Zakk Wylde Performs National Anthem Before Seahawks Game

In the hometown of the legendary Jimi Hendrix, guitarist Zakk Wylde performed the National Anthem ahead of the Seattle Seahawks’ home matchup against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday (November 3rd) at Lumen Field.

Donning a Seahawks journey and flanked by Marshall stacks, Wylde tore through a shred-metal rendition of the “The Star-Spangled Banner,” improvising over the anthem just as Hendrix did during his iconic Woodstock performance.

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The Ozzy Osbourne/Pantera axeman made heavy use of finger tapping and chorus effects, stretching out notes and phrases before circling back to the source material and original melody. It sounds like a solo guitar interlude during a heavy metal concert, with Wylde staying firmly in his lane despite playing to a more mainstream football audience.

Reactions to the uncompromisingly metal rendition were largely positive, with the YouTube comment section filled with sign-of-the-horns emojis and adjectives such as “badass” and “sweet.”

But amid the more negative comments and calls to replace Geno Smith at quarterback, some were a bit more critical of Wylde’s playing. “Maybe he needs a few drinks before playing,” wrote one commenter, while another sarcastically noted, “Not enough pinch harmonics.”

While Wylde does not hail from Seattle himself, he did perform on most of the dates for the recent Experience Hendrix tour. The guitarist was forced to drop from the final shows of the trek to appear and perform at Ozzy Osbourne’s second Rock Hall induction in October.

Next up, Wylde and his Black Sabbath tribute band Zakk Sabbath will embark on a December-January US tour alongside Led Zeppelin cover band Zoso and The Iron Maidens (get tickets here).

Fans catch also catch Wylde when Pantera embark on a Winter 2025 UK/European tour and open for Metallica once again this coming spring.

Watch Zakk Wylde perform the National Anthem ahead of the Seattle Seahawks game below.