I had the pleasure of watching Steve perform this in the Carle Place High School auditorium, a talent show, I think 1977. I was in the wings, my band was scheduled to go on last. He won, of course, we came in third, but I can still say Steve Vai was one of the warmup acts for my garage band.
This should be played at every Super Bowl and World Series .... WOW Steve Vai... I always said the guitar 🎸 can speak and say words humans cannot sometimes reach .... Outstanding
This is easily the best rendition of the Star Spangled Banner... Besides Jimi's of course. Steve is the only other person besides Jimi Hendrix I've seen to really make it his own. Everyone else just rushes through it.
as much add I agree, and just love it. it was more a joke to him, Vai. it was supposed to be a modern version of Hendrix. but didn't turn out that way, this is the best guitar Anthem that exists.
magnificent, the best anthem performance, the most expressive of all that is, the one with most colours, changes of pace, changes of intensity and the most emphatic ending... nothing of which was by chance, just cant be...
I remember that day vividly. All of a sudden in afternoon history class all the lights flared uncomfortably bright and began sparking red white and blue flame. Birds outside suddenly morphed into screaming bald eagles. MC Hammers legitimacy was instantly drained, forcing him to quit. Every boy in my school suddenly grew to 6'4" and had beards and Arnold sized biceps. Women who weren't pregnant suddenly gave birth to triplets. Such a glorious day in our nation, where Steve Vai Himself America'd so hard we were all suddenly 15,000% more America....
@@Pat54guitares_Uku yeah it is I agree. It gets great results though. I come back to this clip every now and then. Gives me goose bumps everytime and I'm not even american
@@elec123 There’s no need to be an American (I’m not as well) to love Music (and that of Steve Vai). Because Music is everywhere. And that version of the American hymn is a real revolution in its concept ! (Innovation). I heard that of Jimmy Hendrix which is interesting as well, although different. What I like with Steve Vai’s music is that we know how a piece of music begins but don’t know how it goes on and finishes… 🤣 Because Steve often takes steep ways to lose himself (but with mastery) in demonstrations of technical figures to arrive to another life… His pieces of music may have several lives… And I find the original hymn rather nice to hear in its modernity.
The best part about this is the pacing. He manages to shift seamlessly from one section to the next without seeming to rehearsed or losing the natural flow of the performance
Vai . . . Loved to see actor Corbin Bernsen , Kevin Costner, and Sammy Hagar and Bret Michaels especially, with all the others floored by your interpretation of our National Anthem. Right up there with Hendrix, Eric Johnson, Yngwie and Satch :). Happy 4th to everyone in 2016.
When I got up this morning for July 4th this is one of the first things I thought of and for good reason it's just perfect. I had almost forgotten about those rocking jock MTV ballgames what a great time. I got a chance to see Steve around 2007 at a place in Jacksonville Beach called The Free Bird which was owned by some of the family of Ronnie Van Zant. Steve was such a gracious person at that event taking lots of time to sign pictures and autographs. I am forever thankful.
seeing this when I was a kid is what made me play guitar. thank you Mr vai. such an inspiration. I play blues now. but man what a talent. One of a kind
@@ethanbilby9173 Hendrix version is all noise and distortion. Mostly out of tune and a bunch of crying cows. It's musically unbearable. Politically, I don't know. Probably Lil Wayne would play it close to that.
@@maj2809 that's it! Guitar isn't meant to sound like bomb explosions and war cries! You heard Steve Vai, Malmsteen, Satriani and Petrucci make unusual noises out of their guitars? No! They play it proficiently!
@@DreiK96 it's meant to sound like what you want to make it sound like. Guitars aren't ment to talk but people make them talk. Guitars we never meant to have pedals to them but innovation came along. Guitars wernt meant to have a talk box but yet we have computer love. A guitar was ment to Express your self threw it not play tight and strict with no soul like a 3 year old north Korean kid. I'm not here to change your mind on how you feel about hendrix or his playing . I am learning Steve via for the love of god now and it's amazing but beyond that song tender surrender and mad horse all the other via stuff sounds all the same and over done . Steve via has maybe 5 hits and not even everyone has heard of him. Same with he other gods u mentioned. But Jimi everyone knows Jimi Hendrix . Everyone! It's not because of his afro or because his singing niether. It was that guitar he expressed him self threw. Eddie van halen another one of the what you call them noise makers! I'm not into screaming death metal but I can appreciate it. I'm not going to sit here and degrade it like its striaght shit and spread negativity on it just because it doesnt appeal to me. Via added his twist and jimi added his flare they both sound great .
Everytime I start to think I'm a great guitarist, I listen to Vai and that brings me back to earth in a hurry! Not only is he a master of technique, but he has the BEST tone period. He can make anything sound awesome. Saw him recently and he is singing very well too. It's rare to find a "total musician" these days, but Vai is the real deal!
Vai is one of the best players of all time...really kicked ass on this one...there's nothing he can't do with a guitar. Let's not forget he's responsible for Whitesnake´s greatest riffs
Love Vai. And would never argue that he is one of the greatest guitar players of all time. But Whitesnake's greatest riffs? Still of the Night is without a doubt the best Whitesnake riff and was written by John Sykes. And the Slip of the Tongue album Vai played on? The guitars (except for the "Fool For Your Loving" remake) were written by Adrian Vandenberg.
Frank Christopher Not talking about his playing because there's alot of things i like about him. This particular piece sound's awful to me though and makes no sense that it would be the "best" interpretation..
I remember this too Mtv Rock N Jock, 1990 back when they still played music I never really was into Steve Vai and his music till ten years later, Ive been a devoted fan ever since
I saw Poison open up for David Lee Roth in 1988 and while they did a good job, Dave and Steve and the Bissonette brothers blew Poison out of the water in the first 5 seconds.
@@dezertson2011 sir, you are wrong. Google is wrong. I proclaim this as I am the master of all things, a giant among men descended from Mt Olympus, favorite son of Zeus, a king among princes. I hereby proclaim my greatness, my genius, my infallibility. I proclaim this even after reading the Wikipedia article which also feebly attempts to disprove my proclamation and incorrectly names Brett Michaels. I also hereby vehemently deny that the first time I saw this video that I thought "wow, that chick that said 'wow' was really hot, before I watched it again and felt deep personal embarrassment at the possible implications of my mistake. I deny all of the above.
Tears welled up while watching this, I haven't watched this since it was on MTV back then it blew me away, now it brings back memories of MTV before it became a corporation solely bent on money and control back when it was ok to be proud American without fear of some loon coming out of the woodwork.
He plays it freely and people get laugh (or maybe presume negatively) but then adding his master class skill (not because people laugh) to show that he has his respect since the beginning in his own way when the time plot come. A rare artist
The electric guitar and Rock N Roll are both all American and I for one believe rocking our national anthem shows nothing but love and respect for our country!
Andrei K it was a fuck you to political America at the time. Take a close listen with some headphones and your eyes closed, you’ll find war within the anthem. That’s something no one else can do, some can barely replicate. Take a listen to Hendrix’s anthologies or blues albums. There’s a reason he’s regarded as the best player of all time n
So good to see this again!... I had this taped on VHS and revisited this over and over back in early 90's: loved it!! so glad i don't have to go fishing thru boxes of VHS for this relic thanks
Speaking out for the first time, I’m the guy that guitar hit. The video cut away because they didn’t want people see it. I was 18 at the time. It broke my arm. I lost my job, lost my girl. I lost everything. I’m speaking out now because I want to make sure that no one else ever gets hurt from a flying guitar. Please, just hand off the guitar when done playing. That is all
The way he ends on the root chord by bring the whammy bar and wah up together is genius.
I had the pleasure of watching Steve perform this in the Carle Place High School auditorium, a talent show, I think 1977. I was in the wings, my band was scheduled to go on last. He won, of course, we came in third, but I can still say Steve Vai was one of the warmup acts for my garage band.
Did you know him personally?!
@@MusicissuperiorEVHROX316 Yes. Ran into him at our 20th class reunion back in '98. Nice guy.
I love how Vai just jerks around the whole song, the crowd looks confused, then he CRUSHES it at the end just because he can. Epic.
Gotta love Steve’s stage antics and amazing expressions/faces he pulls. Classic Vai, love it.
rock on Stevieeee
I love how Steve just revolutionizes anything he plays.
"Don't worry, the guitar was caught by Steve's tech and is alive and well." hahahahaha
Rodrigo. How do you know this?
@@nelsoncheng4638 look the description
1:23-1:40 gives me goosebumps
Yeah, that part shocked me the first time I heard it. So fucking heartfelt and real.
And I'm not even American.
Me too so amazing talent
YES! But i honestly didnt like the tapping part. He shoulda finished that part with that emotion he started it with.
Can we track down the moronic camera man that decided to not film the guitar at all during this part?
Still as bad ass as i remember when i saw this years ago and now showing it to my son whom is 10!!! 2023 and this guy is still a legend in my book.
This should be played at every Super Bowl and World Series .... WOW Steve Vai... I always said the guitar 🎸 can speak and say words humans cannot sometimes reach .... Outstanding
Nope, it'll never happen. Vai is not a talentless corporate pop "star".
@@Scottocaster6668 your right 100%
Back when MTV was cool
You bet!
Young people just forgot how to be cool like we were! 😉
Yup Like Headbangers Ball then after that channel 9 Stern!
Almost impossible to remember by now, right?! LOL!
Back when everything was cool
I could watch him play that over and over. Simply awesome stuff from a master.
Of all the guitarists performing USA anthem this one is the most lively. I'm not American though.
Aw man! JUST watched it! That was super cool :D Hey Steve Vai, be sure to watch it too :).
I absolutely love when the wah comes in and actually the last chord catches my ear everything
1:44 "Wow." Favorite part about this video.
@@JJ-nl2ir The "wow" guy looks more like Brett Michaels from Poison.
@@nelsoncheng4638 Because it IS Brett Michaels!
@@nelsoncheng4638 he is
@@pedromendoza4800 no that's Jani Lane
20 years later and it still rocks.....
And it still does 34 years on.
This is easily the best rendition of the Star Spangled Banner... Besides Jimi's of course.
Steve is the only other person besides Jimi Hendrix I've seen to really make it his own. Everyone else just rushes through it.
Indarog You need to hear Kiss' version from "Alive III" - it kicks ASS !!
Hendrix captured the chaotic mess that is the American melting pot. The greatest country on earth.
+Indarog Wylde's version is up there.
@David David yeah, Hendrix version is just filled with distortion, crying cows and out of tune.
Right on!
I am here to say this is the greatest musical act I have ever seen in my entire life.
as much add I agree, and just love it. it was more a joke to him, Vai.
it was supposed to be a modern version of Hendrix. but didn't turn out that way, this is the best guitar Anthem that exists.
magnificent, the best anthem performance, the most expressive of all that is, the one with most colours, changes of pace, changes of intensity and the most emphatic ending... nothing of which was by chance, just cant be...
I remember that day vividly. All of a sudden in afternoon history class all the lights flared uncomfortably bright and began sparking red white and blue flame. Birds outside suddenly morphed into screaming bald eagles. MC Hammers legitimacy was instantly drained, forcing him to quit. Every boy in my school suddenly grew to 6'4" and had beards and Arnold sized biceps. Women who weren't pregnant suddenly gave birth to triplets. Such a glorious day in our nation, where Steve Vai Himself America'd so hard we were all suddenly 15,000% more America....
God, that tone at 1:23 sounds amazing
And there's a part of legato, i believe, or tapping i don't know well ?
@@Pat54guitares_Ukulegato
Yeah, before i didn't know what it was. That's a very impressive and hard technic because it needs strength, skill, and speed... @@elec123
@@Pat54guitares_Uku yeah it is I agree. It gets great results though.
I come back to this clip every now and then. Gives me goose bumps everytime and I'm not even american
@@elec123 There’s no need to be an American (I’m not as well) to love Music (and that of Steve Vai). Because Music is everywhere. And that version of the American hymn is a real revolution in its concept ! (Innovation). I heard that of Jimmy Hendrix which is interesting as well, although different. What I like with Steve Vai’s music is that we know how a piece of music begins but don’t know how it goes on and finishes… 🤣 Because Steve often takes steep ways to lose himself (but with mastery) in demonstrations of technical figures to arrive to another life… His pieces of music may have several lives… And I find the original hymn rather nice to hear in its modernity.
Never has our National Anthem sounded SO cool as that!
Beautifully done, Steve, BEAUTIFUL!
0:45 even james hetfield is impressed
@@Yvette_K without humor
@@Yvette_K r/woooosh
the dude looks like Steven Adler as well when he was younger
@@ttttotYep. That is Sammy Hagar and Steven Adler at the 44 second mark.
I will always love Steve Vai. Dude slays it every time. He’s like the Mr. Miyagi of guitars.
best rendition of this song I've heard on the guitar. thanks Steve! That's the way to do it to it!
The good days, man how I miss it .
I wanna see him performing in the next Super Bowl 😄
Me too please God
Won't happen, the NFL need to have a ghetto pop star to stay " inclusive"
The Japanese simply make better guitars than those in the USA. Always have.
The Japanese Strats were crap.
@Satanic Panic Fun and Games I never in fact said that.
Actually, I have no idea what you're talking about.
@Satanic Panic Fun and Games Yep, and it works. I'm brilliant and some others, not so much.
Better cars too... And better food... And better booze... And better women! Is there anything Japanese people can't do better? nope!
this always brings tears to my eyes on the last line Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave, Priceless , from the heart .
If you can't get into that, something has done come detached! That was BEAUTIFUL!
The best part about this is the pacing. He manages to shift seamlessly from one section to the next without seeming to rehearsed or losing the natural flow of the performance
Vai at his finest!!
Vai . . . Loved to see actor Corbin Bernsen , Kevin Costner, and Sammy Hagar and Bret Michaels especially, with all the others floored by your interpretation of our National Anthem. Right up there with Hendrix, Eric Johnson, Yngwie and Satch :).
Happy 4th to everyone in 2016.
When I got up this morning for July 4th this is one of the first things I thought of and for good reason it's just perfect. I had almost forgotten about those rocking jock MTV ballgames what a great time. I got a chance to see Steve around 2007 at a place in Jacksonville Beach called The Free Bird which was owned by some of the family of Ronnie Van Zant. Steve was such a gracious person at that event taking lots of time to sign pictures and autographs. I am forever thankful.
seeing this when I was a kid is what made me play guitar. thank you Mr vai. such an inspiration. I play blues now. but man what a talent. One of a kind
Hands down the best guitar national anthem!
that's what i needed before i go to bed
Best version ever...
idk, i think Jimi Hendrix's version stands up to this quite well (but i still love steve vai)
@@ethanbilby9173 Hendrix version is all noise and distortion. Mostly out of tune and a bunch of crying cows. It's musically unbearable. Politically, I don't know. Probably Lil Wayne would play it close to that.
@@DreiK96 noise?? He makes actual bomb explosions and war cries with in it.. by far the most creative spangled banner to ever be recorded.
@@maj2809 that's it! Guitar isn't meant to sound like bomb explosions and war cries! You heard Steve Vai, Malmsteen, Satriani and Petrucci make unusual noises out of their guitars? No! They play it proficiently!
@@DreiK96 it's meant to sound like what you want to make it sound like. Guitars aren't ment to talk but people make them talk. Guitars we never meant to have pedals to them but innovation came along. Guitars wernt meant to have a talk box but yet we have computer love. A guitar was ment to Express your self threw it not play tight and strict with no soul like a 3 year old north Korean kid. I'm not here to change your mind on how you feel about hendrix or his playing . I am learning Steve via for the love of god now and it's amazing but beyond that song tender surrender and mad horse all the other via stuff sounds all the same and over done . Steve via has maybe 5 hits and not even everyone has heard of him. Same with he other gods u mentioned. But Jimi everyone knows Jimi Hendrix . Everyone! It's not because of his afro or because his singing niether. It was that guitar he expressed him self threw. Eddie van halen another one of the what you call them noise makers! I'm not into screaming death metal but I can appreciate it. I'm not going to sit here and degrade it like its striaght shit and spread negativity on it just because it doesnt appeal to me. Via added his twist and jimi added his flare they both sound great .
Everytime I start to think I'm a great guitarist, I listen to Vai and that brings me back to earth in a hurry! Not only is he a master of technique, but he has the BEST tone period. He can make anything sound awesome. Saw him recently and he is singing very well too. It's rare to find a "total musician" these days, but Vai is the real deal!
It will never be topped only a genius can creat something like this .
Vai is one of the best players of all time...really kicked ass on this one...there's nothing he can't do with a guitar.
Let's not forget he's responsible for Whitesnake´s greatest riffs
Love Vai. And would never argue that he is one of the greatest guitar players of all time. But Whitesnake's greatest riffs? Still of the Night is without a doubt the best Whitesnake riff and was written by John Sykes. And the Slip of the Tongue album Vai played on? The guitars (except for the "Fool For Your Loving" remake) were written by Adrian Vandenberg.
He never wrote any riffs for Whitesnake. As in not a single one on any song.
The best version I have ever heard at this point
What?? It's absolute garbage!! You mean to tell me that this is better than Hendrix version?!?
Frank Christopher
Not talking about his playing because there's alot of things i like about him. This particular piece sound's awful to me though and makes no sense that it would be the "best" interpretation..
easily
ooook limp dick
One of the shittiest versions I've ever heard... Yngwie Malmsteen defiantly did the best version, no one played it with so much feel like he did.
2 things: 1. Steve Vai is the most skilled guitarist in the history of music. 2. America has the best theme song EVER.
It's an anthem, not a "theme song", and no...the US anthem has nothing on the Canadian anthem.
Skibble5150 Gee, you aren't by any chance Canadian are you? And it was kind of a joke, Nit Picky.(that's your new name)
LOL. Yup. Canadian here.
Skibble5150 And... is their a video that has this many views of someone playing your anthem on guitar?
Oh relax for fuck's sake.
Boom, bam, explosion, kill, kill, kill, GO USA!
There happy?
I remember this too Mtv Rock N Jock, 1990 back when they still played music
I never really was into Steve Vai and his music till ten years later, Ive been a devoted fan ever since
Splendid!
Steve is Incredible! The best national anthem played on guitar I've ever heard!
Really, Jimi Hendrix, Woodstock 69
Salil B Sounds like noise in comparison
Salil B lol.
@@salilb7832 Hendrix is all noise, distortion and out of tune. Close to how Lil Wayne would play it.
I still have this recorded on VHS the day it aired on Mtv
Bret Michaels is like wow I need a new guitarist;
lol
Joe S who is Brett Michael's?
I saw Poison open up for David Lee Roth in 1988 and while they did a good job, Dave and Steve and the Bissonette brothers blew Poison out of the water in the first 5 seconds.
@@dezertson2011 I think that was Jani Lane dude
@@dezertson2011 sir, you are wrong. Google is wrong. I proclaim this as I am the master of all things, a giant among men descended from Mt Olympus, favorite son of Zeus, a king among princes. I hereby proclaim my greatness, my genius, my infallibility. I proclaim this even after reading the Wikipedia article which also feebly attempts to disprove my proclamation and incorrectly names Brett Michaels. I also hereby vehemently deny that the first time I saw this video that I thought "wow, that chick that said 'wow' was really hot, before I watched it again and felt deep personal embarrassment at the possible implications of my mistake. I deny all of the above.
Tears welled up while watching this, I haven't watched this since it was on MTV back then it blew me away, now it brings back memories of MTV before it became a corporation solely bent on money and control back when it was ok to be proud American without fear of some loon coming out of the woodwork.
He plays it freely and people get laugh (or maybe presume negatively) but then adding his master class skill (not because people laugh) to show that he has his respect since the beginning in his own way when the time plot come. A rare artist
I never knew listening to guitar could bring a tear to a mans eye until I heard 1:23 - 1:34
yur a nut, you know that? Nice job. Saved to my National Anthem playlist.
his is better than anyone else's I've seen , wylde, watch, johnson
absolutely
Ali-Musa Kaba I believe Satriani's version is better.
TheSLK66 "watch" was the autocorrect for satch
TheSLK66 all due respect to Vai I agree with you.
*cough* Hendrix *cough cough*
the use of the wammy bar and with choice of passing notes makes this a master piece!
now this is what america was founded on!! badass music and legendary guitar solos!!!
1:23 gave me chills. I have performed Hendrix's version and I think I need to learn Vai's cuz that was awesome.
Holy f'n shit Vai Killed it on here best guitar natty anthem of all time!
and most of the players were like"holy shit,what dat?!"
That was beautiful.
The electric guitar and Rock N Roll are both all American and I for one believe rocking our national anthem shows nothing but love and respect for our country!
I'll reiterate Bret Michaels on here "WooooW"
Bret or jany lane..?
Search any other player on TH-cam that plays the national anthem live and compare it to this video.. I guarantee this one sounds better/cooler.
FearCycle jimi Hendrix - Woodstock
@@maximum8336 you mean crying cow screeching, distortion and out of tune? Lil Wayne would play this anthem close to Hendrix version.
Andrei K it was a fuck you to political America at the time. Take a close listen with some headphones and your eyes closed, you’ll find war within the anthem. That’s something no one else can do, some can barely replicate.
Take a listen to Hendrix’s anthologies or blues albums. There’s a reason he’s regarded as the best player of all time n
No one play like steve
a lot of people plays like him, its no impossible or super hard to be a steve vai
just amazing
Fantastic!!!! awesome!!!!!!!
1:21
1:28
That's what true love looks like lol
1:22 a hush comes over the crowd
I wonder what happened to the guitar after he threw it
his roady caught it for real, he said after it was the only 7 string he had with him at the time. he needed it.
jeffrey centra thanks for the information
Cool
I caught it
as usual, spectacular
Fantastic steve.
Is that Sam Kinnison at 1:28?
Oh OHHHH
Yes
And Denzel Washington
And maybe kevin Costner
Haha Bret Michaels said WOW
sounds like Donald duck singing the national anthem
Made me laugh 😆 👍🏼
Thanx Steve!!!
Vai's best solo ever.
Kind of screwed it up with all the weird improvisational stuff.
Ty Manning not really it was amazing hater be gone *poof*
Bryce Saylor still here i'm afraid.
Ty Manning you'd prefer a vanilla rendition?
w00tkid Not necessarily. This version's not that great either.
So, you'd be pissed at Jimi doing the same at Woodstock then?
Still one of the best star spangled banner
I saw this live at age 11. I didn't understand it at the time, but it was the most beautiful thing will have ever heard for the next decade.
I am proud of our country and love the anthem but this solidifys it as the greatest, meaningful tune of all time......incredible
goosebumps, man. goosebumps. Vai needs a Dr. title Dr.Vai
Wow! Heard many do the star spangled banner. .. none have sounded like this. ... next level awesome
Goose bumps!!
Best star spangled banner remake EVER!
Absolutely brilliant!
Steve Vai, american treasure
Awesome 👏
my spirit was floating!! yeah!!!
Amazing.
All these rock stars were stunned
Everyone’s faces melted for sure
Totally awesome
Beautiful guitar
AWESOME!
So good to see this again!... I had this taped on VHS and revisited this over and over back in early 90's: loved it!! so glad i don't have to go fishing thru boxes of VHS for this relic
thanks
This is the best anthem ever played...period.
Steve, Thanks! I Love the Rush
best version I've heard with an electric guitar
Speaking out for the first time, I’m the guy that guitar hit. The video cut away because they didn’t want people see it. I was 18 at the time. It broke my arm. I lost my job, lost my girl. I lost everything. I’m speaking out now because I want to make sure that no one else ever gets hurt from a flying guitar. Please, just hand off the guitar when done playing. That is all
How can't you love this. Genius.
every bit as good as Jimi's, he really made this his own in so many awesome ways.