Jimi Hendrix at the Monterey Pop Festival — 1967
Guitar legends Jimi Hendrix and Pete Townshend of the Who had a rivalry that predated California’s Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. So when the festival scheduled their sets back to back to end the festival, it set the stage for an epic battle of one-upmanship. Townshend went first, ending his performance by smashing his guitar, his signature move. Hendrix’s performance followed; after a 45-min. set, he bent over his guitar, doused it with lighter fluid and set it alight — all before pummeling it to pieces. The performance entered the annals of rock history, although the LSD Hendrix allegedly took before the show may have provided more than a little creative inspiration.
Next: The Who at Woodstock — 1969
Related Topics: Music
Memorable Festivals
- Flaming Lips at SXSW — 2006
- Bob Dylan at the Newport
Folk Festival — 1965 - Jimi Hendrix at the Monterey Pop Festival — 1967
- The Who at Woodstock — 1969
- The Rolling Stones at Altamont — 1969
- U2 at Live Aid — 1985
- Woodstock — 1999
- Rage Against the Machine at Lollapalooza — 1993
- Jay-Z at Glastonbury — 2008
- M.I.A. at Bonnaroo — 2008
