On This Day in 1967: Jimi Hendrix Lights His Guitar Ablaze for the First Time (And Plays It With His Teeth)

On March 31, 1967, guitar legend Jimi Hendrix kicked off a trend that he would continue for the rest of his career. Specifically, Hendrix set his guitar on fire for the very first time, something that he would become famous for from his Monterey Pop Festival stint later that year.

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The crowd was shocked, but it’s a little weird that they were surprised at all. Jimi Hendrix had a habit of destroying equipment on stage, even if he wasn’t particularly known for his fire-setting antics or playing the guitar with his teeth.

Still, I can imagine it was a wild thing to see for the first time. And Hendrix wasn’t even the headlining act. He was actually opening for three somewhat hilariously tame acts: Engelbert Humperdinck, Cat Stevens, and The Walker Brothers.

Jimi Hendrix Lit His Guitar Aflame and Played It With His Teeth During His London Set on March 31, 1967

The set in question kicked off at the Astoria Theatre in London, England. However, the stunt was a work in progress that clearly required a bit of practice. Hendrix had actually burned himself and had to be taken to the hospital shortly after.

Luckily, the burns were minor, and Hendrix continued with his tour. He would continue to play his guitar with his teeth throughout that tour, and he lit his guitar aflaim several more times after the original stunt. The most famous example of this stunt occurred during his legendary set at the Monterey Pop Festival in June of 1967.

Though it doesn’t look like there is any surviving digitized footage of the first time Jimi Hendrix lit his guitar on fire and played it with his teeth, he went on to do both stunts multiple times throughout his career, as evidenced by at least a few surviving videos online:

During that March 31 show, The Jimi Hendrix Experience was debuting a new song titled, aptly, “Fire”. Hendrix had thrown his guitar onto the stage, which created a wall of feedback. While the audience was distracted by the noise, Hendrix’s manager Chas Chandler covered the guitar with lighter fluid. Hendrix then lit a match and set the Stratocaster on fire.

Despite having some burns on his hands, Hendrix continued his set with another guitar. I would have hated to be the follow-up act.

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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