The start to Opening Day in New York was not what many were hoping for. Yesterday in San Francisco, we saw Retired US serviceman Generald Wilson perform the National Anthem. His powerful rendition, accompanied by a smoke-and-drone flag over the stadium, immediately made the people fall in love. However, the Mets didn’t receive the same kind of love before their Opening Day game.

The emotion was not the same because, TMZ reported, saying, “‘Hamilton’ star messes up the National Anthem at the Mets’ Opening Day game.”

Christopher Jackson, a Grammy and Tony-winning Hamilton star, sang the anthem at Citi Field for the Mets’ Opening Day. He is well known for his role as George Washington in Hamilton and performing on major stages. But this time, he failed to perform.

During the National Anthem, he made a major error that has not made the fans happy. Instead of crooning “O’er the ramparts we watched,” the star paused and then repeated the earlier line “What so proudly we hailed.” But he smoothly got back on track in time for the “were so gallantly streaming” lyrics later in the line.

Such mistakes happen often because the anthem has complex phrasing and no backing music. Even experienced singers have slipped up before in stadium settings with large crowds. However, the focus on the mistake was short-lived once the game began.

When the game started, the Pirates and the Mets put on a show for their fans. Brandon Lowe went deep in the very first inning and put the Pirates 2 up. And then the Pirates went after Paul Skenes, who couldn’t even pitch a full game. His outing ended with 2 walks and 5 earned runs.

But some American audience is still not happy.

Fans are still fuming on social media after the Anthem blunder on Mets’ Opening Day

“If you can’t handle the anthem, maybe stick to the stage,” one fan wrote online. The anthem is a fixed song, used at every MLB game before the first pitch. It is performed live without backing tracks, which leaves no room for improvisation. That pressure shows as even trained performers have made errors during nationally televised games.

“He literally played George Washington on Broadway, yet he couldn’t take five minutes to actually memorize the National Anthem,” another fan wrote, criticizing Christopher Jackson. Jackson earned Tony and Grammy awards in 2016 for Hamilton, showing strong preparation. That success raises expectations that he would know the anthem lyrics used before every MLB game.

“The Mets will forever be an inferior product,” one fan wrote, pointing to recurring odd moments. That view contrasts sharply with San Francisco, where the anthem drew widespread praise online. Fans called it the best in years, citing goosebumps and chills across reactions. The Yankees backed that moment with a 7-0 win, scoring seven runs cleanly.

“He got it right at the Yankees game last year, must be a Mets thing lol,” one fan wrote sarcastically. He previously sang at Yankee Stadium in August 2025, delivering a clean, well-received anthem. That performance drew praise from fans, with no reported issues during that Bronx appearance. The contrast fuels fans’ belief that the Citi Field setting influenced this differently received anthem.

“Oops. Good save though, and nicely done,” one fan noted his quick recovery. He paused mid-anthem briefly, then repeated a prior line before continuing the performance. He then reached the later phrase “were so gallantly streaming” without further disruption. The song continued smoothly afterward.

Christopher Jackson’s moment shows how one slip can outweigh years of proven stage excellence. When a mistake is made on such a big stage, people will take notice. Furthermore, if the error involves something of national significance, backlash is inevitable.