We love our national anthem. Of course, most proud Americans do. But there’s something about hearing those words and the melody performed in four-part harmony that will downright raise some goose bumps.
Thanks for the goosies, Zac Brown Band!
Zac and band mates Clay Cook, John Driskell Hopkins and Jimmy De Martini took the 50-yard line at the Jan. 8 CFP national championship game and, with the help of 12-year-old Carly Ortega, who signed the anthem for those with auditory difficulties, and David Walker and High Praise, they performed a version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” that made us darn proud.
But that wasn’t all.
Members of the ROTC from both the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama entered the field accompanying President Donald Trump in a navy suit and a red tie.
Or it could have been crimson.
The members of the award-winning country band were also joined by a color guard from the United States Marine Corps’ Bravo Company, who marched onto the field accompanied by a drummer from each of the universities playing cadence, and, of course, an American flag that nearly covered the entire football field.
In addition to the country music talent on the field, the format was also well represented throughout the Mercedes-Benz Stadium by Georgia natives like Thomas Rhett, his famous dad, Rhett Akins, and fellow Peach Picker songwriter, Ben Hayslip. Also on hand were Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley, along with Charles’ wife, Cassie, and Jason Aldean and wife Brittany, who actually happens to be a fan of Alabama’s Crimson Tide.
We’d venture a guess that one member of the Aldean family was probably happier than the other since Alabama defeated Georgia in overtime 26 to 23 after an incredibly exciting and obviously competitively well-matched game.
One Georgia boy who was unable to attend the championship game due to a previous commitment was Leesburg’s Luke Bryan. Luke and the rest of the “American Idol” crew, including Atlanta native Ryan Seacrest, were busy doing interviews and shooting promos for the upcoming season of “Idol.”
That doesn’t mean that they weren’t paying attention to what was happening in this important game, though. Luke shared a video on his Instagram page explaining why he and Ryan were absent from the big event.
“We’re backstage doing press, media day for ‘American Idol’ and we’re not in the Mercedes-Benz dome and it’s killing us,” Luke said. Ryan then chimed in, “What we’re really doing, though, is watching this.” The camera then turned to a laptop in front of the two Georgia boys showing the pre-game show livestream from Atlanta. The camera then turned back to the new pals, who offered a hearty “Go Dawgs!”
Congratulations to both the University of Georgia and University of Alabama football teams on a game well played.
