Our Tour itinerary ...
- Friday, February 17, 2017 | Portland, OR
- Saturday, February 18, 2017 | Airway Heights, WA
- Sunday, February 19, 2017 | Seattle, WA
- Monday, February 20, 2017 | Eugene, OR
- Wednesday, February 22, 2017 | Davis, CA
- Thursday, February 23, 2017 | Santa Rosa, CA
- Friday, February 24, 2017 | Oakland, CA
- Saturday, February 25, 2017 | Reno, NV
- Tuesday, February 28, 2017 | Mesa, AZ
- Wednesday, March 1, 2017 | Los Angeles, CA
- Friday, March 3, 2017 | Indio, CA
- Saturday, March 4, 2017 | Valley Center, CA
- Monday, March 6, 2017 | Salt Lake City, UT
- Tuesday, March 7, 2017 | Denver, CO
- Thursday, March 9, 2017 | Grand Prairie, TX
- Friday, March 10, 2017 | Jackson, MS
- Saturday, March 11, 2017 | Houston, TX
- Sunday, March 12, 2017 | San Antonio, TX
- Wednesday, March 15, 2017 | New Orleans, LA
- Thursday, March 16, 2017 | Memphis, TN
- Friday, March 17, 2017 | Tulsa, OK
- Saturday, March 18, 2017 | St. Louis, MO
- Sunday, March 19, 2017 | Louisville, KY
- Tuesday, March 21, 2017 | Cincinnati, OH
- Wednesday, March 22, 2017 | Indianapolis, IN
- Thursday, March 23, 2017 | Detroit, MI
- Friday, March 24, 2017 | Milwaukee, WI
- Saturday, March 25, 2017 | Chicago, IL
A brief history of
2017 Spring National Tour
February 17, 2017 - March 26, 2017
2017 EXPERIENCE HENDRIX TOUR ROLLS THROUGH U.S. IN FEBRUARY & MARCH
Lauded by critics and fans alike, the multi-artist Experience Hendrix Tour is set to return in 2017 to celebrate the music of Jimi Hendrix, long hailed as the genre's greatest innovator. This latest edition of the annual tour will be the most ambitious one to date, encompassing 29 performance dates in February and March, including a special engagement in Seattle, Hendrix's hometown, at the city's historic Paramount Theater.
Now in its second decade, the tour celebrates the musical genius of Jimi Hendrix by bringing together a diverse array of phenomenal musicians, ranging from blues legend Buddy Guy to Black Label Society and former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde, as well as Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Dweezil Zappa, Keb' Mo', Doyle Bramhall II, Ana Popovic, The Slide Brothers, Mato Nanji from Indigenous, and Beth Hart will also be featured among many others. Billy Cox, bassist for both the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Band of Gypsys, anchors a rhythm section that provides the foundation for exciting renditions of numerous signature Hendrix favorites such as "Purple Haze" and "Little Wing." The new tour comes on the heels of the 2016 Experience Hendrix Tour, which sold out nearly every one of the 27 venues that hosted it.
Jimi Hendrix was a pioneer in both rock and blues, and expanded the possibilities of what could be achieved on his instrument and in popular music. Likewise, the Experience Hendrix Tour continues to expand as Jimi's legacy grows. In 2004, the first tour came to fruition with a three-date string of shows on the west coast, starting in Hendrix's hometown of Seattle. By 2008, the Experience Hendrix Tour had become a full-fledged, coast-to-coast expedition and continuing to date and without showing any signs of slowing down. Audiences are presented the opportunity to see great artists paying homage to Hendrix while collaborating with each other in ways they'd never do in their own live shows.
Multiple Grammy Award winner and Kennedy Center Honoree Buddy Guy, whose involvement in music pre-dates even that of Hendrix, shed light on his personal friend, "He was so creative, especially everything he did with the special effects. He took it all to this other place, and he could really play. He was one of a kind. Hendrix brings us together, everybody on this tour."
Experience Hendrix Tour veteran Zakk Wylde, who named his own son "Hendrix," spoke about being on the road with the other musicians. "When you listen to all the fellas and the gals that are out there on the tour, it isn't just the great solos. They are great songs, you know. It's not just about shredding. I'm totally honored to be part of it."
Kenny Wayne Shepherd, who has closed every show he's ever played since the age of 15 with the Jimi Hendrix Experience's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)," commented, "The music of Jimi Hendrix has always been a large influence on my life and music — in no small part due to his blues roots. He showed a lot of his influences and the foundation from which he built his music." He went on to say, "Jimi Hendrix was one of the greatest performers, entertainers and songwriters of all time, but as far as the guitar goes, he made a statement with his instrument that has yet to be matched."
2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the Jimi Hendrix Experience's debut album Are You Experienced (released on May 12, 1967) as well as the follow up album Axis: Bold as Love (released in the UK on December 1, 1967). 1967 was also the year Jimi Hendrix rose to intercontinental prominence, when he made his U.S. debut at the Monterey International Pop Music Festival, lighting his guitar on fire to a mesmerized audience. The repertoire from this stage of Jimi's career serves as a cornerstone in Experience Hendrix Tour sets, as songs like "Fire," "Manic Depression," and "Are You Experienced?" are played by various musicians on a nightly basis.
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Tour Photo Archives
Majestic Theatre at the Joci Straus Performing Arts Center
San Antonio, TX
Photos: Leslii C. Stevens
Eccles Theater at the Salt Lake County Center for the Arts
Salt Lake City, UT
Photos: Leslii C. Stevens
Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts
Davis, CA
Photos: Daniel Tak / The California Aggie
Pend Oreille Pavilion at the Northern Quest Resort & Casino
Airway Heights, WA
Photos: Janie Hendrix
Pend Oreille Pavilion at the Northern Quest Resort & Casino
Airway Heights, WA
Photos: Leslii C. Stevens
