Jimi Hendrix's Woodstock version of the Star Spangled Banner is more political than I thought! 

Excellent job you got everything right lol the bombs the sirens and TAPS, the political statement and context of the times. And the technical information is such a breath of fresh air on RU-vid from an actual musician that's also further confirmation of Jimi's amazingness. One of music's greatest moments.

Dick Cavett asked Jimi about playing The Star Spangled Banner in such an unorthodox way, Jimi said he thought it was beautiful.

Jimi was a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne. It’s also where he met Billy Cox.

Genius! He used the feedback from the speakers as part of the performance.

Hi, such an amazing performance. My dad's band ( CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL ) headlined Woodstock on Saturday night. They were actually the very 1st band to sign on to play. Creedence had another show Sunday, so they left Sunday morning. Dad said the band was bummed they couldn't stay for Sundays show and see Jimi... jf

Watched him perform this at the 2nd Atlanta Pop Festival on July 4th with fireworks going off. All these years later I can still hear and visualize it.

A respectful rendition from a former service man 🇺🇲

Phenomenal. As I understand it, Jimi was illustrating the nightly new coverage from Virtnam, when the rockets and bombs were on the scree every night. Jimi had been part of the 101st Airbourne and was medically discharged. He had a deep connection to the sacrifice of those serving but was also horrified by the suffering of the people under the weight of the war. I am a guitar player myself, and my debt to his incredible artistry and talent is huge. Thank you for posting this great video.

In high school I was playing this recording somewhat loud in my bedroom. After it ended my mom poked her head in my room and said something like “That was really good! Your playing has gotten so much better”. I wish mom, sorry but that was Jimi Hendrix. if I could play like that i wouldn’t just be playing in my room. ; )

I saw him perform this song live. He called it "Wave on Flag." There was no substitute for volume. His amps must have been turned up to "11." He could control feedback by just moving his guitar or body the slightest amount. Amazing. I was sitting in row 7 and I think my ears rang for the entire next week. I was lucky enough to see him perform four times. Three with the Experience and once with The Band of Gypsies.

Fun fact - Jimi lived in London for a time, next door to where baroque composer George Frideric Handel lived. There is a Hendrix, Handel museum there now.

This performance gets to every fiber of my being. The channeling of his message through however many watts... the immersion in the sound... There's a lot being said here. It brings a lump to my throat every single time.

His rendition of Villanova Junction there is well worth checking out too. Some of the most mesmerizing minutes in the history of live music.

"Maybe it's a statement about the war"...ya THINK???

Amazing control, just unbelievable performance. I've heard that by Monday morning the crowd had dwindled to about 40,000. Still, we have the film and I never tire of it

A must see from Woodstock 69 is Santana performing Soul Sacrifice. They hadnt even released their debut album yet, but the performance was legendary which skyrocketed their career. The drummer was 19 at the time and he absolutely killed his extended solo. Soul Sacrifice (sSp05euvRNU)

Glad you enjoyed this one, Doug! There was an exhibit of historically significant guitars at MoMA in NYC in 2019 and one of the last displays was Jimi’s white Strat that he played at the Woodstock Festival. I was walking around casually, then stopped dead in my tracks when I saw that. Lots of incredible vibes coming from his guitar.

I just remember this playing on the radio at my work some time in the 00's when a customer got visibly agitated by it and then started complaining about music "these days." By my estimate he was around the right age for Woodstock, so I don't know how he managed to miss this performance for 30-odd years and think that it was new.

Could you imagine being woken up on a Monday morning, day 3 of a music festival by that performance? It would definitely get that day going in a memorable and special way.

From the documentary, "The '60's:" "Hendrix playing The Star-Spangled Banner first thing in the morning at Woodstock, he was waking up his generation to a call for something better, something that could exist within their conscience." From the play, "Angels in America:" "The most important word in The Star-Spangled Banner is written in a note so high that nobody can reach it. Free." To this day, Jimi's version is the most heart-felt and the most patriotic version I've ever heard. It still moistens the surfaces of my eyes all this time later.

Jimi served so he knew

Jimi also did a studio version of this with layers and layers of guitars. I would love to hear Doug's thoughts on that version too.

A bit before my time, but when I got older, I listened to the Woodstock album that my parents had bought. There are several once-in-a-lifetime performances on there: Hendrix Star Spangled Banner which then goes into Purple Haze, and by the time it's all over and stops, you hear nothing from the crowd as they sit in stunned silence. Then there's Santan's Soul Sacrifice, Ten Years After, I'm Going Home, and many more. Diving further into that album is essential listening.

I am ALWAYS mesmerized by this performance even thought I've probably watched it 50 or 60 times! 😅 The way Jimi moves and flows is other-worldly... Amazing to think what he would've accomplished had he not died. 😢 💔

Hendrix is usually associated with theatrics and feedback, but he could be very restrained and soulful, when he wanted to. He’s one of the best blues guitarists of all time. His rendition of Bleeding Heart at the Royal Albert Hall is awesome. He really does make the guitar sound like it’s crying. This performance always gives me goosebumps. Always.

For me at the time (I was pretty close to the stage), I felt like this performance wasn't just a commentary on the war, but really the quintessential commentary on the state of the country, the boundless freedom of the countercuture. And, of course, the complete mastery of the guitar. I think people will be studying this performance for decades.

This always brings me to tears to hear..... such a genius lost to soon

Thank you Doug. I didn't scroll to see if a pertinent Jimi Hendrix fact was already posted, which is that Jimi was a paratrooper in the Army 101st Airborne. He often performed wearing his Army Jacket with his A|A patch on it.

Hey DH: if you're interested, Jimi performed & recorded a studio version of SSB; I believe it's uploaded to RU-vid now. It was originally released on the posthumous soundtrack to "Rainbow Bridge" album. I think you'd dig it.✌🏽 🎸

If not already suggested, you should also give his studio version a listen. Lots of tracked guitars. Really amazing.

I was only 8 during Woodstock, but thanks to a friend’s older brother, listened to the incredible vinyl recording as soon as it came out. Amazing!

No-one else like him, before or since. It would have been nice for you to see a little more of his performance Doug. On the triple album there's about 12 minutes of him jamming, playing SSB and then moving into Purple Haze. It becomes quite melancholy as the visuals show how few people have remained to listen to this incredible musician. I read recently that it wasn't really the festival that had such an impact on the music world, it was the huge success of the triple album and movie in reaching millions of people around the globe.

A great pick and a nice coincidence since I was looking for this version to play today. Happy Independence Day! 🇺🇸

♪ Thanks Doug for this one. Jimi Hendrix has been considered by many to be the greatest guitarist that ever lived. His style was ground breaking and innovative, and he was ahead of his time, perhaps in more ways than one. Just by the technological progress he made in such little time, can you imagine what he would be coming up with if he were alive today ♫.

I've played this every 4th of July since I got the Woodstock album in the early 70's. Still sends shivers every time I hear it.

Pali gap from rainbow bridge lp is a fantastic instrumental, all time favorite of mine. A listen to while watching sunrise (or sunset) ☮️

Fun fact: Martin Scorsese was the Music Editor and Assistant Director for the Woodstock film. He said in a book about his career that he staked out a piece of territory at the festival so that he could set up his film equipment. He also said that he lived on a fairly steady diet of hamburgers that weekend. Happy 4th, Doug!

As an Australian whos only 26, I've never actually heard the original national anthem however Hendrixs version is the one I grew up loving, been listening to Hendrix since I was 14. One thing I never knew the sound effect he was doing in-between were to represent missles, bombs, war etc. I thought he was just having an acid trip. Honestly explains alot.

Doug talking us through the song hit so hard I actually started to cry, remembering the era, the war, and the unnecessary deaths of 50,000 American boys. Hendrix truly honored their sacrifice.

Well that’s never gonna happen again! Awesome!

Every time I see a review or reaction to Jimi, I always wonder what he would have given us if he would still be with us. This is patriotic! Oh, and “I don’t think they’re lying”…. That wins!

Jimmy Hendrix was in the 101 army airborne rangers. He was honorably discharged , he can play it anyway he wanted to. 2:43

It was the first thing in the morning when he got on stage. Still cold, and a lot of people were still asleep. Back then, the first thing you would see on tv was the same as the last thing you would see at night on tv. They played the National Anthem. He not only did what you are seeing and hearing, but he was also giving them something familiar; waking up to the National Anthem.

Doug will love the original Woodstock documentary.

The Star Spangled Banner has never been played with more emotion than right here.

I remember buying this album back some 50 odd years ago. Lots of great music in there.

Ive been watching your videos for awhile but this one made me subscribe to you, ive always loved this performance and you said exactly what i had been thinking about this song for years but in actual words that made sense

One of the great artistic statements! On level with Guernica...

I feel like I need to have this rendition of the Star Spangled Banner in the background as I tell my kids about how it came about.

I think it was more patriotic and heart felt than political. He was a veteran, and I think that was just his typically jazzy and visceral rendition of what that song means to him.

And I believe he sequed right into Purple Haze...

Must admit to me this only sounds complete if it runs into the next song (Purple Haze)...First heard this on the radio (probably Radio Luxembourg in 1971 approx) - I'm 63 now - and I just couldnt believe what I was hearing. Set the tone for my musical preferences to the present day.

The two most iconic performances of the Star Spangled Banner for me are this one by Jimi and the Whitney Houston Superbowl performance.

I had a radio show through the 1990s, and I would sign off in one of two ways. One way was to play Ren & Stimpy's Kilted Yaksmen song. The other way was to play the Hendrix version of the Star Spangled Banner underneath Jello Biafra's Pledge of Allegiance. They matched up very well, being of similar length.

I can’t tell you how many times I played the National Anthem in high school marching band…but never like that! The closest I ever came was to play trumpet discant elements, which are officially recognized options to be incorporated in the song!

I would welcome your comments on Jimi’s studio version of the SSB as played on the Rainbow Bridge album. The man was not just a genius playing live but a technocrat in the studio. How he got to multiple dubs to make his guitar sound like a pipe organ is beyond understanding. Jimi H was the Beethoven of Rock.

A moment of true magnificence and bravery. At that time a Black man to play the national anthem in such a manner would have many Americans screaming " Blasphemy and Unpatriotic ." To be clearly stating through his guitar what he saw America standing for at that time, which was war, again as a Black man, was incredibly brave. Especially using The Star Spangled Banner to make his point, when at a time where a vast majority of white Americans would demand that " You do not fuck with the national anthem ." Also it demonstrates Jimi's imagination, skill and ability to first hear it in his head, to then source the equipment required to produce the sounds he imagined, and the use of feedback, and the technical skills as a musician to perform the piece so powerfully, and as I already stated, the courage of his convictions. That is why we are still talking about and admiring this work of art.

Definitely a statement about the Vietnam War. For the first time people got to watch people being napalmed on the evening news. Jimi was making increasing anti war violence statements in public and at his concerts. What a genius! I also love his symphony version on Electric Ladyland.

The recording engineer for the festival was Eddie Kramer, who also happened to be Jimi's engineer.

My kids were ages 3 and 6 when they first heard this, and even at that age they were blown away. That was 35 years ago.

"I thought it was beautiful.' Jimi replying to Dick Cavett's comment that some people might find his version of The Star Spangled Banner was disrespectful. Interview available on RU-vid

Happy 4th of July from Cornwall UK Doug , Jimi was also a Vet .

Everyone knows that he plays a right handed Strat left handed. But, if you look very closely, it is actually strung as a 'normal' left handed guitar would be, with the thinnest treble strings at the bottom. The major requirement would have to be getting the nut recut, to accommodate the thicker strings in the tiny grooves, and cut finer grooves in place of the larger ones, to control the intonation of those strings. The bridge pickup would also be slightly out of whack from the intended.

Sublime and beautiful,been doing a Jimi tribute band and the depth of his canon as a mind that never saw 30 is other worldly

He nailed the bombs, the screams and general chaos of war. He was in the Air Force in the early 60’s.

An extremely articulate, intellectual interpretation of what this rendition has meant to me since the award winning documentary first appeared in the early 1970s. Jimi caught my 10 year old attention with his electrifying performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. The guitar set alight was on ABC, CBS, NBC and all media had commentary about his performances. CKLW was the primary source of music on AM radio prior to CJOM 88 becoming the first FM stereo 'album rock' station receivable around the 'metro Detroit' area. We also had WKNR 'Keener 13' during some of those years. The 'movie' Woodstock was most Americans first opportunity to witness Jimi's astonishing set. I remain as impressed as I was initially, at the first showing of the movie at the 'Southland' theatre. Jimi remains 'groundbreaking' today. This is the rendition used for my main ringtone on my 'smart' phone.

You’re one of the few who recognize vibrato vs tremolo. Most people say a guitar has a tremolo bar even though it should be called a vibrato bar. Tremolo has to do with volume where as vibrato has to do with frequency/pitch.

Thanks Doug for the wonderful tribute to one of rock and roll's finest...for recognizing and acknowledging that. BTW, the documentary won the academy award for best documentary and a little trivia...you won't see Creedence Clearwater Revival in the movie, but you can see their performance on RU-vid. Ironically, they were one of the biggest acts of the show at the time.

High key so that when he dropped his wah wah it would go straight to feedback which he could completely control

After Woodstock NY Post pop critic Al Aronowitz wrote about Hendrix SSB performance saying - "it was the most electrifying moment of Woodstock and it was probably the single greatest moment of the sixties-" .

Probably the most genius and politically motivated piece of music by any maestro. So many messages, attitudes, feelings, behaviours and nuances - especially in such a short piece of music, too. I first saw this video in the early 80s as a young boy and I just ‘got it’.

This is Jimis statement against the vietnam war.Much needed today as US have not learn anything.

Yeah - Jimi was way ahead of his day ...... what a dude .......

Eb, actually. BTW, I do this version myself. I consider it the masterpiece of electric guitar. If you have any questions about how it works, what effects are used, etc., I would be glad to answer.

I think one of the things a lot of, mostly younger, people miss about Hendrix is the existing guitar tech at the time. While I'm not a guitarist, I believe it was after Hendrix that they developed strings that were intended to be easier to bend. I don't think Jimi had much tech beyond a tremolo bar. Which makes the sounds he created all that much more amazing. He did it without all the modern "toys". I've got a recording, I think it was the Monterey Festival, which has Jimi introducing that he's going to do the "combined national anthems" for both the US and the UK. Telling people, "No, don't get mad, don't get mad.." He then starts off, kind of like here with just the Star Spangled Banner, but after a moment or two of that, he suddenly breaks into a very raucous version of "Wild Thing". That ends, based on the humming noises, in him burning the guitar on stage. Side note, in the mid-70's I was a small town DJ for a couple of years. I got one complaint phoned into the station to me from a "listener". I had just played, this, the Woodstock version of Jimi doing the national anthem. I never got a word in, she rattled on about not liking it, ending with her name and the declaration "And I'm an American!" before hanging up. So, I pulled that same album back out, Soundtrack from the film, Jimi Hendrix, from which I'd played the anthem. This time, I looked for the "noisiest" track I could find, which ended up being another live version of "Wild Thing". Went back on the mike after the currently playing song, announced the complaint I'd received, and that this was my response. The funny part of that is, I ended up in that same lady's house about a year or so later. Babysitter for my then brand new wife's first child. I knew who she was, she never seemed to connect the dots to me. That soundtrack album had interviews on the end of each side. In one of those, Jimi spoke about his true love in music was the blues. That songs like Purple Haze he just did "for the kids". I sort of think that, had he lived, he'd of been up there with people like B.B. King and such. Legendary bluesmen. Sadly, we'll never know.

Hi Doug, can you consider Jimi’s Machine Gun from the Band of Gypsies performance, for me it’s a seminal piece of work from Jimi’s canon that deserves to be recognised more, thanks Doug!

Jimi used a Vox Wah into a Fuzz Face with (Axis fuzz circuit) and going into a Univox Uin-vibe, at 6:01 to 6:05 he is letting his bend note feedback into the Marshall Superlead amp and at 8:02 to 8:08 he is rocking his Vox wah on and off getting the effect, not double picking.

Every member of that generation should have had to watch and listen to that performance every day for the past 50+ years. Maybe they wouldn't have forgotten the ideals of their youth.

The middle of summer in the morning, in upstate NY is NOT like the middle of summer in NYC or in NJ. It is chillier and wetter. I have gone on vacation and made the mistake of thinking it was August in NY. Which it was. So I dressed for that and froze me A*s off

This rendition perfectly summed up EVERYTHING going on in America at the time.

Great one Doug! Really informative too, thanks...

Jimi Hendrix's was the most anticipated Woodstock performance, but by the time he and his newly formed band, Gypsy Sun & Rainbows, started their two-hour set at 9:00 a.m. Monday morning, the half-million-person audience was down to roughly 40,000.

Doug please talk about what key Jimi is in and more of the technical aspects of his playing . Thank You . ✨✨✨🎸✨✨✨🇺🇸 Jimi restrung his guitars . He used a Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face .... Vox Wha Wha , Uni Vibe , Roger Meyers Octavia . His Marshall amps were Hot Rodded .

Hey Doug, so glad you did this. Now you need to listen to the Studio version. Can you imagine what Jimi got up to in a studio? The studio version is on the "Rainbow Bridge" cd. The cover says it's music from the movie, it's only the studio tracks used as backing music in the film. The film ends with a live concert in Hawaii, Jimi's final live gig in the USA, on a farm pasteur field . The only good part of the movie is the live gig at the end. But this movie music cd is of the studio recordings heard in the film, not any of the live tracks from the film. But Jimi was so dynamic, it's a great album anyway. Then listen to Pali Gap, same cd.

This mfer out here, high af on LSD, tuning one handed while playing? This is why he's a legend.

@Doug Helvering SKY OVERTURE by Uli Jon Roth!!!!!🎸🎸🎸

Definitely a political statement. Just as the tune sounds erratic, so was the country as Vietnam and Nixon dominated the air waves. Hendrix's version is just as relevant today. This country is on an erratic course of self-destruction if we don't accept the diversity that gives this country the potential to be great. Peace out.

It went from a political statement that made some people mad to being accepted. Back in high school (1970s) I played it with my band. (Not as well of course. LOL) In the last few years, I played it at some benefits for veterans. Lots of pressure to do it well. Every veteran from every era stood up and you could hear a pin drop. Quite a difference.

That's Jimi going down in history. He left his imprint for sure.

a recent yt channel posting about the most iconic guitar performances of the 1960s did not include this performance, REALLY?!? one of the most, if not THE most, memorable performance of the biggest concert of the entire decade, that is still discussed today as maybe the greatest concert ever. when i asked the poster why it wasn't included, he said he didn't listen much to Hendrix and got into his stuff through the SRV cover of voodoo child. history, learn it, know it, live it Spicoli

The one song I would love you to break down by Jimi Hendrix would be 1983 from Electric Ladyland I have a magazine from a while back where a classical composer says it is a seven-part rondo. Keep doing that thing you do. Much love to you and yours. Jimi is contrasting the beauty of the music and the Constitution with the reality of America's internal and external policy, particularly the Vietnam war. probably one of the most powerful musical statements ever without saying a word,

I read somewhere that all of the pedal companies were bringing him their latest electronic inventions (wah-wah pedals etc.) to have him try them out.

This is what makes him stand out from the also rans, we have hundreds of guitar players on Y tube playing a song note for note perfect, this is what makes him great his improv, learning a track with backing bass and drums is not demonstrating what is it you have to offer, putting your identity or stamp on any piece of music. As long as you have the basics of the song then explore, Jimi was a master of this and why he's the greatest guitar player on earth, he was prepared to fly.

Also he plays the "machine gun riff" followed by "screams", apparently getting hit by bullets.

Doug, look at what he is mouthing during the rockets red glare. Sounds like the guitar screaming OH NO is he mouthing that also? Sounds like rockets, bombs, and SCREAMING. Definitely his musical interpretation of the sounds of War. Only 1 Jimi, they broke the mold after he was born!!!

Jimi is also mimicking the sound of an ambulance towards the end of his solo..

Charles Sharr Murray in his book on Hendrix says that in 3.5 minutes Jimi says more about the war in Vietnam and what is happening to the USA than all the movies etc that have come out about that period. It is wonderful because it starts by stating the ideal of the USA, but this gets dragged down into the violent reality. The ideal comes back, and then the reality returns - building to a struggle between the ideal of the country and its reality - the IS and the OUGHT. Who will prevail? It is the display of this tension which makes this so profound.

1:15 Amazingly, it's July 4 everywhere else on the planet as well.

Jimi was in 101st Airborne.

Yes! He turned it into a war protest song! I don't think he had anything to do with DECIDING to go on Monday morning. There was a terrible rain storm just after Sunday kicked off, as soon as Joe Cocker was finishing up they saw a nasty storm coming through and nobody could go one for another 5 or 6 hours! So, EVERYTHING from that point on got pushed back BIG TIME! All the electronics had to be dried off after the rain, or replaced with dry stuff, I think some of the P.A. amps had to be replaced, AGAIN. IT WAS A MESS!! Some of the people AT the concert said they saw planes seeding the clouds to MAKE IT rain!! So, Jimi was ALWAYS gonna go on last, it just so happens that his slot turned out to be Monday morning when a huge amount of the crowd had already left. I wonder who would've played last if The Beatles actually DID play Woodstock? They WERE invited and John said he WOULD get them to play but, only if they'd also have a slot for he and Yoko to do a set. Mike Lang said, no!