Tigirlily Gold relied heavily on the crowd during their National Anthem performance ahead of the Denver Broncos’ game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Empower Field on Sunday (Sept. 15).
The country duo was ready for their pre-game duties, but when they opened their mouths to sing, there was no audio in the stadium’s speakers.
Kendra and Krista Slaubaugh handled the unfortunate moment with grace and even shared the video on social media. They chose to focus on the fans’ willingness to step up and sing the anthem a cappella, noting it was a moment they’ll never forget.
“When a technical difficulty turns into 76,000 people singing the National Anthem together,” they write on the video of their performance. “Denver, thanks for helping us sing along.”
Eventually, the two were handed another microphone and they were able to finish out the song in perfect harmony.
It’s not the first time Tigirlily Gold have sung “The Star-Spangled Banner” before a sporting event. In fact, the 2024 ACM New Country Duo of the Year winners took on the esteemed track at a North Dakota State football game in 2017 and executed it flawlessly. The pair are natives of North Dakota.
Related: Country Artists Who’ve Sung the National Anthem
Country Stars Are a Good Pick to Sing National Anthem
There are several country singers who have taken on what is arguably one of the most difficult songs to sing. Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton and more have stepped up to the plate to honor America for numerous events.
In fact, the Super Bowl has enlisted country artists for the pre-game National Anthem the last three years in a row. A singer for this year’s big game has yet to be announced, but don’t be surprised if they are Music City based.
15 Country Artists Primed to Headline a Super Bowl Halftime Show
Any way you slice it, country music is long overdue for its time in the spotlight at the Super Bowl. Although several artists have sung the national anthem at the game, the coveted halftime show has been anything but country for nearly three decades. The last time anyone from the genre headline the performance was in 1994, when Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, Wynonna Judd and Naomi Judd did a medley of their biggest hits. With country music gaining in popularity, there’s no better time than now to put one of our own in the spotlight. Here are 15 artists who are already primed to take on the task.
Gallery Credit: Jess