Aaron Lewis, the lead singer of the band Staind, performed the Star-Spangled Banner before Game 5 of the World Series on Sunday night. It did not go well.
Lewis screwed up the words to the national anthem, singing the line “were so gallantly streaming” twice. He’s not the first person to mess up the national anthem at a major sporting event. In fact, the same thing happened during the World Series last year.
Lewis apologized in a statement after the game.
“All I can say is I’m sorry and ask for the Nation’s forgiveness,” he wrote on his website. “My nerves got the best of me and I am completely torn up about what happened. America is the greatest country in the world. The Star-Spangled Banner means so much to so many, including myself. I hope everyone can understand the intensity of the situation and my true intent of this performance. I hope that the Nation, Major League Baseball and the many fans of our national pastime can forgive me.”
Now for the best part. As Deadspin pointed out, Lewis went on a rant a few years back about artists like Christina Aguilera who put their own spin on the Star-Spangled Banner. He went all “show our country’s song the respect it deserves.” Here’s the rant, which contains some NSFW language.
Aaron Lewis officially owns the foot-in-mouth game.
