Hampton 70: A Tribute To Col. Bruce Hampton at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre will go down as a legendary occurrence on the timeline of rock and roll. What started as a star-studded 70th birthday party for beloved jam scene elder statesman Col. Bruce Hampton turned into a surreal send-off, as the Colonel shuffled off the mortal coil onstage during the show’s encore, surrounded scores of friends, family, and fans, doing what he loved.

Inside Out with Turner and Seth was on the ground at Hampton 70 to experience a magical night of music, talk to the performers (including Jon Fishman, John Bell, Jeff Sipe, and Rev. Jeff Mosier) about the guest of honor’s towering influence, and witness The Colonel’s stranger-than-fiction cosmic curtain call. You can listen to the podcast tribute below:

Inside Out’s Rob Turner explained the sentiments behind this special installation of the show:

This is not an episode. This is a tribute to the man who breathed Zambi life into this program and into just about every conscious person in the organic music world, Col. Bruce Hampton. Hosts Rob Turner and Seth Weiner were the only journalists set up backstage at the Hampton 70 tribute at Atlanta’s Fox Theater May 1, 2017. In cosmic keeping with the truly singular history of The Colonel, the event remains one of the most powerfully joyous musical evenings in Atlanta entertainment history, despite the fact that it ended with the death of the man being celebrated…[He] began his journey to the beyond in arguably his own ideal fashion: on stage with his favorite musicians, shining a light on an outstanding young player and goofing on just about everyone in attendance while the band played on.

This program believes that whether you are a musician or a fan who was at The Fox Theater on that night, the best way to honor The Colonel is to remember the event and his death not with sadness, but with laughter. It was frightening and confusing that night. But as time passes, it should be increasingly revealed that it was a delightfully twisted final exclamation point on a joyfully “outside” life that touched an absolutely stunning array of people.  As Jeff Mosier says, “choose gratitude.”
Live For Live Music Presents: The Inside Out With Turner And Seth podcast is slowly but surely earning a reputation for delivering some of the most unique and in-depth music interviews in cyber-land. The program serves up behind-the-scenes “industry” perspectives mixed with journalistic points of view and fan input to thoroughly tackle the vast world of organic music–with a pile of laughs mixed in for good measure.
Keep an eye out for the newest episode coming soon, featuring exclusive coverage from Atlanta’s Sweetwater 420 Fest. You can view past episodes of the show in the “Features” tab on L4LM’s website, or check out the full archive via SoundCloud.
[Cover photo via Dave Vann]