Why do rock guitarists always suck at performing the National Anthem ?

[the other mike]

Here is Neal Schon of Journey performing at game 1 of the NBA finals last night.

First of all I'm not even sure if he's in tune but he obviously gets the basic melody wrong within the first verse, then seems to realize he screwed up and tries to shred his way through it, painfully for himself and I would suspect most everyone listening.

I can't even bear to watch it a second time.

Gary Hoey did the best one I've seen. ( I believe it was at a Patriots game ).... but personally I think all the other ones including Joe Satriani and Jimi Hendrix....are disappointing.

 

[fncceo]

To be fair ... it wasn't written for the genre.

I've yet to hear a good rock version of Carmen or Swan Lake as well.

 

[Muhammed]

I think their fingers are used to playing the blues pentatonic scale and they get lost without a drummer. Their timing gets all fucked up without a good drummer.

 

[1srelluc]

 

[the other mike]

I think their fingers are used to playing the blues pentatonic scale and they get lost without a drummer. Their timing gets all fucked up without a good drummer.

A seasoned professional like Neal Schon should have at least rehearsed and seen that he's out of practice or doesn't remember the song.

 

[skye]

IMO Jimi's interpetration was amazing!

 

[the other mike]

This version is pretty tight from around 2010 .

 

[the other mike]

IMO Jimi's interpetration was amazing!

He was on lsd too.
But probably played it perfectly at home a dozen times.

 

[toobfreak]

Here is Neal Schon of Journey performing at game 1 of the NBA finals last night.
First of all I'm not even sure if he's in tune but he obviously gets the basic melody wrong within the first verse, then seems to realize he screwed up and tries to shred his way through it, painfully for himself and I would suspect most everyone listening. I can't even bear to watch it a second time.

Really? Neal is a great guitarist and I loved his rendition! The best Rock variation I've ever heard other than for Jimi himself.

 

[the other mike]

Really? Neal is a great guitarist and I loved his rendition! The best Rock variation I've ever heard other than for Jimi himself.

The Gary Hoey one I just posted blows them both away.

 

[monkrules]

We have the greatest country in the world, imo.

But our national anthem sucks. It's boring beyond belief. The range is so great, in some places, that few singers are able to get through it without some obvious straining. And when singers try to jazz it up a bit to make it more interesting, it only sounds worse.

A lot of people have expressed an interest in changing our anthem. Possibly to My Country Tis Of Thee (I think that's the song's name). Just about anything would be better, imo.

 

[toobfreak]

The Gary Hoey one I just posted blows them both away.

I thought it was boring, because it lacked creativity, and he basically just played the anthem traditionally verbatim, just on a guitar. Even good vocalists insert their own element of creativity.

 

[Moonglow]

The tune is an English pub drinking song.

 

[the other mike]

Really? Neal is a great guitarist and I loved his rendition!

I've seen Journey twice in concert about 40 years ago..... I know Neil is a great guitarist which is the reason I'm so disappointed with his terrible performance yesterday.

 

[the other mike]

I thought it was boring, because it lacked creativity, and he basically just played the anthem traditionally verbatim, just on a guitar. Even good vocalists insert their own element of creativity.

You get in front of twenty thousand people and play it perfectly like that and then you can talk.

 

[the other mike]

I didn't care for Zakks either

Although the one in Japan a long time ago was okay.

 

[the other mike]

Maybe I'm just getting old.

 

[daveman]

Every performer wants to make the song his or hers, and thus butcher it.

If you want to impress me, play the song exactly as the writer wrote it. No speed runs, no scales, no jazzing it up.

 

[Markle]

Every performer wants to make the song his or hers, and thus butcher it.

If you want to impress me, play the song exactly as the writer wrote it. No speed runs, no scales, no jazzing it up.

You are 100% correct. Their egos are so massive that they think folks are there to hear their greatness.

Surprisingly, Meat Loaf did sing the National Anthem at the the1994 All-Star Baseball game.

 

[daveman]

You are 100% correct. Their egos are so massive that they think folks are there to hear their greatness.

Surprisingly, Meat Loaf did sing the National Anthem at the the1994 All-Star Baseball game.

He was far truer to the original than most performers.