Woodstock Opens: 400,000 Gather for Peace and Music
Jimi Hendrix took the stage at Woodstock on Monday morning, August 18, 1969, after the festival had already run a day and a half over schedule. Most of the 400,000 attendees had left. Roughly 30,000 remained when Hendrix launched into a two-hour set that climaxed with a solo electric guitar rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner." His version bent the anthem through feedback, distortion, and wah-wah pedal effects that evoked bombs, sirens, and machine gun fire, turning a patriotic melody into a searing commentary on the Vietnam War. The performance lasted less than four minutes but became the defining moment of the festival and one of the most culturally significant guitar performances ever recorded.
August 17, 1969
57 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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