Rachel Platten Brings Viewers, and Herself, to Tears
The singer wowed onlookers with ‘Fight Song’ and The National Anthem before Monday Night Football
On Monday Night we were treated to a very special performance, and it wasn’t by the Minnesota Vikings as they were dominated by the Los Angeles Rams 27-9. It was in the cards that the Rams would win as all of LA, and most of the country, was supporting the team due to the devastation that was happening in their hometown via the wildfires. The true joy was what happened prior to the opening kickoff and that was cause by Rachel Platten.
The last time I wrote about a pre-event singer it was during the Major league Baseball All-Star game back in July, and I was reporting on that because it was an absolute trainwreck. To quote that article:
“Last night we may have crowned a new Majesty of Awful Anthem’s. One to take down all the others. Ingrid Andress’s rendition was riddled with vocal strain, scratchy notes and her pitch was all over the place, to say the very least. Hearing the crowd’s ‘ooh’s’ when Andress failed to reach any of the higher notes in ‘Flag was still there’ should be enough blowback one might need that they shouldn’t keep trying to reach that plateau. However, she did try it one more time in ‘Land of the free’ and it sounds so bad that I was wanting to hear nailed running down a chalkboard so that I could get a reprieve from this jarring sound. I wanted to mute the television at one point, but the rubber necking part of me, that longs to see the car crash, wouldn’t allow it. Even Philadelphia Phillies All-Star, Alec Bohm, couldn’t keep a straight face. He could be seen trying to politely hold back his laughter, but that was an impossible task. By the end, the crowd seemed to be stunned by what they had heard and offered little applause. Unlike the uproar one would normally hear after the singing of the national anthem.”
Full article here: ‘Oh Say Can’t We Hear”
This time I was delighted and nearly moved to tears as Rachel Platten sat down at a piano in front of 65,000 people in Arizona and sang her most popular hit ‘Fight Song’. The game was originally scheduled to be played in LA, but due to the blazes the event was moved to Glendale. While she began to sing, a 200-foot “L.A. Together” banner dropped down onto the sideline and became not only her backdrop, but a symbol of hope to the many victimized by this terrible force or nature. She sang with raw emotion and passion, and it was hard not to get goosebumps as she stood from her original seated positional, banged on the keys with gut wrenching devotion, and vocally belted her opus that defines overcoming adversity. The power of this performance was breath taking and for a short time filled the nation with joy and hope.
Retired Rams superstar and Super Bowl champion Andrew Whitworth, who spent five years with the team after 11 with the Cincinnati Bengals, also addressed the crowd live inside State Farm Stadium with a special message to those suffering in Los Angeles.
“For the past week, our Los Angeles region has been ravaged by catastrophic wildfires,” said Whitworth to the stadium and viewers watching at home. “Over 150,00 people have been evacuated. Our friends and our neighbors have lost homes, and entire communities have been devastated, and there’s still more work to do. The courage and bravery of our firefighters and first responders prove that real-life heroes live among us. But I believe in the people of Los Angeles. We are strong! We will not be defined by this devastation. We will rebuild L.A. — hand in hand, together. For as long as it takes and whatever it takes, we will build it together.”
I thought it was over, and the hype had been built, and it was time for another NFC Wild Card Playoff game. It was then that Platten returned to the field to present her rendition of our National Anthem. She sang a no-frills version of the song that was endearing and classy. It wasn’t about her, her look, or her singing abilities but rather a performance of elegance. She honored the intention of the song as it was written, and it was spectacular to truly say the least. As the 43-year-old songstress sang this touching rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, Los Angeles’ NFL players, Matthew Stafford and Cooper Cupp were also moved by the moment. The cameras panned in, and you could see the two Pro Bowlers welling up with tears. The singer-songwriter, whose home is also affected by the fires, was too caught breaking down into waterworks as the final note of the Star-Spangled Banner rang out around State Farm Stadium.