Even a pro football player and all-around tough guy like Travis Kelce needs to have a good ol’ cry every now and again.
And when he does, he puts on Chris Stapleton‘s rendition of the national anthem from the 2023 Super Bowl.
Travis and Jason Kelce recently discussed their favorite Super Bowl national anthem performances during a new episode of their podcast, New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce.
Read More: Remember When Chris Stapleton’s Anthem Rendition Brought an NFL Coach to Tears?
The brothers agreed that Stapleton’s version of the anthem was their top pick. Travis expressed how emotional and powerful the performance was, mentioning that on tough days, he still revisits the video on YouTube. He remembers that moment as one of his all-time favorite performances.
“There’s just no one even close [to Stapleton’s performance,]” Travis says during the podcast. “On a sad day, I will put that video on.”
He adds that he “cried, but I kept my composure” when he first heard Stapleton’s rendition.
- Stapleton performed the national anthem on Feb. 12, 2023, directly before a Super Bowl that found the Kansas City Chiefs going head to head against the Philadelphia Eagles.
- He took the field with his guitar, wearing sunglasses, a black jacket and slacks.
- Stapleton’s rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” was so special, it brought Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni to tears — a moment that was captured on the live broadcast.
- Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Eagles center Jason Kelce were visibly moved, too.
The Kelce brothers had some fun with the fact that the Chiefs defeated the Eagles in that Super Bowl: Jason, who was the Eagles center in that game, joked that he watches Stapleton’s performance to relive the emotional heartache of losing that game.
Read More: Chris Stapleton Says He’s ‘Retired’ From Singing the Anthem After Super Bowl
Despite their brotherly rivalry, Travis acknowledged that Chris Stapleton’s performance was truly “electric,” and Jason agreed, saying how impactful it was.
As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to once again face the Philadelphia Eagles in 2025, Travis is hopeful that his team can make history by securing a third consecutive Super Bowl victory. The Chiefs are aiming to become the first team to achieve this feat after their previous wins in 2020, 2023 and 2024, including a narrow victory over the San Francisco 49ers last year.
The best country songs of the last 25 years were felt and heard. Commercial impact was a factor, but emotional impact is what separates these songs from others released in the 2000s.
Technically the century began in 2001, but we reached back to 2000 to summarize this list of top songs. Alan Jackson is the only artist with two songs, but you’ll find 11 Entertainer of the Year winners scattered across a playlist the required several stunning exclusions.
Curious as to why your favorite song missed the cut? Well, there are only 25 spots for the best of 25,000 country song releases. Hard decisions needed to be made!
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes