Reba McEntire, Post Malone, Andra Day: Super Bowl 2024 Anthems Review

Reba McEntire brought Kansas City Chiefs' Chris Jones to tears with her national anthem performance at Super Bowl 58.

Reba McEntire's performance of the national anthem at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas before the Chiefs faced off against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 58 was truly moving. Dressed in a blazer and black slacks with a very country buckle, McEntire delivered a richly orchestrated version of the anthem, with pedal steel guitar adding a dash of country to the mix. Her dramatic reading, performed as she stood before a color guard, included some nice vocal flourishes toward the end, underscoring occasional lines with a jab of her finger. The performance ended with a flyover, adding a nice touch to the emotional moment.

Post Malone's rendition of "America the Beautiful" was equally beautiful. Malone stood alone at the 50-yard line in a brown sports jacket and blue jeans, wearing a bolo tie over a white dress shirt, finger-picking acoustic guitar in a trembling indie-folk treatment with haunting pedal-steel seasoning. The new ending he tagged on was really sweet, but may have lost some purists' votes. The camera cut to Taylor Swift, who was swaying arm and arm with Blake Lively, before the song was through, capturing the emotion of the moment.

Andra Day's performance of "Lift Every Voice and Sing," often called the Black National Anthem, was a deeply soulful treatment accompanied by piano and a gospel choir. Dressed in a sharp beige pantsuit, Day delivered a brilliant showcase of her vocal range, clearly feeling every word of the performance. It was a powerful and emotional moment during the Super Bowl halftime show.

These performances brought a sense of unity and emotion to the Super Bowl, showcasing the incredible talent of these artists on the world's biggest stage. Each performance was unique and moving in its own way, leaving a lasting impact on the audience.