Look: Country music stars break silence after butchering national anthem
Over recent months, national anthems getting butchered at sporting events have been about as common as Brad Marchand licking opponents.
The latest sporting event to fall victim was Game 5 of the Jets-Predators playoff series, which took place in Nashville.
The country music group Lady Antebellum, who formed in Nashville, were chosen to sing the anthem after a great performance before a game in last year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs that also took place in Nashville.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as well this time around.
Vocalist Charles Kelley jumped a line during the performance, which resulted in a few smirks and odd looks from the Predators players and others.
#ladyantebellum sounded great! Good thing the words to the American national anthem don’t matter. #Jets #NashvillePredators #NHLPlayoffs2018 #uspoli #Country #music pic.twitter.com/yCZgWzdWFJ
— Recovering Journalist (@cknewsviews) May 6, 2018
Afterward, the group admitted it flubbed the song, with Kelley taking the blame in a photo.
Welp. We’re human too y’all 🤷♂️🤷♀️🤷♂️ We’re still rooting for ya Preds!!! #smashville pic.twitter.com/0fWw5EqV8R
— Lady A (@ladya) May 6, 2018
The Nashville fans likely would have forgiven them and forgotten about the mistake had their Predators won Game 5. But the Preds turned in a lackluster performance and got trounced 6-2, which put them in a 3-2 series hole with Game 6 taking place in Winnipeg.
That caused many Nashville fans to blame the loss on Lady Antebellum’s anthem mishap.
It was at that point that I knew the #nhljets were going to win. #GoJetsGo #WPGWhiteout
— DW Campbell (@anotherdwc) May 6, 2018
We blame y’all for this loss
— Ben Griffith (@Only_one_Ben) May 6, 2018
— CMH (@OhioBornHorn) May 6, 2018
The country music stars can take solace in the fact that they are in pretty good company in terms of butchered national anthems.
Earlier this year at the NBA All-Star Game, eight-time Grammy winner Fergie performed a questionable rendition of the national anthem that also had players smirking but for entirely different reasons.
Then last month, multi-platinum artist Rachel Platten of “Fight Song” fame tripped over the second line of the anthem at a National Women’s Soccer League game. She then restarted the song and made the same mistake again before asking for someone to help her with the words.
So rest easy, Lady Antebellum; it could have been much worse.
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