At 74, music legend Aretha Franklin can still deliver a rapturous performance — and put a unique twist on a classic song. Prior to the Detroit Lions-Minnesota Vikings Thanksgiving showdown at Detroit’s Ford Field on Thursday (Nov. 24), Franklin played an inspired, highly extended version of The Star-Spangled Banner.
Sporting a fuzzy Lions cap in support of the hometown team, Franklin was seated behind a grand piano and sang for approximately 4 minutes and 35 seconds. Nearly 70 years after her family moved to Detroit when she was a little girl, Franklin earned cheers from the Lions fans — and a fair mix of praise and snark from viewers sounding off on Twitter.
Shocked that people are criticizing Aretha Franklin’s rendition of the National Anthem. I thought it was gorgeous. https://t.co/W2Njby5oqJ
— Charles T. Downey (@ionarts) November 24, 2016
What did you think of Aretha’s jazzed-up national anthem? Sound off in the comments below.