HOUSTON (MEDIA GENERAL) — Country star Luke Bryan has 17 No. 1 hit songs and has sold more than 27 million singles but he says Sunday, singing the national anthem at Super Bowl LI, will be a moment he never forgets.
“It’ll be certainly a highlight of my career, in my entertainment life, to be able to walk out there, and hopefully perform the anthem in the way that I’ve always dreamed I would do it,” he said.
Anyone who’s listened to his songs knows Bryan likes “huntin’ and fishin’” but it turns out he knows a thing or two about football, especially the Atlanta Falcons.
He said, “I grew up in Georgia, so I’ve definitely got to pull for my Falcons, my dirty birds.”
Most of Bryan’s songs last three to four minutes.
The big question this week is “How long will his national anthem be?”
The over/under prop bet for Bryan’s rendition is to last two minutes and 15 seconds.
He said everyone wants to know some inside information.
“I had a buddy of mine call me the other day and he’s like, ‘Hey man, you going long? Just say long. That’s all I need to know,’” Bryan recalled. “And I’m like, ‘It’s 8:30 in the morning, I don’t know what,’ and he goes, ‘On the anthem. Are you going long?’, and I’m like, ‘Oh, c’mon!’”
Bryan will perform just before kick-off, which is set for Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET.