Marking the largest gig of Jimi Hendrix's career, his performance alongside drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Billy Cox at the Atlanta International Pop Festival drew a vivacious crowd of over 300,000 people on July 4, 1970. And now fans who weren't lucky enough to be among the masses have a new clip of the legendary gig in the form of the Jimi Hendrix Experience classic "Purple Haze."
The iconic guitarist passed away just 10 weeks after the performance, which is now getting its own documentary titled Jimi Hendrix: Electric Church. The film, set to premiere on Showtime on Sept. 4, boasts a collection of material from the renowned festival including a recently shared clip of Hendrix, Cox and Mitchell performing the eternally praised "Purple Haze."
The clip focuses on the guitar great as he combines elements of the blues, psychedelic rock and feedback along with whammy-bar manipulation and impressive one-handed runs.
"So I heard you use the expression 'an electric church,'" Dick Cavett says to Hendrix in the documentary trailer. "We plan for our sound to go inside the soul of the person," Hendrix replies in a soft-spoken tone.
Perhaps he was referring to the almost paranormal power he had with a Strat in hand and the way he relayed emotion into his music and through the ears of his followers.
"Jimi was at the peak of his creative and commercial powers that summer," director John McDermott said of the video. "He was making progress on his next studio album at his new recording facility, Electric Lady Studios and confident to perform many of the projected songs live for his fans. The likes of 'Straight Ahead,' 'Freedom' and 'Room Full of Mirrors' fit comfortably among classic songs such as 'Purple Haze' at Atlanta. Freedom: Atlanta Pop Festival on Aug. 28," Rolling Stone reports.
"There are relatively so few examples of Jimi performing on film that this footage of him performing before the largest U.S. audience of his career is significant. Younger fans should take note that Jimi didn't need set lists, dance steps, stage backdrops and lighting cues to connect with his audience. He wanted them to be with him in what he would often describe as their own little world together, his 'electric church,' as he described it," McDermott concluded.
As of late, Hendrix's siblings Janie and Leon settled their six-year battle concerning licensing agreements. Leon and Hendrix Licensing are no longer allowed to sell any merchandise that interferes with the Janie-headed estate trademark. Following the flopped biopic All Is by My Side starring Andre 3000, Paul Greengrass is currently heading a new biopic featuring Hendrix's music, a privilege the preceding biopic was lacking.
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