There was no singer standing at the microphone.
Not a single word of “The Star-Spangled Banner” was performed from the field.
Instead, as Kansas and Arizona State prepared to play thousands of miles from home at London’s Wembley Stadium, guitarist Paige Blake stepped forward with an electric guitar and delivered an instrumental National Anthem unlike the traditional pregame performance many fans expected.
But something remarkable happened inside the stadium.
With Blake providing the melody, thousands of Americans in the crowd supplied the missing words themselves.
Their voices grew so loud that at moments they appeared to overpower the guitar.
For some watching from home, it was a stirring sight.
For others, the unconventional performance immediately sparked debate.
A Very Different National Anthem At Wembley
Xem bài viết này trên Instagram
Kansas and Arizona State met Saturday, September 19, for the inaugural Union Jack Classic in London, bringing a Big 12 matchup to one of the world’s most recognizable stadiums.
The international game offered both college football programs a rare opportunity to compete outside the United States.
Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham had described the chance to play at Wembley Stadium as “special.”
Even before kickoff, however, one of the afternoon’s biggest talking points was already unfolding.
Blake took on the National Anthem without singing.
The Los Angeles-based blues and rock guitarist instead allowed her electric guitar to carry the familiar melody from beginning to end.
The Crowd Became The Singer
Xem bài viết này trên Instagram
Removing the vocals created an unexpected opening for the Americans packed inside Wembley.
They filled it.
As Blake played, fans began singing the anthem themselves.
Rather than listening to a solo vocalist lead them through the song, the crowd effectively became part of the performance.
Tens of thousands of voices could be heard joining the instrumental arrangement, and at certain points their singing became more prominent than Blake’s guitar.
For a game being staged across the Atlantic, the moment offered a striking image: American college football fans standing inside one of England’s most famous sporting venues and singing their National Anthem together.
But outside Wembley, reactions were far less unified.
Viewers Were Divided
Xem bài viết này trên Instagram
Once clips of the performance circulated, social media users began debating Blake’s approach.
Some questioned why the National Anthem had been presented in such an unconventional way and were unconvinced by the decision to eliminate a traditional vocal performance.
Others saw exactly the opposite.
They praised Blake’s musicianship and viewed the electric-guitar arrangement as a creative way of interpreting a song Americans have heard performed countless times.
The unusual rendition also prompted comparisons to one of the most famous guitar performances of the anthem in music history.
Fans Heard Echoes Of Jimi Hendrix
Some viewers immediately thought of Jimi Hendrix.
Hendrix famously performed an instrumental electric-guitar interpretation of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” making the guitar itself the voice of the anthem.
The timing of Blake’s Wembley appearance made the comparison particularly noticeable for some fans.
The game took place one day after the anniversary of Hendrix’s death, leading several viewers to wonder whether Blake’s performance was intended as a nod to the legendary guitarist.
Blake was announced for the Union Jack Classic performance on August 21.
According to her website, she is a Los Angeles-based blues and rock guitarist — making the decision to approach the anthem through her instrument consistent with her musical background.
One Performance, Two Very Different Reactions
National Anthem performances frequently become memorable because of a spectacular vocal run, an emotional delivery or an unexpected mistake.
This one stood out for an entirely different reason.
The voice most people expected to hear simply wasn’t there.
Blake’s guitar carried the melody while the spectators inside Wembley supplied the lyrics.
That choice produced two very different experiences.
Inside the stadium, thousands of fans were singing together.
Outside it, viewers were debating whether the anthem needed such an unconventional treatment at all.
Yet perhaps that contrast is exactly why the performance attracted so much attention.
Blake didn’t attempt to reproduce the familiar pregame formula.
She removed one of its most recognizable elements — the singer — and left an electric guitar and an enormous crowd to do the rest.
Some fans loved the creative interpretation.
Others wanted the tradition left alone.
But inside Wembley, when no vocalist sang the words, thousands of Americans instinctively did.
And for a few minutes in London, the National Anthem didn’t belong to one voice at center stage — it belonged to the entire stadium.
