Imagine a Jimi Hendrix Experience concert where the audience actually disliked the band. That’s the scenario here, a secretly recorded gig opening for The Mamas & the Papas, a week before the U.S. release of Are You Experienced. At this Hollywood Bowl date, most of the crowd came for a genteel folk-pop show – and instead were sonically pummeled by the loudest, most-intense psychedelic guitarist in history.

Not surprisingly, Jimi’s between-song patter is dryly sarcastic, though the Experience plays with its customary fire. On “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club,” Hendrix’s Strat is ferocious, with wild whammy dives and fuzztone leading into “Killing Floor” and its frenetic rhythm-guitar intro. Muddy Waters’ “Catfish Blues” has a Mitch Mitchell drum solo and heavy guitar effects. On “Foxy Lady,” the guitar hero rips with abandon, though the vocals of Jimi and bassist Noel Redding were captured too loud and dry – evidence of the original, two-track stereo tape.

While Hollywood Bowl is hardly definitive Hendrix, it’s fascinating to hear the trio playing to a disinterested, even quietly hostile audience. Just a few brief months later, the Experience would be one of the hottest acts in all rock and roll.

This article originally appeared in VG’s January 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.