Eric Burton’s woeful performance was widely criticized online
Burton fluffed his lines at the big game on Friday. © Mary DeCicco / MLB Photos via Getty Images
American singer Eric Burton struck the wrong chord with baseball fans when he flunked a performance of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ before Game 1 of the World Series in Texas on Friday night.
Burton took to the field at Minute Maid Park in downtown Houston as the Astros prepared to take on Philadelphia in the MLB showpiece, with the players proudly lining up while a giant American flag was unfurled.
But problems began for the Black Pumas band leader – who is a six-time Grammy nominee – when he sang “streaming” instead of “gleaming” in the second line of the anthem.
Burton, 33, then picked things up correctly with the next line – “Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight” – but things went downhill again as he bungled the next part of the verse.
Instead of singing “O’er the ramparts we watch’d were so gallantly streaming?” Burton repeated “What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last streaming.”
Burton at least managed to close out the anthem correctly, but the singer had already hit a bum note with fans online.
“Eric might be a six-time Grammy nominee… but that performance didn’t stream so gallantly over the ramparts of the Minute Maid,” tweeted politician Steve Womack, a member of the House of Representatives.
“I don’t know who Eric Burton is but I also don’t think he knows what the anthem is either,” joked another Twitter user.
“There’s a reason he’s only a [Grammy] nominee, what a horrible performance,” read another dig at the singer.
“Someone tell Eric Burton to learn the lyrics to the national anthem before you sing it before Game 1 of the World Series,” came a similar barb.
Some attempted to defend Burton, with one comment reading: “Yeah, he erred. Big deal. He honored the rest very, very well… and sang most of it strong and beautiful.”
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Once the game got underway it proved immensely more entertaining than Burton’s anthem efforts, as the Phillies stunned the home crowd by overturning a five-run deficit to win 6-5 in extra innings.
The second game of the best-of-seven series takes place in Houston on Saturday night.
