B39422 – The Jimi Hendrix Experience 1968 Symphony Hall New Jersey Handbill Flyer (USA)

An original concert handbill for the Jimi Hendrix Experience performance at the Symphony Hall, Newark, New Jersey, USA on 8th April 1968. The show took place the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, the group were scheduled to play two concerts at the venue. According to bass player Noel Redding, what greeted the band upon their arrival was beyond his comprehension

‘Our gig in Newark brought home to me how little I understood about America. We got into the limo and drove from Manhattan and as soon as we crossed into Newark we were somewhere weird, a place with tanks in the streets, but no people. I didn’t know what was going on. At the hall we were met by police. We freaked. What had we done? Then we heard that Martin Luther King had been assassinated and Newark was under siege. This was beyond my experience. The cops told us that there might be a riot and that we should do one show, do it quick and f–k off. The hall was huge, a several-thousand-seater, but contained at most two hundred people.’

The Experience cancelled their second show and shortened their first, playing for roughly 45 minutes. The night concluded with Hendrix informing the crowd that ‘this number is for a friend of mine.’ The trio played an improvised song in honour of King, and then quietly walked off the stage. The flyer measures 28cm x 21.5cm (11 inches x 8.5 inches). It was previously folded leaving a vertical crease to the centre. There are tape stains on the corners. The condition is very good minus.