Comments on: Keep Our Indy Pre-Race Ceremonies Sacred

By: Paul Hudson

Paul Hudson — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 02:20:51 +0000

I couldn’t figure out why they had someone who is not American sing our national anthem (maybe Seal has become one and I just don’t know it). I was on pit road when all 3 performers arrived. An older lady (50-ish) came up to Seal and asked for an autograph and picture. He absolutely went off on her. Threatened to kick her *&% , told her how she was disrespecting him, etc… I and 2 other pit officials stood there in shock to what we saw and heard. I thought about confronting him but didn’t want to get booted. During the race he was in a suite with some friends of mine. I commented what a jerk he was and they said he was AWFUL in the suite. His bodyguards were extremely rude and intimidating. Let’s have real Americans sing our anthem in a respectful way
PS. I was also disgusted how he was dressed.

By: J.P.

J.P. — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 21:47:57 +0000

I tear up every year when Jim Nabors sings Back Home Again In Indiana. We should play a recorded rendition of it when he departs. As to the National Anthem, it should be sung “straight”, NO DEVIATION, and is offensive otherwise!

By: DZ

DZ — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:31:52 +0000

“I was always much happier when ABC brought me 40 minutes of interviews and features leading up to the 20 minutes of official ceremony, when they turned the program over to the PA system and the late great Mr. Carnegie.”

100% agree w you on this! It’s almost as if the TV coverage has now dictated the pacing of the pre-race with 2 minute breaks between the events. I remember maybe 1995 or 1996 being the last year that the annoucers got out of the way and covered everything including the Chaplain’s prayer, etc. It was the last time the TV audience could experience the actual green flag build-up. I assume Paul Page had everything to do with that.

By: DZ

DZ — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:25:28 +0000

I’m 100% w you on this one Adam and very glad to hear someone 20 years my junior say those things. I’ve been going since 1988 with the very same feelings that come up every year. It’s the highlight of my whole 500 trip and, for me, officially signals the start of summer.

By: The Lapper

The Lapper — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 22:50:48 +0000

If you don’t have the pre-race festivities then cancel the race.

By: JohnMc

JohnMc — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 17:47:02 +0000

Excellent.

By: JohnMc

JohnMc — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 02:20:59 +0000

When the National Anthem is sung with emotion then my emotions get boiling and some times I let it rip a joyous shout when the words “land of the free..” are sung and I vigorously start clapping. Bringing those emotions out in my is how I like the National Anthem sung and a good singer never has to have an instrument of any kind accompany them.

By: JohnMc

JohnMc — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 02:11:41 +0000

The pre-race pagentry is something that is as much a part of the Indianapolis 500 as the awarding of the Borg-Warner Trophy and a bottle of milk. Someone will replace Jim nabors and someone will oneday replace Indiana’s very own Florence Henderson with God Bless America, but as for our National Anthem, maybe we should have someone special sing it and stay with that person as well.

Now, as for the singing of our National Anthem, I think it is something that should be song as it is intended. It is too pretty to have someone like Christine Aguilarra or Justin Timberlack hiccup through it (as for Miss A’s miscue at the Super Bowl, hey, she is Christine Aguilarra and she has NO EXCUSE. She is SUPPOSED to get it right!). I like hearing the Anthems beauty performed with emotion and sung by someone who knows that it is the song itself and not them. Great singers know that it is always about the song. Sinatra was good at that.

In Chicago, the screaming at the Blackhawks games goes back to 1991 when we were in the Persian Gulf war and the fans at the NHL All Star Game could not contain their emotions about how much they loved this country. The singer then was Chicago Cubs announcer, Wayne Messmer, who sings the Anthem at Wrigley Field throughout the year. In those days he was the Blackhawks singer. Messmer’s performance of the Anthem is always finished with his trademark flourish on the final word “Brave” in which he forcefully flips the “r” and sings the word on the same pitch as the Anthem is begun. Enjoy it:

By: JHall14

JHall14 — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 01:03:55 +0000

Pre-Race ceremonies @ Indy, well no other sporting event has or will ever match them. Television has tried to ruin it with all the breaks/commercials. It always flowed so easy and it crescendoed up from the “Anthem” to “Taps” to “Back Home Again in Indiana” to “Gentlemen,Start Your Engines”. All Indy needs to do is take back it’s Pre-Race ceremonies from TV, and all the worlds will align again.52nd straight year and looking forward to it and many more.

By: Mike Rice

Mike Rice — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 21:34:29 +0000

As evidenced by whatshername at the Super Bowl…

Joe Walsh sang the National Anthem at the LBGP one year, and while Joe doesn’t exactly qualify as a crooner, at least he didn’t try to give it a Steven Tyler “flair”. He did it with some evidence of reverence, for lack of a better word. I was pleasantly surprised…after kinda holding my breath when he started to sing.

I agree with pretty much all of the comments here about the traditions at the Speedway. They were a part of what made it feel so much more special than “just another race”. I also agree with ditching the performances by the not-ready-for-BigStar-status bands.