Did anyone else notice The Fray's horrible rendition of the national anthem before the NCAA championship game last night? Maybe the NCAA and NFL should refrain from getting famous celebrities to sing the national anthem for now on because their performances are usually a letdown. That’s what happens when these music artists are allowed to digitally correct their music, they suck live. At least Isaac Slade, the lead singer, didn’t forget the words like some other celebrities.
There were some majorly dissonant chords in the guitar, and the singer’s emo vocals were too angsty. “The Star-Spangled Banner” is about the War of 1812 when Francis Scott Key saw the American flag still waving over Fort McHenry in Baltimore after a night of intense siege and attack by the British. He wrote this poem signifying hope, perseverance, and victory because the fort survived the night without being overtaken. I respect the Fray wanting to reinvigorate the song to sound more war like, but it ended up being a failure. The national anthem should be respected, and performers should not make significant deviations from how it was originally written. I would much prefer a more traditional approach such as Beyonce’s flawless performance of the “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the 2004 Super Bowl.
The Fray will actually be performing at the Louisville Palace April 24th. Let’s hope that show goes better than their NCAA Championship performance. Too bad University of Kentucky, the 2012 men's basketball NCAA Champions, didn’t get a better national anthem performance on their winning year.
Photo: courtesy of Anna Blanton (cell phone shot of TV broadcast)
