Billy Joel...Hang it up PLEASE...

[GeorgeG]

Billy Joel was pitifully off pitch, especially in the beginning.

Prince was using a wireless mic and wireless guitar pack. They run on 9 volt batteries and have no direct connection to the amlifiers.

 

[Micca]

I thought Billy was fine. It was not stellar, but it was fine. I think the Prince half time was pre-recorded and he was lip synching. I remember hearing before that all the half time performers lip synch. I thought he was pretty cool and he is underrated as a guitarist.

 

[DawnA401]

I hate to say it but Billy Joel needed to be in a bar. His rendition was really bad. He should stick to what he does best, and that wasn't it.

 

[Mermaid02]

I thought it was fine. It's a wretched song to sing- so they say.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

I didn't see it last night so I just downloaded it off youtube. Granted it wasn't the best rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner, but it wasn't hideous either.

I lost it when they showed the soldiers in Baghdad (I believe), then lost it again when they showed Marlee Matlin signing.

Ohhhhhh, I think I need to go back to bed.

 

[Tiziminchac]

What are you all talking about?

 

[goofy4tink]

That is your opinion, it's not fact Dawn. I'm a trained musician and he did NOT change keys, he DID hit the high notes and he DID add his own trademark style to it. Perhaps you are not familiar with Billy Joel. Maybe you could treat us to your own rendition? I loved the flyover, didn't you?

You're absolutely right!!! He sang it the way it was intended to be sung, without all that other 'stuff' added to it. For crying out loud, it's our country's national anthem. It doesn't need all the, as someone else so succinctly put it, 'vocal gymnastics'!
My dh said he thought Billy Joel sounded funny. I told him to close his eyes and imagine it was just a normal joe singing it.....what did he thing then. He told me he thought it was just average, no great voice at all. And there, my friends, lies the issue. Billy Joel is a great showman, but vocally, he is not stellar. He sang it the right way, he was not off pitch, he hit the high notes...he just doesn't have a terrific voice. I'm glad he did it the way he did....when someone asked him how he was going to sing it, he told them "I'm going to just play the piano and sing it, as written, nothing more." For the life of me, I can't figure out why so many artists feel the national anthen needs improving on, why they have to bring their 'style' to it.

 

[TLHB70]

Whitney Houston...now anything she sings, including her rendition of the national anthem, makes me want to claw my eyes out. She just screeches and I despise 'vocal gymnastics.'

I totally agree.

I can't stand when any singer does the "vocal gymnastics"!!!!!!!!

 

[Fitswimmer]

You're absolutely right!!! He sang it the way it was intended to be sung, without all that other 'stuff' added to it. For crying out loud, it's our country's national anthem. It doesn't need all the, as someone else so succinctly put it, 'vocal gymnastics'!
My dh said he thought Billy Joel sounded funny. I told him to close his eyes and imagine it was just a normal joe singing it.....what did he thing then. He told me he thought it was just average, no great voice at all. And there, my friends, lies the issue. Billy Joel is a great showman, but vocally, he is not stellar. He sang it the right way, he was not off pitch, he hit the high notes...he just doesn't have a terrific voice. I'm glad he did it the way he did....when someone asked him how he was going to sing it, he told them "I'm going to just play the piano and sing it, as written, nothing more." For the life of me, I can't figure out why so many artists feel the national anthen needs improving on, why they have to bring their 'style' to it.

He did it the same way he did it when I saw him play Yankee Stadium. He just plays the song and sings it-in a key that allows normal people to sing along. I thought that was the point, that the anthem is to be sung by all who attend, not by the "star". Some of the folks that have sung it at events like this seemed to be more interested in showing off rather than leading the crowd.

 

[TLHB70]

He did it the same way he did it when I saw him play Yankee Stadium. He just plays the song and sings it-in a key that allows normal people to sing along. I thought that was the point, that the anthem is to be sung by all who attend, not by the "star". Some of the folks that have sung it at events like this seemed to be more interested in showing off rather than leading the crowd.

 

[Christine]

I'm not a Billy Joel fan AT ALL. I don't hate him by any means but I'm just not a fan. But, I think he did a find job. It sounded JUST LIKE Billy Joel singing the National Anthem in *his* style of singing.

Honestly, I'm fairly tired of some of these "divas" getting up there and sounding like screeching cats.

 

[Kewz1]

THAT was Billy Joel?? Ugh. I heard the end of it and thought it was terrible. I was wondering who it was but my 10yo didn't catch the name. I wish I had had my tv on mute.

I did love the fly over though.

Kristen

 

[cardaway]

That's not just his style IMO. He was very bad, even for Billy.

 

[LuvDuke]

I didn't think it was bad. I thought it was very much in his style--stripped down NY bar jazz.

He is the piano man.

 

[Michelina]

People on YouTube are saying they used something called auto tune, some sort of computerized pitch correcter? That might explain why he sounded kind of weird.

 

[imsorry]

I thought Billy Joel sounded terrible

I loved Prince in his babushka! I cracked up when I saw that - he was great. I loved when he started doing Jimi Hendrix - he is a great guitar player.

 

[welovedisneyx4]

I thought Billy Joel was o.k., but he just doesn't have the right voice and style to sing the National Anthem to sound really good. I was just glad he kept it simple and in-line, nothing weird.

I think Whitney's version is good, but I like Cher's the best!

I enjoyed Prince's halftime show, nothing totally out of this world, but pretty darn good to me.

 

[pooh17]

Billy Joel was terrible.

He *used* to be one of my favorites, but saw him in concert last year and it was by far the worst concert I've attended. Biggest waste of $85 I've ever spent. He needs to hang it up.

 

[imsorry]

Billy Joel was terrible.

He *used* to be one of my favorites, but saw him in concert last year and it was by far the worst concert I've attended. Biggest waste of $85 I've ever spent. He needs to hang it up.

What a shame - I saw him at the Garden way back around 1980 (yes, I'm old!) and he was fantastic!

Sometimes you have to know when to retire (see below )

 

[Daxx]

While I didn't think that Billy Joel was the best, I certainly didn't think he was the worst!

I give him credit for singing and playing the song .. and doing so in the rain! When was the last time someone played the song as well as accompany it!? And, I give Billy Joel credit for keeping it original. At least he didn't add any "extras" to his performance and stuck to the traditional singing of the Nat'l. Anthem. I hate when artists add vocal gymnastics (a term that another poster used that is so eloquent) that just don't belong there. It's not an opera, it's not a screech fest, etc.

Yes, Whitney Houston sang the anthem the best. No doubt about that. Do you think she could do it again today!?