LIVE AT MONTEREY (DVD)

The Monterey Pop Festival is probably one of the first and definitely one of the most interesting rock festival that took place in the mid sixties and which would lead to the god of all festivals: Woodstock of course.

The band list that played throughout these three days that attracted some 200,000 people is pretty impressive and to a certain extent was a great repetition for even better things to come: The Animals, Canned Heat, Janis Joplin, Country Joe & The Fish, Butterfield Blues Band, Jefferson Airplane, Otis Redding, Buffalo Springfield, The Who, Grateful Dead and of course Jimi Hendrix.

There was a argument as of the running order between Jimi or ''The Who''. None of them were willing to play after the other but Townsend won the toss and decided to play first. When you see the pictures from their last number (''My Generation'') you will understand that it wasn't easy to follow this destructive and highly explosive set from ''The Who''!

To breathe between the one and the other, the Grateful Dead would play a short set as an hors d'oeuvre to one of the major concert from the master. Because this set is damned good.

Lots of cover you might say, but hell! How great they are!

From ''Killing Floor'', ''Like A Rolling Stone'' (Dylan), to ''Rock Me Baby'' and ''Hey Joe'', Jimi demonstrate all of his musical talents and skills (playing with his guitar on his back during a solo during ''Hey Joe''). Jimi is very cool, dynamic, friendly and positive. A young man at the start of a huge and extremely short career unfortunately: three years later, he will be found dead in London.

The whole set wasn't filmed and actually what remains in rather short. But intense.

I guess that as a counterpart of Townsend smashing his guitar into pieces during ''My Generation'' (which was not an isolated event), Jimi also wanted to mark his territory during this set.

While playing his last number, he will start some sort of voodoo incantations with his guitar and set it on fire as it is well know. He will also smash it to pieces and throw the debris into the crowd! A high voltage performance indeed which is now available on DVD.

This is a great moment of live rock music. I hope you'll enjoy this fantastic live set.

Four stars.