(Half of) Umphrey’s McGee sings the National Anthem at Wrigley [The Floor]
As Wayne Messmer, the Cubs PA announcer, belted out “Chicago’s very own, Umphrey’s McGee,” we beamed with pride, only to be surprised moments later as he told everyone in the stadium and on TV that we would be singing “God Bless America” before the anthem.
Oops. Insert deer in headlights moment. We were unaware of the GBA performance and we certainly hadn’t rehearsed it. Brendan and I looked at each other and he said under his breath, “Uh……Anthem?” I agreed and passed it on to Kris and Vince on my right. Full speed ahead, we dove right into the anthem and sang our hearts out. Of course, this was also the first time that we were aired on national TV….three men down but certainly not out. From the responses we got as we headed back up toward our seats, it seems we represented the Cubs and Umphrey’s quite well.
