Super Bowl fans slam 'shameful' and ‘disrespectful’ celebrity moment
Jon Batiste took to the field to perform the Star Spangled Banner at the Super Bowl LIX - but fans weren't impressed.
Super Bowl: Jon Batiste performs the American national anthem
Super Bowl LIX fans branded Jon Batiste’s rendition of the national anthem “shameful” as he took to the field to perform.
Jon sat down with a grand piano to sing a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, after Lauren Daigle and Trombone Shorty performed America the Beautiful at the NFL game.
But fans weren’t happy with the tone set by Batiste as they criticised his “jazzed up” version of the song, and took to social media to fume over the coverage.
One fan fumed: “Sing the national anthem like the national anthem. It’s not a jazz improv song! This is shameful.”
Another echoed: “I think you disrespect the national anthem by trying to jazz it up. Sorry, but not really sorry.” While a third viewer moaned: “This is the worst rendition of the national anthem I've ever heard.”
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Others, however, were loving the track as they said: “Jon Batiste repeating ‘Land of the Free’ to make sure Donald Trump heard!”
Someone else agreed: “Leave it to New Orleans to provide such soulful, jazzy versions of America the Beautiful and the Star Spangled Banner. Just great.”
Another X user said: “Jon Batiste gave us the Louisiana rendition of the national anthem that we all needed. I love it.”
When it came to Kendrick Lamar’s Half Time Show, fans vowed to “boycott” the performance after the rapper wore a crown of thorns and appeared to mock Jesus Christ in a previous gig.
He has been slammed for coming out in support of abortion by right-wing activists, and is known for his political lyrics – controversial as Republican Donald Trump became the first sitting US president in history to attend the Super Bowl.
