Martha Reeves has addressed the criticism surrounding her performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the inaugural Women’s Pro Baseball League game in Springfield, Illinois.
The 85-year-old Motown singer performed alongside two backup vocalists before the Los Angeles Queens faced the New York Heights at Robin Roberts Stadium on August 1.
Video of the anthem quickly circulated online after the singers appeared to struggle with their timing and pitch, while broadcast cameras captured several players and spectators reacting to the performance.
Reeves later acknowledged that the rendition had not gone as she hoped, attributing the difficulties to wet and windy conditions and the absence of stage monitors.
The Performance Drew Immediate Online Criticism
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Reeves and the two accompanying singers moved through the anthem at different tempos and appeared to have difficulty remaining in the same key. Broadcast footage showed several people in the stadium smiling or attempting to suppress laughter.
One clip of the performance received millions of views after being shared on X. Online responses ranged from jokes about the unusual arrangement to criticism of the vocals. Some viewers compared the performance with Fergie’s widely discussed rendition at the 2018 NBA All-Star Game.
Others argued that the reaction overlooked Reeves’ age, the difficult conditions and a career spanning more than six decades. TMZ published footage from the ceremony after the league’s opening game, bringing substantially more attention to a performance originally intended to help celebrate the WPBL’s first season.
Reeves Said She Could Not Hear Herself Properly
Reeves responded to the criticism in a statement issued August 2. “Having just celebrated my 85th birthday, I’ve learned a great deal over more than 60 years of performing live,” she said. She described being selected for the opening ceremony as an honor and emphasized that she wanted to support the athletes participating in the new league.
“It was an incredible honor to be invited to perform at the inaugural Women’s Professional Baseball League event and to help celebrate such a historic moment for women in sports,” Reeves said. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” She then explained the technical and environmental problems she encountered on the field.
“The field conditions were wet and windy, and without stage monitors I wasn’t able to hear myself as I normally would,” she said, according to Entertainment Weekly. “While it wasn’t the performance I had hoped for, I’m grateful to have been there in support of these remarkable athletes and this groundbreaking league.”
Rehearsal Footage Showed Problems Before the Game
Additional footage later obtained by TMZ showed Reeves rehearsing the anthem with the two backup singers before the ceremony. Reeves stopped the vocalists at one point and told them, “That’s out of tune.”
She then asked which singer was performing the same note as her before questioning whether she needed the additional voices. “I don’t think I need them,” Reeves said over the stadium microphone. “I don’t need them.”
The Anthem Opened the WPBL’s First Season
The ceremony preceded the first official game in the Women’s Pro Baseball League’s inaugural season. The league launched with four teams: the Los Angeles Queens, New York Heights, Boston Hunters and San Francisco Firebells.
All regular-season and playoff games are being played at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield. Each team is scheduled to play 15 regular-season games. The opening matchup ended with Los Angeles defeating New York 10-8 in front of more than 4,000 spectators.
ESPN is distributing all regular-season and playoff games in the United States, with selected matchups also airing through the Scripps Sports Network, according to the Associated Press.
The Viral Clip Is One Moment in a Six-Decade Career
Reeves remains best known as the lead singer of Martha and the Vandellas, one of Motown’s defining vocal groups. The group recorded enduring hits including “Dancing in the Street,” “Heat Wave,” “Nowhere to Run,” “Jimmy Mack” and “Quicksand.”
Reeves also served on the Detroit City Council from 2005 to 2009 and continued performing long after the group’s original Motown run ended. Martha and the Vandellas were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.