The game hadn’t even started, and we were already in our feels. Jon Batiste performed the National Anthem at Super Bowl LIX, bringing many in the crowd to tears. Jon, a New Orleans native, made his hometown proud as he sang the Star-Spangled Banner at Caesars Superdome. His voice was loud and strong, and he wanted to make an impression on the millions of Americans settling in to watch the game. It’s an exciting time to be in New Orleans. The Kansas City Chiefs will battle the Philadelphia Eagles in a rematch of the Super Bowl LVII in 2023. That year, the Chiefs took home a ring and won again in 2024. If they win today, it will be the first time in NFL history that a team has won three consecutive Super Bowl Championships.

Jon Batiste Planned Something Big For His Super Bowl Performance
He told Entertainment Tonight‘s Casie DiLaura that he knew what he wanted to do as soon as he was asked to perform.

“I’m excited to figure out an arrangement that lasts the test of time, and I look forward to sharing it,” he said.

Jon added he’d likely be working until the week before Super Bowl LIX. “And then it’s going to fly,” he added.

Jon Batiste also took to Instagram prior to the Super Bowl to share his excitement with fans. He said that as a child, he was equally good at sports and music but chose a career in performance art. But music brought him back to his hometown for the big game.

And what a performance it was. But fans had mixed reviews

“Pretty good performance,” someone cheered

“What a soulful rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner by Jon Batiste! My favorite version since Whitney Houston’s,” another person gushed.

“That was fun, too,” a commenter wrote about the NOLA-style performance. “Maybe the Super Bowl should be in NOLA every year!”

“One of, if not the worst, national anthem performance,” someone wrote.

“The national anthem was butchered,” someone griped.