The Star-Spangled Banner

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Originally Performed By	Francis Scott Key
Appears On
Music	Based on an Irish drinking song
Lyrics By	Francis Scott Key
Phish Debut	1996-10-17
Last Played	2016-12-28
Current Gap	365
Historian	lemuria & sleeping_llama
Last Update	2025-07-18

History

Francis Scott Key wrote the U.S. National Anthem (to the tune of an Irish drinking song) while watching the defense of Fort McHenry against a British attack. Six stanzas narrate an earnest search in the war-torn night sky for the flag, symbolically a people’s hope in a dark time. But the first two stanzas, the only ones commonly sung, merely posed the question: Can you see it, there, in the explosive flashes of light? Isn’t that our flag, our hope?

In recent years, that unifying symbol of hope has become a divisive tool. Comically large versions suggest a particular partisan position (MAGA Republicans), and their poles have become weapons (such as on January 6th). Across earlier eras, affinity for the flag has attracted scoffs from the left, as if patriotism was necessarily capitulating to oligarchy, militarism, and autocracy. Key’s ode to the “Banner” has often been a tool to overcome divisions, bring the flag back to middle ground, and remind us of a hope that we all share.

Jimi Hendrix revised the song on the fly for that purpose, as the sun began to rise at Woodstock. From an otherwise empty stage, and to throngs of collapsed people, Hendrix’s raging instrumental histrionics symbolized – and later served as a metaphor for – that same people’s search, from the darkness of the Vietnam War and civil rights conflicts and toward a hoped-for future. Without words, Jimi asked those same questions: Can you see it, out there, in the darkness sprawled across Yasgur’s farm? That is our hope.

Phish - 7/4/12 - Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre - Wantagh, NY - Photo by Dave Vann © Phish 2012

Many Phish fans were familiar with Hendrix’s version and were surprised when Phish performed the song a cappella. But by sticking to those two conventional stanzas, in four-part harmony taboot, Phish did what they do best: delivering ecstatic frivolity without being undignified or insincere.

Although it seems like a natural encore, the song has opened and closed first sets and appeared in the middle of second sets. The first four versions were difficult to hear over the audience’s excitement, particularly at the end, but by 11/8/96 and 11/19/96 the novelty had waned and the band’s control of the song had solidified. There is not much variation in the performances, but two – 11/19/96 and 11/27/96 – are notable for preceding “Fire” (also performed by Hendrix), as is 10/21/96 for opening the MSG show, and 5/31/09 performed from the pitcher's mound at Fenway Park.

Phish, “The Star-Spangled Banner” – 10/29/10, Atlantic City, NJ

Basketball provides a clear explanation for Key’s banger entering the Phish repertoire, nearly two decades before Phish dedicated “The Line” to Darius Johnson and his missed free-throws. On 10/17/96, Trey told the crowd that “a couple of weeks ago we got a call from the Lakers out in Los Angeles, and they wanted us to do this tune, and so in December, we're gonna sing this out before a Lakers game, but we're gonna try it out on you.”

The Timberwolves must have gotten wind of the Lakers plans, and swooshed in to score Phish’s NBA debut. And so, on 11/12/96, the night before their headlining gig at Target Center,  Phish sang the National Anthem there, before the Timberwolves, led by Kevin "the Big Ticket" Garnett, bested the Portland Trail Blazers 100-97.  This was the band’s first performance of the anthem at a national sporting event, which they left early in order to attend a party at Prince’s Paisley Park in Chanhassen. 

After seven Star-Spangled try-outs, the Phish from Vermont finally made their Great Western Forum debut on 12/3/96, before Shaquille O’Neal’s LA Lakers took down the Seattle Supersonics 110-106.  (For those who keep a scorecard, Kobe Bryant was an 18-year-old rookie, but sat out that game.)

Phish sang the Banner before Philadelphia Flyers games 5/18/97 and 12/1/97, and on 6/11/03
at Game 4 of the 2003 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New Jersey Nets (at the Continental Airlines Arena, where the home team, led by Jason Kidd, prevailed 77-76). 

Twice on ice, Phish has sung the Star Spangled Banner, both times at Philadelphia Flyers games. The first came before game 2 of the NHL Eastern Conference Finals, 5/18/97  The visiting Rangers, fueled by a Wayne Gretzky hat trick, pounced Trey’s beloved Flyers 5-4. The second came soon after that. On 12/1/97, right in the middle of Destroying America, Phish paused the destruction long enough to sing the National Anthem. Eric Lindros scored a first period goal, but someone on the Sabres scored in the third, and the game ended in a non-destructive tie. No matter, the next two nights Phish utterly destroyed the Spectrum.

There’s only been one 21st Century Phish appearance at a sportsball event, in Burlington, VT, on 3/13/04.  ’Twas a stirring version before the America East Conference Men’s Basketball Championship Game. (University of Vermont routed the University of Maine 72-53. Taylor Coppenrath set an America East Championship record with 43 points.) This also happens to have been the first nationally televised basketball game played in Vermont.

Phish National Anthem 3/13/04 UVM

For hard-core Phish fans at those sports events, one could ask those same questions, not about the audience, but about the band: Can you see it, even without their vacuums and “Tweezers” and skyscrapers and CK5 lights? That is our inspiration, our flag of hope.

Outside of sporting events, “The Star-Spangled Banner” has become something of an Independence Day tradition for Phish, with five holiday performances – 7/4/99 Atlanta, 7/4/00 Camden, 7/4/10 Alpharetta, 7/4/12 Jones Beach and 7/4/14 SPAC – as well as closing the Super Ball IX festival on 7/3/11.

While we’re talking anthems, note that Phish performed an instrumental version of the Canadian National Anthem,  appropriately called O Canada, to kick off Maple Night of the Baker’s Dozen.

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