A tourist who was visiting Port St. Lucie in Florida from Germany was shocked to hear a former version of the German national anthem at Oktoberfest Saturday.
"If you grow up with the history and all the times you get confronted with the history and it’s not a good one, you think a bit different about that," said Andre Leitzbach. "It was the reason why I was confused."
According to the musician he accidentally downloaded the incorrect version of the national anthem.
The city of Port St. Lucie sent the following statement:
"On Saturday, Oct. 6, the Polka Band was not scheduled to play at Port St. Lucie’s Oktoberfest until 6:00 p.m. At 4 p.m., only one member of the Polka Band was scheduled to play. At that time, the German American Club President Gebhard Saup asked that musician to play the American Anthem and the German Anthem for the Parade of Flags and the Keg Tapping Ceremony. The musician agreed and downloaded the German Anthem on his phone. That musician did not know that there are different versions of the German Anthem, according to the German American Club President. He did not realize he was playing the wrong version because both versions have the same tempo, beat, and similar wording. The City staff members at the festival also were unaware of the differences. The agreement between the City and the German American Club is that the Club is responsible for the traditional ceremony pieces of the event. The City would like to apologize if anyone was offended by the piece of music that was played. It appears to be an honest mistake that the wrong version was chosen. However, the City will take steps to ensure this will not happen at any future events."
For more on this story check out today's bonus segment with Len and Michael...