To call an upcoming concert a “once in a lifetime experience” may be a bold and tired term, but in the case of Experience Hendrix, the statement is not far flung. The tour’s ensemble artists – performing at the Alys Stephens Center’s Jemison Concert Hall on Thursday, Sept. 25 – is a group that will make any guitar enthusiast stop and take note. Led by Jimi Hendrix sideman and bassist Billy Cox, Experience Hendrix brings Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eric Johnson, Rich Robinson, Doyle Bramhall II, Chris Layton, Eric Gales, Henri Brown, Noah Hunt, Tony Franklin, Scott Nelson and Tim Austin to the same stage on the same night.
Recently, we caught up with Eric Johnson by phone as the tour was set to open the next day in Hollywood, FL.
Weld: Eric, thanks for your time. If you will, talk about the origins of Experience Hendrix.
Eric Johnson: Hendrix’s family takes care of his records and brand name. About 10 years ago, they started doing these tours – I’ve done seven or eight of them. It’s grown and people keep coming out to it so they keep doing it.
Weld: In this kind of show, is there a fine line between retaining the integrity of Hendrix’s music while placing your own stamp on the material?
EJ: That’s a good question. It depends on your approach. You can either try to do it just like the record or you can change it up. I’ve spent most of my career doing a Hendrix tune here or there in my set and I’ve enjoyed trying to do it note-for-note. It’s only recently that I decided to loosen up a little bit and be more interpretive and not quite do it note-for-note. A lot of people out here do their own thing. It’s probably the way Jimi would have wanted it anyhow instead of copying him note-for-note.
Weld: Is there a set format to the show or does each night differ?
EJ: Usually we decide in pre-production who’s going to sit in with who and who’s going to do what song. It has to be that way because there are so many guitar players and you have to figure out a choreography to it to keep it from getting out of control.
Weld: There are so many headliners on this tour that it reminds me of one of those old rock ‘n roll shows that featured multiple stars.
EJ: It is kind of like the Apollo [Theater] gigs from the ‘60s. It gives the audience a good entertainment value for their dollar. Everybody plays 15 to 20 minutes, so it is kind of like that old-school ‘60s rock tour. It has a theatrical vibe – at the end of the night, we all come out and bow.
Weld: Of course, you and the others on the tour are seasoned pros in your own right. But does the fan inside of you get a thrill in being part of this group?
EJ: Absolutely. Jimi learned to play from Buddy Guy. On the first Experience Hendrix tour, [Hendrix drummer] Mitch Mitchell was still on it. I was just hanging out backstage, sitting on the couch with Mitch Mitchell and Billy Cox. I remember thinking, “I can’t deal with this – it’s too heavy.”
Tickets to the 7 p.m. show are $91.50 – $125.00 and can be purchased here.