Jon Batiste kickstarted Super Bowl LIX opening with the national anthem at Caesars Super Dome in New Orleans.

Batiste, a five-time Grammy winner and New Orleans native, brought an innovative spin on the classic, incorporating a drum sample toward the end.

Jon Batiste performs the national anthem before the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)(George Walker IV | AP)

Earlier this week, Batiste told Entertainment Tonight that his “Star-Spangled Banner” performance would honor his late grandfather.

“My grandfather was one of my great mentors, he passed away, he was the best of this country. He served his country, he was the first wave of integrating the Navy, he was the first wave of many of our greatest achievements,” he told the outlet. “Having that legacy in my family, the veterans in my family — people who understand what it means to have freedoms and to almost lose them, sing it for them.”

The national anthem was one of several musical moments for this year’s Super Bowl.

Ledisi performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” while Trombone Shorty and Lauren Daigle performed “America the Beautiful.”

Kendrick Lamar will play the halftime show along with SZA.