Super Bowl 51 sets Luke Bryan to perform National Anthem
The lineup of top-grade performers for Super Bowl 51 continues to expand.
Today, the news was officially announced that country music superstar Luke Bryan is going to be performing the National Anthem at the big game. This is one of the boldest, most difficult challenges for any artist in the industry to take on, almost because it is a thankless job. The vast majority of the time, you have to confront people who are looking to figure out ways to point out some of the things in which you are doing wrong. Meanwhile, this is a climate
In a statement to People Magazine, Bryan confirmed the news of his performance by passing along the following message:
“I said, ‘Hell yes, I’ll do it!’ Is the anthem challenging? Yes. Is it nerve-wracking? Yes. But I moved to Nashville to follow my dreams and singing the national anthem on that stage doesn’t get any bigger.”
The good thing about Bryan doing the Anthem is that the NFL and country music go hand in hand for much of the country, so he should face a friendly crowd for the performance. Also, Luke is a performer whose biggest strength is his heart rather than his voice. Therefore, we imagine that he is going to emphasize the connection to the lyrics more so than trying to hit every big note under the sun. This is the sort of thing that we feel some singers get too caught up on while doing the Anthem, which causes them to slip up and face the wrath of a social media that is quick to attack them over anything and everything under the sun.
Super Bowl 51 (or LI, if you prefer to use the Roman Numerals) is going to be airing on Fox February 5; we imagine that we are going to have more news on the game well before it airs, but remember that Lady Gaga is set to perform the Halftime Show. Earlier this week, it was denied that the NFL had requested her to steer clear of politics during his performance. Given the current political climate, it is easy to see situations in which this sort of situation could be toxic rather quickly.
What do you think about Bryan performing the National Anthem? Share in the comments! (Photo: Super Bowl.)