The Super Bowl is about to get a whole lot jazzier! Multi-talented musician Jon Batiste will kick things off in style, singing the national anthem before the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX this Sunday in his hometown of New Orleans.
Batiste, a man of many talents (and many Grammys), will set the stage for kickoff at 6:30 p.m. EST. And in true Batiste fashion, he’s not just aiming to sing—he’s aiming to make history. Last month, he told “Entertainment Tonight” that he hopes his performance “lasts the test of time.”
Wait, Who is Jon Batiste?
If you’re not already familiar with Batiste, here’s a quick rundown: He’s 38, ridiculously talented, and has a trophy shelf that probably needs reinforcing. He’s a seven-time Grammy winner, an Oscar winner, the former bandleader of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” and one of the genius minds behind the Soul soundtrack.
Batiste comes from a legendary New Orleans jazz family and started performing at eight years old with the Batiste Brothers Band. He then went on to study at Juilliard. In addition to being an amazing vocalist, Batiste plays piano, keyboard, melodica, guitar—you name it.
Taking Bets on His Super Bowl National Anthem
The Super Bowl isn’t just about football—it’s also about betting on literally everything, including how long Batiste will take to belt out the national anthem.
With the exception of Super Bowl XI, the Star Spangled Banner has been performed prior to every Super Bowl. So, in 2007, sportsbooks started offering odds on the length of the anthem when Billy Joel performed the song. Since then, it has become one of the most popular Super Bowl prop bets.
FanDuel has set the over/under on Batiste’s performance at 120.5 seconds, and the odds suggest that going over (-142) is the safer bet compared to under (+114). Why? Because history says so.
Reba McEntire kept things tight last year, clocking in at about 96 seconds, but she was an exception. Of the 12 anthem singers before her, eight went over two minutes. And Batiste? He’s not just a singer—he’s a musician. A showman.
If history—and Alicia Keys’ Super Bowl XLVII piano-accompanied performance (which lasted 2 minutes, 36 seconds)—tells us anything, it’s that Batiste will probably lean into the moment.
Super Bowl LIX airs live on Fox on Sunday, February 9. For the first time ever, Fox News will be live-streaming the event on Tubi.
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