Hendrix and Redding at Monterrey

And then you say "blah blah blah, of course Jimi Hendrix and Otis Redding are awesome, why are their appearances at the 1967 Monterrey Pop Festival so historic? Well, this is the first American performance by the Experience. They walk out, play 40 minutes of kick-ass rock, and then he introduces Wild Thing by telling the crowd he's about to do something crazy, does it, then lights his guitar on fire.

Otis Redding crossed over from his small but loyal audience to mainstream stardom, playing well past the agreed curfew, because the crowd rushed the stage and no one dared stop the magic. I bet you didn't know Otis Redding wrote "Respect." The best part about that song is that it takes on completely different meanings when Otis or Aretha sing it. 6 months later he died in a plane crash, so this is generally considered his high point.

Both sets are great, and the recording quality is just ludicrously good for a live festival recording. Like most everybody, i wish it were longer. Oh well, snag it if you come across a copy.

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