There are basically three rules for a successful pre-game rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner”: Know the lyrics and enunciate them. Stay on key. And maintain the note you hit at the end of “land of the free” for as long as humanly possible.
Country singer Ingrid Andress went one-for-three during her performance of the national anthem ahead of Monday’s MLB Home Run Derby. And the consensus seemed to be, yeah, that was bad.
Andress offered an apology and explanation the next day on social media: She was drunk.
“That was not me last night,” Andress wrote, adding that she’s checked herself into rehab.
But it isn’t the first time a vocalist’s attempt at the national anthem struck the wrong notes with the public. Here are 5 that stand out:
Fergie, 2018
Peek at the cuts to incredulous looks and stifled laughter among players and attendees alike in the video above to see the wide range of reactions to her rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” ahead of 2018′s NBA All-Star Game.
“Although Fergie was on pitch, her tempo, musical accompaniment and sexy delivery were not exactly typical for a sporting event or a patriotic song,” Star Tribune reporter Paul Walsh wrote at the time.
Michael Bolton, 2003
Everything was going just fine during Michael Bolton’s performance of the national anthem ahead of Game 4 of the American League Championship Series in 2003. Then he got to the end of the second verse and ... forgot the lyrics.