Jewel’s performance of the national anthem at the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday received mixed reviews. While some race fans at Indianapolis Motor Speedway cheered for her soulful rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, others were not impressed. The 49-year-old singer-songwriter wore a white outfit, a checkered-flag bandana, and played an acoustic guitar as F-16 Vipers flew overhead. Social media comments reflected varying opinions about her performance.

.@jeweljk sings the national anthem at the greatest spectacle in racing. 🇺🇸 #Indy500

📺: NBC and @peacock pic.twitter.com/rpjuG1o2dk

— INDYCAR on NBC (@IndyCaronNBC) May 28, 2023

“This is the perfect example of how not to do the national anthem. It was to the point of being disrespectful,” said “Jacob,” a Twitter user and “huge Nascar fan.”

“I’m sorry, but the National Anthem should NEVER, be changed up like this. Good artist, bad choice!” said another user, responding to a clip of the performance.

A third chimed in, saying, “she did a great job butchering the National Anthem and even kept her hat on — wow.”

“As a former Navy musician, who has played and sung this song easily over 1,000 times in various settings, tha answer on this very loose rendition is a Hard Pass,” said a fourth Twitter user. “Love Jewel — but the anthem isn’t a 90s pop ballad.”

On the other hand, there were some who thought that it was great

“I don’t understand what was terrible about it there have been a lot worse,” said one Twitter user.

Rock musician Ted Nugent seemed to like the performance, tweeting that it was “f***in beautiful.”

“I will agree that Jewel sang the National Anthem much better than some others I’ve heard,” said a third. “But this is a song that should stand alone and be sung as it was originally created. This song represents so much more than the start of sports. It represents all of the blood, sweat, tears and lives of our military personnel given to keep our country free to enjoy those sports. Please honor them by singing this song as it was originally created. This is the one song in this country that people do not need to try to improve or impress others with by singing it in their own style.”

I can honestly understand both the points from both sides. The Star-Spangled Banner is something that is revered in our country, and it should be sung the proper way. We don’t want a cover song. We want the comfort of our national anthem. On the other hand, I know that many people who are musically inclined can see the beauty and artistic nuance in singing it in a particular way. Which way do you prefer?

Sources:
Daily Wire