Christopher Jackson mixed up the Star-Spangled Banner at the Mets game, but the “Hamilton” star says he’s human.
“Hamilton” star Christopher Jackson took the mic at Citi Field on Opening Day and forgot where he was singing the Star-Spangled Banner.
The guy who won critical praise as a rapping George Washington on Broadway mixed up his lyrics during the Mets vs. Pirates game on March 26
He caught himself quickly enough, but not before the whole stadium noticed the slip.
Jackson’s been performing the national anthem at major events for years.
He’s got the pipes, the training, and the Broadway credentials to back it up. But something about that moment at Citi Field just didn’t land.
He was supposed to sing “O’er the ramparts we watched,” but instead he looped back to “What so proudly we hailed” from the first verse. The pause was noticeable and his recovery was smooth, but the damage was done.
According to TMZ, Jackson addressed the flub later that day. He didn’t make excuses.
“I’m human,” he said. “Today it was for about 5 seconds and one line got away from me.”
He explained that singing in massive stadiums is a unique challenge, but he’s handled it plenty of times before.
What made this moment sting for some fans was the contrast with his recent performance. Jackson nailed the national anthem at a Knicks game just days earlier, hitting every note clean.
So this wasn’t a skill issue. It was a moment. A five-second brain freeze in front of thousands of people and millions watching online.
The Mets actually won the game, so the anthem flub didn’t curse them like some superstitious fans joked it might.
The Broadway legend has appeared in everything from Disney’s Moana to HBO’s And Just Like That, so a national anthem stumble isn’t going to
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