Lee Greenwood returned to Yankee Stadium on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, for an emotional performance of God Bless the USA as the country marked the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
The country singer had confirmed his return during an interview with Newsmax from the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, saying the performance would honor the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives in the attacks.
Greenwood first performed the patriotic anthem at Yankee Stadium in 2001, just seven weeks after 9/11, before Game 4 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks. Looking back on that night, he described it as an extremely moving experience that he would never forget.
Twenty-five years later, Greenwood stood on the same field again as the Yankees prepared to face the New York Mets in a Subway Series game. His performance was part of a special pregame tribute honoring the victims, survivors, first responders, and everyone affected by the tragedy.
After the attacks of September 11th, @TheLeeGreenwood‘s hit song “God Bless the U.S.A.” became an anthem uniting a grieving city and nation.
Prior to Game 4 of the 2001 World Series, Lee Greenwood stood at home plate of the original Yankee Stadium and performed the song as… pic.twitter.com/wYXryU5xZk
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 11, 2026
Greenwood also spoke about the importance of remembering those who rushed toward danger to help others. He rejected the idea that the United States somehow deserved or invited the attacks, calling that view terrible and inflammatory.
Instead, he stressed the importance of Americans standing together, saying that unity provides strength.
The singer also reflected on his own family history. His father joined the Navy after Pearl Harbor, giving Greenwood a personal connection to the sacrifices made by military members and others who defended the country.
Although God Bless the USA became closely connected with 9/11, Greenwood pointed out that the song was written nearly two decades before the attacks. He wrote it in 1983 after years of traveling across the country and released it in 1984.
Greenwood said his upbringing on a California farm and his love of country music helped inspire the song. At its heart, he explained, the song is about the things that matter most in life: faith, family, and freedom.
His return to Yankee Stadium created a powerful connection between two moments separated by 25 years. In 2001, he performed the song while New York was still grieving and the country was trying to process the tragedy. In 2026, he returned to the same stadium to remember the lives lost and honor the people who stepped forward during one of America’s darkest moments.
For Greenwood, the song continues to carry a message of faith, family, freedom, and unity. And at the stadium where he first performed it just weeks after 9/11, the song once again became a tribute to those who never came home and the heroes who answered the call when their country needed them most.
