Ok Dads....Tell me if I overstepped my bounds here....I sent an E-mail to Michigan International Speedway about the horrible rendition of the national anthem for the NASCAR race on Sunday...this is what I wrote....
To whom it may concern:
I am writing this letter to inform you of my displeasure for the person that was selected to sing the National Anthem at the recent NASCAR race held on August 15, 2010. How are the singers selected? Is there no screening process? This individual was hardly able to get through the song and sounded as though he was intoxicated while he was singing. It was totally disrespectful. It is a song meant to be sang with the highest respect and regard for our nation and the troops who are putting their lives on the line daily so that we and others can live in freedom. It was not sung in the manner today. I hope that in the future you will have higher standards in the selection of singers to perform our national anthem.
Thank You
and this is what I got in return.....
Thank you for your feedback. Were sorry we disappointed you and did not meet your expectations with the National Anthem.
Jared Weeks, the lead singer for the band, Saving Abel, has previously performed the Anthem at a NASCAR Sprint Cup Se...ries event and received rave reviews. He and the band had performed a free concert for our fans the night before and prior to that, had played two consecutive nights. In hindsight, his voice was shot and he was not up to his normal standards. He, perhaps, should have bowed out, but the reality is that he was so very excited to sing the Anthem that he felt like he could muster the strength.
As bad as I feel that we disappointed you, I have to say that I am just as disappointed that you imply MIS and Jared are somehow unpatriotic or dont love our country. Mistakes happen. That does not mean that they were intentional. In fact, if you research Saving Abel (Google Saving Abel Iraq Tour), you will find that their new CD was written after they toured Iraq and Afghanistan, visiting with US troops. The CD is a tribute to the soldiers.
I will also point out, that MIS became the third largest city in the State of Michigan yesterday with over 100,000 guests who had a wonderful and a safe experience and enjoyed a great race. There are so very many moving parts and pieces that can go wrong during an event of this magnitude, many of which could be far more serious than a young man who loves his country, to have missed your, and perhaps his own, expectation of the Anthem.
I have never claimed that MIS is perfect and I will reiterate that even though we bust our tails everyday to try and be so for our fans, we never will be. So please accept our apology, but with that said, I think that this incident needs to be put into perspective.
Thanks,
Roger Curtis
President
Michigan International Speedway