That does happen a lot, don't it?
It does, and it drives me up the wall. When I've listened to a song a number of times, I get used to how it's "supposed" to go, and then if I hear a version that diverges from that one, I cringe every time it goes afield of the original. For years I couldn't stand the studio version of U2's "Pride", because it was different from the live version, which I heard first.
Granted, The Star-Spangled Banner isn't the most pop-rockin'-est of songs, and I can think of other ones that would probably have been a better choice for the part, but it
is the national anthem, and it deserves a certain amount of respect just for that reason (in the same way that the office of President, and the man in it, should still be granted a certain level of respect (or at least respectful treatment), even if one disagrees vehemently with the office-holder's policies. I hated Clinton's policies about a lot of things, but if I'd met him, I'd have called him "Mr. President" if for no other reason than respect for the office.)
All of that hey-look-at-me-I'm-able-to-sing-notes-not-found-in-nature nonsense that people do when singing the SSB is just cheap, tawdry showoffery.
-BP