Jimi Hendrix had been “afraid” to head on stage at the Isle of Wight Festival, according to those there at the time.
While the veteran rocker behind Voodoo Child and Foxy Lady had played plenty of shows before this, Hendrix was apparently nervous about getting on stage at the festival. Hendrix was reportedly feeling “trapped” in the caravan he was staying in before the show, and this was amplified by the need to perform a show to thousands of fans just moments later. Kirsten Nefer, his girlfriend at the time, says the imposing crowd and confined space led to a less-than-ideal experience in the lead-up to his show. The show would turn out to be one of Hendrix’s final shows, coming just a short while before his death on September 18, 1970. His show at the Isle of Wight Festival featured covers of Bob Dylan, The Beatles, and The Leaves. A full setlist can be found below.
- God Save the Queen
- Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles cover)
- Spanish Castle Magic
- All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan cover)
- Machine Gun (Band of Gypsys cover)
- Lover Man
- Freedom
- Red House
- Dolly Dagger
- Midnight Lightning
- Foxy Lady
- Message to Love (Band of Gypsys cover)
- Hey Baby (New Rising Sun)
- Ezy Ryder
- Hey Joe (The Leaves cover)
- Purple Haze
- Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
- In From the Storm
Despite the quality found in the setlist, Hendrix was apparently nervous for how the set would go. Nefer said: “He was so afraid of going on the stage, and all these people, all of a sudden he felt trapped you know, in this little caravan and getting his clothes on.
“There was so many people in there you know, it was terrible… I remember walking from the caravan and out onto the stage, that was like the Gladiators in the old Roman Empire must have felt like that.”
Despite his death just a short while after the performance, Hendrix’s legacy and influence lives on. The guitarist, who would die in 1970 at just 27, would share how hitting the low point when starting out is the makings of a great artist and that most would “give up” but those who kept on would be rewarded for their efforts. He said: “When I was 17, I formed this group with some other guys, but they drowned me out.
“My first was a Danelectro, which my dad bought for me. Must have busted him for a long time. But I had to show him I could play first. In those days I just liked rock’n’roll, I guess. We used to play stuff by people like the Coasters. Anyway, you all had to do the same things before you could join a band. You even had to do the same steps.”
Hendrix’s first gig saw him paid with three hamburgers and thirty-five cents, and though some would have pulled out of performing at this point, the Foxy Lady hitmaker pushed on. He added: “I started looking around for places to play.
“I remember my first gig was at an armoury, a National Guard place, and we earned 35 cents apiece and three hamburgers. It was so hard for me at first. I knew about three songs. When it was time for us to play on stage I was all shaky.
“So I had to play behind the curtains. I just couldn’t get up in front. And then you get so very discouraged. You hear different bands playing around you, and the guitar player always seems like he’s so much better than you are.
“Most people give up at this point, but it’s best not to. Just keep on, just keep on. Sometimes you are going to be so frustrated you’ll hate the guitar, but all of this is just a part of learning. If you stick with it you’re going to be rewarded. If you’re very stubborn, you can make it.”
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