Oh, say, can he sing! Luke Bryan kicked off Super Bowl LI with an impressive performance of the national anthem at Houston’s NRG Stadium on Sunday, February 5 — which you can watch in the video above!
The country crooner, 40 — dressed casually in a burgundy T-shirt paired with jeans and a black jacket — belted out the “Star-Spangled Banner” ahead of the big game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots.
Prior to wowing the crowd with his powerful number, Bryan told reporters that he was inspired by other artists who have been given the highly coveted opportunity in the past. “Through this process, I’ve kind of gone back through the years and watched how people approached the anthem,” he said at a press conference, according to ABC News, “and just tried to figure out in my mind how I wanted to approach it.”
The “Kick the Dust Up” singer added that Lady Gaga — who is performing this year’s halftime show — “did an amazing job” when she sang the national anthem at last year’s Super Bowl.
Although he was influenced by Mother Monster, 30, and others, Bryan said that he wanted to make sure that he made his rendition of the historic tune his own. “It’s a big moment for me and I’m excited to get out there and hopefully put my stamp on it,” he shared.
While chatting with reporters, the Georgia native also revealed that he is, of course, rooting for the Falcons over the Patriots. “The irony in this is I agreed to do the anthem well before the Falcons got on their postseason roll,” he said. “I’m, like, ‘Come on, Falcons! You can do this!’ So I’m cheering for two reasons because I can have the opportunity to do the anthem … and … my dad’s one of the biggest Falcons fans that I’ve ever met.”