Oct 252010
 

Well, it’s late October. Leaves are turning, temperatures are diving, and the best Halloween costumes are long gone from the shelves of stores across the country (looks like it’s “homeless guy” for me again this year). For many, this all amounts to just one thing: the baseball playoffs. But as the Giants and Rangers get ready to square off in the World Series, it may seem like there’s little excitement in it for those of us unfortunate enough to call ourselves Dodgers, Mariners, or, worst of all, Yankees fans.

Music fans, on the other hand, are having a field day (get it? field day? heh). At last Wednesday’s NLCS game between the Giants and Phillies in San Francisco, Death Cab frontman Ben Gibbard sang the national anthem. As if that wasn’t enough, Gibbard’s wife, She and Him‘s Zooey Deschanel, took on “God Bless America” during the seventh inning stretch. Gibbard and Deschanel – the match made in indie heaven – were a nice lead-in to Phil Lesh and Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, who sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the game the following day. All three of these performances, available for streaming below, are remarkable in their simple beauty.

Meanwhile, at the home opener for the Boston Bruins of the NHL on October 21, Stephen Tyler of Aerosmith howled the national anthem as only he can. Note how he slurs “And the rocket’s red glare” at 1:20. Yuck. Check it out below.

Ben Gibbard – The Star-Spangled Banner

Zooey Deschanel – God Bless America


Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Jeff Pehrson – The Star-Spangled Banner


Steven Tyler – The Star-Spangled Banner


Game #1 of the World Series takes place October 27 in San Francisco.

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