What happens when a crowd which always sings the national anthem together before the start of prep sporting events doesn’t have a soundtrack of the Star Spangled Banner to sing to? Eventually they sing the song anyway, as the touching video you see below proves.
As reported by USA Today, the Rocky River (Ohio) Lutheran West High crowd sang the Star Spangled Banner as a cohesive group before the start of a boys basketball game against Cleveland-area rival Columbia Station (Ohio) High. Yet, unlike all the times that came before, the recorded instrumental version of the Banner that traditionally plays behind the crowd’s song didn’t start playing.
After waiting for the music to start, one brave Lutheran West fan finally took the plunge, launching into the anthem on his own. Right on cue, the rest of the crowd joined in, creating a rather impressive display of everyday patriotism.
Was the impromptu Star Spangled Banner the best in Lutheran West’s history? Almost surely not. Still, it may have been one of the more heart warming turns through the familiar refrains in the Cleveland area.
Perhaps they can even pass on using the background music in the future, not out of necessity, but the sheer desire for some more solid a capella.
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