Indy 500 fans SLAM Jewel for ‘extremely disrespectful’ rendition of the national anthem before race

Indianapolis 500 fans may have thought singer-songwriter Jewel’s version of the national anthem was a bit tone-deaf.

Instead of doing a literal rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the Alaskan-born folk artist created a more nuanced version of the anthem.

On a stage as big as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” the four-time Grammy-nominated artist composed a moving version of the 200-plus-year-old song.

Its style and tone was similar to the national anthem she sang during the 2023 NBA All-Star Game in Utah, where she was born.

Although it was not a complete change from the notes like other versions had, nor was it a horribly sung version, some on social media objected to this rendition of the song.

The 49-year-old was chosen to perform the national anthem in front of the thousands of people present

Many Twitter users criticized Jewel’s performance in Indianapolis on Sunday

On Twitter, the version of the anthem sung received a lot of reactions – with the general consensus being mixed.

That being said, there were a lot of Twitter users upset with the sound of the song.

“She did a great job slaying the national anthem and even kept her hat on – wow,” one person tweeted.

Another said: “You have the honor of singing the national anthem at the biggest racing show, and you decide to rewrite the music?” I’m all for being creative and putting your own ‘personal’ twist on it, but that was way too much!’

“This is the perfect example of how not to do the national anthem,” yet another person wrote. “It was to the point of being disrespectful.”

Folk star Jewel was all smiles before stepping onto the floor to perform her performance

She’s no stranger to singing the anthem at sporting events, having already been chosen to perform at the NBA All-Star Game in February.

Others defended his performance, saying the reaction may have been overdone

The Indy 500 was eventually won by Josef Newgarden, who then doused himself in milk

There were also many people who defended the performance for many reasons.

One user thought the performance was out of place, but said, “I’m a traditionalist who thinks our national anthem should always be sung in it. [sic] original form. However, the render @jeweljk delivered was unique and sounded great.

Another said: ‘Hmm, I expected to hate hearing the commotion. I thought it was a beautiful arrangement and it matched his style. Personally, I never really liked his voice,

Another Twitter user thought the release matched the Memorial Day tone, saying “Wow, people online can really find something to be offended about.” I thought it was a beautiful rendition and I wish everyone a happy Memorial Day weekend as we remember and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the freedom we are so blessed with.