The national anthem is always sung before a game. It is a show of unity. One of solidarity. That even though opposing teams will be competing, they are still one and share the same country. It’s about national pride.
Therefore, it follows that the singing of the national anthem is a very important moment. It’s huge! And the singer will be posted on social media. So it had better be good!
Stand and be proud!
Nashville had one of the best ones. They had Vince Gill and his two daughters, Jenny and Corrina, sing the Star Spangled Banner before an ice hockey game. Way cooler than that ice!
Vince is a country singer, songwriter and can play a variety of musical instruments. What makes him stand out is that voice. The man is an amazing vocalist and has been sought by other artists for duets and collaborations.
Take it away, Gills!
The Nashville Predators and their fans are on their feet, team colors dominating the stadium as the announcer introduces Vince and his daughters. Dad and his two girls are all smiles, proudly wearing the Predators’ colors. Home team!
No background music needed. Vince starts it off with that trademark smoothness he is so known for.
“O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming,”
Jenny joins in, blending her voice beautifully with her father’s.
Sing it with pride!
The crowd seemed mesmerized, until they realized that they too had to join in and sing. So they join Corrina, as she takes her turn with her father’s singing.
“Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
O’er the ramparts we watch’d were so gallantly streaming?”
Check out the stars and stripes effect on that ice. Cool stuff!
It was an amateur poet and lawyer named Francis Scott Key who was responsible for the anthem. He saw the flag waving over Fort McHenry one early September morning after taking heavy fire from British naval forces. He scribbled the words on the back of a letter.
Key completed the other verses and made multiple copies in the process. Two Baltimore newspapers published it until the song spread in cities up and down the east coast. There are more stanzas actually.
Take it away, girls!
Jenny and Corrina soon take over the anthem with dad providing backup vocals. It’s obvious they’ve inherited dad’s talents. These two girls can sing! And what better way to show it than by singing the anthem on live TV?
“And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,”
Even the athletes are visibly moved!
For pride and glory!
The fans are cheering now, the love for motherland filling the place as the girls sing the last two lines. Wave it high!
“O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?”
Awesome.
Vince and his daughters did Nashville proud. And to make the moment even better, Nashville native Brandt Snedeker, American pro golfer and ice hockey fan came out to present Vince with a trophy. What a special evening!
