Question: In what year did Jimi Hendrix play “The Star Spangled Banner” at Woodstock?
Show answer
1969.
Jimi Hendrix, one of the most influential guitarists in rock music, performed “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the national anthem of the United States, at the Woodstock Music & Art Fair in the year 1969.
Woodstock was a historic music festival that took place from August 15 to August 18, 1969, on a dairy farm in Bethel, New York. It attracted an estimated 400,000 people and featured performances by many of the era’s most popular musicians and bands.
Hendrix was one of the festival’s headline acts, and his band, “Gypsy Sun and Rainbows,” was the last to perform. Due to delays, they didn’t take the stage until the morning of Monday, August 18. During his set, Hendrix performed an iconic rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
This performance was notable for its innovative, improvised use of guitar feedback and distortion to represent the sounds of rockets and bombs, providing a powerful commentary on the ongoing Vietnam War. This rendition of the national anthem remains one of Hendrix’s most celebrated performances and is a landmark moment in the history of rock music.
