Jimi Hendrix Experience 1970 Berkeley Performance Set For October Release

On October 16, Experience Hendrix/Legacy Recordings will release Magic Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Experience Live At Berkeley (First Show). Produced by Janie Hendrix, original Experience recording engineer Eddie Kramer, and John McDermott, this historic 1970 concert is receiving a proper release for the first time, and will be available on 2LP vinyl, CD, and all digital platforms.

Pre-order Magic Boy 

The final lineup of the Jimi Hendrix Experience (Hendrix on guitar/vocals, Mitch Mitchell on drums, Billy Cox on bass) performed two sets on May 30, 1970 at the Berkeley Community Theatre. For almost three years, the musician had been an international superstar and was widely hailed as the highest-grossing live act in rock. At this point in his career, Hendrix had decided to only tour on weekends because his primary focus was on building Electric Lady Studios, his own state-of-the-art recording facility in Greenwich Village. Demand for these two East Bay concerts far outstripped the venue’s 6,600 total available seats, leading to several thousand fans being turned away. 

Many swarmed the plaza in front of the theater, breaking windows and rushing the doors before the first performance. Others scaled the walls to gain entrance through the roof. Concertgoers who had purchased tickets were forced to elbow their way through the angry mob while being pelted by rocks. Promoter Bill Graham’s security force had never witnessed this level of aggression before. The Experience, who made it inside safely via a back door, ripped through repertoire both familiar and foreign to the audience. The audio was captured onto tape by Hendrix’s front-of-house engineer Abe Jacob, who had worked with him on previous tours.  

Listen to “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” from Magic Boy below.

The fascination with this Berkeley performance and its lore steadily grew over the years when two early posthumous releases featured recordings from that set; "Hear My Train A Comin'" made it onto Rainbow Bridge (1971) and the electrifying rendition of "Johnny B. Goode" can be heard on Hendrix In The West (1972). The 1971 concert film Jimi Plays Berkeley includes extracts of “Purple Haze" and "Star Spangled Banner," stoking the fires further. Magic Boy finally assembles the performance in the order it was experienced by attendees. The album provides fans with the opportunity to hear Hendrix confidently shift between familiar favorites such as “Fire” and “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” to then-brand new material like “Ezy Ryder" and "Freedom" before they had been completed in the studio. Hendrix also incorporated Band Of Gypsys material into the set list; "Message To Love" and “Machine Gun" were executed with returning drummer Mitch Mitchell’s unique flair. These Berkeley recordings have been newly remixed by Eddie Kramer from the original multi-track tapes, and mastered by multiple-Grammy Award winner Bernie Grundman. 

Janie Hendrix commented, “Jimi called himself a ‘Magic Boy,’ so this title has a very personal meaning. He was always reaching for something new—exploring, experimenting and pushing his music forward. At Berkeley, you can hear that journey happening in real time. He gives the audience the songs they already loved while opening the door to where he was headed next. More than fifty years later, that magic is still there. Magic Boy lets us experience Jimi’s brilliance, energy and imagination all over again.”