National Football League fans on US soil expressed strong disapproval of the performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" by the band Infinity Song prior to the 49ers-Rams game held in Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday evening. The New York-based soft rock group's rendition of the American national anthem ahead of the kickoff at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was met with a barrage of criticism on social media platforms.
Many viewers took to X, formerly Twitter, to voice their discontent. Comments included questions like "Is this the worst version of the US national anthem ever??" and declarations such as "This might be the worst performance of a National Anthem ever holy s***." Another user stated, "These people sound terrible singing the national anthem!"
IMAGE1:
Following Infinity Song's performance, singer Cody Simpson performed the Australian national anthem. This performance garnered significant praise from the same online audience. "Dude who sang the Australian national anthem smoked the boots off the American national anthem rendition," one fan commented. Another added, "Based on National Anthem performances, its 1-0 Australia. Come on NFL you could have represented the U.S. better than that!"
Infinity Song is an American band consisting of siblings Abraham, Angel, Israel, and Momo Boyd. The group has released three albums under the record label Roc Nation. Their performance occurred shortly after another widely criticized rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" during the NFL's season opener. Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready's wordless guitar performance before the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots game also faced backlash, with some fans deeming it "disrespectful."