Patti LaBelle left viewers divided after her unconventional rendition of the U.S. national anthem at Tuesday's MLB All-Star Game.
The 82-year-old soul singer stepped up to the mound to perform the “Star-Spangled Banner” at the 96th Midsummer Classic in front of a packed crowd at Citizens Bank Park in her hometown of Philadelphia.
However, LaBelle appeared to miss some lyrics and take some creative liberties with parts of the song, which did not go down well with fans on social media.
“Patti LaBelle is one of our greatest singers, however why people think they have to add their own twist to the National Anthem boggles my mind. Leave it alone. It was not meant to be sung with runs or ‘making it your own,’” one person on X argued after the performance.
“How about that horrible rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by Patti LaBelle at the MLB ASG,” added another.
“My poor ears. They exorcising demons out there in Philly,” wrote a third.
“I’m sorry but the decision to have Patti LaBelle sing the National Anthem to open tonight’s MLB All Star Game was embarrassing and insulting. Her rendition was terrible,” a fourth raged.
Others leapt to LaBelle’s defence, with one person writing: “Omg all these horrible replies! The woman is 82!! Let’s hear you at 82!!!”
“Y’all she’s in her ‘80s sounding and looking better than anybody,” another echoed.
It’s not the first time LaBelle has struggled in front of a live audience.
During the 2023 BET Awards, LaBelle took to the stage to pay tribute to “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll” Tina Turner — who had died earlier that year — performing her 1989 hit, “(Simply) the Best.”
However, she then forgot the words mid-performance, humming the tune before telling the crowd, “Whatever, I can’t see the words... I’m trying, y’all.”
Nevertheless, LaBelle powered through to the end of her performance with the crowd singing along, concluding by saying, “God bless you, Tina Turner, BET, hip-hop!”
A BET spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter of the snafu at the time: “It was an extraordinary privilege to celebrate the life and legacy of Ms. Tina Turner at BET Awards 2023. Having the incomparable Ms. Patti LaBelle on our stage honoring one of her contemporaries was an equal privilege. Due to the crowd’s enthusiasm, the teleprompter was obstructed, obscuring Ms. LaBelle’s view of the lyrics. Nonetheless, we couldn’t be more grateful to Ms. LaBelle for lending her incredible talent to this moment.”
