15 times the scene rocked sporting events

15 times the scene rocked sporting events

To the scene, “The Anthem” often refers to the Good Charlotte track (or even the Dashboard Confessional one), but in sports, that phrasing typically refers to “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Sometimes these worlds collide, however, giving us Alex Gaskarth a cappella at an Orioles game and Paramore dancing at a Predators conference final. From performances to appearances, head below for several moments where the scene rocked out at sporting events.

1. Alex Gaskarth (All Time Low)

All Time Low wrapped up their spring 2015 Future Hearts tour in their hometown of Baltimore. While home, the pop-punk act headed to an Orioles game where frontman Alex Gaskarth gave his take on the national anthem. This was neither the first nor last time the band was involved with Major League Baseball as they previously performed several tracks on the MLBFanCave.com concert series in 2012, and most recently offered up an acoustic rendition of “Good Times” on the MLB Network’s MLB Central this past June.

2. Machine Gun Kelly

MGK and Cleveland often go hand in hand with the rapper never shying away from repping his town. That pride extends to sports where MGK has developed a relationship with the Cleveland Cavaliers that began in the 2010-2011 season when the team’s DJ, Steph Floss, began playing more of his music during games. This eventually led to him striking up a friendship with owner Dan Gilbert and being invited to the 2013 NBA draft lottery. Fast-forward to 2016 where MGK performed on (and off) a float at the victory parade following the team’s NBA Championship win. He entertained fellow fans again in May 2017 at Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals where he spit a medley of “Go For Broke” from his then newly released third LP, bloom, and the anthemic “Till I Die.”

3. Metallica

James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett brought out their guitars for a truly electric performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Game 5 of the 2015 NBA Finals. The Californians each repped Golden State Warriors gear as the team prepared to face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The band revealed they like to support their hometown teams, which is why they agreed to perform.

4. Travis Barker (Blink-182)

WrestleMania is a huge event in WWE, and Travis Barker joined several others as the musical entertainment for the 2015 installment. While Barker wasn’t there to play Blink tracks, he did offer up the beat for Skylar Grey and Kid Ink. The trio put together a medley of David Guetta’s “Rise” (which features Grey and was chosen as the event’s official theme song) and Kid Ink’s “Money And The Power.” Both artists had asked Barker to join them, which he delightfully accepted to help out his friends, but also because he has been a wrestling fan since he was a kid.

5. John Nolan (Taking Back Sunday)

New York Mets fan and Taking Back Sunday guitarist/vocalist John Nolan melded his two loves of baseball and music back in 2014. The musician was invited on the field where he performed his a cappella rendition of “God Bless America.” While he described the experience as “one of the coolest things [he’s] ever done,” he also detailed a fear of not wanting to mess it up.

6. Paramore

Paramore call Nashville, Tennessee, home, so it’s no surprise the trio wound up at a 2017 Western Conference second round game where the Predators were facing off against the St. Louis Blues. The announcer introduced the pop-rock act who were decked out head-to-toe in Preds gear as they did their best to pump up the crowd to DMX’s “Party Up (Up In Here).” As the team progressed further into the Stanley Cup playoffs, Paramore became one of many familiar faces to pop up in an arena, which also included Kings Of Leon, Kelly Clarkson, power couple Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman, Carrie Underwood (who is married to captain Mike Fisher) and more.

7. Joey Belladonna (Anthrax)

In September 2016, Anthrax’s Joey Belladonna took to the field at a Chicago Cubs game to offer his rendition of the national anthem. Later that year, Belladonna appeared at the Chicago Bulls’ ‘80s night to perform the anthem from center court.

8. Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy celebrated 2015’s Opening Day of their hometown Chicago Cubs by performing “Centuries” from the center of Wrigley Field. Pete Wentz revealed the band used to pass out fliers for their shows after games, so being able to perform there “has been a lifetime dream.” Frontman Patrick Stump later belted out the national anthem for Game 3 of the 2016 World Series, and the band will return to play a full set at the stadium in September of this year.

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9. Aaron Lewis (Staind)

Staind frontman Aaron Lewis was tapped to perform the national anthem at Game 5 of the 2014 World Series. The vocalist got off to a good start before shuffling around some lyrics. Later, Lewis released an apology, citing nerves and “the intensity of the situation.”

10. Red Hot Chili Peppers

Bruno Mars began his Super Bowl XLVIII halftime performance with a children’s choir and a drum solo before rattling through a medley of hits. Three songs in, Mars and his band launched into Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Give It Away” as the alt-act made a surprise cameo behind him. While Mars’ overall set received mostly praise, RHCP were met with mixed reviews that stemmed from the band’s guitars not being plugged in and accusations they were faking it. Bassist Flea posted a letter to the band’s official site, revealing they were indeed miming the instrumental performance behind frontman Anthony Kiedis’ live vocals. The request was made by the NFL as to avoid any potential sound issues that could stem from the short time frame they had to set up, and Flea revealed they “would do it all the same way again.”

11. Forever The Sickest Kids

Forever The Sickest Kids’ Jonathan Cook, Caleb Turman and Austin Bello appeared at a face-off between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012 to harmonize their take on “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The trio’s contribution came as no surprise when it was announced a few months later that the band partnered with the NFL to tackle the theme song for their animated Nickelodeon series, NFL Rush Zone: Season Of The Guardians.

12. My Chemical Romance

If you thought “Teenagers” was the only time you’d see cheerleaders dancing to MCR, then you were sorely mistaken. The band embarked on The World Contamination Tour in 2010 in support of their final record, Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys. While in the midst of the European leg, they headed to London’s Wembley Stadium to serve as the pre-game entertainment for the NFL Pepsi Max International Series between the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos. The band pumped out “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)” and “Welcome To The Black Parade” with the help of a synchronized routine from the 49ers cheerleaders and a contribution from the team’s drumline.

13. We The Kings

In 2011, We The Kings became involved with the New England Patriots through performing concerts inside Gillette Stadium and its neighboring Patriot Place shopping center as well as filming segments for the team’s web series. Frontman Travis Clark also took to the field for his version of the national anthem that same year. Clark went on to perform the anthem for several other teams including the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2012 and the Orlando Magic in 2017.

14. Ian Farmer (Modern Baseball)

In the summer of 2016, Modern Baseball embarked on a headliner with support from Joyce Manor and Thin Lips. The trek ended in Tampa, Florida, but before the band hit the stage for the final show, bassist Ian Farmer set out to throw the first pitch at a Tampa Bay Rays game. The band posted it in drama-inducing slow motion as seen above.

BONUS: Tyler Joseph (Twenty One Pilots)

This one happened before Twenty One Pilots officially formed, but frontman Tyler Joseph and former bassist Nick Thomas nailed this rendition of the national anthem at their high school’s senior night basketball game.