Watch Jimi Hendrix Erupt During a Fiery Performance of “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” on the Edge of a Volcano

Jimi Hendrix would have been 80 on November 27, 2022. 

This week, Guitar Player will be running stories in remembrance of the man who had such a great impact on our world. 

Frolicking horses; a few hundred hippies seated in order of their astrological sign; and the weirdest mic muff you’ve ever laid eyes on... All par for the course in this spectacular clip of Hendrix playing "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" during the first of two afternoon performances on the side of a volcano in Maui, Hawaii.

“Well, I stand up next to a mountain!” he sings. And we couldn’t agree more (albeit a volcano in this case).

Captured on July 30, 1970 – just a few weeks prior to Hendrix’s untimely passing at the age of 27 – this spontaneous free gig took place a couple of days before the band’s scheduled arena concert in Honolulu and was shot with the intention of collating footage for the now infamous Rainbow Bridge film.

While the original recording was plagued with problems (to be expected in 50-mile-an-hour winds on the side of a volcano!) Hendrix delivers a fiery performance alongside his red-hot rhythm section comprising bassist Billy Cox and long-standing/-sitting drummer, Mitch Mitchell.

“Jimi loved adventure and there was certainly no shortage of it during his time in Hawaii,” said Janie Hendrix of Experience Hendrix.

“The back story of Rainbow Bridge and these recordings paint a picture of Jimi’s uncanny ability to turn the bizarre into something amazing!”

50 years later, these historical recordings were released in the form of the Jimi Hendrix Experience Live in Maui album, which was accompanied by the unmissable Jimi Hendrix documentary Music, Money, Madness… Jimi Hendrix in Maui.

The new live album, Jimi Hendrix Experience Los Angeles Forum: April 26, 1969, is out now on 2LP vinyl, CD and all digital platforms via Legacy Recordings (streaming links are here).

The new book, JIMI by Janie Hendrix and John McDermott is out November 24.