Chris Stapleton's soulful National Anthem performance moved the stadium to tears!

Source: Fox Sports

Chris Stapleton did not let this chance go and gave us one of the most emotional “The Star-Spangled Banner” performances of recent times. And his performance got to everybody. As Chris Stapleton was performing the cameras cut to the players and they weep. Yes, that's how much Stapleton’s performance moved the stadium. From the Eagles lineman Jason Kelce to coach Nick Sirianni everyone was struggling to keep the tears at bay. 

Stapleton had everything going for him that day from his performance to the visuals. Chris Stapleton was standing alone at the center of the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona with a tiny mic-ed amp, a Fender Telecaster, and a couple of monitors. Chris Stapleton proved you don’t need a grand setup to deliver a memorable performance. Now if you think about it there is such an evident contrast between Rihanna’s performance and Stapleton’s performance. While Rihanna’s performance stands for teamwork, Chris Stapleton’s performance stands for individuality. The wait before the performance must be hectic after all over the years there have been some great National Anthem performances. But staying composed and going up there to give a rugged performance that no one will forget easily, now that is commendable.

Super Bowl 2023 undoubtedly will be remembered for all the power-packed performances. Apart from Chris Stapleton and Rihanna, Babyface and Sharyl Lee Ralph also left a mark on the audiences with their performances. And there is no lack of contrast between their performances and Chris Stapleton’s rugged performance of the National Anthem. Babyface was more minimalist than Stapleton. Babyface was accompanied by a flag-emblazoned acoustic guitar and a pre-recorded backing track. Babyface performed a version of “America the Beautiful” which was a mesmerizing approach to patriotism.

Sheryl Lee Ralph did not leave anything behind with her take on the “Lift Every Voice and Sing”. Now if you are not aware the song has also come to be known as the Black national anthem. Honestly, when I heard Sheryl Lee Ralph performing it I expected a bit of backlash. But more on that later. One of the things that caught my attention from the get-go was how colorful Sheryl looked while both Chris Stapleton and Babyface were dressed in black. Sheryl was most certainly going for some symbolism now what could that be? Let me give you some references. Sheryl Lee Ralph had a red train behind her on a white platform, can you guess what the symbolism could be? Comment down below.

Now coming to Sheryl Lee Ralph performing the “Lift Every Voice and Sing” I knew it would ruffle a few feathers and that’s exactly what happened. Kevin Sorbo called out the NFL and said performing the song was “racist” against white people. Politician Lauren Boebert also criticized the NFL for trying to divide the people into two National Anthems. As I said, The Super Bowl 2023 was memorable. But what did you think of Chris Stapleton’s rugged and sentimental performance of the National Anthem, comment down below.