Bay Area's Best National Anthems
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – The sports world seems to roll out the very best when it comes to the national anthem sung before a playoff contest or an All-Star Game.
Few who watched and listened to Whitney Houston's epic rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Super Bowl XXV will forget it. America was at war in the Middle East and patriotism was at its height.
The flyover, the moment, the voice – it was perfect storm of red, white and blue.
What brought Houston's stirring rendition to mind this week were two anthems sung before the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup playoffs in the Bay Area.
Local rock legends Carlos Santana and Metallica both created memorable moments with instrumental versions of the song.
It began at the Warriors-Cavs game on Sunday when Carlos Santana and his wife – acclaimed drummer -- Cindy Blackman-Santana walked onto the court.
Santana moved to the Bay Area as a young boy and his music has been woven into the fabric of San Francisco's Mission District for decades.
Not to be outdone, Bay Area hard rock legends Metallica's James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett stepped onto the ice a day later and rocked out at "The Shark Tank" before Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the San Jose Sharks and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Somewhere in rock heaven Jimi Hendrix must have been smiling. For some in the crowd at both games were of the Woodstock generation and remember the first rock rendition of the song.
There have been others in the past.
Few will forget Jose Feliciano's unique version of the anthem sung before Game 1 of the NLCS between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012.
And no band was more associated with a Bay Area sports team than Marin's Huey Lewis and the News were to the San Francisco 49ers in the 1980s and 1990s.
The team rolled them out for the anthem before several key playoff contests during their dynastic run.
The San Francisco Giants also had the band sing before a 1987 NLCS game.
The last stop on this stroll down the Bay Sports history memory lane also took place at a Giants game.
It was before Jerry Garcia's death in 1995. Three members of the iconic Grateful Dead – Garcia, Bob Weir and Vince Welnick -- walked onto Candlestick Park before a Giants game.
So give them all a listen and we dare you to pick a favorite.
