The Last Live Performance Of Jimi Hendrix

It’s quite haunting to know that Jimi Hendrix’s last live performance was just a mere 2 days before his death, proof of the fragility of human lives. Hendrix had just finished performing at the Open Air Love and Peace Festival in Germany on the 6th of September along with Mitch Mitchell and Billy Cox, and was headed back to London to rest and recuperate. A few days later, he unexpectedly met his friend and former Animals frontman Eric Burdon (who was now with a new group called War) and was invited to jam with him down at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club of London’s Soho district. Hendrix agreed, but when Burdon saw him turn up in the club with his girlfriend in tow, he inferred that the guitarist wasn’t ready for the stage, so he invited him again for the next night, on the 16th of September, 1970.

Hendrix agreed, and as Burdon recalled, “Hendrix made his entrance during the second set. There was a crack in the air. I introduced Jimi to the audience … 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.” Hendrix started off once he got his axe ready, “The guys in War held their ground as we launched into a triple-time version of ‘Tobacco Road. Having Hendrix onstage made [War guitarist Howard Scott] play better than he ever had before. We slid into ‘Mother Earth,’ a beautiful blues written by Memphis Slim. We ended the set with a burning jam. Jimi was flying. And then it was over,” Burdon’s autobiographical account stated.

There is no known recording from the jam, so enjoy Hendrix’s Open Air Love and Peace Festival performance instead.