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Reba McEntire will perform the national anthem when the Super Bowl kicks off in Las Vegas in nine days. But how long will the country music queen sing?
Got some cash and want to make money on more than just the score? If you bet in Illinois, Maryland or Ontario, you can wager on how long McEntire will hold some of those notes. The over/under is 90.5 seconds. Currently, the odds favor McEntire going longer. But that might be a stretch.
Recent history does suggest take the over when it comes to the anthem. Country superstar Chris Stapleton belted the national anthem at last year’s Super Bowl in Phoenix. With Fender Telecaster in hand, Stapleton performed a gritty, bluesy version of the anthem. The crowd cheered every time he drew out a long note, especially at the end, when Brave lasted an eternity. Plus, Academy Award-winner Troy Kotsur added to the buzz as he interpreted the anthem in ASL.
Stapleton sang for two minutes and a second. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni even shed a tear several seconds after Stapleton began singing. The national anthem definitely matched the drama of this Super Bowl, which the Chiefs eventually won with a late comeback.
This Chris Stapleton national anthem is up there on the same level as Whitney Houston.
— Yves Batoba (@YBatoba) February 13, 2023
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Bettors are doing their Super Bowl homework. And McEntire has well documented history of singing the anthem. She likes to get to the no-frills point.
Alicia Keyes apparently owns the Super Bowl record for longest national anthem performance. Back in 2013, it took Keyes all of two minutes and 35 seconds to give her performance. The next year, the NFL went outside the entertainment box and tapped opera star Renee Fleming to sing the anthem. It was required for Fleming, with her fabulous soprano voice, to put exclamation points on all those high notes. She clocked in at 1:54.
Pop divas Whitney Houston and Lady Gaga also turned in moving performances, all in the two-minute range. National anthem times are heaving scrutinized when it comes to the Super Bowl. The average singing time usually is roughly 1:56 to 1:59.
However, some singers do have a rep for not drawing out the anthem. Back in 2007, it took Billy Joel a brisk 1:30 to sing the anthem. And according to the Score, which analyzed Super Bowl anthems dating back to 1990, country music stars tend to go shorter than normal. Four of the nine quickest anthems belong to these singers.
A reporter with USA Today studied old McEntire videos to get an idea of how long she’ll sing. She goes 1:22 in every one of her performances. However, she usually performs a cappella. We’ll see about the Super Bowl.
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