Name: joe tierney
City/State: Louisville, KY
Date: Fri Dec 17 2004
Wrote...
I was there alright. I was 19 at the time...a sophomore at the University of Tennessee. Anyway, a couple of friends, their wives, a wife sister, and me drove from Bellevue, Kentucky to Byron, Georgia. The weather was hot, hot, hot-- easily in the 90s while the Chambers' Brothers were playing around 11:00 at night.

Anyway, we were stoned on acid and it was kind of anything goes festival. There were Hell's Angels all around, people were openly selling psychedelics in make-shift stands as if one were trying to buy something to drink. It was not a "sex, drugs, rock and roll, peace" festival.. it was more like a combat zone. Helicopters were flying overhead, ambulances with sirens were abundent.. kind of like an emergency was happening..... anyway, the Chamber Brothers just sang 'Time'... and had left the stage,... then there was a kind of errie silence.. the kind of silence when you can tell something big is about to happen....then without any other announcement... the P.A. guy screams out............................... JIMI HENDRIX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then suddenly there he was... Hendrix was onstage with his Band of Gypsies...Buddy MIles was playing drums.. I think Billy Preston was there too....Hendrix wore, what looked to me, a long flowing red gown... something like a graduation gown.. he played a green statocaster guitar...he was also wearing a headband.... his first song was 'Fire'.. but they played it so fast... like it was about a 1,000 mph... "you don't care for me.. I don't care about that... I got a new cool, I like it like that... I have only one itching desire... let me stand next to your FIRE.... let me stand me next to your fire...." anyway, he played all of his songs... I'll never forget 'All Along the Watchtower'... 'Foxy Lady' Voodoo Chile, were all truly incredible...a once in a life time event.... then there was Hendrix playing the Star Spangeled Banner, with the fireworks going off in the background...

what a night... I'll never forget it... I understand one cannot go back.. but I really do miss those days... Now it's been nearly thirty five years since.. What a time....