Watch The Doors Play ‘Light My Fire’ in 1970
The Doors launched a video of the classic track “Light My Fire” as performed at the Isle of Wight Festival, from the upcoming multiple-format release of Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 on Feb. 23. You can view the clip above.
The show took place in August of that year, during frontman Jim Morrison’s obscenity trial, and was to be the band’s last-ever filmed concert. His distraction, along with tensions in the band, meant that they were on the verge of splitting at the time. Keyboardist Ray Manzarek recalled: “Our set was subdued but very intense. We played with a controlled fury and Jim was in fine vocal form. He sang for all he was worth, but moved nary a muscle. Dionysus had been shackled."
Guitarist Robby Krieger told Billboard: "It was a nervous time for us, and it was pretty different than any of our other shows. Jim was in the midst of the Miami thing, so he wasn't in the best of moods … He didn't really do a great show; he sang well, but he didn't move an inch, and usually he was real animated and all over the place, depending on how much drugs he had in him. And he insisted on green light only. He wanted it as dark as possible on stage, so they're lucky they got anything, really. But other than that, it was pretty fun."
The release, which is available for pre-order now, features “completely recut and remixed” footage, along with a new 5.1 Dolby mix by Doors associate Bruce Botnick, along with a new 17-minute documentary titled This is the End, containing new interviews with the surviving members and original manager Bill Siddons.
The Doors, Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 Track Listing
"Roadhouse Blues"
"Backdoor Man"
"Break on Through (To the Other Side)"
"When the Music's Over"
"Ship of Fools"
"Light My Fire"
"The End (medley): Across The Sea/Away in India/Crossroads Blues/Wake Up"