Sun, 03/06/2022 - 02:36 pm

Christina Belknap

Jimi Hendrix still from the documentary, ““Music. Money. Madness . . . Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live In Maui” to play at the Lincoln Theater. Courtesy of the venue

“Music. Money. Madness . . . Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live In Maui” chronicles Hendrix’s storied 1970 performance on the dormant lower crater of the Haleakala volcano. Playing at the Lincoln Theater for just two screenings only on Thursday, March 17 at 7 p.m. and Friday, March 18 at 2 p.m., this Grammy nominated documentary incorporates never before seen footage and interviews showing how the band became ensnared with the ill-fated movie “Rainbow Bridge.” Jimi Hendrix is larger than life and his explosive concerts are meant to be experienced on the biggest screens possible.

Hendrix’s manager, Michael Jeffery, had convinced Warner Bros. executives to finance “Rainbow Bridge” in exchange for rights to its soundtrack album consisting of new Jimi Hendrix studio recordings. Inspired by “Easy Rider” and directed by Warhol acolyte Chuck Wein, Jeffery’s film featured everything from surfing and yoga to meditation and Tai-Chi. Wein, desperate to feature Hendrix in some capacity within the film, devised a plan to film a free ‘color/sound vibratory experiment’ on the lower slope of the dormant Haleakala volcano. Word of mouth about a free Jimi Hendrix concert led a few hundred curious Maui locals to the Baldwin cattle ranch in Olinda where a makeshift stage was constructed, and the audience was arranged by their astrological signs. The performance was a success – the trio was at the height of its powers and played two sets flawlessly against a stunning natural backdrop and 50 mile per hour winds.

Directed by John McDermott and produced by Janie Hendrix, George Scott, and McDermott, this critically acclaimed documentary incorporates never before released original performance footage and new interviews with firsthand participants and key players such as Billy Cox, Eddie Kramer, Warner Bros. executives and several “Rainbow Bridge” cast members, as well as its director Chuck Wein. The documentary presents Hendrix, joined by bassist Billy Cox and drummer Mitch Mitchell, playing breathtaking renditions of “Foxy Lady,” “Purple Haze,” and “Voodoo Child (Slight Return),” as well as then-unreleased songs like “Dolly Dagger” and “Freedom” that showcased the new direction Hendrix was moving toward.

We hope you’ll join us for this historic Hendrix performance on the big screen and this opportunity to enjoy a little rock and roll! “Jimi Hendrix: Live in Maui” is presented in partnership with Aboca Beads.

Tickets: $8 adult and $6 members and youth 18 and under, are available for purchase in advance through our online box office at LincolnTheater.net and at the door beginning 30 minutes before showtime. Lincoln Theater is located at 2 Theater St., Damariscotta. Masks are required while enjoying events.