Incredible Luck

Jimi Hendrix Concert
Spring Semester `72


Occasionally, I would leave CMU and go home on weekends. One
Friday afternoon, after hitchhiking from Mt. Pleasant, the driver of
my last ride (who knew my friends) told me that Roger, Dan, and Mike
had gone to Detroit to see Jimi Hendrix in concert. I was shocked.
These were my best friends and they never mentioned anything to me
about getting tickets for Hendrix. How could they do that to me?
They can't do that to me! Downtown Detroit was just under four hours
away (200 miles) and it was 3 p.m., so, if I was real lucky, I could get to
Detroit, buy a ticket from somebody in line, and see the concert
myself. I knew it was a long shot, but the alternative was to sit
home knowing my friends were having a blast.

I grabbed my emergency money and headed back out to the
expressway. My parents were both working, and since they didn't know
I was coming home for the weekend, I was able to get in and out
without being noticed. Getting a fast ride to Lansing gave me hope.
After a few more rides I was almost in Detroit, but then I did the
unmentionable, I let the driver talk me into a different route. When
he dropped me off, I was somewhere west of Detroit with only 40
minutes before showtime.

I had given up hope of getting to the concert on time when a
cat picked me up, and when I told him what I was trying to do, his
jaw dropped. He was coming back from his friend's house after
getting the bad news that his friend had taken sick. The driver,
John, was now forced to go to the Hendrix concert alone. The rest is
history. We stopped at his house and smoked a jay while he rolled a
couple more for the road. When we arrived at Cobo Hall, I couldn't
believe I was about to see Hendrix live.

We had seats that were a little far back, but I wasn't
complaining. Before Hendrix took the stage, I went to the bathroom.
It was a sell out crowd, so I was more than a little surprised to
hear a familiar laugh coming from inside one (of hundreds) of the
bathroom stalls. Dan and Mike were inside smoking a joint. When Dan
came out and I greeted him with the words, "So are we ready to see
Hendrix now?" he started laughing so hard I thought he was going to
die right on the spot.

In the chaos, I was able to tell my story to Mike (the same Mike
from N.Y.C.). Apologetically, he told me that Roger was only able to
get three tickets, so that's why I was left out of the loop. I was
okay with that explanation, and when I got back to my seat, I told
John I had found my buddies and a ride home. He said, just as
Hendrix took the stage, "You sure must lead a charmed life." During
the encore presentation I was able to get a good look at Hendrix. I
moved to the front and stood on a chair. He was great.

After the concert, on the way home, we stopped at the Grandy Ball
Room. Outside on the street, there were a lot of hippie people. We
stopped the car and walked over to the Grandy and found the doors wide
open, so we went inside. We got to see the last of the Creedence
Clearwater Revival concert free of charge, and, more remarkably,
Hendrix showed up for an end of concert jam. Less remarkably, though,
was the jam band music--an incredible experiment gone a rye. It was
5 a.m. when we finally arrived back in Houghton Lake. I had Roger drop
me off at Carole Sue's and, fortunately, after she said, "Try to call first
next time," she took me in.