David Draiman Wants to Sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl

Metal might not be getting the respect many think it deserves by the NFL, who continue to overlook the genre (Metallica, mainly) for the vaunted Super Bowl halftime show, an issue that surfaces like clockwork around this time every year. But it’s a different honor Disturbed frontman David Draiman is seeking: singing the national anthem before the game.

Disturbed shared a Facebook post over the weekend encouraging fans to write in Draiman’s name in a Billboard poll (Panic at the Disco! frontman Brendon Urie currently leads, with Lana Del Rey trailing by a significant margin and Barbra Streisand way behind in third), so Loudwire tracked him down and asked him about the topic. Draiman revealed it’s been a lifelong goal, saying:

“I’ve dreamt of doing it my entire life. Been rehearsing it since I was a little boy. I love my country, and I would be honored beyond words to have the opportunity to try and inspire, strengthen, and give hope, at a time when we need those things more than ever. Plus… it would be nice to have rock represented on SOME level at the Super Bowl, and to prove to everyone that there ARE rock singers out there who can do the anthem as much justice as ANY pop artists out there, and even possibly take it higher.”

Let’s not get carried away, Davey Boy: you’d be hard pressed to find many folks that would argue in favor of Draiman’s vocal skills over, say, Mariah Carey, but I concede it would be neat to see a metal-ish singer up there for a change, even if I’m not a fan. There is also this: Draiman has experience singing the national anthem… of Israel, which he did during Disturbed’s performance there this past July. So there is that!