Familiar though it is, “The Star Spangled Banner” isn’t the easiest song to perform. Even professional singers, otherwise highly accomplished, have encountered difficulties, whether with the lyrics or the tune.
There’s quite a lineup. At the Indianapolis 500, Steven Tyler underwhelmed with harmonica riffs and less than inspiring singing (or was it shouting). Years later, he bungled it again at a football playoff game. Fergie mauled the anthem at an NBA all-star game. Willie Nelson managed to shred it at a national political convention. Meanwhile, at the US Open, Cyndi Lauper sang, “O’er the ramparts we watched, was the flag was still streaming.” Christina Aguilera got it all wrong but had a good explanation: “I got so caught up in the moment of the song that I lost my place. I can only hope that everyone could feel my love for this country and that the true spirit of its anthem still came through.”
No less a figure than Nat King Cole once advised, “If you do nothing else in your life, don’t ever sing the national anthem at a ballgame.” He had once forgotten the words while a packed stadium looked on, aghast. Cole wasn’t the only one to run into trouble at a ballgame. James Taylor, singing at the 2013 World Series, launched into “America the Beautiful” before switching over to “The Star Spangled Banner.” Roseanne Barr’s attempts at baseball-themed parody at a 1990 Padres game went over badly, to put it mildly.
But as they say in show business, the show must go on. Whatever happens, you can’t stop and let the audience down. As you’ll see in the video below, a high school student who was playing the cymbals dropped on of them just as the bombs were bursting in air. He quickly thought of a brilliant way to recover from his mishap!
How did you like the way this kid took “the show must go on” to heart? Let us know in the comments section below and be sure to like and share!