Magic Boy

"Magic Boy : The Jimi Hendrix Experience Live At Berkeley (1st Show)" is an upcoming archival release from Experience Hendrix LLC, Legacy Recordings and Sony Music, revisiting a legendary live gig from the gifted guitarist and his band in 1970. It’ll be released October 16th, 2026.

Recorded at the Berkeley Community Theatre in Berkeley, CA, the Experience, Hendrix, drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Billy Cox, played 2 sets on May 30th, 1970. But these weren’t any sets, thanks the earth shaking popularity of Hendrix at the time. As a news release details.

Demand for these 2 East Bay concerts far outstripped the venue’s 6 600 total available seats, leading to several thousand fans being turned away. Many swarmed the plaza in front of the theater, breaking windows and rushing the doors before the 1st performance. Others scaled the walls to gain entrance through the roof. Concertgoers who had purchased tickets were forced to elbow their way through the angry mob while being pelted by rocks. Promoter Bill Graham’s security force had never witnessed this level of aggression before. The Experience, who made it inside safely via a back door, ripped through repertoire both familiar and foreign to the audience.

Some individual live tracks from the recording made it onto subsequent Jimi Hendrix releases, but this new "Magic Boy" set is the 1st time they’ve been collected together in sequence.

Says Janie Hendrix, president and CEO of Experience Hendrix LLC, in a statement. “Jimi called himself a ‘Magic Boy’, so this title has a very personal meaning. He was always reaching for something new exploring, experimenting and pushing his music forward. At Berkeley, you can hear that journey happening in real time. He gives the audience the songs they already loved while opening the door to where he was headed next. More than 50 years later, that magic is still there. 'Magic Boy' lets us experience Jimi’s brilliance, energy and imagination all over again”.