I didn't even realize that I witnessed Lou Rawls' final performance (on this day seven years ago). From Bob Dearborn's The Olde Disc Jockey's Almanac...
October 23, 2005…At U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Lou Rawls gave his last public performance when he sang the U.S. national anthem before Game 2 of the 2005 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Chicago White Sox. The Sox won the game, 7-6, and went on to take the Series, 4 games to none. Rawls died of lung and brain cancer 2½ months later.
I was at that (painful) game, wearing a Kerry Wood Cubs jersey under about seven layers of clothes. It was a miserable night--cold, wet, and Soxy. It would have been a little more bearable if Lou did this song...
