Hey Joe,’ ‘The Wind Cries Mary’ and ‘Purple Haze,’ and the wildest version yet of ‘Wild Thing.’ But the teenagers who stood on their seats for Jimi Hendrix were unmoved - and I guess somewhat bewildered - by the Pink Floyd, a group for whom the new wave is more of a spring tide.”


Known as the New Hippodrome since replacing the Old Hippodrome in 1937, this venue was known as 'The showplace of the Midlands'. The venue was once again renamed to 'Coventry Theatre' in 1953.

 

In the 1980s and 1990s the venue was used as as bingo hall, until finally being demolished in 2002.

 


On this photo taken during the demolition you can still see the outline of the Stage 'arch'.
 

After the shows the bands stay at the Hotel Leofric in Coventry, here seen on a period postcard. Nowadays it is part of the Travelodge Hotel group.

 



If you or anyone you know attended one of the shows at the Coventry Theatre on 19 November 1967, please  drop us a note at novdec1967@yahoo.com
We would really appreciate hearing from you!




22 November 1967 Portsmouth Guildhall

22 November 1967 Portsmouth Guildhall
 

On 22 November the Tour plays the Guildhall in Portsmouth.
 
Songs 1st show:

Fire
Stone Free
Hey Joe
Purple Haze
Foxy Lady
The Wind Cries Mary
Wild Thing

Songs 2nd show: unknown
 

Portsmouth Evening News (23 November) by ‘Spinner’: “Pop music is a horrible noise - a cacophony of over-amplified guitars and tone-deaf singers. So might a critic picked at random say. Last night at Portsmouth Guildhall four of Britain’s leading groups went a long way to persuading 3,000 youngsters that such an anti-pop opinion could be right after all... Never has a pop show been so deafening and so lacking in variety and good presentations. The exception was the start of the show Jimmy Hendrix, as loud as any of the others but twice as talented and a superb showman. He crouched, he leapt, he did a somersault - but still he played that guitar with one hand, two hands, his teeth, his forearm and his hips! The remorseless roar of his guitar, coupled with bass player Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, formed a crude and earthy blues style which made the other groups seem dull.”

From someone who attended the 1st show:  “I can’t exactly remember in what order Jimi played his set, but he started with ‘Fire’ and went through ‘Stone Free,’ ‘Hey Joe,’ ‘Purple Haze,’ ‘Foxy Lady,’ maybe ‘The Burning Of The Midnight Lamp’ but definitely ending with ‘Wild Thing.’ Jimi also played ‘The Wind Cries Mary’ which Mitch Mitchell came forward [to introduce]. I remember Jimi saying in between one number, ‘We don’t want no clowning around out there - we’re the only ones allowed to clown around.’ His guitar was mainly a white Stratocaster with rosewood neck and a multicoloured [scratch plate]. A really smart looking guitar, the other guitar on stage was a battered red Strat which he only used for ‘Wild Thing.’ He completed his set by throwing the guitar over the top of the Marshall stacks, where it was duly caught by a roadie standing behind. Obviously, it was intended to do quite a few more concerts before finally becoming un-useable. And there you have it. It was a good performance and it will always remain a treasured memory of my teenage years.”



If you or anyone you know was at one of the shows on the 22th of November 1967 at the Portsmouth Guildhall please drop us a line at novdec1967@yahoo.com

We would really appreciate hearing from you!


23 November 1967 Sophia Gardens Pavillion, Cardiff


23 November 1967

Sophia Gardens Pavillion, Cardiff.

 
On November the 23rd the Tour plays the Sophia Gardens Pavillion.

 

Songs 1st show: unknown

Songs, 2nd show:

Foxy Lady
Hey Joe
Purple Haze
Wild Thing


Sophia Gardens is a sporting venue on the west bank of the River Taff in Cardiff, one mile north of Cardiff Arms Park and is named after Sophia Rawdon-Hastings. Daughter of the 1st Marquess of Hastings and wife to the 2nd Marquess of Bute, Sophia Rawdon-Hastings was concerned to provide open space for recreation in the rapidly expanding city in the late 1800s, in which her husband was heavily involved. The area is currently owned by Cardiff City Council.
 
The Sophia Gardens Pavillion was host to many concerts and package tours.

Here is a photo of Pink Floyd on stage at the Pavillion in 1974

 
 Demolished in 2007 to be replaced by the so-called 'Really-Welsh Pavillion'.

If you or anyone you know attended one of the shows on the 23rd of November 1967 at the Sophia Gardens Pavillion in Cardiff please drop us a note at novdec1967@yahoo.com

We would really appreciate hearing from you!




24 November 1967 Colston Hall, Bristol

24 November 1967

Colston Hall, Bristol


 

On November 24th the Tour plays the Colston Hall in Bristol.

 


Bristol Evening Post (25 November): “In the hall, youths hurled abuse at performers, but the trouble died down as officials brought the shouting minority under control. But the incidents did not spoil a triumphant return of Hendrix to the first city to put him into the charts. He paid tribute to Bristol over the microphone and then launched into the wildest, noisiest pop music of all... He received a frenzy of applause.”
 

Many people today wish they had seen Jimi Hendrix in concert. Malcolm Coates was lucky enough to witness one of the 2 shows that he played at the Colson Hall on November 24th 1967. Malcolm, who was 14 years old when he saw Hendrix perform, recalls, ‘the performance made so much of an impression on me that I wrote a review a few months later for my English class’.

Taken from Malcolm’s review:

‘And then the lights went out and the Jimi Hendrix Experience were introduced. In many places he has been banned; in many places, his act has been accused of being obscene and sexy; but nowhere has he been accused of anything but being spectacular and that night was no exception.'

‘He played each one of his three guitars in every possible way, but with his hands, or so it seemed, he played them with his teeth, the stage, his body guards head, a microphone stand and the drum kit’

‘When the last number, Purple Haze, was announced I thought the end of the world was upon us’
 


If you or anyone you know attended one of the shows on the 24th November 1967 at the Colston Hall in Bristol please drop us a note at novdec1967@yahoo.com
We would really appreciate hearing from you!





25 November 1967 Opera House, Blackpool

25 November 1967

Opera House, Blackpool
 

On 25 November the Tour plays 2 shows at the Opera House in Blackpool.

Songs 1st show: unknown

Songs 2nd show

Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Fire
Hey Joe
The Wind Cries Mary
Purple Haze
Wild Thing

Peter Neal filmed ‘Purple Haze’ and ‘Wild Thing’ during the second show for the film ‘See My Music Talking’

Blackpool Evening Gazette (27 November): “Musical equipment belonging to five top pop groups was damaged by an intruder at the Opera House... After their two performances at the theatre on Saturday night, they left their guitars, amplifiers and electrical equipment on the stage before going to their hotel. When they returned yesterday morning to collect it, they found that leads had been ripped from amplifiers and guitars, amplifiers had been damaged and one guitar had been trampled on and had its strings cut. They estimated the damage as £350.”
 
Austin Mitchell in Univibes #15: ): “The first time I ever saw a photo of Hendrix it flipped me out. It was on the cover of Melody Maker, early in ‘67. It was two years before I even touched hallucinogens, but I had this hallucination; I was seeing his face through a hole burned in the paper, and seeing a live, laughing face behind the page. All I could get from this was a premonition that Hendrix would become a significant figure in my life. With 20/20 hindsight, I can testify that this was accurate…”

“…I was trying to avoid a growing conviction that Jimi wouldn’t be around too long. This feeling was connected to the premonition which had hit me when I first saw his picture on the cover of Melody Maker.
   What the piece [I wrote in the Observer] lacked in conveying him, was the vivid, searing impact of his live performance. All the text and pictures that could be created on a page could never even hint at this.
   Over the following week I started ringing up my few contacts in film and TV – ‘Somebody should preserve this man’s work on film.’ Mostly I met with a ho-hum. This was still an era when rock music on TV was strictly confined to the top twenty shows like ‘Top Of The Pops’. Rock had no status as an art form; there was no Rolling Stone; no sort of intelligent context to work in. A colleague of mine on The Observer, Brian Haynes, told me that David Frost’s company was thinking of producing some independent music films for TV – ‘Why don’t you make a film yourself?’
     I had a friend called Peter Neal, who worked for an independent documentary company struggling along making low- budget, gritty 16mm movies with a strong left bias. Peter had directed a fine black-and-white film about ‘The Watersons’, a traditional a cappella singing group from Yorkshire, poles apart from the hyper-amplified, strobe lit circus of ‘acid rock’. But Peter, who played fine bluegrass guitar was as smitten as I was when I took him see Hendrix warming up at the Royal Albert Hall for the opening concert of his first headlining UK tour 14 November]. Peter cobbled together a budget and we managed to get a couple of hundred pounds from the Frost organization to make a start.
   At 1967 prices, this was sufficient to buy some film stock, hire three cameramen and a sound man, plus equipment and a van for the nine-hour drive north to Blackpool, to catch Jimi on one of his tour dates, at Blackpool’s Opera House. The cameramen took a look at the early evening show and voted to turn around and go home, since they felt that there was insufficient light to film, and the tour’s stage manager wouldn’t give us any more light. Peter told the cameramen to boost the exposure to the max and pray.
  The Opera House manager had generously given us camera positions in the royal box, in the orchestra pit and allowed us access to the stage. Meanwhile, the sound man had his problems. No one bed ever tried to make a ‘live’ recording of anything like the volume at which Jimi Hendrix played, which was like trying to tape an artillery bombardment.
   Hendrix gave me a fraternal greeting and told me to watch out for Keith Emerson, playing with one of the support acts [‘Nice’]: “He’s doing everything on keyboards that I do on guitar.”
   We filmed “Purple Haze” and “Wild Thing,” the latter badly out of tune up to the second chorus. Back in London prayers were answered; when the film came back from the labs we had good takes on all three cameras, and the sound was pretty good. Peter had put together an all-pro crew. Better still, he quickly edited together a rough cut of “Wild Thing” which got shown on BBC TV the week that my piece finally appeared in The Observer [on 6 December on BBC2’s first colour broadcast during ‘Late Night Line Up’]. This was a great encouragement to the backers.'
 
Noel Redding, Bass guitar player in the Jimi Hendrix Experience later wrote in his diary:

“Audience was terrible both shows, but the sound was exceptionally good.”


If you or anyone you know attended one of the shows at the Opera House in Blackpool on 25 November 1967 please drop us a note at novdec1967@yahoo.com

We would really appreciate hearing from you!