Reba McEntire made quick but majestic work of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
The “Queen of Country” sang the national anthem moments before kickoff, backed by a recorded track of a country band with a horn section.
While this was McEntire's Super Bowl debut, the performance commemorates the 50th anniversary of her first public rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the 1974 National Finals Rodeo in her home state of Oklahoma.
Flag-bearing service members stood behind her, a huge U.S. flag covered most of the field, and military jets flew over Allegiant Stadium as she sang.
She got through the song in about 1 minute 40 seconds. That’s a good 10 seconds longer than the over-under from oddsmakers, but still the quickest version of the anthem at the Super Bowl since Kelly Clarkson sang it 12 years ago.
Meanwhile, Post Malone offered a twang-y take on “America the Beautiful.”
The Grammy-nominated musician sang “America the Beautiful,” bringing his unique vocal tone — most frequently paired with his idiosyncratic approach to pop-rock-rap — to the Super Bowl.
Wearing a bolo tie and playing acoustic guitar, Malone’s take on the song was twang-y, his Texas roots taking a front seat. Mid-song, cameras cut to Taylor Swift and Blake Lively holding each other and enjoying the performance. Earlier this week, Malone’s breakout hit, “Sunflower,” with Swae Lee — released for the “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” soundtrack — was named the first-ever double-diamond single in Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) history.
SEE MORE: Taylor Swift arrives at Allegiant Stadium for Super Bowl LVIII
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