I’m sure if I say the phrase “Worst National Anthem Performances,” we as a society can all agree upon a common handful of the country’s worst renditions.
And at the top of the list for many people, even if you can’t remember her name, is Ingrid Andress’ July 2024 performance at the MLB Home Run Derby— aka that one time the country music singer got absolutely obliterated and attempted to sing the Star-Spangled Banner. While the anthem is infamously one of THE hardest songs to pull off (unless you’re Chris Stapleton, of course), unfortunately for Andress, who showed up to Globe Life Field drunk, fate was not on her side.
Andress did end up checking into a rehab facility shortly after the debacle, releasing a statement on her social media that very plainly admitted her faults, saying: “I’m not gonna bullsh*t y’all, I was drunk last night. I’m checking myself into a facility today to get the help I need.” and adding, “I apologize to MLB, all the fans, and this country I love so much for that rendition. I’ll let y’all know how rehab is; I hear it’s super fun.”
Despite the vulnerable and slightly humor-filled apology, that didn’t stop the internet from absolutely ripping the mega-viral clip to shreds— hence why it will forever be cemented in history as a moment we’ll all remember anytime someone attempts to take a swing at the patriotic ballad.
While the situation certainly gave Indress a lingering bad rep, luckily she’s come out of the experience over two years later with a more than positive attitude. During a recent episode of the Girls In Low Places Podcast, host Katie Atkin delved into the scorned memory (because how can you not touch on it) but admirably approached it with sympathy and extended her understanding of the tough situation.
As for Andress, at this point in her life she just laughed the whole thing off, admitting, “it’s funny to me now.” She added that at least the moment was a good eye-opening experience, very bluntly noting, “That was the first time that I didn’t care. Like I walked out there not caring about how it was going to go. And that’s what scared me and what made me check into rehab.”
She continued, “I care so much about my performance and to get to a place mentally where I was like, I don’t care was what scared me.” Truth be told, if you can go out in front of a crowd of thousands of fans and take on the beast that is the national anthem without a lick of fear in your body…you’re either a sociopath or, in Andress’ case, sh*t-faced drunk.
In a positive light, she was able to turn her nightmare come true into a war medal, stating that it’s helped her look at life with a carefree attitude. “It almost freed me in a way to where I was like, ‘Oh, I’ve already been humiliated like to the most people ever, it’s only gonna be great from here.'”
Adding on, she claimed, “Now I can be whatever I want, and it doesn’t matter if people like it or not…I needed to see that you can absolutely mess up so badly and that the world isn’t over.” For those wondering as well, she explained that her faulty vocals weren’t just from the liquid courage but also a product of her inebriated state, forcing her to miss the pitch cue that was in her headset.
Now, do I think this is your sign to go out into the world, get absolutely hammered, and hope you go viral for something less than ideal? No, definitely not.
But I do think, in some strange way, there’s a lesson we can all take from the viral catastrophe of 2024. Even if you try something and fail, or end up humiliated in ways you never could’ve imagined, there’s still a light at the end of the tunnel and a lesson learned that someday you can laugh about.
Watch the full episode below: