What On God's Green Earth Was THAT?

[Subdeacon Joe]

Watching the RNC, last day opening.   That so-called national anthem was an abomination.   Oh, wonderful voice,  and whatever that was was well sung.  But, by Vulcan's forge, that was NOT  our national anthem. 

[Tom Bullweed]

Didn't see it but it could not have been worse than Kid Rock singing (c)rap music.

[Subdeacon Joe]

Well, at least he wasn't pretending to be singing the national anthem. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474]

Good God!

You folks have a beautiful National Anthem, music and vocal.

It doesn't need to be "Interpreted"!

I am a Canadian.  

[Tyrel Cody]

OOF

[Alpo]

Thank you Joe. I went looking for that, when you made your original post, because I did not believe it could be as bad as you made out.

 

The drunk at the ball game - I made it to broad stripes and bright stars. This - twilight's last gleaming.

 

Damn that was bad.

[Subdeacon Joe]

21 minutes ago, Alpo said:

Thank you Joe. I went looking for that, when you made your original post, because I did not believe it could be as bad as you made out.

 

The drunk at the ball game - I made it to broad stripes and bright stars. This - twilight's last gleaming.

 

Damn that was bad.

 

 

It was a  while before it was on YouTube. 

[watab kid]

i missed it - guess that was a good thing , i watched important stuff 

[Rye Miles #13621]

8 hours ago, Tom Bullweed said:

Didn't see it but it could not have been worse than Kid Rock singing (c)rap music.

I have to agree 100% I had to mute that dude! It was awful! I’m not a fan of his music but that was ridiculous!

[Subdeacon Joe]

1 hour ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I have to agree 100% I had to mute that dude! It was awful! I’m not a fan of his music but that was ridiculous!

 

 

I muted him about 5 seconds in, but at least he wasn't pretending that he was singing the National Anthem.

Whoever the planner was that made the Convention into a rock concert needs to be horsewhipped.  I know that they are trying to appeal to younger voters, but Pan on a pogostick!, they also need decorum.  

[Crooked River Pete, SASS 43485]

I actually liked it. Rather listen to her version then Rosanne Barr's. As far as Kid Rock, who else they going to get? Most rock singers are so far left they'd never even let their songs be used by a Republican candidate,  never mind coming to the convention.

[Texas Jack Black]

Talk about GRUMPY OLD MEN  Some of you fit right in. The RNC is attempting to move forward.

So looks like you can come along freely or be dragged  kicking and screaming.

  Some have no problem buying Chinese  shotguns ,etc. are you among that group?

Do you buy all American ?

 

 There I feel better

[Subdeacon Joe]

15 minutes ago, Texas Jack Black said:

Talk about GRUMPY OLD MEN  Some of you fit right in. The RNC is attempting to move forward.

So looks like you can come along freely or be dragged  kicking and screaming.

  Some have no problem buying Chinese  shotguns ,etc. are you among that group?

Do you buy all American ?

 

 There I feel better

 

I view the national conventions as business meetings.   Not the place for a concert. 

 

Re: Anthem.    My standard complaint,  the person singing our Anthem should do it in such a way that the people can sing along with it.

[Rye Miles #13621]

40 minutes ago, Texas Jack Black said:

Talk about GRUMPY OLD MEN  Some of you fit right in. The RNC is attempting to move forward.

So looks like you can come along freely or be dragged  kicking and screaming.

  Some have no problem buying Chinese  shotguns ,etc. are you among that group?

Do you buy all American ?

 

 There I feel better

Maybe we're grumpy old men but we have taste in music and Kid Rock sucked big time! So did that ridiculous rendition of the National Anthem. BTW I don't have any chinese shotguns! 

[Rye Miles #13621]

1 hour ago, Crooked River Pete, SASS 43485 said:

I actually liked it. Rather listen to her version then Rosanne Barr's. As far as Kid Rock, who else they going to get? Most rock singers are so far left they'd never even let their songs be used by a Republican candidate,  never mind coming to the convention.

I'm sure there's other rock groups that would have done it, plenty of country artists would have jumped at the chance! Kid Rock

s performance just sucked big time!!! He's actually better than that.

[Utah Bob #35998]

We frequently complain about singers making the national anthem performance about themselves. This was a classic case. I would prefer a brass band to many of the singers I have seen in recent years. I’m not sure when this “interpretation” crap started. I wonder if other countries are experiencing it?

[Crooked River Pete, SASS 43485]

6 minutes ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

plenty of country artists would have jumped at the chance!

I think the Republican party is trying to ditch that "red neck , country bumpkin" image ,( ironic since they nominated a self professed "hillbilly" for vice pres)  a country act would have enhanced that image among some demographics.

[Texas Jack Black]

2 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

Maybe we're grumpy old men but we have taste in music and Kid Rock sucked big time! So did that ridiculous rendition of the National Anthem. BTW I don't have any chinese shotguns! 

 You be VERY GRUMPY😉 Nanna Split would help

[Gracos Kid]

Maybe I'm the odd one out, but this dear lady has a voice that was crystal clear and gave me goosebumps.   Yes, it was more of an operatic rendition, but the heart and soul of that song was felt in her talent.  I'm glad I listened to her...... 

And I too, had to mute kid rock.....guess RNC is trying to reach out to all age groups.....

[watab kid]

15 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I have to agree 100% I had to mute that dude! It was awful! I’m not a fan of his music but that was ridiculous!

yes , me too , i like him but that was a bit too much 

[Subdeacon Joe]

4 hours ago, Gracos Kid said:

Maybe I'm the odd one out, but this dear lady has a voice that was crystal clear and gave me goosebumps.

 

I'll not deny that she has a great voice, good stage presence, a great delivery, and is quite photogenic.  But that wasn't our National Anthem that she presented.  

[Ozark Huckleberry]

Everyone has their opinion, and while I respect yours, I have a different take.

 

For my part -- what a set of pipes that lady has! And what a fantastic rendition. Near-operatic, soaring, vibrant. What a great choice for the final night of the RNC. I watched, and saw darned-near EVERYONE singing along, and more than a few who were visibly moved by the performance.

 

What's this, 'make it about themselves,' bit? How is anyone supposed to perform the National Anthem? Half-bake it and muddle into compliant middle-of-the-roadness to avoid offending someone? A performer 'making it their own' is bringing their A game to the performance, as they should. I might or might not like their style of singing, but I respect that they are putting their best into a respectful performance. If a singer of Ms. Millben's style and caliber sang a milquetoast rendition of the Star Spangled Banner then she really isn't performing it as if the anthem and the audience deserves her best, and THAT would be disrespectful.

 

I'm a fan of whoever puts their best into a respectful performance of the National Anthem, from Ms. Millben, to Whitney Houston, to Meatloaf, to Madison Rising, to Marvin Gaye, to the little kid that steps up at the local county fair. Roseanne? No -- she said herself the performance was intended as a joke. Not respectful. The drunk lady who apparently butchered it on her way to rehab? While I have sympathy for her situation and can appreciate her 'show must go on' effort, taking the stage to sing the National Anthem while inebriated is not respectful. 

 

But a singer who puts his or her heart into it and belts it out with all their talent and skill, however that shapes the performance? Bring it on, 'cause I'll listen.

[Rye Miles #13621]

19 hours ago, Crooked River Pete, SASS 43485 said:

I think the Republican party is trying to ditch that "red neck , country bumpkin" image ,( ironic since they nominated a self professed "hillbilly" for vice pres)  a country act would have enhanced that image among some demographics.

I disagree, Country music fans are huge Republican fans , I don’t see them getting away from them at all. Kid Rock is a huge fan and supporter of Trump and that’s why he was there. He’s normally a regular rock n roller but his performance was way out of his wheel house. Ive never been a fan of his music but this was different. 
JD Vance is far from a hillbilly!! Yea he was raised in that fashion but he’s not a hillbilly! He’s an articulate educated ex marine.
BTW Jason Andean and other country artists performed as well.

https://tasteofcountry.com/why-jason-aldean-joined-donald-trump-at-the-republican-national-convention/

Edited July 20 by Rye Miles #13621

[Texas Jack Black]

 Even the RNC platform wants to be inclusive . I am tone deaf so  Widder could have sung and I would have just sat  there and had another NANNA - Split.

[Subdeacon Joe]

4 hours ago, Ozark Huckleberry said:

What's this, 'make it about themselves,' bit? How is anyone supposed to perform the National Anthem?

 

That's fine for singing it as a performance piece on stage as part of a musical show.  But in a setting like a game, or a political convention, a place where you know that people will want to sing along with it, to do it in such a way as to make it utterly impossible for anyone to do that is, in my not so humble opinion, selfish and rude.  I saw some people TRYING to sing along with the first verse.  But did you hear the parts where they kept singing as usual and she took off on one of her flights of personal expression?  A kind of stumbling, stuttering silence from the people. Then, how many were singing along with the part after her oration and exhortation?  None.

Think of hymns in church.  People expect to be able to sing along.  Imagine if, on Easter Sunday, she performed "Christ the Lord is risen today" with the same flights of personal expression.  (Or in my context, sung Christos Anesti in Welsh rather than Greek or Slavonic).  People would come to a confused halt and wonder what was going on.

It comes down to is the singing of the National Anthem in a group setting about the singer being able to show off, "LOOKIT ME! AREN'T I GREAT,"  or leading the people in a group expression of their patriotism?  

 

Again, it was a marvelous personal presentation of OUR national anthem.  A joy to hear.  But the wrong setting.

[Dubious Don #56333]

On 7/18/2024 at 7:39 PM, Subdeacon Joe said:

Well, at least he wasn't pretending to be singing the national anthem. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for posting that, Joe. Beautifully done by Mary Millben. Been a while since I heard the other verse(s) of Our Nation's Song.

 

https://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/pdf/ssb_lyrics.pdf

[Subdeacon Joe]

59 minutes ago, Dubious Don #56333 said:

Thanks for posting that, Joe. Beautifully done by Mary Millben. Been a while since I heard the other verse(s) of Our Nation's Song.

 

https://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/pdf/ssb_lyrics.pdf

 

It might be my hearing,  but what sang as the next verse didn't match with those. 

[Ozark Huckleberry]

20 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

That's fine for singing it as a performance piece on stage as part of a musical show.  But in a setting like a game, or a political convention, a place where you know that people will want to sing along with it, to do it in such a way as to make it utterly impossible for anyone to do that is, in my not so humble opinion, selfish and rude.  I saw some people TRYING to sing along with the first verse.  But did you hear the parts where they kept singing as usual and she took off on one of her flights of personal expression?  A kind of stumbling, stuttering silence from the people. Then, how many were singing along with the part after her oration and exhortation?  None.

Think of hymns in church.  People expect to be able to sing along.  Imagine if, on Easter Sunday, she performed "Christ the Lord is risen today" with the same flights of personal expression.  (Or in my context, sung Christos Anesti in Welsh rather than Greek or Slavonic).  People would come to a confused halt and wonder what was going on.

It comes down to is the singing of the National Anthem in a group setting about the singer being able to show off, "LOOKIT ME! AREN'T I GREAT,"  or leading the people in a group expression of their patriotism?  

 

Again, it was a marvelous personal presentation of OUR national anthem.  A joy to hear.  But the wrong setting.

 

Examining the video is pretty much a metaphor for life. Look for disappointment, look for joy -- each of us is probably going to find what we seek.

 

Since you brought in worship as an analogy, we can go there, I guess. 

 

As with music, some people see ornate, gilded artwork in a church and think it's an ostentatious 'hey, look at what we got' display that would be fine in a museum, but is a distraction in a house of worship. Others see the art and its maintenance as an expenditure that would be better used to support sufferers. Still others see it as wonderful expression of worship. Opinions, perspectives. I've worshipped in cathedrals of stone and in cathedrals of nature, in the Vatican and under a tent -- had little effect on me as far as my purpose for being there.

 

As far as the music is concerned, for some folks any effort beyond an accompaniment that is sufficiently loud to cover the audience's generally amateur 'Sing Along With Mitch' performance is obviously a waste. But when large venues put money into star talent, it IS a performance piece, and even if you think it should be done in a mediocre manner, the singer would be disrespectful to both the anthem and the audience to short change their effort. Your beef, therefore, should be with the venue, not the performer.

 

Further reflecting on the parallels between the music at a worship service and the music at a sporting event brought me to realize that I do have generally the same attitude toward both. I appreciate what the performer brings to the table as their best effort, and I am not so ritualistic that I need the music to fit in a particular idealized box to achieve my purpose in being there. I realize that the music is NOT being performed in celebration of ME.

 

But that's just the way I look at it. Others are, of course, entitled to their opinion, and thank you for sharing yours.

Edited July 21 by Ozark Huckleberry

[Rye Miles #13621]

I’ll just put this here for your enjoyment or whatever 

 

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

2 hours ago, Ozark Huckleberry said:

But when large venues put money into star talent, it IS a performance piece, and even if you think it should be done in a mediocre manner, the singer would be disrespectful to both the anthem and the audience to short change their effort.

 

Where we differ is that one of us sees the more traditional way as mediocre and one of us sees the more traditional way as respectful. Also with how we view the purpose of singing the Anthem in different venues.  Is it to allow a well paid individual to show off?  Or is it to unite the people at the start with a reminder about the struggles of our Republic, especially at a political event?  

 

I would love to see this as the standard.  Close enough to the modern rendition that people could quickly adapt to it, and with phrasing that makes more sense:

 

But I guess that's "mediocre" because people will know what is coming and how to sing with it.

How our Anthem is sung doesn't change how I view the event.  I haven't attended Liturgy at the Vatican, but have served in cathedrals, in buildings under construction or renovation, or with the Holy Altar being a table in a parking lot (wearing sunglasses was really weird).  None of which detracts from the majesty of the Divine Liturgy.  And, while I'm not fond of the Arabic style of music in most Greek parishes, that also doesn't detract from it.  Nor does attending it when it is in sung in Greek, Romanian, Georgian, or even....Welsh.

[Ozark Huckleberry]

5 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

Where we differ is that one of us sees the more traditional way as mediocre and one of us sees the more traditional way as respectful. Also with how we view the purpose of singing the Anthem in different venues.  Is it to allow a well paid individual to show off?  Or is it to unite the people at the start with a reminder about the struggles of our Republic, especially at a political event?  

Either missing my point, or misrepresenting it. 
 

A performer whose style and skill makes them capable of more than the narrow ‘traditional’ rendition, but dials back their performance, is holding back their best. That’s not respectful, it’s condescending. 
 

I don’t see a traditional performance as mediocre, if that’s the best the performer has. 
 

Does being reminded demand audience performance? Not really. Does a performer wringing out their talent in honor of the nation qualify as ‘showing off’? Sometimes they might be, I suppose, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. Just as I’d give benefit of the doubt to a clergyman who attends worship in ornate robes. 
 

In any event, again — thank you for your sharing your opinion. 

[Subdeacon Joe]

49 minutes ago, Ozark Huckleberry said:

A performer whose style and skill makes them capable of more than the narrow ‘traditional’ rendition, but dials back their performance, is holding back their best. That’s not respectful, it’s condescending. 

 

I don't see a performer giving hisbor her best at a traditional rendition as condescending.   I do see throwing away the score and substituting something completely different as very narcissistic.   Imagine Inserting a spectacular and  inspiring performance of something from Rent into Carmen.  It may be an artistically perfect rendition,  but it's out of place. 

 

57 minutes ago, Ozark Huckleberry said:

Either missing my point, or misrepresenting it. 

 

I must be missing it, just as you seem to be missing my point.   

 

Again,  I'm not denying that her version, with a score that pays a loose homage to our National Anthem was a marvelous artistic piece. But I think it was as out of place as a temperance speaker at a Superbowl kegger. 

[Blackwater 53393]

THIS  is perhaps one of the best, most heartfelt representations  our National Anthem that I ever heard or saw!!

 

True to the score!

 

True to the meter!

 

No chewed vowels!

 

No rambling around for the note!

 

As a performance at a concert or on stage as a show of musical or instrumental expertise, even Jimi Hendrix’s Woodstock performance is perfectly acceptable, (and I, for one, enjoy hearing it and appreciate it) but for the traditional opening of some public event, this should be a model for “HOW IT’S DONE”!!

 

 

[J.D. Daily]

On 7/19/2024 at 9:00 AM, Crooked River Pete, SASS 43485 said:

I think the Republican party is trying to ditch that "red neck , country bumpkin" image ,( ironic since they nominated a self professed "hillbilly" for vice pres)  a country act would have enhanced that image among some demographics.

What type of act is Lee Grenwood?

[Crooked River Pete, SASS 43485]

I've never heard of him.