Fans at the Chicago Cubs home opener on Friday afternoon were treated to a spectacular rendition of the national anthem that left onlookers stunned.
Hearing the Star-Spangled Banner at a sporting event is no rarity, but it is unusual to see the singer go rogue during the tradition.
On most occasions that is bad news, but John Vincent had everyone in attendance speechless for all the right reasons this time.
Incredibly, he held a note for a mind-boggling 25 seconds, before receiving a rapturous round of applause as a military plane performed a flyover.
The stirring rendition occurred ahead of the Cubs’ game against the San Diego Padres, which they went on to win 3-1, ending their opponents’ 7-0 run to start the year.
While the result turned heads around the country, it was Vincent’s pregame performance that sparked the most headlines – and led people to realize that he has previous for doing a similar thing.
John Vincent was on the mic for a rousing rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner on Friday
The New York Times previously reported that the Cubs singer held the last note in ‘the land of the free’ for 21.1 seconds – but he appears to have further improved that record on Friday.
Social media users clocked him in at just over 25 seconds, sparking a huge outpouring of emotion and national pride.
‘USA! USA!’ was the simple response of one viewer, while another added: ‘Goosebumps!’
A third wrote: ‘Land of the free!!! LFG!!!’
The players lined up to listen to Vincent hold the same note for a remarkable 25 seconds
A U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules flew over the ballpark just as Vincent reached his final line
One other fan put forward a theory as to the reason for such an elongated note.
In a reply to the clip, they suggested that the flyover might have been delayed, leading to Vincent holding the note as long as possible in a bid to give the pilot time to get over the stadium during the anthem.
‘Brilliant move recognizing the aircraft wasn’t overhead yet, much respect & super cool,’ he added.
