Again, what Mac said. We've all screwed up. Hearing my live shows, I wonder sometimes how I stand letting myself be heard in public after some of the clinkers I've "nailed".

But the National Anthem at the Super Bowl? The novelty there is not hearing a new arrangement (such as Uncle Bonsai's hilarious doo-wop version), or a new rendition -- it's hearing a noted vocalist wrap his or her pipes around something everyone knows, something everyone expects to sing along with.

For the kind of money and exposure she got, there is a simple mantra: Make sure you've got it nailed, do it, take a bow, get offstage. Maybe a little vocal flair, such as the former WWE announcer Lilian Garcia, who can nail the high octave on the final "Land of the free-EEE". But Get It Done.

Best,
Tom Smith
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