LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Las Vegas sports fans will be in for a treat Monday night at Allegiant Stadium. Along with Ravens vs. Raiders football, the legendary Gladys Knight will honor America by singing the National Anthem prior to kickoff on Monday September 13.
The rendition by the star singer-songwriter, entrepreneur and humanitarian will be witnessed by an anticipated 60-plus thousand fans that will pack Allegiant for the first time in the regular season and millions watching around the world for this primetime Monday Night Football contest.
“This is quite an honor for me to be chosen to sing the National Anthem for this historic first Raiders’ season opening Monday Night Football game in Las Vegas with fans,”
Gladys Knight
The “Empress of Soul” has performed multiple residencies in Southern Nevada and won numerous awards and accolades in her career that’s now spanned seven decades. In addition to those multiple Grammys, she was honored with the Soul Train Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Award, BET Lifetime Achievement Award, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Artist and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame (1989) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1996).
The Al Davis Torch will be lit by former Nevada Governor (and current University of Nevada President) Brian Sandoval on Monday. Sandoval was instrumental in helping the Raiders secure $750 million through a room-tax to pay a large piece of the $2 billion needed to build Allegiant Stadium.
Raider Nation certainly recalls that moment when Mark Davis and Brian Sandoval donned hard hats and shovels and were the first to spade the soil where Allegiant Stadium now sits. That ceremonial event took place during the stadium groundbreaking in November 2017.
Fast forward to Monday and the two will be back at the same location, this time inside the completely constructed Allegiant Stadium.