JANIS JOPLIN…HER FINAL PERFORMANCE

On August 12, 1970, Janis Joplin and the Full Tilt Boogie Band performed at Cambridge’s Harvard Stadium as part of the “Summer thing” art’s festival, an event that would become immortalized as one of Boston’s most famed - and infamous - live music moments. With a capacity of 10,000, the stadium was surrounded by a horde of 40,000 fans, some scaling the walls for what would be their last chance to witness the ferocity and unadulterated power of rock’s first female super star. 

Playing with amps hastily thrown together after their equipment was stolen, the Full Tilt Boogie Band and Joplin jammed out their last set list, including two tracks - “Mercedes Benz” and “My Baby” - both slated for Pearl, which would be released posthumously in January 1971. 

In less than two months, Joplin would be found dead on the floor of her Landmark Motor Motel room, overdosed from an unexpectedly strong batch of heroin. After it’s release, Pearl held steady at #1 on the Billboard charts for nine weeks, an unwavering tribute to the musical impact and legacy of one of the truest, most raw and powerful female forces to ever take the stage.

Not only was that night immortalized through the eyes, ears and hearts of those fortunate enough to have been there, but it was also captured on film…and we’ve got the negatives; the haunting, nostalgic images that bring that night and more importantly - that legend - back to life.