Pink nailed the National Anthem even though she was battling the flu

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The flu season has been especially bad and especially deadly this year. There have been several prominent celebrities who have come down with the 2018 Death Flu already, and apparently Pink is one of them. She was feeling like ten kinds of hell, but she still had a gig at the Super Bowl. No, she wasn’t the Half-Time act – I wish – but she was scheduled to perform the National Anthem. She went out there with a throat lozenge (or gum?) and did it.

I thought she did fine – she made the Anthem her own but didn’t make it sound too avant-garde. You could also sort of tell that she didn’t feel great, and that her voice wasn’t 100%. I mean, Pink’s voice at 80% is still much better than most people, and I think she gets a lot of credit for not canceling the gig even though she was so sick.

As for her outfit, she wore silk separates from Ben Taverniti Unravel Project and Fronay earrings. She looked good! I like that she wore palazzo pants.

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45 Responses to “Pink nailed the National Anthem even though she was battling the flu”

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  1. Backwards says:

    The throat lozenge bit made me smile.

  2. Seraphina says:

    I think she did a great job, but I also remember Whitney Houston singing the national anthem and that Diva NAILED it. She set the bar high.

    My hats off to Pink who despite her flu did a great job and did her job. I think she should have asked for a cup of tea afterwards 🤪

    • Nicole says:

      No one tops the Whitney anthem and no one has beat the MJ halftime for me. Pinnacles of amazing talent.

      • Alexandria says:

        Agreed. Closest to Whitney was Jennifer Hudson and closest to Micheal was Prince IMHO.

      • Nicole says:

        Agreed

      • Milla says:

        Houston was the voice. Despite everything she never lost het voice. I don’t think many can compare.

        I don’t agree about Jackson. You can guess why.

        I watched Prince again this morning. He was a force. Btw my fave performance was mtb awards in 1991 or 1992. Yellow jumpsuit and bare butt. He somehow looked soooo cool.

    • Otaku Fairy says:

      True. She did a pretty good job though.

    • Morning Coffee says:

      Yes, but Whitney didn’t sing that live. Pink did. With the flu.

      • Kym says:

        That’s a good point.
        I wasn’t even aware of that fact until a few years ago.

      • Seraphina says:

        Morning Coffee, I wasn’t aware of that. If that is the case, no wonder WH looked so comfortable and was evening looking around when she sang. I thought it was due to her voice being on point. Good to know that was dubbed.

        So of course I checked, and I’m editting my comment. Thanks for the clarification. Either Way Pink nailed it with the flu. My hats off to her. And now I know not to hold that bar so high since Whitney prerecorded 😱

  3. Nicole says:

    I wish Pink had been the halftime act but maybe they will consider her in the coming years.
    People always sleep on Pink and her immense talent but I’ve been a fan since she came onto the scene.

    • Jker says:

      Nicole: I agree completely! I just love her, the best in her peer group IMHO.

      • Lucy2 says:

        I think so too- she always got overshadowed by Britney and Christina and all, but she’s really made the best music and has the most enduring career.
        I thought she did really well on the anthem, and I’m amazed she was able to do it with the flu.

    • Nicole says:

      Agreed. She was always overshadowed but she has the better voice and the better music. I love that she never wanted to be like Britney, Jessica or Christina. And that message came at a good time for me as a tween. Also her music is real and she’s talked about some real things.
      I continue to be a huge fan.

      • elimaeby says:

        Same here. The Mizundastood album gave teenage me life and made me feel understood (oddly) in the Britney/Christina era.

      • megs283 says:

        Agreed, ladies! I remember driving around and blasting Don’t Let Me Get Me. I’m still a big fan of her music (current and vintage), 18 years later.

    • Millenial says:

      Yeah, her career is kind of amazing. She’s never been the “it” singer of any particular era, but she’s also been steadily churning out hits since 2000 — 18 years! That’s impressive.

    • Christin says:

      I like her music and was impressed with her version (especially considering she wasn’t feeling well).

      She doesn’t seem to pull stunts to stay in the spotlight, so more power to her. Hopefully she’ll have a longer, more steady career than her flashier peers.

    • Abbess Tansy says:

      I agree as well, love her and her music for years.

  4. LittleWing says:

    She sounded great!

  5. BendyWendy says:

    I didn’t find her spitting out a lozenge on camera endearing. I thought it was gross and unprofessional.

    While I think she did a great job, she missed a note on “land of the free.” It was painful. Overall, very nice.

  6. Margo S. says:

    My five year old son was hospitalized last week with this flu. I have what pink has, we both had no voice Saturday! And we both have young kids that basically lick the floor and rub snot in our eye balls…. Seriously everyone, wash your hands, and if you get sick, stay home and stay hydrated!!!!!

  7. Lizzie says:

    i wonder if she had to change the key changes b/c of her flu? but i also wish people would just…sing it w/out all the extra embellishment. the song is already over the top dramatic for a vocalist – just sing it.

    • Kristen820 says:

      The Anthem is SUCH a difficult song for vocalists! Props to her for performing, even though she wasn’t at 100% and undoubtedly was feeling like 50 Shades of s**t!

  8. Lindy says:

    I love her. She did a great job and she’s always been one of my favorites.

  9. thaisajs says:

    I thought she was a little flat in spots, which was unusual for her. Didn’t realize she was battling the flu. Hope she’s feeling better soon!

    • Tallia says:

      Thank you for saying this! I agree. I respect that she sang live, even her idol, Whitney’s version was recorded, but if you feel sick, maybe don’t sing? I can’t imagine what it must be lie to try to sing this song at this level not feeling 100%. No one would have been upset with her if she couldn’t sing. The flu is no joke.

  10. Bonzo says:

    With the worst flu season in a decade, there’s no way I’d be kissing that trophy after all those hands and lips been on it, the way the Eagles players were!

  11. HoustonGrl says:

    She was flat in some parts and had a hard time with the high note. But, she did pretty well considering she was sick! But OH MY GOD Leslie Odom made me cry.

  12. AdaRose says:

    I think Pink is a great artist. I also think it’s incredibly rude to go out in public when you have the flu. It’s so contagious. I don’t know if she didn’t want to back out or contractually couldn’t. Several people will likely get sick now.

  13. Cathryn says:

    Let me preface this by saying I love Pink. After the show I was talking to two friends who are nurses and they were upset by her being lauded for performing with the flu. They were quite upset and I know their jobs have been very stressful lately with the epidemic. I live in an area where children are dying of the flu and I have a 3 year old and people are just working through being very, very ill because they don’t want to lose their job or whatever. I’m kind of tired of a moral association being placed on working through the pain. She is fantastic but if she was cleared by a doctor as 100% not contagious, I think she should say that… just a tweet or something, so people understand that the flu is serious.

  14. Lo says:

    Cathryn, agreed. It’s frustrating and irresponsible.

  15. homeslice says:

    I doubt she had the flu…probably a bad cold. Also, FB friends were at the Super Bowl this weekend saw her in concert Friday night?? If she was “so sick” how could she pull off this amazing feat?? She had a cold, the show went on…geesh.

    • Myhairisfullofsecrets says:

      I thought the exact same thing! There is no way in hell she had the flu. I had strep throat (not the same thing but close enough) a couple of years ago and had to be carried in and out the urgent care clinic. I call bs on this flu business.

      • Shasha says:

        Not everyone responds the same way though. I had (diagnosed) strep twice in a row a few years ago and didn’t have to be carried anywhere, I did everything in my normal life, just with an extreme sore throat. And when I got meds they kicked in very fast.

    • Tiffany :) says:

      Oh come on! “The Flu” has several stages. She might not have been in the worst part of it, but was perhaps dealing with the lingering impact. You don’t go from puking your guts out and a high fever to 100% normal the very next day.

    • Miss Melissa says:

      I know she 100% had the flu. She struggled through the rehearsal on Friday and was a champ about it.

      Yes, I was there.

  16. Tiffany :) says:

    I think she did a great job. I’m kind of sad we didn’t get to hear her at full strength.

    I LOVE her earrings. I’m really captivated by that funky star shape.

  17. Ash says:

    I agree abt the flu. I am so paranoid as a mom of a young child that brings me home all of the germs from gross school. Kids are dying. I’m wondering how she tried to prevent others from getting it. Other than that I don’t like her music, not my thing, but she’s incredibly talented and love her. I used to watch some sort of reality show with her husband on it and they were adorable. Her kids are so freaking cute. Cute fam. That’s all I got!

  18. Ozogirl says:

    Besides one bad note, she did fantastic considering she was sick! I found it a little tacky that she removed her gum (or cough drop?) right before beginning though LOL

    I hope she does half time next year…she will kill it!!!

  19. holly hobby says:

    I think toward the end the music overpowered her but she is a whole lot better than some people. However no one can touch Whitney Houston’s version. I literally cried when I heard Whitney sing the national anthem.