A little slice of the original Woodstock festival comes to the Gold Coast this year when Canned Heat return to headline Blues On Broadbeach alongside their own headline shows.
“I love the idea of coming back to Australia, especially with the great impressions I have of your country from our last tour,” Canned Heat drummer and band leader Adolfo 'Fito' de la Parra says.
“Our last tour was one of the most successful and nicest tours we've ever done in our history, not only in Australia – the whole world. We actually thought this was going to be the last tour we did in Australia last year when we played at [Bluesfest] and did some other gigs; it was a wonderful tour.”
Though excited to be coming back Down Under, Fito reports that not all is well within the Canned Heat camp. “I have to share with you that we are suffering a tragedy in our times,” he says.
“Our bass player from the original, classic line-up [Larry 'The Mole' Taylor] is suffering from cancer and is going through chemotherapy right now, and we are hoping and wishing for the best. Larry Taylor is one of the greatest bass players in the world.”
Canned Heat are synonymous with the blues rock explosion of the '60s and solidified their place in music history with their seminal performance at Woodstock in 1969. Their hit song 'Going Up The Country' came to define the spirit of the festival when it was used in Michael Wadleigh's 1970 documentary film of the same name.
It was also a pivotal experience in Fito's career, who had joined the band only two years earlier; he played his first show with Canned Heat on 1 December in 1967 at Long Beach Auditorium on the same bill as The Doors.
With 2019 marking 50 years since that muddy weekend at Max Yasgur's dairy farm, Fito recalls the pure chaos and excitement of the day and how Canned Heat famously came to arrive at the festival site in a helicopter. “When we were on the way to the site it was impossible to drive, so we ended up in a little airport in White Hill, New York just waiting for a helicopter or some way to get up there,” he explains.
“After waiting for a few hours this helicopter from the press showed up and a couple of kids with their equipment run towards the helicopter. We see the helicopter and run after them – a bunch of rowdy hippies from the '60s with a big bear on top,” he laughs, referring to beloved band co-founder Bob 'The Bear' Hite.
“The guys from the press jump in the helicopter, and Bob Hite comes right next to them and goes 'where do you think you are going?' and they go 'we are going to report the news'... Bob, the big 300-pound bear, grabs the kid and pulls him out of the helicopter and tells him 'no you are not; we are going to make the news'.”
Canned Heat headline Blues On Broadbeach (Gold Coast) 19 May.
Canned Heat Australia Tour
Thu 16 May - Corner Hotel (Melbourne)Fri 17 May - Yarraville Club (Melbourne)
Sat 18 May - Penrith Rugby Leagues Club (Sydney)
Sun 19 May - Blues On Broadbeach (Gold Coast)
Tue 21 May - The Wedge Theatre (Sale)
Fri 24 May - SS&A Club (Albury)
Sat 25 May - Bridge Hotel (Sydney)
Sun 26 May - West Leagues Club (Newcastle)
