On Aug. 18, 1969, legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix stepped onto the stage at the Woodstock, N.Y., Music Festival and embarked upon an uninterrupted set lasting nearly two hours--one of the longest performances of his career. It concluded with a long medley that included the solo performance of the Star Spangled Banner that would become emblematic not only of Woodstock, but of the 1960s themselves.

When most people think of Hendrix and Woodstock, it is that performance of the national anthem that comes to mind. But to Joel Brattin, professor of literature at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), who has made an extensive study of the life and music of Hendrix, the Woodstock performance was a fascinating and telling moment in an all-too-brief career, one that was in a state of transition in the summer of '69. Brattin, who is also a noted authority on Victorian author Charles Dickens, says there are 10 elements of that performance that make it unique and historic: