'Worst National Anthem Ever': Train's Pat Monahan Returned to Levi's Stadium With His Son

Train lead singer Pat Monahan performed the national anthem with his 14-year-old son Rock before the San Francisco 49ers hosted the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football on October 19, 2026 — and fans on social media immediately called it one of the worst anthem renditions they had ever heard. The performance at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara went viral within minutes, before kickoff had even settled in.

What happened before 49ers vs. Commanders?

Pat Monahan, frontman of the Grammy-winning band Train, performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" alongside his son Rock ahead of the Week 6 Monday Night Football game between Washington and San Francisco. Reports from both The Sun and ClutchPoints describe the father-and-son performance at Levi's Stadium, with Rock also playing guitar accompaniment described by fans as a heavy-metal style instrumental.

The 49ers and Commanders players stood on the field for the anthem, in the usual pregame ceremony. What was meant to be a family moment on a national broadcast quickly became the most talked-about part of the night online — for the wrong reasons.

Why is the anthem going viral?

The reaction was instant and unusually unified. Clips of the performance spread on X, and the replies piled up with the same verdict repeated in different words.

One fan quoted by multiple outlets wrote: "Maybe THE worst national anthem I've ever heard. Good grief. Who booked this?" Another said it was "easily the worst rendition of the national anthem by a professional singer I can remember." A third joked about a derailed Train — a pun on Monahan's band name that appeared again and again in the replies.

Fans pointed to two things in particular: the vocal blend once Rock joined in, and the guitar accompaniment, with one viewer arguing that if you use accompaniment for the anthem you should play the base chords rather than the vocal melody. Others were blunter, simply calling the whole rendition a disaster and asking who approved the booking.

For contrast, coverage noted that the previous week's Monday Night Football anthem had drawn rave reviews — which only sharpened the comparison fans were making in real time.

The backstory that makes this performance different

This was not a random booking, and that is part of why the story has legs beyond a bad review.

Earlier this year, in March 2026, Monahan said on WFAN's "The Carton Show" that he was done singing the national anthem at sporting events. He traced that decision to an earlier appearance at the same stadium, Levi's Stadium, in 2014: his microphone was not working with a minute to go, it was still not working with 12 seconds to go, and someone under the podium had to hand him a second microphone after he had already started singing. He said he finished that anthem and told the crew it was his last one.

He left one exception. The only way he would do it again, he said, was if his 14-year-old son could sing it with him — adding that his son is better than he is. Monday night was, in effect, that exception coming true, at the same stadium where the original mishap happened. That context does not change how fans judged the performance, but it does explain why Monahan was back on that field at all after publicly retiring from anthems.

Over his career Monahan has been asked to sing the anthem at major events including the Daytona 500, the NBA Finals and an AFC Championship Game, so expectations from a veteran performer were part of the reaction too.

Key facts

Who performed: Pat Monahan of Train, with his 14-year-old son Rock.
Where and when: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, before 49ers vs. Commanders on Monday Night Football, October 19, 2026.
What fans criticized: The vocals after Rock joined in, and the guitar accompaniment.
The backstory: Monahan said in March 2026 he had quit anthems after a 2014 microphone failure at Levi's Stadium, and would only return if his son performed with him.

What happens next?

Anthem performances live or die in the first hour online, and this one will likely be replayed in every "worst anthem ever" roundup for years — the unfortunate modern fate of a live vocal that misses on national television. There has been no indication in the initial coverage of any response from Monahan, Train, the 49ers or the NFL, and the game itself quickly took over the night's conversation once play began.

The kinder reading, and the one worth keeping in mind, is that this was a father taking the one exception he had named — singing with his son, on the field where his last anthem went wrong for technical reasons. Fans are entitled to judge what they heard. The internet, as usual, judged it loudly, instantly, and in unison.

Sources

FAQ

Who sang the national anthem before 49ers vs. Commanders on Monday Night Football?

Train lead singer Pat Monahan performed the anthem with his 14-year-old son Rock at Levi's Stadium on October 19, 2026, before the 49ers hosted the Commanders.

Why are fans calling it the worst national anthem ever?

Fans on X criticized the vocal blend after Rock joined in and the heavy guitar accompaniment, with multiple widely shared posts calling it the worst rendition they had ever heard from a professional singer.

Had Pat Monahan sworn off singing the anthem?

Yes. In March 2026 he said a 2014 microphone failure at Levi's Stadium convinced him to stop, and that the only way he would return was to sing it with his son.

Where was the game played?

The Week 6 Monday Night Football game between Washington and San Francisco was played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

'Worst National Anthem Ever': Train's Pat Monahan Returned to Levi's Stadium With His Son — and MNF Fans Were Brutal