LI voices heard at Mets' anthem auditions

The crowds were not as packed as an "American Idol" audition.

But Long Island a cappella singers made an impressive showing Monday at the Mets' annual anthem auditions at Citi Field, where hundreds camped out to be among the first 100 guaranteed a chance to try out to open a game with "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Retired steamfitter Russell Keyes, 70, of East Meadow, who has years of barbershop repertoire experience and anthem solos at parades, rallies and with the Huntington Men's Chorus, stopped hundreds outside the stadium who listened to his baritone rendition of "Oh What a Beautiful Morning."

"God gave me a voice, and music fills me with joy," Keyes said after receiving a round of applause. Keyes has worked for 50 years as a pipefitter for construction jobs that included the World Trade Center.

He said he recently performed in "Fiorello" -- about New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia -- for the Plainview Jewish Center.

But the first two on line were Beth Giardini, 27, and Megan Dalen, 26, both of Lake Grove. They arrived about 2:30 a.m. with lawn chairs, blankets and snacks. "I haven't slept yet, but I had to do this," said Giardini, a BOCES music teacher who tried out for "American Idol" and sings the anthem at Stony Brook University football games.

About 250 singers auditioned. Five will be selected from finalists. Those five will return for another tryout, singing the anthem for judges.

Sabrina Jasmine Ali, 16, who attends Glen Cove High School, said there'll be no mistakes if she gets to sing the anthem for the judges. "I won't have a Christina Aguilera incident," she said, referring to the pop diva's fumble at Super Bowl XLV last month.

Ali won the Glen Cove Arts Council anthem competition last summer and sang it for returning soldiers in September. "When I sang to the soldiers I was honored to sing my heart out to them," she said. "I know what they are fighting for."