Did anyone else just hear Gladys Knight perform a jazzy, soulful version of The Star Spangled Banner before the season-opening Monday Night Football? NOT trying to start a debate about the US National Anthem, or whether artists should take license to deviate from a "traditional" arrangement. Personally I enjoyed the performance, and it sounds like Ms. Knight still has a great set of pipes. I'm posting this in the G.A. Forum because of the ACCOMPANIMENT! It ooked like the keyboard accompanist on the field next to her was playing a Hammond porta-B. But to my novice ears, the results SOUNDED like an arranger backing! If you didn't see it live, fire up your search engines my peeps, and tell me what you think...!

I didn’t see it Ted, but now I’m intrigued. Can you post a link?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoAfGlitH3A&ab_channel=Sundance%2799

Love Gladys Knight, HATED that performance (especially the arrangement). For some reason, I'm a purist when it comes to the National Anthem. I'm sure there are some non-traditional arrangements or performances that I MIGHT like, but when you 'throw it open' for anybody to interpret, you nevee know what you'll get (a sterling performance OR a cringe-worthy abomination). Just my opinion, though. I prefer a 'traditional' arrangement done by an artist with the range and talent to perform it in a traditional manner. I mostly like 'military band' type arrangements. Like I said, just my opinion (only valid for me).

chas

Tough to tell from that cam rip what’s going on with the accompaniment. Sounds like the organist is playing to a track, but it’s all swamped far enough to be hard to know what…

But if anything, I think it illustrates what I find myself saying here time after time. You need to be ‘within’ the mix, not completely on top of it. Swamp your backing like this did, and you completely lose its groove, its whole meaning.

Either the backing matters, and matters as much as YOU, or it doesn’t matter and you shouldn’t have a backing track. In a real band, that ‘backing’ is real people, great musicians, each of whom deserves as much sonic space as you do. Don’t treat your auto accompaniment, whether it’s styles, sequences or audio tracks as any less important than you are…

Or you end up with something like that MNF mess..!

I'm a traditionalist too when it comes to the Anthem. This was OK and not as far out as some. Gladys can still sing but I wish we could of heard more of the keyboard. Had to use a track as the song has subtle tempo changes.

Yes, the backing was way too low, but maybe only a musician would notice. Glad to see Glady's Knight is still performing and I'd say it was a pretty solid performance and nice arrangement too.