Musician Jimi Hendrix initially ignited his guitar in playful jest, as humorously suggested by a journalist.
Jimi Hendrix Sets Guitar Ablaze at Finsbury Park Astoria and Monterey Pop Festival
Jimi Hendrix, the legendary rock guitarist, made history on two separate occasions by setting his guitar on fire during live performances. The first instance took place on the first night of his first major UK tour at the Finsbury Park Astoria in London, and the second at the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967.
Before a show at the Astoria, Keith Altham, an early convert to Hendrix's brilliance, recalled a joke made by a journalist that it was a shame Hendrix couldn't set fire to his guitar to grab more attention. Hendrix took this idea seriously and, after acquiring lighter fluid, he famously set his guitar ablaze during a performance of the song "Fire." The security guard came onstage with a fire extinguisher and put out the guitar, causing Hendrix to leave the stage.
Hendrix had experimented with pouring lighter fluid and attempting to ignite his guitar earlier, such as on March 31, 1967, during a performance of "Fire." However, it was at the Monterey Pop Festival where he dramatically burned a newly painted guitar to outdo other musicians' instrument destruction acts at the festival. This iconic moment was captured in D.A. Pennebaker's film "Monterey Pop," which enshrined the spectacle of Hendrix setting his Stratocaster ablaze in history.
At the Astoria, Hendrix's guitar eventually caught fire, surrounding the body itself with flames. In a wild display of abandon, Hendrix whirled the flaming guitar above his head, not noticing that his hands were being lightly burned. Despite the security guard's threat that "You'll never work in this theater again!", Hendrix sought to capture the attention of the British youth, who were characterized by an increasingly destructive energy, best exemplified by the Who.
Hendrix had moved to London in September 1966 and quickly gained a reputation among the city's coolest underground musicians and creatives. Chas Chandler, the Animals' bassist, saw Hendrix's potential and helped him gain worldwide fame. By the time of his first major UK tour, Hendrix was known for his stunning live performances, manipulating feedback, improvising divine solos, and ecstatic freak-outs. His five-song set at the Finsbury Park Astoria included "Hey Joe" and "Purple Haze," and concluded with the song "Fire."
Altham, who remained close to Hendrix until his untimely death three years later, conducted his final interview with the iconic musician. The crowd at the Astoria was wide-eyed at the sheer unbridled chaos that Hendrix had unleashed, and were left gobsmacked by the event. Hendrix's act at the Monterey Pop Festival, however, would become the more famous and enduring symbol of his groundbreaking live performances.
- The act of setting his guitar on fire during his performance of "Fire" at the Finsbury Park Astoria was a bold move by Jimi Hendrix, following a jest about needing more attention from a journalist.
- Hendrix continued to push boundaries with his pyrotechnic display at the Monterey Pop Festival, where he burned a newly painted guitar to surpass other musicians' instrument destruction acts.
