Floating from the stage on the Market Square on 1 May, along with the traditional 'Hey Joe' by Jimi Hendrix, will be the famous 'House of the Rising Sun', a hit associated with a British supergroup of the '60s, the Animals. Their long-standing vocalist Eric Burdon and his fellow musicians will be travelling to Wrocław as Eric Burdon & The Animals. They will appear during the Guinness record attempt and later on Malt Island (Wyspa Słodowa) as with the other stars invited, the group Uriah Heep, pioneers of heavy metal. It will be possible to buy tickets (with the standard priced at PLN 45) as early as the second half of February.
The idea of breaking the Guinness record was the brainchild of guitarist Leszek Cichoński, who took on the organization of the event for the first time in 2002. While the project was not an immediate success, a year later, with the help of a new organizer, Krzysztof Jakubczak, the initiative began to gather pace, bringing together almost 600 guitarists. "No one expected that - I thought one hundred, two hundred would come at most," recalls Cichoński today.
The forest of guitars grew. In 2006 the first record was broken, and two years later we saw a total of 1,951 instrumentalists. The United States soon overtook us, with a gathering of 2,000 guitarists, but we were not to remain behind for long: in 2009 the Market Square saw the arrival of more than 6,000 fans of 'Hey Joe' by Jimi Hendrix, and two years ago as many as 7,273, a record which has yet to be beaten by anyone. Over the past decade the stars accompanying the guitarists have included members of the bands Europe and Deep Purple, and even the brother of Jimi Hendrix himself. This time round we are welcoming the Animals and Uriah Heep. "I started playing the guitar with 'House of the Rising Sun', like many other musicians, and not only of our generation," Cichoński points out. The song will also be performed during the record attempt. "Then everyone taking part can write on their CV that they played with Eric Burdon," adds Jakubczak.
The number of guitarists travelling to Wrocław for the May holiday is not yet known. "I'm expecting the number to exceed seven thousand, but even if there aren't so many there will still be the atmosphere, which is unique on a world scale," underlines Leszek Cichoński. At the Thanks Jimi Festival this year, the most important element of all will be that shared, intergenerational experience. "Whole families travel to Wrocław, and fans of the guitar of various ages come together," is how Cichoński puts it.
Joining in the fun with Wrocław this year will be Dresden, and in the future, with the approach of 2016 and the title of European Capital of Culture, we may also see the involvement of Lille (ECC in 2004) and San Sebastian (sharing the title with Wrocław). For 2016 the organizers are planning the long-awaited record attempt at Wrocław Stadium (Stadion Wrocław), which could hold the highest number of guitarists ever.
Magdalena Talik
