August 30, 2004
AP
The hubbub on the convention floor in Madison Square Garden subsided for a moment Sunday afternoon when the Gatlin Brothers performed an a cappella version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" during a microphone check. The Gatlins are scheduled to sing the National Anthem when the convention opens Monday. The trio's harmony drowned out the noise from last-minute adjustments to the convention setting. After they concluded the tune, and amid applause, Larry Gatlin yelled, "Play ball!"
Moments later, the brothers appeared to be checking their microphones again. On the floor, though, work resumed to spruce up the red carpet underneath thousands of blue folding chairs. "Do you think we could get a vacuum cleaner in the key of C?" Larry Gatlin asked over his microphone. A chastened cleaning woman retreated a few steps from the stage and turned off her machine. "Oh, ma'am," Gatlin said, taking off his ball cap, "I was just kidding!"
Posted by acapnews at August 30, 2004 9:44 PM
