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The Legendary Rise of The Experience: When Jimi Hendrix Electrified a Hotel Basement

Discover the night when Jimi Hendrix, with his band The Experience, played an exhilarating set in the humble confines of a hotel basement.
By VIBING
By VIBING
Electrifying performances and iconic tunes often start in the most unexpected places. Imagine the haze of smoke swirling above a tight-knit crowd as a left-handed guitarist takes the stage.

Think of a time when music history was in the making, a moment captured in the smokey underworld of an electrifying venue. It was December 1966, and the air was crackling with anticipation.

Just a fledgling group by then, The Experience was about to become synonymous with psychedelic rock and virtuosic guitar solos. Their frontman, none other than the legendary Jimi Hendrix, had just unleashed his single ‘Hey Joe’ – a track that would turn the music world on its head.

  • It wasn’t just about the music, though.

  • It was the raw energy, the groundbreaking showmanship, and the sheer novelty of Hendrix’s sound

Five days post-release, The Experience found themselves in the most unlikely of venues – a basement beneath a casino’s flashing lights, tucked away in a hotel’s foundations. This wasn’t just any show. It was an intimate showcase that those lucky enough to attend would never forget.

Meanwhile, concert-goers had the opportunity to witness rock history in two acts: earlier that day, in a tiny East London club, critically acclaimed band The Who had delivered their own thundering performance. But it was Hendrix, in an even more cloistered space, who hammered the final nail into the coffin of conventional rock ‘n’ roll that day.

Chris Welch, a writer and critic, experienced the cultural tidal wave himself. As he moved from witnessing The Who’s raw power to being engulfed by Hendrix’s trailblazing artistry, Welch demarcated a pivotal juncture in music history.
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