Still My Favorite Concert Video

Ever since it first came out on the remastered audio tape back in the late 80s, Jimi Hendrix's breakout performance at the Monterey Pop Festival has been my favorite live recording/video/performance I didn't see. I was watching a bit of it tonight and the first 30 seconds of the opening song, Killing Floor, is still jaw-droppingly intense. I can't remember where I read this great summary of the performance, it was a long time ago, but it has still stuck with me. The writer essentially said that here is a young guy full of talent who had to leave his home country just get noticed and now he's back home and he's angry, hungry and just ready to explode and he does. Below is a still I took using VLC Media player right after Jimi just played a lick while introducing his seminal version of Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone." It's the smile of a guitarist who has just nailed his riff. I always liked how Jimi loved Bob Dylan. I find the respect Primus has for Tom Waits similar.



Here is the opening song from this night, Killin' Floor