1968-04-19 Troy Armory, Troy, New York USA

[Dolly Dagger]

Friday, April 16th, 1968

NO SETLIST KNOWN
no recording has surfaced

[scoutship]

As brume already has the pics covered, and I saw that stplsd resolved that this was a reschedule, I'll just add:



from the April 5 1968 Albany Student Press, along with a couple shots of the old (converted into today's RPI Student Union) Armory:







(not sure if this is where they would set up for concerts in those days, but it was the gym inside the old Armory)


There are quite a few people who've reminisced about that show, as I can't find all of 'em or the specific article I have saved (somewheres) from Rensselaer mag at the moment I'll just quote (w/links to) these two purported eye & ear witness accounts:

In 1968, I was studying engineering at RPI, a small college in Troy, New York. I was also playing in a rock band with four other college buddies. We played in the local clubs and fraternities; rock-roll and R&B.


On April 19, 1968, all the band members got tickets to see Jimi Hendrix at the Troy Armory, a big cavernous place. We were fortunate to have seats in about the 20th row and dead center. The Experience came out and played their hits, (Foxy Lady, Purple Haze, Fire, etc,) through stacks of Marshall amps. They rocked the place. The crowd loved it and went wild.

After the set, Jimi said, “you people are great, and I’d like to do something for you. I hope you like it.” Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding left the stage and a stagehand brought out a small fender amp, a chair, and what I believe to be a Les Paul guitar. He carried off Jimi’s Fender Stratacaster. Jimi sat down and proceeded to play the blues for about an hour, singing in a mellow beautiful voice. His inflections were perfect and soulful. The audience of perhaps 10,000 was absolutely spellbound, including me.

When Jimi was done, he thanked everyone for listening and enjoying, and called the group back on stage. Noel handed him the Strat, and they finished with Wild Thing.


After the concert, my band had a gig at a local fraternity which was across the street from the Emma Willard School, a famous prep school for girls. The buildings of the campus are about 1//4 mile from the fraternity. The band was so revved up after listening to Jimi that we rocked out until the cops came and shut us down for disturbing the girls in their dorms at Emma Willard. I think we still got paid…maybe not.


Anyway, seeing Jimi Hendrix and the Experience was just that..an experience of a lifetime. He had IT. His cool clothes fit the man because he was that cool. His music was that great because he was. If you see Wayne Newton, you get Wayne Newton. If you look at a Leonardo De Vinci painting, you see the man. Artists cannot escape themselves or be more then they are…they can only express a part of themselves. Take care Jimi. And thanks.

link

I REMEMBER:
The Jimi Hendrix Concert

Troy Armory, April 19, 1968: I was in the third row directly in front of Jimi. It was amazing to say the least! Tom Brocki and I were lucky enough to score the best seats in the house

The one lasting impression I had of the concert, besides the music, was that Jimi was a very nice, humble man. Someone you would like to have as a friend just for his sincerity and humility. He actually apologized and asked for the audience to be patient with him while he changed guitars (from his Stratocaster to a Les Paul) so he could play some blues for us. He then performed some of the best live blues I've ever heard. Mitch Mitchell, the drummer, was great. I recall that he would chew gum the whole time out of rhythm with the music. Considering the complexity of his stick and foot work, this was an amazing feat. He was noted at the time for the best drummer's hands in the business. Noel Redding, the bass player, just stood still most of the time, providing that solid rhythm for Jimi to play over. There was no fancy stage set or costumes. It was just solid, incredible vintage (although at the time groundbreaking) Jimi Hendrix music.

As this was early in Jimi's career, the sound effects were at a minimum. The sound was super clear and precise. Of course, Jimi did a few of his signature tricks, like tooth guitar picking and guitar at the back of his head playing. Having been to scores of fabulous concerts, including Woodstock, during that wonderfully prolific musical period in history, I must say that the Jimi Hendrix Troy Armory concert stands out as one of the absolute best and most memorable.

John Granito '70
Kaneohe, Hawaii
John's memory was inspired by Rick Hartt's March 2000 column.

link


and hope that stuff hasn't yet been posted, as I couldn't find it via site search.

[scoutship]

(btw that's the show I've always wondered about as regards Boyle's memory displacement)