‘Worst’ anthem performance ever? Fans are conflicted

A rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” at a Baltimore Orioles home game is being debated as possibly one of the worst anthem performances of all time.

Before the Orioles hosted the New York Mets at Camden Yards on Thursday, fans were introduced to “Baltimore electronic musician Dan Deacon.”

The Baltimore-based recording artist is not an unknown musician. He has over 160,000 monthly listeners on the streaming service Spotify and has had music featured in movies like “Venom.”

Nevertheless, Deacon’s pregame performance has audiences split over whether what they experienced was new-age art or ear-piercing noise.

‘I think the Orioles have officially hit rock bottom.’

The performance initially caught fire on an Orioles fan’s X page, which has now racked up over 1.5 million views.

“I think the Orioles have officially hit rock bottom,” the fan wrote in a caption, with the video of Deacon’s version of the song attached.

With oversize glasses and a Hawaiian shirt draped over a Baltimore Orioles T-shirt, Deacon raised his hand to the sky and delivered one of the most divisive — and electronic — anthem performances of all time.

The Orioles mascot was shown standing at attention behind Deacon before the camera panned to the mixed reactions in the crowd. Saluting police officers were juxtaposed with likely former military members saluting from their seats. Other fans, adults and children alike, are seen laughing. Some attendees appeared confused but still sang along with the anthem.

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Buck Britton, the Orioles’ interim third base coach, looked the most puzzled during the performance, seemingly looking around for answers as to what he was experiencing.

The internet was split; some hated Deacon’s digitized anthem, while others loved its uniqueness.

“WTF is this?” one sports page on X wrote. “National anthem singer Dan Deacon labeled a ‘disgrace to America’ after bizarre rendition at Orioles game.”

Another viewer on X wrote, “Worst national anthem in recent memory.”

Oppositely, one X user said, “I wanted to hate it, but I didn’t.”

One of Deacon’s fans chimed in on X and added, “It doesn’t need to be Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey wannabes every night” singing the anthem.

“At least it’s not in Spanish,” another viewer wrote on X, tagging the Los Angeles Dodgers team in the post. This was likely in reference to singer Nezza singing the anthem in Spanish at Dodger Stadium in June, despite being told by Dodgers staff not to.

The artist later cried in a video posted to TikTok, where she expressed that she did not understand why it was so controversial, despite admitting the performance was in response to raids on illegal immigrants in California.

Almost exactly a year ago, singer Ingrid Andress performed at the MLB’s Home Run Derby in what was deemed a horrible performance, with the singer later apologizing and admitting she was drunk.

She told fans the next day she was immediately headed to rehab.

“It only took, you know, global humiliation for me to be like, ‘This is a problem,'” Andress explained.

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  Ingrid Andress sings the national anthem prior to the 2024 T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Globe Life Field on Monday, July 15, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Perhaps Deacon was the Orioles’ good luck charm, though; the struggling team won both games of their doubleheader that day against the Mets, 3-1 and then 7-3.

For fans in search of national anthem performances similar to Deacon’s, look no further than Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. The guitarist delivered an equally, if not more, off-brand electronic performance of the anthem at a Los Angeles Lakers home game in 2016.

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