One of the most powerful, searing renditions of the national anthem ever recorded, Jimi Hendrix's iconic Woodstock anthem, almost never happened. Hendrix hadn't slept the night before. Hendrix played for more than an hour that Monday morning before introducing his regular concert-closer, “Voodoo Child (Slight Return).”
Also asked, when did Jimi Hendrix play the national anthem at Woodstock?
August 18, 1969
Secondly, why did Jimi Hendrix play the national anthem at Woodstock? “No one had ever heard that. It caught all of us by surprise.” The reaction to the anthem was strong but mixed. But when Hendrix performed at Woodstock in 1969, at the height of the Vietnam War, the idea of deviating from the traditional when delivering the national anthem was sure to raise eyebrows.
Similarly one may ask, who played the national anthem at Woodstock?
Jimi Hendrix
Where did Jimi Hendrix perform the national anthem?
Jimi Hendrix The Star Spangled Banner American Anthem Live at Woodstock 1969.
