Singer Loomis botches the performance of the national anthem and asks for a repeat performance

Another day, another botched attempt to perform the national anthem.

Loomis, a singer with 78 monthly listeners on Spotify, was invited to sing “The Star Spangled Banner” at a presidential debate for third-party candidates on Thursday night. The event, hosted by the Free & Equal Election Foundation, got off to a rocky start with a number of unfortunate technical difficulties.

At the start of the two-and-a-half-hour livestream, Loomis can be seen dancing awkwardly in front of the three debaters – Chase Oliver of the Libertarian Party, Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party and Randall Terry of the Constitution Party – seemingly unaware that the broadcast had begun.

Before host Christina Tobin had a chance to introduce Loomis, the event broadcast incomprehensible backstage chatter, prompting the singer to loudly whisper on her cue, “Tell me when!” Tobin then began her introduction, with no lighting or close-ups to accompany her remarks, making it difficult to determine where her voice was coming from on stage.

These awkward logistical failures set the stage for Loomis’ performance – which is entirely serviceable until he overcomes the biggest hurdle in Francis Scott Key’s tune “And the Rockets’ Red Glare.” After failing to hit the usual high note on “Red Glare,” the singer immediately realized her mistake and said, “I messed up. I screwed up. Can I go back, can I go back please?”

Unfortunately, Loomis was unable to return as an offscreen voice informed her that the event would be broadcast live. She then launched into “The bombs exploded in the air” and interjected, “I got too nervous!” after he missed an ambitious vocal run on “Air.”

The rest of the performance went without any significant problems – aside from a few dodgy notes, Loomis maintained her confidence and composure for the remainder of the song. However, she didn’t quite know how to exit the stage gracefully as she began to walk away from the camera, then paused for a moment to think for herself before continuing in the same direction.

“Thank you Loomis, that was beautiful,” Tobin said after the performance. “I’m glad you came here tonight.”

Part of the performance made the rounds in a viral TikTok comparing the singer’s rendition to Fergie’s disastrous version of the song from the 2018 NBA All-Star Game. For my money, it’s more akin to Carl Lewis’ performance of the national anthem at a game between the Chicago Bulls and New Jersey Nets in 1993 – surprisingly solid for most of the song, with a few noticeable hints punctuated by immediate recognition of the singer Mistake.

Sign in Entertainment Weekly Free daily newsletter with breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars and more.

Loomis’ full performance of the national anthem can be viewed at the beginning of the debate video above.