Super Bowl XLIX: Idina Menzel performs National Anthem before kickoff

Tonight, Super Bowl XLIX is sure to deliver when it comes to entertainment for football fans, but let’s be honest here: There are many more reasons that people watch this game beyond just watching some guys smash into each other for crazy amounts of cash. There are performances, commercials, and so much more that is worth watching out for.

One important element of this big game is of course the National Anthem, which is being performed this year by none other than Broadway icon / “Frozen” star Idina Menzel. She has made headlines over the past year for mainstream audiences courtesy of various performances of “Let It Go,” but her vocal talents go back many decades. On paper, she seems like the perfect person to sing the anthem at the big game.

So how did she do? Everyone will always have their own opinion, mostly because that is the sort of thing that happens every single year. The biggest credit that we can give to Menzel is being able to take on every note in this extremely challenging song, and really doing it fearlessly. We probably have heard better covers of the song over the years, but she also did not have a Christina Aguilera sort of blunder where she forgot the lyrics at some point during the song.

Menzel has a busy 2015 coming up, given that she is going to making a potential transition from Broadway to TV with a new comedy project. That is still in early development, but it is worth keeping watch over in the months ahead.

Want to get some other scoop via email? Then sign up to get our CarterMatt Newsletter right away! Also, take a look over here to get our impression of John Legend performing “America the Beautiful.” We’ll have a video once it is available.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_1BIMba-Xw