Chris Stapleton, left, and Stevie Wonder perform "Higher Ground" during a tribute to Motown at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
The series of pregame canonical songs at Super Bowl 57 has begun, with “Abbot Elementary” star Sheryl Lee Ralph performing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Ralph, wearing a flowing red velvet gown, began the song dubbed the Black national anthem as a reflective ballad, and it became a soaring hymn as it went on, with military-style drums joining her and a choir dressed all in white chiming in behind her on the field at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
After the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles have taken the field, Babyface will sing “America the Beautiful” and Chris Stapleton will deliver the national anthem.
COMING UP AT THE HALF
Rihanna promises that her 13-minute halftime show will be “jam-packed” will sit at the center of the celebrity supplements to Super Bowl 57.
The show will be her first live event in seven years, and comes as her fans are hungry for long-awaited new music.
“The setlist was the biggest challenge,” she said this week. “That was the hardest, hardest part. Deciding how to maximize 13 minutes but also celebrate – that’s what this show is going to be. It’s going to be a celebration of my catalog.”
FAMOUS FANS, PERFORMERS AND PITCH PEOPLE
Die-hard Chiefs fan Paul Rudd was on the field before the game, sporting a big smile and a team jersey.
Jay-Z was and chef Gordon Ramsay were among the famous faces seen arriving.
Pregame performances came from DJ Snake and Jason Derulo, whose backup dancers included synchronized robot dogs.
Many stars have made the scene at Super Bowl week parties.
And many others, including Serena Williams, Adam Driver and John Travolta, are showing up in the big game’s big commercials.
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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andyjamesdalton
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