The end of an icon: Jimi Hendrix’s final moments on stage before his death
There are few more extraordinary sights in the history of rock ‘n’ roll than Jimi Hendrix wielding an electric guitar. In such a short period of time, Hendrix single-handedly altered how the general public viewed the instrument and made every guitarist across the world re-evaluate their own skill set.
Although he was only in the public eye for less than half a decade, Hendrix achieved more in that short time span than most could dream of doing in an entire lifetime. Within weeks of entering the London music scene, Hendrix soon became a wild whisper among the glitterati of the thriving 1960s stars in the English capital. Even now, more than 50 years after his passing, the icon of Hendrix still looms above the genre of rock music. Documentaries continue to be made about his career, articles continue to be written, and new compilations are being released.
While his story sadly ended after only 27 years, Jimi Hendrix’s legend is immortal. His innovative, logic-defying guitar playing forced the leading guitar heroes of the day to up their game or be left in his shadow.
During an interview with Far Out, singer-songwriter Terry Reid, who was at the heart of the scene, recalled watching Hendrix for the first time in a room that also boasted Brian Jones, Paul McCartney and Keith Richards at the Scotch of St. James. “I’m telling you; honestly, me and Peter (Jay) are just sitting at the back, and I’m sort of observing just the expression on the back of people’s heads,” Reid said of Hendrix’s first concert. “Pete Townshend was there, everybody was there, and everybody was riveted. It was just like cardboard cut-outs. Nobody moved”.
Within months, the Hendrix hysteria had spread far and wide, leaving many more feeling like cardboard cut-outs. He soon started gracing bigger stages, headlining events such as Woodstock, but his final appearance was on the soil of his adopted hometown.
Just a matter of days before his tragic death on September 18th, 1970, the musician took to the stage for the final time at the legendary London venue Ronnie Scott’s. It was a similar room to the Scotch of St. James where Reid first witnessed his magnificence and the type of building in which he honed his skills. It was a far cry from the kind of venue that the Jimi Hendrix Experience had typically called home once gaining success. However, despite being one of the most prominent names in rock ‘n’ roll, he couldn’t resist the opportunity to still play small clubs when given the chance.
Witnessing the world-famous Hendrix at Ronnie Scott’s is an opportunity that most would lose a limb to have experienced. However, the fact that it was the last time he took the stage adds even extra weight to his outing on September 16th, 1970. In typical Hendrix style, his appearance wasn’t announced prior to his performance, which made it even more special for those who were in attendance. At the time, his old friend and former Animals frontman Eric Burdon was undergoing a week-long residency at the famous Soho venue with his new band War.
Although they were once close, Hendrix and Burdon had been distant for some time. Thankfully, after Burdon had returned to London, the two musicians reconvened, which led to the singer inviting Hendrix on stage to play with his new band. When Hendrix showed up at the venue on September 15th, Burdon didn’t recognise his friend because he was “well out of it”. He once explained: “He had his guitar with him, but he was wobbling too much to play, so I told him to come back tomorrow night.”
Despite suffering from personal problems, Hendrix did listen to his friend’s advice. On the 16th, just one day later, Hendrix arrived in a more fit state and made a short but historic cameo during their second set of the evening. “I introduced Jimi to the audience,” Burdon wrote in his autobiography Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood. “The typical London jazz crowd tried to show indifference as he took the stage, but a ripple of applause greeted the greatest guitar player in the world.”
Together, they played extended blistering versions of two covers of Memphis Slim’s ‘Mother Earth’ and John D. Loudermilk’s ‘Tobacco Road’. Although it wasn’t a full-headline set from Hendrix, he raised the roof and sent shivers on the spines of those in the room. In his autobiography, Burdon wrote that the guitarist was “flying” during his show-stealing appearance and that his presence made War guitarist Howard Scott “play better than he ever had before”.
Hendrix and Monika Dannemann, then ate a late-night meal at the Speakeasy before retiring to the Samarkand Hotel, where she was living. Horrifyingly, less than 48 hours later, Dannemann found Hendrix unresponsive, and the rock icon was pronounced dead shortly later.
Despite battling his demons privately, once Hendrix stepped on stage, he was a beacon of light who was born to entertain the masses with his guitar wizardry. Clearly, he was going through problems at this point in his life, hence why Burdon sent him home on September 15th. Nevertheless, performing offered him a momentary source of solace even at his darkest moment.
