Thanks

It was the weekend following Monterey Pop, where Jimi basically ruled (and I missed it). No way I’d miss this one. We piled into my friend Jim’s VW bug and crossed over to the City, paid our $3 admission and saw the best rock ‘n’ roll show ever. There was a slight hitch — the Airplane’s vocalist, Grace Slick, had a sore throat or something, and the band did not play. A replacement was enlisted: Big Brother and the Holding Company.

As per the billing, Jimi opened, and shredded. The buzz in the room after his first set obliterated Gabor’s solo acoustic jazz. Then Janis Joplin came on at full tilt, swilling Southern Comfort onstage, screaming and belting out the blues, but everyone was waiting for Jimi to return for a second set. That second set was perhaps impossible to top, ever. After building to a wailing wall of feedback, he sacrificed his guitar to the gods of rock, setting it aflame amid electric incantations and in a moment of revelation, my 16-year-old mind was blown.

Forgive me if you’ve heard that story before. I’ve told it more than once. I relay it again because this is our Thanksgiving edition, and I’m thankful for the experience. While we’re giving thanks, I’ll send out a thank you to the musicians who open up their hearts to bring us transcendent moments where the day-to-day world slips away and doors open up to places we’ve never seen. Thanks for the music.

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