UPDATE: In the wake of the backlash to her performance, Andress revealed on social media that she was drunk and is “checking [herself] into a facility today to get the help [she] need[s].” “That was not me last night. I apologize to MLB, all the fans, and this country I love so much for that rendition,” she wrote. We wish her luck on her recovery.
There’s no other way to say it: Ingrid Andress—the country singer you may or may not know from songs like “More Hearts Than Mine” and “Wishful Drinking”—gave a godawful performance of The Star Spangled Banner last night. It might not have been Fergie bad (feel free to debate that one in the comments), but it certainly joins the un-hallowed halls of performances like Carl Lewis’ and Roseanne Barr’s.
Andress’ choices during the MLB Home Run Derby last night were, um, let’s go with “interesting.” “The bombs bursting in air” sounded more like they were bursting underwater and then drowning, “Oh say does that star spangled banner” was hardly intelligible at all, and the vocal flip during “ramparts” proved that it’s really only Chappell Roan who should be doing those right now. It’s a pretty brutal watch.
But there’s more than enough hatred and misery in the world right now already, and you all have ears and could have come to any of the above conclusions yourself. So instead of dunking on Andress even more, let’s instead take some time to celebrate the positives here. God knows we need them.
- First of all, this certainly brought the country together. Star Spangled Banner haters, schadenfreude enjoyers, and even Fergie herself were all given a rare and precious gift last night. There’s nothing like a new W.O.A.T. to unite a divided nation.
- The baseball players on the sidelines gave a genuine masterclass in straight-faced acting. If Saturday Night Live is ever looking for more unbreakable extras, this group should be their first stop.
- Speaking of SNL, we’ll never complain about an excuse to revisit one of Maya Rudolph’s greatest ever sketches. Long live Pamela Bell.