Jimi Hendrix - The L.A. Forum Concert (2004)

26th April 1969
If a live album had been released before his death, this is the one that Jimi Hendrix would have chosen ahead of all the others. In fact, Hendrix and Eddie Kramer actually prepared mixes of the show, but unfortunately their efforts never saw the light of day in their entirety until now.
So here it is. Just two months after the legendary Albert Hall concert in London, Hendrix and the band hit LA six dates into what was to be The Experience's last tour of America. And what a concert it was. Against a backdrop of a belligerent audience doing their best to provoke the police, we are privileged to hear Jimi deliver one of the finest live performances of his career. His dry musical and verbal wit are a delight ("’scuse me while I kiss that policeman" he sings during Purple Haze), his timing impeccable, and his tone and control simply sensational. Each song is a tour de with Hendrix, Redding and Mitchell unreservedly giving their all to produce a truly memorable performance.
As a reporter from the Los Angeles Image wrote after the show "It will be a long time before this performance is equalled at the Forum - probably as long as it takes the Jimi Hendrix Experience to return there" Regrettably for all concerned (except, possibly, the LAPD), they never did.