I think the worst are people who think they can sing but can't.

Most people who sing the song faithfully to the notes and do it TIMELY can miss a few notes and no one notices.

It's the people who decide to break out Barry Gibb falsetto with the unnecessary vocal Van Halen solo-esque flourishes that end up being painful.

Worst? Probably Bleeding Gums Murphy's two-hour rendition on The Simpsons.

Best I've heard? Russian exchange student playing the violin at a high school basketball game. She crushed it.

Best anthem moment of all time? Carl Lewis saying "uh oh" midway through is truly a great moment.

I heard one recently during which the singer briefly cleared her throat. Some people around me sort of giggled like she was blowing it. It's humorous that people think it's so easy. It's one thing to sing a song and something totally different to do it in front of thousands (or millions) of people.

I'm in favor of all singers reading the words. Not because they don't know the words. You could have performed it a million times, but you don't know what can go wrong and where your mind will go when you step in the lights.

I agree that violin renditions are the bomb.

Hearing local legend Rocco Scotti in Cleveland Municipal Stadium will never be topped for me as it rekindles images of my youth.  

I'm sure the hockey fans in Chicago hearing the Blackhawk former NHL player and current exec would be up there too but it wasn't something I witnessed.

My 110 and National Guard member son attended US Army basic training at Ft Sill Oklahoma and needed to take off his freshman spring quarter from Ohio to do so.  The base band which normally plays music, including the NA at graduation ceremonies was on their summer block leave.  There were four units graduating and the commander of my son's unit was in charge of planning the ceremony.  The choice was to play recorded music until the commander said, "Don't we have some recruits that said their MO was music, perhaps they could play?" 

My son was chosen to play the NA because he was the only one that could get his instrument because I had not left home to attend when the decision was made.  So we brought him his trombone and after not having a mouthpiece to his lips in 13 weeks he was given a day away from the others to not only get his chops back but to also write the notes out on a hand made sheet of music which needed to be reviewed by the commander.

The auditorium was packed with families and friends of the recruits having traveled from all over the country to see their American Hero become US Army members.  The lights were dimmed and my son's name was announced with home town and as he walked out onto the stage the spot lights and his reflection on the huge rippling Stars and Stripes hanging on the wall behind made his shadow 12 ft tall.  As he banged it out,  I looked around the crowd near me, the proud Asian families, African American families and all the others were standing with right hands on heart listening intently with many tears rolling down cheeks--twas a stirring moment, followed by the HooAhh shoutout by his fellow men in uniform.

NASCAR has some of the worst by far. And to make them worse, they are performed by people that earn a living with professional singing.

But the fall race at Bristol is the best of the year by far, when the driver and crew kids come out and sing it.

The best = Singing Men of Ohio at various Bobcat football and basketball games down through the years. 

     Speaking of "Keeping it in the Family", one of Ohio's all-time top point guards' daughter sang the national anthem before a sparsely attended December game in the Convo several years ago. It might be said that her rendition rivaled Charlie's relative's version. I'll keep the name anonymous in case her dad is a BA lurker.