Chris Stapleton strips it down-home for national anthem at Super Bowl

For the second straight year, the NFL kept it country for the national anthem at Super Bowl 2023.

After country breakout Mickey Guyton sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” in 2022, this year’s Super Bowl LVII honors went to 14-time CMA Award winner Chris Stapleton, who was fresh off of jamming with Stevie Wonder at the Grammys last week.

Before the Philadelphia Eagles faced off against the Kansas City Chiefs at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the 44-year-old troubadour — who also has eight Grammys to his name — stripped it down to a bluesy outlaw version with his acoustic guitar and plenty of grizzled grit that no doubt had country traditionalists stomping their feet at the end. 

Stapleton managed to accomplish what Eric Church couldn’t do two years ago when he was mis-paired with R&B diva Jazmine Sullivan on the biggest stage in the game. And as an artist whose biggest pop moment was collaborating with Justin Timberlake on “Say Something” in 2018, he no doubt won plenty of new fans.

And it was another smooth balancing act for the NFL after Guyton preceded the hip-hop halftime show led by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Eminem last year. Certainly, Stapleton provided a marked contrast to the Rihanna halftime show to come after him.

But Babyface’s “America the Beautiful” was far too similar in approach to Stapleton. With his acoustic guitar designed in red, white and blue, it was a stripped-down rendition — the better to hear and feel the words. But as smooth — and low-key soulful — as he is, Babyface is not the kind of belter built for big stages like this.

Before him, Sheryl Lee Ralph delivered “Lift Every Voice and Sing” — known as the black national anthem — with the kind of drama you might expect from an Emmy-winning actress.

But while she was resplendent in red, the arrangement felt a little slow — and low — for her. You kept waiting for the big payoff that didn’t really happen until the very end.

Still, in the first Super Bowl to feature two black starting quarterbacks —Jalen Hurts for the Eagles and Patrick Mahomes for the Chiefs — it was a moment made for Black History Month.