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A couple summers ago, I was at a San Francisco Giants game at which the opening ceremonies paid tribute to the fortieth anniversary of "the Summer of Love." "Tribute" bands made up the bulk of the lineup, but it was a genuine surprise to hear the national anthem performed by a Jimi Hendrix imitator who replicated the guitarist's spectacular version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" note-for-note. What's more, it was obviously modeled on Hendrix's performance of the patriotic tune at the Woodstock Festival in August 1969, right down to the simulation of dive-bombing aerial explosions. So caught up in the spirit did the ballplayers themselves become that the scoreboard camera caught Giants shortstop Omar Vizquel merrily giving the standard two-finger heavy metal salute.

To be technical, Hendrix's radical rearrangement of "The Star-Spangled Banner" shouldn't have even been on a Summer of Love fortieth anniversary playlist. The Summer of Love, at least as it's defined in San Francisco and most of the world, took place in 1967, not 1969. Yet its presence at a major sporting event in front of more than 30,000 spectators - virtually all of whom instantly recognized the duplication of Hendrix's version from the very first notes-testifies to the enduring power of both Jimi's arrangement and the Woodstock festival itself as iconic symbols.

It's a new century now, and many of the problems protested so vehemently by the Woodstock generation-international warfare, social injustice, and racial discrimination-unfortunately remain, even with an African-American president, something that seemed inconceivable when Hendrix (himself of African-American descent) took the Woodstock stage. But Woodstock, for all its torrential rains, mud, and massive

disorganizational problems, continues to epitomize youthful aspirationhs toward a more utopian society. And Hendrix's squalling mauling of "The Star-Spangled Banner" still encapsulates the most artful countercultural protest against the senselessness of war. It subverts the most sung (and most badly sung) tune in the United States into a mirror of the random, cacophonous havoc being wreaked upon both American troops and Vietnamese citizens during the Vietnam War. By extension, it's a subtle protest against the violence of all American wars, whether waged in Southeast Asia and elsewhere.

Hendrix was vehementaly criticized by some Americans for his irreverent rendition of the national anthem, sometimes to the point of being accused of treason. He himself, however, thought it was beautiful. In an irony that he no doubt would have appreciated, forty years later, his interpretation of "The Star Spangled Banner" is almost as much of a national standard as "The Star Spangled Banner" itself.

WOODSTOCK ANNIVERSARY PLAYLIST:

1. Santana, "Soul Sacrifice"-If ever one performance of one song made a band into superstars, it was this spectacular instrumental, a highlight of the "Woodstock" film.

2. Sly & the Family Stone, "I Want to Take You Higher"-Sly Stone's career and personal life would sadly deteriorate a few years later, but this spirited, anthemic classic incited the Woodstock crowd to its most frenzied state of jubilation.

3. Jimi Hendrix, "The Star-Spangled Banner"-Hendrix's Woodstock set was actually surprisingly ragged, in part due to dwindling crowds exhausted by a marathon event that was running way overtime. This devilish, feverish reinvention of the national anthem, however, was one of the highlights of both the festival and Hendrix's entire career.

4. Jefferson Airplane, "Volunteers"-Though remembered as the ultimate peace and love festival, some of the songs at Woodstock were angry broadsides against the status quo. Hendrix's "Star-Spangled Banner" might be the most famous example, but the Airplane's passionate "Volunteers" isn't far behind.

5. Country Joe McDonald, "I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag"-Also not far behind is Country Joe's jaunty, sardonic anti-Vietnam War protest, in part because of an opening cheer of such profanity it can't be spelled out on a family blog such as this one.

6. Richie Havens, "Freedom"-A moving, propulsive melancholy folk-rocker with an improvised feel, in part because Havens had to entertain the crowd indefinitely as the festival's organizers got their act together backstage.

7. Crosby, Stills & Nash, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes"-One of the era's most complex and popular love songs, sweetly harmonized by this supergroup at one of their very first live performances.

8. Joe Cocker, "With a Little Help from My Friends"-That rarity among Beatles covers -- an interpretation that's both wildly different than and almost as good as the original.

9. Arlo Guthrie, "Coming into Los Angeles"-A drug-smuggling anthem whose coded references might seem a little on the innocuous and dated side now, but were recognized right away by the hippie counterculture.

10. The Who, "See Me, Feel Me"-The Who often later groused about what a bad time they had at Woodstock. You couldn't tell from this powerful version of one of the most dramatic passages of their rock opera "Tommy," played as the sun rose at dawn.

11. Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Proud Mary"-Because some superstars on Woodstock's bill didn't make the film or original soundtrack album, it's sometimes forgotten that the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, and the Band were there. Also in that category were Creedence Clearwater Revival, whose "Proud Mary" injected a welcome blast of Americana-founded roots rock.

12. Joni Mitchell, "Woodstock"-Mitchell was supposed to appear at Woodstock, but bowed out due to concerns that she wouldn't be able to return in time for a national television program appearance, so crowded and chaotic were the festival conditions. She did, however, write the definitive song about the event shortly afterward, made into a hit by her pals Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young.

Listen to our Woodstock playlist.

 --Richie Unterberger, author, The Rough Guide to Jimi Hendrix 1

Richie Unterberger, The Rough Guide to Jimi Hendrix , Jimi Hendrix, Woodstock, music, entertainment, books, Penguin Books