Back in 1969, a 22-year-old drama student, Albert Goodman, found himself face-to-face with Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock and managed to capture his iconic closing set.
Now, this rare footage has been unearthed in a new film, Jimi Hendrix: Live at Woodstock – A Second Look, which premiered during a YouTube livestream on August 18 at 9 pm ET.
Goodman left his tent and managed to sneak onstage, shielded by a friend who was carrying a guitar. After securing AC power for his Sony CV ½” video camera, he set it up just 15 feet across the stage where Hendrix would grace the Woodstock revellers.
According to the official description, “Goodman was left alone, assumed to be just another member of the sprawling film crew who had surrounded the stage for the entire event. He settled in behind percussionist Juma Sultan and prepared to document history.”
While technical limitations caused occasional interruptions in the video signal, the more obvious glitches have been replaced by photos.
Goodman managed to capture Hendrix in his prime on August 18, 1969, in Bethel, New York. The newly available footage includes Purple Haze, Voodoo Child, Hear My Train a Comin’, Message to Love, and his history-making rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner.
Wielding a Strat, Hendrix can be seen setting the stage on fire with his playing, alongside the newly formed Gypsy Sun and Rainbows, also known as the Band of Gypsys.
The lineup consisted of guitarist Larry Lee, bassist Billy Cox, Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell, and percussionists Juma Sulytan and Jerry Velez.
Following Woodstock, Goodman hitchhiked and was offered a ride by a driver who, coincidentally, said he was friends with people working at the house Hendrix was renting nearby. This eventually led to the legend himself screening Goodman’s footage and giving his seal of approval.
Goodman kept his tapes stored for the next three decades, before making them available to the Hendrix family.
Since footage from Woodstock is rare, these new videos offer new insight into a performance that not only captured the zeitgeist, but also cemented Hendrix as a guitar hero for the ages.
