My long-held philosophy revolves around all good things being worth the wait. Sometimes there are some pleasant surprises in life, and I would like to share one of these with you now. For once the British weather had a positive part to play in the story! I should add here that this tale is another from my apparently over-active imagination, according to my husband – still trying to decide if this is a compliment!
No prizes for recognising legendary guitar hero Jimi Hendrix as the subject of the featured image.
It’s Happened Before
A few weeks ago, my husband Jack and I decided to have a day at the coast to celebrate our wedding anniversary. However, when we arrived the bright sunshine, which had accompanied us for most of the journey, had turned to rain and the beach was only just visible through damp mist. The idea of a leisurely walk along the promenade was out of the question, so having found a very pleasant eating establishment we whiled away about an hour and a half there chatting over our meals and hoping for a change in the weather – no such luck; it poured down with a determination known only in the depths of an English summer. However, a leaflet holder caught my eye. On investigation, I found a variety of pamphlets advertising an assortment of local places to visit so took a handful and returned to our table. As Jack and I pored over them, we were both drawn to a nearby venue called Adventure City, and within this there was an activity entitled It’s Happened Before. It promised fun and interest for those with a fondness for nostalgia and history.
Making our way the short distance to the rather bizarre-looking new building, we were pleasantly surprised to find no queue. We approached the box office and found we could buy a ticket which covered all on offer, and was valid till the end of the season, or buy one for a named activity. Having just the afternoon to spend there, we opted for the latter, and for £20 each we were escorted to a room and promised a trip into the past which would last for just over two hours. Yes, it did sound expensive, but the treat offered and the fact that this was part of our anniversary celebration made us “push the boat out”, as it were.
A young woman escorted us into a small room with a screen and a variety of levers. She then handed us an electronic device and asked which experience we would like to choose. We looked down the categories: History, Entertainment, Famous People, Sport and Occupations. Clicking on each heading revealed a drop-down menu showing the range offered within each. After a quick chat, Jack and I opted for a trip to Woodstock in 1969 and being present in the audience for the Jimi Hendrix set on the Monday morning, 18th August. Giving us each a headset, a kaftan, a string of beads and a headband, she told us to wear these and watch the screen. A few seconds later, we were wearing the kaftans over our own clothes, and it seemed as if we had been transported to a field, with a good view of the Woodstock stage. We had arrived just before Hendrix and his band walked on and, in the subsequent two and a quarter hours, we had the full experience of an event we had previously only known via albums and film. Jimi’s famous rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner sounded wilder and more exciting live. Our guitar hero used his Fender Stratocaster to great effect with unrestrained versions of so many songs we knew from our album collection. And we revelled in finally being able to see one of our rock heroes live – after all these years and yet going back all those years. It really was a quite extraordinary experience, with the time passing so quickly. Before we knew it, we had returned from the field on Yasgur’s Farm, to the small room in Adventure City, feeling exhilarated but nevertheless wondering if we really had experienced Woodstock live or whether it had been just an illusion.
We were allowed to keep the extras, as they were called, but had to hand back the headsets, of course. And so, while still wearing the kaftans, beads and headbands, we made our way back to our car, encountering looks of amazement from passers-by and one barely muffled comment, “Ageing hippies!”, which didn’t bother us at all! We had seen Jimi Hendrix live – an experience we had so sadly crossed off our Wish List in 1970 – and that’s all that mattered.
By the time we got home we had decided to make a few more trips to Adventure City to live through more of the past. There was a lot on offer, at this stage only in the English language, but I held out hope that they would branch out and we could perhaps go to the Aztec and Inca civilisations and meet their famous leaders and the people they ruled over, with interpreting included. However, for our next trip we are going to pursue the live music theme and later delve into history in a virtual reality setting. Watch this space!
© Chasqui Penguin, 2023
Twitter: @ChasquiPenguin
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