Posted by Andrew Unterberger on 01/23/2012 at 11:29 AM Videos

The Popdust Files: aerosmith, national anthem, nfl playoffs, steven tyler, the internet

The combination of Boston having home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs and the recent kickoff of a new American Idol season means that it was pretty much pre-determined that Beantown-bred rocker Steven Tyler would sing the National Anthem at a Patriots game this post-season. The resulting version was about what could be expected from the Aerosmith frontman—a raspy, occasionally stretched vocal that was high on sass and swagger but relatively low on technical proficiency. Natch, The Internet raced to make the most obvious Aerosmith and Idol-related puns to excoriate the performance—as if anyone actually expected Tyler to get up there and sound like Celine Dion.

Maybe it’s just because we’ve spent a considerable amount of time leafing through the worst that the Star-Spangled Banner has had to offer over the years, but we didn’t find Tyler’s rendition all that offensive. You get what you pay for, and if you wanted one of the great icons of Boston rock to represent for the home team, this is what it’s gonna sound like. Otherwise, get Ralph Tresvant or something. And by the way, not like we need to point it out, but in football, Wins and Losses are the only statistic that really matters, and the Patriots did pick up the W, didn’t they? Criticize Tyler all you want—he’s screeching his team all the way to the Super Bowl.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooLOEYgGvcw&feature=player_embedded