New York High Schooler Goes Viral Shredding “The Star Spangled Banner” Ahead Of Basketball Game

USA! USA! USA! I've always said that the skill I'd most like to have is to be able to absolutely shred on the guitar. As of right now, I can play a couple of chords here and there and string together a song, but I'm light years away from playing the instrument like the 17-year-old in this viral video. Eamonn Hubert is a name that we all might all need to know, if only so we can recognize him when he eventually starts getting asked to do every "Star Spangled Banner" performance across the country. He's a high schooler in the Binghamton, New York area, and he's getting a lot of attention online for a rocking, Jimi Hendrix-esque national anthem performance he laid down ahead of a high school basketball game. The playing of "The Star Spangled Banner" before sporting events is one of my favorite parts about attending games in person. There's nothing better than rising up with your fellow Americans, placing your hand over your heart, and taking in the national anthem as a collective group. For those couple of minutes, there aren't fans of this team and that team... there's only one team: America. Gives me chills every time. So before a basketball game between Johnson City High School and Union-Endicott High School, Eamonn Hubert plugged up his guitar, threw on his school colors, and performed the hell out of "The Star Spangled Banner." He didn't rush through it, yet he also didn't take his time with it either. Pacing wise, it's one of the best national anthems you'll ever hear played on the electric guitar. Is it the best of all time? Well... Chris Stapleton would like a word. That being said, it's definitely up there with some of the best I've heard:

@guitar.familyPrior to Friday night's basketball game between Johnson City and Union-Endicott, Eamonn Hubert performed The Star-Spangled Banner on guitar. Give it a watch and listen 🙂 ♬ original sound - Guitar Family

Now THAT is how you get a crowd fired up and feeling patriotic before a game. And don't even get me started on that little riff Hubert threw in at the very end... chef's kiss. Thanks to the power of social media, the video of his performance is now spreading all over the place. No matter where it pops up, the masses are all having the same reaction: this rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner" is electric (electric guitar pun intended). It's causing people from all over the country to flood the comment sections below the posts with words of affirmation like these: "Made that guitar sing buddy." "This might be the best version I've ever heard. Great tone, articulation, discretion and technique." "Jimi Hendrix & Stevie Ray Vaughan would be proud of your version." "This needs to blow up." "Gave me goose bumps... what a beast. Just perfect." "That was flawlessly delivered. Keep it up dude!" "You nailed it kid! God bless America." Fire up the OG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjzZh6-h9fM&pp=ygUhamltaSBoZW5kcml4IHN0YXIgc3BhbmdsZWQgYmFubmVy