12/26/24
April 16, 2011
Entire Soccer Crowd Sings National Anthem: At the team's first-ever home Major League Soccer game Thursday, thousands of Portland Timbers fans sang the National Anthem. "Clear your throats," said a preparatory blog post on the Timbers Army site. "Drink warm tea with honey. ... Learn the words." The anthem was popular with everyone but Bob Ryan, who said on ESPN's Around the Horn that it was a "big civic joke."
That's not bad. Now if they can do that during the game, seemingly spontaneous, then we've really got something.
....but it's the first home game. I dig.
posted by Mobley at 05:19 PM on April 16, 2011
Bob Ryan is a walking, talking Brittanica who is eventually going to die by forgetting to breathe during a rant. He is the spiritual descendant of the ornery old elevated subway track that once ran still runs past the front of the original Boston Garden.
There, fixed that for ya.
posted by Howard_T at 05:32 PM on April 16, 2011
That's fun, and to me it's a better way of fulfilling the obligation year-round than bringing in G-listers to do the warble, by taking away a lot of the pomposity that seems to accompany it. Though it also shows how those high notes are a beast.
posted by etagloh at 06:07 PM on April 16, 2011
Thanks, Howard. Geez, I thought that line got re-routed as part of the Big Dig.
posted by beaverboard at 07:10 PM on April 16, 2011
I'm with etagloh. I'd rather listen to my own and my neighbors' best efforts at just belting out the National Anthem, than some impresario's latest discovery reinterpret it. The Timbers' fans' rendition was great, and I bet they do this at every game. Good for them and may they inspire others.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 07:52 PM on April 16, 2011
Either have someone who REALLY knows how to sing a national anthem, or let the crowd do it.
Just make sure whoever does it, can do it right.
posted by grum@work at 08:59 PM on April 16, 2011
If Timber Joey is down on the playing surface sawing logs that were cut when the sap was high, he's giving a whole new meaning to the term "pitch".
Bob Ryan is a walking, talking Brittanica who is eventually going to die by forgetting to breathe during a rant. He is the spiritual descendant of the ornery old elevated subway track that once ran past the front of the original Boston Garden.