Woodstock Moments

Greatest guitar performance at Woodstock

  • Santana (Soul Sacrifice)

  • Jimi Hendrix (Star Spangled Banner)

  • Alvin Lee (Going Home)


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Dave78

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Yeah except Jimmy supported the war in Vietnam.
He served there.
Right. I knew Jimi served in the military so the National Anthem actually meant something to him. I was talking about the crowd being hippies who for the most part opposed the war (and the crowd represented an entire generation of hippie kids who likely also opposed the war -- and probably for no other reason than it was fashionable to do so). I think the organizers may have also been anti-establishment, but ironically the freedom they had to put on an event such as that came at the expense of those who gave their lives fighting for that freedom. Sometimes "War Isn't The Answer" isn't the answer. But, yeah, the anthem meant something to Jimi. Maybe that was Jimi's way of protesting against the protesters. So for all those reasons intertwined and intermingled together, Hendrix playing the National Anthem is the high point of Woodstock to me. It was an iconic moment then, and it should still mean something today, 48 years later.
 

nedkelly

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I don't think Jimi was pro-Nam. Anyone can be a nationalist, love his country and be pro-peace. Many artists and hippies were true Americans, but anti-Nam. I don't really see the ambiguity of this :)
In If 6 was 9, Jimi sings he doesn't care if all the hippies cut off all of their hair but also sings I'll fly my freak high. Those lyrics say it all on the Woodstock generation.
 
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Lynch

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Greatest guitar performance at Woodstock-Santana "Soul Sacrifice" VS Hendrix set feat."Spangled Banner" VS Alvin Lee for "Going Home"............
Of those 3 songs, it's very hard to pick. I have a different appreciation for all of them.

For me:
* From a single technical guitar aspect, Alvin Lee wins. His playing on this track on that stage was fantastic.
* From a complete song aspect, Santana takes the cake. The entire band was on fire during this song. They all clicked perfectly.
* From an iconic standpoint, you can't touch what Jimi did. I can't even properly put to words what he did here.

If someone pointed a gun to my head and told me "choose the best or die", I am not sure I could truthfully pick the best guitar performance because they are all that good.
 

Neshabur

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Alvin Lee, because he was so deeply emotional and impressive for technique.

Good also the other two. ;)

Hendrix's performance was iconic; Carlos plays with a lot of feeling.
 

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