Cover your ears, America.
Singer Ingrid Andress gave a now-viral performance of the national anthem Monday night prior to the MLB Home Run Derby. Many viewers have said that this performance belongs in the pantheon of worst “Star Spangled Banner” performances of all time.
Andress, a 32-year-old country singer/songwriter, has earned four Grammy nominations, including one for Best New Artist in 2021. But even her most ardent fans likely think of her Billboard Top 100 hit of that year, “Wishful Drinking,” after hearing her sing through the “Star Spangled Banner” at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
The top comment on ESPN’s YouTube channel video ironically noted, “ESPN knew what they were doing when they posted this,” followed by a skull emoji. ESPN has since made their video private.
Fans of a certain age will remember the similarly imperfect performances by Roseanne Barr, Fergie and Carl Lewis. Some compared Andress’ performance to those legendary performances, while others reacted with simple disgust.
From Matthew Schwab, who covers the Houston Astros: “My ears are bleeding. One of the worst national anthem performances ever.”
Barstool Philly turned to Phillies third baseman Alec Boem, who tried to suppress his laughter.
Many posters took the opportunity to use former President Donald Trump’s bloody ear from Saturday as a meme to express their disgust, while Kevin Clancy of Bar stool Sport suggested: “The HR derby anthem was the most un-American thing to happen to the country this week.”
Naturally, some people wanted to take a moment to think about how Fergie would react tonight.
If you need a refresher on the other songs Andress plays on Mount Rushmore or Awful Anthems, here they are.