The seven most important gigs of Jimi Hendrix’s career
It ended with fire. After Jimi Hendrix’s final gig at the poorly organised and sparsely billed Fehmarn festival, a rowdy group of Hell’s Angels torched the stage to the ground. Acts continued to pull out of the festival in the run-up to it, and by the time Jimi took to the stage, the audience had already grown tired of the whole affair. He won them over with his set, as his flamboyant guitar playing, charisma, and all-around stand-out showmanship were too much for even the most riled-up of audiences to ignore. They watched, stunned, and by the time he left the stage, they were brought back down to Earth, back to the miserable field that the organisers had put them in. Hendrix left triumphant, and after that, it was fire. The guitarist passed away a few days later.
What a fitting way for the world’s greatest guitar player to end things. While many believe he should have been playing to a packed-out crowd of adoring onlookers, he made a name for himself, winning over the hearts of audiences worldwide. Subsequently, spending his last couple of hours performing, winning over more people who needed to be cheered up and granted a bit of escapism for a moment, only seems fitting.
Hendrix is an example of one of the biggest word-of-mouth artists of all time. He flew over to the UK with little, so little that he had to borrow the money for his flight. Many musicians were heading to England during that period in pursuit of their musical dreams, so in that sense, Hendrix was entering a saturated market. However, the moment he started playing, it was clear he had something to offer that the rest of the musicians in London, England, and the world didn’t.
He was a mainstream artist for a little over four years, and in that time, thanks to his recorded work and the magnitude of his gigs, he was called the greatest guitarist in the world. Over five decades later, people still call him the greatest to ever pick up a six-string. We will truly never see anyone like him again, and these are his most notorious gigs.
Jimi Hendrix’s most important shows:
Scotch of St James, 1966
September 23rd, 1966. A huge day for the UK and a huge day for music, as Jimi Hendrix borrowed $40 and boarded a plane to London. It wasn’t rare for musicians to head over to the capitol in the hopes of making a name for themselves, but none were going to impact music in the same way that Jimi Hendrix did.
Shortly after he arrived, he performed a set with the house band of Scotch of St James. The club was always notorious with excellent musicians, but none had seen the likes of Hendrix before. The night marked the beginning of the rest of his career, as the Seattle-born guitarist had well and truly put himself on the map, showing locals that he had something to offer that nobody had seen before.
Monterey Pop Festival, 1967
While Hendrix was already making a big name for himself in the UK, the US was slightly later in getting on board with the hype, but he cemented himself as a standout at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. He took to the stage dressed in flamboyant attire and took to his guitar in a way that none of the other bands performing could even come close to.
One of the standout moments in his performance was announcing, “I’m gonna sacrifice something that I really love, man,” before laying his guitar on the ground and setting it on fire. This was more than just a spectacle to leave the audience in awe; it was both ceremonial and deeply spiritual for the guitarist, as he showed how intense his relationship with his guitar was.
Woodstock, 1969
It feels like the words Jimi Hendrix and Woodstock are synonymous. The key points that both the festival and the guitarist represented, love, community, and rock ‘n’ roll, are deeply associated with one another, so it’s not surprising that they are often linked.
It goes a lot further than just the symbolism of the performance, though. Performing on a farm in Bethel, New York, Hendrix delivered one of his most iconic shows, as he blasted out his own rendition of the ‘Star Spangled Banner’. This wasn’t just for show. Despite being an advocate for peace, Hendrix had served in the army, so had a good perspective on what soldiers went through.
Royal Albert Hall, 1969
One of the biggest appeals of Hendrix was the versatility with which he could play. You have gentle numbers such as ‘Little Wing’ and ‘Bold As Love’, while other songs like ‘Voodoo Child’ and ‘Purple Haze’ could rip the paint off the walls. His gigs were a spectacle of the fast and slow, the serene and speedy, and at no other show was this more on display than Royal Albert Hall.
One of his most memorable songs from that show was his rendition of ‘Room Full of Mirrors’. He had several special guests helping out on flute and congas as the likes of Chris Wood and Rocky Dzidzournou took to the stage to perform the cover. It was a surreal experience for those in attendance and remains one of the most important gigs of his career.
Berkeley, 1970
Hendrix had already shown his understanding and sympathy with some of the people in the military by playing the ‘Star Spangled Banner’, and he continued to use themes of war throughout his music. Often, this meant calling for peace and playing music that was an extension of that peace; however, on other occasions, this meant highlighting the horrors of war.
He did this during his gig in Berkeley in 1970 with his rendition of the song ‘Machine Gun’. Hendrix was always innovative when it came to playing his guitar. He didn’t just play standard notes but also used various effects and techniques to make his guitar sound like something else entirely. In this instance, he made it sound like a machine gun in a haunting and entertaining display.
Saville Theatre, 1970
Nobody ever had the chance to forget how bold Hendrix was because he was constantly doing bold things at his gigs. Often, this was a case of showmanship, as he would play flamboyantly and set his guitar on fire; however, other times, he was bold in the songs that he tackled. Just a couple of days after The Beatles released Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Hendrix was set to play in front of Paul McCartney and decided to open with an original rendition of the album’s titular track.
“It had only been released on Thursday, so that was like the ultimate compliment,” said McCartney, remembering the gig, “I put that down as one of the great honours of my career. I mean, I’m sure he wouldn’t have thought of it as an honour, I’m sure he thought it was the other way round, but to me, that was like a great boost.”
Isle of Wight, 1970
At one of his final gigs, Hendrix took to the stage and performed in front of one of his biggest crowds, showcasing his talent to a world that wasn’t ready to lose him. Mitch Mitchell and Billy Cox took to the stage with him, and the crowd lapped up every second. It was another great show that highlighted everything people loved about him, be it his poetry, guitar-playing ability or charisma; it was all there.
Only a few weeks later, the universe would be shaken to its foundation as they learned about the passing of Jimi Hendrix. A man whose humongous reputation was spread through word of mouth through some of the exceptional gigs he had done, Hendrix is still considered one of the greatest guitarists to ever live, and anyone who ever saw him live would likely attest to that.
