When talking about Jimi Hendrix , sooner or later we'll come across the story of the day the guitarist set his guitar on fire during a show. Did this really happen? What were the reasons for this "sacrifice" of the instrument of choice for one of the greatest guitarists of all time?
Without a doubt, the occasions when Hendrix decided to literally set his own guitar on fire are one of those defining moments in the biography of a star as fascinating as he was.
Beyond his hypnotic talent, whose influence spread throughout rock and roll and remains present to this day, and his tragic death at only 27 years old, a victim of an overdose surrounded by mystery and conspiracy theories, Jimi Hendrix made history by delivering a visceral and impossible-to-ignore performance in 1967.
Jimi Hendrix and the guitar on fire during "Fire"
In 1967, Jimi Hendrix was about to release his first studio album with The Jimi Hendrix Experience , marking a definitive turning point in his career. Before that, Hendrix had struggled to make a living as a backing musician in the American R&B circuit, without much success or recognition. Under the guidance of manager Chas Chandler , the contract to record *Are You Experienced* changed this reality and propelled the musician onto the London scene, where the young artist quickly made a name for himself.
On March 31 of that year, a few months before the album's release, Jimi Hendrix performed at London's Finsbury Park Astoria to kick off the tour promoting the project. At a time when concerts needed a bit of madness to garner media attention, the guitarist decided to end the night with the song "Fire."
Without a doubt, this was the most fitting song to set his own guitar on fire for the first time. During the performance, Hendrix began walking around the stage to distract the audience, while his manager poured a flammable liquid onto the legendary Fender Stratocaster used in that show. After a series of failed attempts to light the instrument with matches, the guitar finally caught fire.
Unfortunately, there are no videos or photographs of this specific performance, but accounts from those present give a good idea of the magnitude of the event. The flames reportedly reached several meters in height, and it was necessary to call the fire department, but everything remained under control, and the other performances of the evening continued as normal.
Interestingly, the venue where this first historic performance took place changed its name to The Rainbow Theatre in the following years. The venue operated until 1995. According to My London , the location has now been transformed into a branch of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.
Jimi Hendrix makes history again at the Monterey Pop Festival.
After the success of his first attempt to set his guitar on fire, Jimi Hendrix had the opportunity to show off his new trick to an audience in the United States.
Hendrix was scheduled to perform at the Monterey Pop Festival, a free event held in California from June 16th to 18th, 1967. Besides marking the debut of The Jimi Hendrix Experience in the country, this was an opportunity for the musician not only to impress the American public, but also to steal the spotlight from The Who , a band with whom the guitarist had a certain rivalry.
Pete Townshend , guitarist for The Who, was known for smashing his instrument at the end of performances. And it was no different on the first day of the Monterey Pop Festival: with the sound too loud, the band destroyed their equipment on stage during "My Generation." Scheduled to perform afterward, the then-unknown Jimi Hendrix would need more to top the band.
“To surpass The Who, (…) Hendrix spared no effort. He ripped the [guitar] strings off with his teeth and, during the closing, simulated obscene acts with the amplifiers,” narrated Rolling Stone in the edition with “50 Moments That Changed Rock N' Roll”.
In the final song of the performance, this time "Wild Thing," Hendrix simulated ejaculating lighter fluid onto his guitar. He then set the instrument on fire before smashing it on stage, controlling the flames.
In 2012, this burned guitar was sold for US$380,000 at an auction held in London.
Why did Jimi Hendrix set his guitar on fire?
As Far Out Magazine , Jimi Hendrix needed a moment of fame within the United States market, since his first real opportunities arose in Europe, where he gained fans like Paul McCartney . At that time, the guitarist was still an unknown name in his home country, which is an essential market for the career growth of an artist on the rise like Hendrix was at the time.
Despite his impressive musical abilities, Jimi Hendrix needed to steal the spotlight, especially since he was still performing with other bands. And the strategy worked: "Literally overnight, The Jimi Hendrix Experience became one of the most popular and highest-grossing touring bands in the world," summarizes the biography on the musician's official website
Whose idea was it to set Jimi Hendrix's guitar on fire?
To find out whose idea it was to set Jimi Hendrix's guitar on fire on stage, we need to go back in time a bit, to the day before the guitarist first sacrificed his own instrument.
On April 30, 1967, Hendrix and Chandler were interviewed by journalist Keith Altham , one of the editors of NME at the time. The guitarist's manager decided to ask the journalist what would be the best way to "steal the headlines" that week.
Keith's response would change the history of rock forever: "You can't keep smashing your guitar because people will say you're just copying The Who and The Move , you need to find something original to do – how about setting your guitar on fire?"
According to the journalist himself, The Jimi Hendrix Experience's dressing room was completely silent for about 10 seconds. Then, the manager sent someone to buy lighter fluid. "That's how the 'burning guitar' was born. Jimi set it on fire on stage, and after a few aborted attempts, he spun it around his head like an Olympic torch, much to the discomfort of the fire chief, who would probably never work on the circuit again," Keith recounted .
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