Relive Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Purple Haze’ Performance In Woodstock 1969

Anyone who knows the legendary Jimi Hendrix immediately hails him as the “greatest guitarist of all time.” And the sentiment is not exaggerated; from the short span of his fruitful career, he proved to everybody that they weren’t wrong in referring to him as the GOAT. And the Woodstock Festival could back you up on your claims.

To fully mark the end of the counterculture decade, it’s only right to call in every artist who chiefly symbolized the era. The likes of Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Santana, and many more beloved artists were present to show people what they all needed: a fair amount of good time. But, neither of the plans were done on the said occasion. In fact, it was the most random music festival which spiraled an unexpected turn of events.

Hendrix was supposed to be the top act of the show, seemingly marking his way to A list of celebrity performers. The estimated 450,000 people who showed up were almost ready to see Hendrix perform anytime soon, but due to the sudden unanticipated rainfall, the cut was rounded up to 30,000, and Hendrix was pushed on the Monday morning schedule.

Nevertheless, the events that were about to happen during his time blew the minds of the remaining onlookers. Like what was mentioned earlier, neither of the people expected anything so powerful and mesmerizing the way Hendrix did his part as a performer. Aside from his brilliant rendition to “The Star-Spangled Banner,” his “Purple Haze” performance is to-die-for as well. You can watch how well he performed those insane riffs with his newly-formed group, the Gypsy Suns and Rainbows.

Hendrix’s performance inside the biggest festival of the 60s was indeed a hallelujah moment. Up until today, it is still considered as one of the defining moments of pop culture of the said decade, and the iconic guitarist is in full responsibility for all of that.

Watch and be blown away with his performance below.