Didn’t hear or see it, don’t care about Urethra Franklin.
BUT, I do agree that the best anthem performances are traditional versions.
I remember, back during her heyday, Linda Ronstadt (who I loved at the time) sang the anthem straight up, just like we sing it (only good).
My one exception would be the version by Jose Feliciano . While a YUGE departure from the traditional, I still think it was great. At the time, I was in the military and while some mildly objected, most were fine with it.
1968 World Series Game 5, Jose Feliciano - 2 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQkY2UFBUb4
Linda Ronstadt, The National Anthem 1977. 2 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MbkSrK5spM
Thanks for getting me to look those up!
Yeah, but Jose set the precedent, and it went downhill from there.