Jimi Hendrix Music Festival '96

at  
Noorderligt, Tilburg, The Netherlands
12th  October 1996 

Review of the show by Richard Boyles, 
President of the Walter Trout Band Fan Club

Walter Trout was billed as the headline guitarist of this four night Jimi Hendrix Music Festival in The Netherlands. They played in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Tilburg and Leeuwarden. The Dutch musicians supplied a brilliant backing to the featured guitarists and one would have thought everyone had played together for years.  
 First on was Byron Holmes who was a perfect choice to open the show as he looked the twin of Jimi himself, complete with left handed guitar played up side down. His speaking and singing voice was also very much like Jimi's but his guitar playing was not quite up to the master's standard. Having said that he put on a really excellent performance playing Izabella, Come On In My Kitchen and Little Miss Lover, all complete with the usual stage antics we expect from a Hendrix impersonator.  
Next on was Michael Lee Firkins, I would guess a product of an American guitar school. Michael did not sing and the set was completely instrumental. He started with an impressive almost jazzy version of 3rd
Stone From The Sun with a great driving bass, from Barend Courbois. This was followed with a funky Voodoo Chile and a jazz/funk Little Wing, both allowing Michael to demonstrate his superb guitar technique, and definitely putting his own style and mark on the Jimi Hendrix classics. He finished his set with Manic Depression and the response from the audience was amazing. Michael's playing, although brilliant, seemed a little too text book for me and I would have enjoyed it even more is he had forgotten the text book and let rip. Michael appeared a little stage shy as he did his whole performance well back from the audience and in fact I did not see his face behind his waist length blond hair until he finished and for the first time came to the microphone to thank the audience for their enthusiastic applause to his superb and impressive guitar playing.  
Next was Popa Chubby, one of the reasons I went to this show. I have a couple of his CD's and have been looking forward to seeing this New Yorker in the flesh so to speak. I thought he would be good... and he was. He sauntered on stage with his battered blue Fender Stratocaster guitar hanging from his neck and bouncing off his massive form. He started with Spanish Castle Magic and played the way I like the guitar to be played... with feeling and going to the limit. Next was Let The Good Times Roll which lead into a really heavy version of Foxy Lady. He then went into a song, I did not know, with a real jazz/funk
sound and a very delicate solo using a Wa Wa pedal. This was followed by Axis, Bold As Love and then one of Popa's own instrumental numbers I think called SanCatree. We were then treated to Wild Thing and a superb drum solo from Juan Van Emmerloot.  
Omar Dykes (from Omar and The Howlers) then played his very distinctive set starting with one of his own songs and then Bleeding Heart with a Omar's strong Texas style making it sound quite unique. Then followed Hey Joe, Bessie May and Hoochie Coochie in which Omar demonstrated superb control of his guitar. Purple Haze blended into Hoo Doo Man and Omar finished with Highway 49. By the end of Omar's set the audience had been treated to two and a half hours of brilliant, distinctive styled, Jimi Hendrix tributes from four great guitarists and next was the star of the show Walter Trout !!!  
At 23.25pm, bang on schedule, Walter Trout came on stage to a tremendous roar from the already excited crowd and let fly with Rock Me Baby by which time the audience was going mad. It seemed so strange to see Walter playing without Jimmy, Martin and Kevin supporting him, but the Dutch band fulfilled their role beautifully and everyone played together like they had they had been doing so for years. Next was Catfish Blues with Walter demonstrating he is a master when it comes to the blues. Walter explained that when he wrote Fast Moving Traffic he was unaware of the Jimi Hendrix influence in that song until it was finished, and he dedicated the song to Jimi. He then slowed things down with a slow blues number before Put It Right Back and finished off with Voodoo Chile.  
The audience nearly shouted the house down for an encore and were rewarded by Walter returning with Popa Chubby and Michael Lee Firkins to do Red House. As Popa walked on stage to be greeted by Walter, he was so excited, with one arm he picked up Walter to hug him and Walter staggered with surprise. Walter's "set list" quietly said Red House jam... a jam that took an hour!!! Walter started off with his normal rendition of Red House and invited Popa to do a solo, which then lead into Michael doing a solo and back to Walter, and so it went on, and on, and on. At times all three were playing the "solos" together and from where I was standing I was getting the combined benefit of two Marshall's and a Messa Boogie full blast only feet away from me. One of the best musical experiences of my life. I mentioned before that Michael played technically brilliantly but it appeared to me to do "set piece" solos. When the three were playing together and playing off each others solos, you could see a change in Michael's style as he let loose, and man, he can play when he lets go! Red House gradually changed into various numbers and each time the jam appeared to be stopping, someone would start a different tune until they ultimately finished with Johnny B Good. Eventually they finished about 01.30 am. It was obvious that everyone on stage had a fantastic time and the idea of such a tribute show is well worth repeating. Nearly 5 hours of pure heaven. This show must go down as one of the best shows I have ever been to.  

Copyright © 1996 Richard Boyles

A CD of this show is available from Provogue. See discography for details.