Chiefs DL Chris Jones gets emotional during national anthem ahead of Super Bowl LVIII
Emotions are already running high for Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones, who is set to appear in his third-career Super Bowl.
Jones shed tears as country music icon Reba McEntire wrapped up her rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner, just moments before kickoff at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas between the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.
There’s truly nothing like a Super Bowl national anthem performance, which McEntire proved yet again. McEntire performed the nation’s anthem in front of what CBS is hoping will be a record-setting audience for the Chiefs versus 49ers. Last year’s Super Bowl garnered 114.3 million viewers. The over/under for the length of the anthem before the singing began was 90.5 seconds. McEntire hit the over, going for unofficially 95 seconds.
Star-studded cast performs during Super Bowl pregame
In addition to McEntire’s pre-game performance, Grammy-winner Post Malone performed “America the Beautiful” while Andra Day sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing” before kickoff.
McEntire, a three-time Grammy winner, has more than 30 studio albums and hits to her name, including “Fancy,” “Consider Me Gone” and “Does He Love You.” She joined the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2011 and even received a Kennedy Center honor in 2018. The former Broadway star also earned a Golden Globe nomination for her lead role on “Reba.” She released her latest album “Not That Fancy” last year, as well as a new book with the same title.
Post Malone is a 10-time Grammy nominee. The singer-rapper-songwriter released his fifth studio album “Austin” last year, which featured the song of the 2023 college football season, “Something Real.”
“Lift Every Voice and Sing” performer Andra Day is a Grammy, Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner, as well as an Academy Award nominee. In 2021, she portrayed Billy Holiday in the drama “The United States vs. Billy Holiday.” Day released her first studio album, “Cheers to the Fall” in 2015.