The Jimi Hendrix Experience will release a historic, fully restored recording of their legendary 1970 performance at the Berkeley Community Theatre. Titled Magic Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Experience Live At Berkeley (First Show), the album arrives on 16 October 2026 via Experience Hendrix and Legacy Recordings, available across 2LP vinyl, CD, and digital platforms.
Produced by Janie Hendrix, original Experience recording engineer Eddie Kramer, and John McDermott, the album captures the final lineup of the power trio—featuring Jimi Hendrix on guitar and vocals, Mitch Mitchell on drums, and Billy Cox on bass—at the absolute peak of their live powers on 30 May 1970. At the time, Hendrix was limiting his live appearances to weekends while building his state-of-the-art Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village. Demand for the two Berkeley concerts was so overwhelming that thousands of ticketless fans swarmed the venue, scaling walls and clashing with security while ticket holders fought their way inside.
Despite the chaos outside, the trio delivered an electrifying set captured directly onto tape by front-of-house engineer Abe Jacob. While individual tracks like 'Johnny B. Goode' and 'Hear My Train A Comin’' previously surfaced on posthumous live albums, Magic Boy marks the first time the entire first set has been assembled and released in its original performance sequence. Newly remixed from the original multi-track tapes by Eddie Kramer and mastered by multi-Grammy winner Bernie Grundman, the setlist captures Hendrix seamlessly shifting between signature hits like 'Fire', 'Purple Haze', and 'Voodoo Child (Slight Return)' alongside then-unreleased material including 'Freedom' and 'Ezy Ryder'.
Speaking on the significance of the release, Experience Hendrix President and CEO Janie Hendrix noted that Jimi often referred to himself as a "magic boy," adding that the title reflects his restless drive to explore new sonic territories in real-time on stage. Magic Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Experience Live At Berkeley (First Show) is available to pre-order now ahead of its global release on 16 October 2026.
