Sounds like the Fray took "March Madness" to heart. The Colorado-based band performed the National Anthem at the NCAA championship game last night, and their unique interpretation of the song earned them rather mixed reactions.

The band incorporated acoustic guitars, a drum and a tambourine into their performance of 'The Star Spangled Banner.' They altered the arrangements, including the melody and rhythm, turning it into what sounded like ... well, a song by the Fray. The rendition was timid, soft and described by some (including our pals at The FW) as borderline emo. It appears there were some issues with clashing tones and chord progressions, which may have been more a result of the band not being able to hear themselves in their monitors than a consequence of their reworking of the song.

While their creativity can be applauded, many felt it wasn't welcome on America's token tune. One commenter wrote, "Guys, Al Qaeda just took credit for this performance." Ouch! On the bright side, it wasn't Roseanne ... and the frontman, Isaac Slade, sang all of the lyrics correctly (here's looking at you, Xtina).

Perhaps it would do the rest of the music industry good to take notes from a certain Ms. Kelly Clarkson, who, along with the late Whitney Houston, set the bar pretty high for our country's signature song.

Watch The Fray Perform the National Anthem

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