That ‘Drunk’ National Anthem Performance Was Awful — But Also Really Perfect

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Whew, chile, not only has it been hot, but the world has also been a flaming hot mess. So, we’re using the top of this week’s Culture Catchall to do something a little different.

The past few weeks have been full of shocking events. Last week, there was an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during his campaign rally, resulting in one audience member killed and two rallygoers wounded. The gunman was eventually taken down by Secret Service agents, who stated that the shooter “fired multiple shots towards the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue.”

Since then, it’s felt like the country has continued to spiral downward.

President Joe Biden has contracted COVID-19, forcing him to cancel events planned. He was in Las Vegas at the time and experienced coughing, upper respiratory symptoms and “general malaise,” according to his doctor. He is now set to quarantine in Delaware and will “carry out the full duties of the office while in isolation,” as stated by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

Earlier in the week, New York and New Jersey residents were startled by a meteor, which caused a loud boom and buildings to shake. NASA Meteor Watch reported sightings of a fireball and the resulting booms and shakes between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. ET.

But perhaps this moment on Monday perfectly encapsulated the hellscape of this summer: Country singer Ingrid Andress performed her rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the MLB Home Run Derby in Arlington, Texas, and it didn’t go over well. The New York Post shared a nearly 90-second clip of her performance, showing athletes holding back their laughter, captioning it, “This was quite the national anthem performed by Ingrid Andress.”

Andress has since said she was drunk during the performance and is going to rehab. Good for her for taking care of herself.

Her rendition joins a number of not-so-great versions of the national anthem, including Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis, actor and comedian Roseanne and Grammy winner Fergie.

Though Andress was off-key throughout her performance, her singing was pitch-perfect considering the state of affairs of the country. It seems to be the right time to hear a terrible version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” as we go through yet another “perilous fight” across the nation.

Trump, a convicted felon, is headlining the Republican National Convention; Biden is now the face of summer’s COVID wave, and everyone across the country is suffering through this severe heatwave.

All I can tell you is to make sure you’re masked up with hand sanitizer on deck, do a few vocal warmups and stay safe out here in these streets. There’s a lot going on in the world, and all you can do is watch your front, back and sides to stay protected.

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