Hendrix rides again down memory lane

A couple of comments on the blog have got me rummaging about in my dressing up box. Where on earth is that other shoe and whatever did I do with the kaftan I made for the gig of the 60s? The clothes are falling to pieces but the memories are made of stronger stuff.

All this nostalgia because two comments have suddenly arrived on a blog I posted last year to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Barbecue 67. It is hard to believe that the likes of Hendrix, the Cream and Pink Floyd all came to rock Spalding Bulb Auction. But perhaps it is even more incredible that the promoter celebrates his 70th birthday on Sunday.

How do I know that? I opened my blog ten days ago to find a comment from Paula Scott who is searching the Internet for trophies to present to her brother in law on his birthday. That was fascinating enough but a few days later I find another comment, this time from Pete Barraclough, one of the two guys who compered the event and actually drew up the extraordinary line up for the gig and couldn’t believe it when Brian Thompson (aka Checky) decided to go for it.

The tickets for Barbecue 67 cost £1

The rest is history (and old clothes). But history has an odd way of turning up on eBay and other nooks of the Internet. As Pete says, there’s a poster which would make a great birthday present for Checky; he just wishes he had had the foresight to make a film of the event in those innocent days long before YouTube. ( just think, the tickets for Barbecue 67 cost £1). We probably all have our regrets: what could have possessed me to turn down that opportunity to interview Hendrix and why didn’t the promoter think to keep any posters or newspaper cuttings?

Luckily for Paula there are lots of compulsive hoarders around and a quick Google soon turns up a lot of old rockers: take a look at UK rock festivals! I would however like to point out that I myself also rather enjoy 21st century music (Ray and I occasionally while away an evening battling hip hop and old blues, giving each other the opportunity to say, “But they all sound the same”…)

So what does Pete Barraclough do now? He’s a presenter on Sky Sport but music is still his first passion. Maybe there is still scope to dream up another fantastic event… Meanwhile, good luck Paula with the search – and thanks for the excuse to delve into happy memories, nicely tinted with time. And Happy Birthday to Brian with thanks for an unforgettable gig. I can’t get used to the idea of a rock festival impresario turning 70, any more than I can believe that quite a few of the Barbecue 67 audience must now have bus passes. Me included.

Now, where is that other shoe? Do you suppose there would be any eBay interest in one shoe? Right foot, in good condition. And, by the way, I should have a lot more old LPs (I used to review them when I was on the Spalding Guardian and got them free after all). I bet one of my sons has pinched them for sampling.