Brett Young roasted for rendition of U.S. anthem at NHL All-Star Game
Singing the national anthem at a major sporting event can be a pretty thankless task.
Do it well and people applaud, sit down, and turn their attention to the action at hand. But if you slip up, drag it on a little too long, or try to do too much, you better believe you’re going to hear about it.
Country star Brett Young falls into the latter category following his downtempo rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner at the 2018 NHL All-Star Game.
(Skip to 2:10 for the U.S. anthem)
Brett Young do us all a favor and never sing the National Anthem again, thanks.
— Scott (@SDress92) January 28, 2018
Brett Young is clearly getting paid by the hour
— Craig Hagerman (@Craig_Hagerman) January 28, 2018
Puck yet to drop, Brett Young hit with delay-of-game call. Major. Drew blood.
— Kevin Paul Dupont (@GlobeKPD) January 28, 2018
I love Brett Young but this performance of the National Anthem is HORRIBLE. My lord
— Taylor Cathey (@T_Cattt) January 28, 2018
Brett Young taking singing lessons from Bob Cole.
— Mrs. O (@MrsOsSens) January 28, 2018
this is like the national anthem you sing at a funeral
— Kristen Shilton (@kristen_shilton) January 28, 2018
Yikes, tough crowd. This might be the worst reception an anthem singer has received at a major sporting event since Staind frontman Aaron Lewis forgot the words before Game 5 of the 2014 World Series, or maybe even Steven Tyler’s ear-piercing rendition before the 2011 AFC Championship game. (Or Nelly Furtado at the 2016 NBA All-Star Game for the Canadian readers).
As for the complaints about Young’s plodding pace, it was actually right on par with the average length of the U.S. anthem. Young finished the song in about 1:50, well below Alicia Keys’ 2:36 epic at the 2013 Super Bowl, and even 10 seconds less than the over-under for this year’s Super Bowl.
If anything, this just serves as a reminder that The Star-Spangled Banner should always be played on saxophone.