... at the opening of the NBA Playoff game today. Very bluesy, but tasteful. No vocal.

Here is the video

Years ago, a Japanese music teacher played their national anthem in a Jazz style. He was locked up in jail for that.

I wanted to add that many a time I end my gig at retirement centers with the Star Spangled Banner, God Bless America, or other patriotic songs. I find folks in their 90s the most patriotic. Probably because they have gone through it all; victory gardens, women assemlying airplanes, and all that. I often say to anybody if it wasn't for the US, we would be speaking two languages today; German and Japanese. Don't mean to be political, but it is still the same way today around the world probably more so than ever before....

My standard closing song for NH/AL venues is "God Bless America" ...

When I was doing them I generally closed with "I'll Fly Away", but this is Bible Belt country!

I thought I heard something strange the first time I listened to the vid so I just listened again ... I wonder why he played the first verse twice? ... I don't think I've ever heard that done ...

The Star Spangled Banner takes a fair bit of vocal range. I've heard it ruined on many occasions - notably at sporting events. O Canada is lot easier, thank goodness - though I've heard some manglings of it from time to time, too.

I noticed that too. I think he just made a mistake and started the verse again instead of the chorus, then he HAD to play it again.

One of my biggest performance thrills was singing the national anthem at a Phillies/Mets game at Vet stadium in 1984. Patriotic, humbling, terrifying, and EXCITING!
(there's a snippet here:
www.daveboydmusic.com
go to "music" then look for the videos - it's the "musical life" one.