Jimi Hendrix Session Delays Vancouver Concert
The Experience stayed extra day in NYC to record Message From Nine to the Universe in 1969
Pratibha holds a master's degree in English from Madras University. A bookworm from a young age, she devours books and digital humanities to nourish her writing projects. Pratibha began her writing career in 2018 and has experience writing formal, informal, and technical content.
Read full bio of Pratibha
Image: Instagram
Cancelled Vancouver Date
On May 22, 1969, The Jimi Hendrix Experience was set to electrify Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Instead, the gig was called off at the last minute. Faced with technical setbacks and tight deadlines, Hendrix and his band chose studio time over a live audience that night. As the official caption reads, “With their May 22, 1969 in Vancouver, Canada being called off, The Jimi Hendrix Experience remained in New York for an extra day to continue recording at the Record Plant with a session focusing on ‘Message From Nine To The Universe.’”
Extended New York Recording Session
Rather than scrambling for a replacement date, Hendrix turned back toward the microphone. At the Record Plant in Manhattan—then a cutting-edge facility that had opened just a year earlier—he and bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell dove deeper into shaping one of their most experimental instrumentals. The group tracked “Message From Nine to the Universe,” a swirling, improvisational piece featuring backwards tape loops and layered guitar textures. Engineers at the Plant have since recalled the team’s laser focus: every guitar overdub was aimed at pushing the limits of stereo sound.
Studio Innovations
By mid-1969, Hendrix was already lauded for redefining electric guitar. His sessions at the Record Plant reflected a growing interest in studio technology. According to music historians, “Message From Nine to the Universe” was laid down on May 23, 1969, and remained unreleased until it surfaced on posthumous compilations like *Nine to the Universe* in 1980. The track’s title hints at Hendrix’s fascination with cosmic themes—an influence he carried from his days playing guerrilla sets in New York’s Greenwich Village to headlining major festivals.
Instagram Snapshot:
A vintage black-and-white photo captures Hendrix at the Record Plant’s mixing console, his Fender Stratocaster leaning against a soundboard as he listens to playback. (Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DJ92Qj6sPoW/)
Music As Religion
Hendrix often treated the studio like a sacred space. In a 1967 Instagram quote reposted decades later, he summed it up simply: “Music is religion for me …” (Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DJ48KzvBJkY/). That philosophy drove the Experience to trade a guaranteed live payday in Vancouver for another night of tracking loops and feedback swells in New York.
Career Context
The decision to prioritize recording over touring was part of Hendrix’s rapid evolution. Two years earlier, he’d formed The Jimi Hendrix Experience in London and released *Are You Experienced* to global acclaim. By 1969, the band had already toured Europe and North America, blending blues, rock and psychedelia in groundbreaking live performances. Stepping offstage in Vancouver must have been tough, but studio work offered him new avenues to sculpt his sound.
While fans in Vancouver waited for a rescheduled date, the recording session at the Record Plant set the tone for Hendrix’s final year of life. It showcased a guitarist unwilling to rest on past achievements—and eager to let the studio become an extension of his creative vision.
This unscheduled extra day in New York left its mark on music history. Though “Message From Nine to the Universe” would not reach listeners until after Hendrix’s untimely death in 1970, the session remains a testament to his relentless drive to innovate.
As vinyl collectors and streaming audiences alike revisit Hendrix’s catalog, they often point back to moments like this—when a canceled concert turned into an unexpected studio milestone.
Ultimately, Hendrix’s choice that May night in 1969 underlined his dedication: if the stage wasn’t ready, he’d build a universe of sound in the control room instead.
Read full bio of Pratibha
