By Dan Heching, CNN
(CNN) — Jon Batiste kicked off Super Bowl LIX with his rendition of the National Anthem.
The Oscar- and Grammy-winning singer, musician and composer – who doubles as leader of the house band for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” – belted out the anthem at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, where the the Philadelphia Eagles again take on the Kansas City Chiefs for a shot at victory.
Batiste started his performance in a jazzy cadence, before building to a crescendo while tapping away on the ivories of a colorful piano out in the middle of the field.
Ahead of his performance, Batiste told ET’s Kevin Frazier that he hoped to honor his late grandfather – a veteran – with his performance this weekend.
“I’m thinking a lot about my personal story and the story of this country, and the story of how we can honor the best of us,” Batiste said on Thursday, adding that his grandfather was one of his “great mentors.”
“He was the best of this country,” he also said, later adding, “just having that legacy in my family, and the veterans in my family, the people who served this country, the people who understand what it means to have freedoms and to almost lose them – I’m singing for them, and I’m singing for us, and all of our collective love and healing that we need right now.“
Batiste also mentioned that the piano he is playing on Sunday was decorated with a hand-painted tapestry by his wife Suleika Jaouad, who appeared alongside Batiste in the award-winning 2023 documentary “American Symphony.”
Kendrick Lamar, along with SZA, are tapped as the headline performers at the Halftime Show later in the game.
The-CNN-Wire
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