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Georgia Entertainment Scene

Luke Bryan steady and true on Super Bowl 2017 national anthem

HOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 05: Luke Bryan sings the National Anthem prior to Super Bowl 51 between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

Credit: Melissa Ruggieri

HOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 05: Luke Bryan sings the National Anthem prior to Super Bowl 51 between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
By Melissa Ruggieri
Feb 5, 2017

BY MELISSA RUGGIERI/AJC Music Scene

HOUSTON – The original ladies of Broadway’s “Hamilton,” Phillipa Soo, Tony winner Renee Elise Goldsberry and Jasmine Cephas Jones reunited moments before the kickoff of Super Bowl 2017 to sing “America the Beautiful.”

The theater vets doused the song with a triple layer of harmonies and several vocal flourishes, while also adding, to great applause in NRG Stadium, the word “sisterhood” to the song.

Leesburg native Luke Bryan stayed true and steady in his rendition of the national anthem.

Patting his heart lightly before starting his first low note, the country star paced himself well – hope you bettors took the under since he sang it in 2 minutes and 4 seconds and the over/under was 2 minutes 9 seconds - and ignored a few nasty bursts of feedback as he sang.

Clad in dark pants, a dark zip-up jacket and maroon shirt, Bryan proved that while he isn’t the flashiest singer, his version of the song was heartfelt, if not necessarily memorable.

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About the Author

Melissa Ruggieri has covered music and entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 2010 and created the Atlanta Music Scene blog. She's kept vampire hours for more than two decades and remembers when MTV was awesome.

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