I don't put The Monkees on par with Eric Clapton, but I have always found it fascinating that after seeing Hendrix live, Mickey Dolenz was so impressed, he got Hendrix to be the opening act for The Monkees (66, I think?? Maybe it was 67). In later interviews, Dolenz laughs about how all these screaming young girls were looking at Hendrix on stage, "Huh? WE WANT DAVY!!"
Heh... good ole Mickey Dolenz, glomming onto the frazzled shreds of fame that he only wish he had.
Hendrix was (incredibly) booked to play with the Monkees by his manager. His goofball error has become something of a legend in the annals of popular music lore.
In the end, smarter people got The Experience out of that commitment. They never played on the same bill with the Monkees.