Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for BET)
One thing about Tyrese Gibson: he knows how to entertain a crowd! So, it’s no surprise that his latest performance is pulling in hundreds of reactions across social media platforms. The singer went viral overnight after tapping into his inner Marvin Gaye, from the beard to the vocals, to sing the National Anthem at an NFL pre-season game.
Gibson had football fans gagged on Sunday (August 11) when he stepped onto the SoFi Stadium field to perform ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’
The most obvious change folks noted involved the singer’s physical appearance. He had traded his usual bald head, clean-shaven look for a full beard and low cut.
Meanwhile, on his body, he wore a black-and-white patterned, long-sleeved shirt, black vest, and black slacks. He topped the switch-up with a dark-colored beanie.
While his mic was definitely ON, Tyrese Gibson spiced up his rendition of the National Anthem with some vocal fluctuations and a lil’ bop!
As his performance went viral, Tyrese took to Instagram with an up-close look at his new facial and head hair. It turns out that the surprising growth was nothing more than a lil’ lace front magic!
The singer also addressed negative feedback about his performance. Additionally, Gibson hinted that Marvin Gaye inspired his rendition of the NFL game transition.
“Thank you….You’re always welcome here….respectfully I don’t really know if I agree…Few bad notes? Mheeeee that’s an open mic for you….God is the greatest we live in the best country in the world and I really, really tried. #MarvinGayeAnthemLALakers”
A second trending clip shows Tyrese Gibson hyping up the crowdduring his vocals. He says, “If you love your country, make some noise right now,” and the crowd respondswith cheers. Swipe below to see the clip.
On Monday (August 12), hemade additional statements about his performance. Gibson dedicated the performance to his late mother and further explained Marvin Gaye’s influence on it.
“Singing the anthem in FULL costume from my WILDFLOWER MOVIE dedicated to my beloved mother RIP. [ trailer dropping today ] – Marvin Gaye sung the most legendary rendition of the national anthem exactly NEXT DOOR to the newly built SOFI ARENA at the GREAT WESTERN FORUM at a lakers game. So why not??? Few bad notes, yikes but my heart was full for LA, and my heart was full for our county”
Tyrese Gibson isn’t the only one who recently got mixed reactions to a National Anthem performance. Social media dragged Ingrid Andress in July after she performed at the Major League Baseballs Home Run Derby.
Folks online didn’t hold back in their comparisons of her performance to Fergie’s in 2018, which was dubbed one of the worst ever. The country singer later reacted to the criticisms by explaining what caused her to fumble and providing the major life change the performance inspired.
