Stapleton performs the national anthem at the Super Bowl

Country star Chris Stapleton simply sang the US national anthem at Super Bowl 57, standing alone on the court, accompanied only by his electric guitar, singing “The Star Spangled Banner” moments before the Kansas Chiefs kicked off City against the Philadelphia Eagles at the start of the game.

Dressed in black jeans and wearing sunglasses, his hair neatly styled in place of his famous cowboy hat, Stapleton performed the anthem in ballad form, veering a little rocker only towards the closing verses including “land of the free” (“land of the free”). the land of the free).

His version of the anthem sounded slow, but it lasted 2 minutes 2 seconds, less than the 2 minutes 5 seconds bettors had predicted. Even so, it was over 10 seconds longer than last year’s version, performed by country star Mickey Guyton.

As the eight-time Grammy Award-winning musician sang, “CODA” (“CODA: Signs of the Heart”) star Troy Kotsur, the first deaf man to win an Oscar in the acting categories, performed the anthem in sign language. .

OTHER ANTHEMS

Prior to Stapleton’s performance, “Abbot Elementary” comedy star Sheryl Lee Ralph sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Dressed in a flowing red velvet robe, Ralph began the song known as Black American Anthem as an introspective ballad, then turned it into a powerful anthem, with accompanying military-style drums and a choir dressed in white which supports her on the ground. at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

R&B legend Babyface performed “America the Beautiful” as a beautiful folk song, with an acoustic guitar painted with the American flag and blue flowers in the field. A drum track and other singers started playing before the end.

FOR HALF-TIME

Rihanna has promised her 13-minute halftime performance will be filled with music.

The show will be his first live event in seven years and comes at a time when his fans are eager for him to release new music.

“The track listing was the biggest challenge,” he said this week. “That was the hardest part. Deciding how to maximize 13 minutes, but also celebrate, that’s what this show is about. It’s going to be a celebration of my catalog.

FAMOUS AND FAMOUS ARTISTS

Die-hard Chiefs fan actor Paul Rudd was on the court before the game, beaming and wearing his team jersey.

Jay-Z was also present, as was British chef Gordon Ramsay.

Pre-match performances included DJ Snake and Jason Derulo, whose dancers were synchronized robotic dogs.

Many stars also showed up during the holidays the week before the Super Bowl.

And many more, including Serena Williams, Adam Driver and John Travolta, will be seen in ads for the big game.

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Andrew Dalton is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyjamesdalton