August 18, 1969–the final hours of The Woodstock Music and Arts Fair. Rain delays had caused “Three Days of Peace and Music”to bleed into the early morning of the fourth day. The crowd was tired, dirty, and had dwindled from an estimated 400,000 to 30,000 die-hard fans waiting to catch a glimpse of the festival’s headliner–Jimi Hendrix.
At 8:30, Jimi finally took the stage. A few songs into his set, he woke up the crowd with his now-legendary rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner.” Part cultural commentary and part good-old-fashioned rock magic, this version of the National Anthem has more than stood the test of time. Rock out with Jimi again, and have a happy, safe 4th of July!
Jimi is one of the many artists that inspired stories in our upcoming collection 27, A Comic Anthology. With the strongest line-up of creators ever, and a theme for the ages, we are hoping to produce a “Rock Hard” hardcover edition of the anthology. Please visit our Kickstarter and lend your support!