"Lift Every Voice and Sing" is a hymn with lyrics by James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) and set to music by his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson (1873–1954). Written from the context of African Americans in the late 19th century, the hymn is a prayer of thanksgiving as well as a prayer for faithfulness and freedom, with imagery that evokes the biblical Exodus from slavery to the freedom of the "promised land."
Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since 1971, as well as Chicago Fire FC of Major League Soccer (MLS) from 1998 to 2005 and since 2020. The stadium has a football capacity of 61,500, making it the smallest stadium in the NFL. Soldier Field is also the oldest stadium in both the NFL and MLS.
Renée Lynn Fleming is an American soprano, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nominated for 18 Grammy Awards and has won five times. Other notable awards have included the Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur from the French government, Germany's Cross of the Order of Merit, Sweden's Polar Music Prize and honorary membership in England's Royal Academy of Music. Unusual among artists whose careers began in opera, Fleming has achieved name recognition beyond the classical music world.
James Thurston Nabors was an American actor, singer, and comedian, widely known for his signature character, Gomer Pyle.
Sir Bryn Terfel Jones, is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially primarily associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly Figaro, Leporello and Don Giovanni, and has subsequently shifted his attention to heavier roles, especially those by Puccini and Wagner.
Esera Tavai Tuaolo, nicknamed "Mr. Aloha", is a former American professional football player. He was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for nine years.
"The Super Bowl Shuffle" is a song performed by the Chicago Bears football team in 1985. It was released in December 1985 on Chicago-based Red Label Records and distributed through Capitol Records two months ahead of their win in Super Bowl XX. The song peaked at number 41 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 1987.
Patrick Monahan is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer and sole constant member of the band Train. He has collaborated with multiple artists and recorded a solo album, Last of Seven.
In the course of the adoption of "The Star-Spangled Banner" as the national anthem of the United States, a variety of people have either sung or performed the anthem using a variety of instruments and methods. Some of these methods include using only one instrument, such as a guitar or trumpet. Other methods have included singing the anthem using different vocal ranges or even changing some of the words to show support for a home team or for an event. However, veterans groups have spoken out on occasion about these recordings, mainly calling them disrespectful to the country and to the anthem.
Walter Jerry Payton was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears. Nicknamed "Sweetness", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. A nine-time Pro Bowl selection, Payton is remembered as a prolific rusher, once holding records for career rushing yards, touchdowns, carries, yards from scrimmage, all-purpose yards, and many other categories. Payton also retired with the most receptions by a non-receiver, and he had eight career touchdown passes.
The National Football League Kickoff game, along with related festivities, marks the official start of the National Football League (NFL) regular season. A single game is held, preceded by a concert and other ceremonies. This first game of the season is usually scheduled for the Thursday following Labor Day and since 2004, it has been hosted by the current Super Bowl champions. However, in 2012, the game was moved to Wednesday to prevent conflicts with the acceptance speech of the Democratic National Convention. The remainder of the league plays their opening weekend games the following Sunday and Monday.
Wayne P. Messmer is a professional speaker, singer, broadcaster, author and actor. He is a professional member of SAG/AFTRA and the National Speakers Association. He was the long-time public address announcer for the Chicago Cubs. He sings "The Star-Spangled Banner" before many Cubs games, as well as prior to all Chicago Wolves American Hockey League games. Messmer is part owner of the Chicago Wolves. He is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the national fraternity for men in music.
The 2009 NHL Winter Classic was an outdoor ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 1, 2009, at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. The second edition of the Winter Classic, it matched the Chicago Blackhawks against the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings in the 701st game between the Central Division rivals. The Red Wings won the game, 6–4, despite falling behind 3–1 in the first period. It was the first Winter Classic to involve at least one of the Original Six teams, and the first to feature teams from the Western Conference.
Jacqueline Marie Evancho is an American classical crossover singer who gained wide recognition at an early age. Since 2009, she has issued a platinum-selling EP and nine albums, including three Billboard 200 top 10 debuts. She has also presented three solo PBS concert specials.
WGN Sports was the programming division of WGN-TV, an independent television station located in Chicago, Illinois, United States—which is owned by the Nexstar Media Group—that was responsible for all sports broadcasts on the station, some of which were previously also broadcast on its former national superstation feed, WGN America.
Jamie Barton is an American mezzo-soprano. She won the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition in June 2013. She is also the winner of the 2015 Richard Tucker Award.
The 2019 NHL Winter Classic was an outdoor ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 1, 2019, at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana. The 11th edition of the Winter Classic, the game matched the Chicago Blackhawks against the Boston Bruins; the Bruins won, 4–2. It was the fourth Winter Classic appearance for the Blackhawks, their sixth outdoor game overall, and fifth outdoor game in six years. It was the third Winter Classic appearance for the Bruins. The game was the Bruins' first Winter Classic as the visiting team, and the first time the NHL hosted an outdoor game outside a team's immediate media market.
Liamani Segura is an American child singer from Racine, Wisconsin. Self-taught, she began performing in public at age six, singing the US national anthem before large crowds at high school and professional basketball and baseball games. She has sung the national anthem at many venues, including the Indy 500, Game 1 of Major League Baseball's 2018 National League Division Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies at Miller Park, and the 2019 NCAA Women's Final Four Championship Game. Her voice is described as powerful and loud in contrast to her petite frame. In 2018, she was cast in the lead role of Dorothy in The Wiz at the Lees–McRae College summer theatre in North Carolina.
George Komsky is a Ukrainian-born American tenor. He is best known for his live performances as a solo vocalist, touring internationally with Chris Botti, in the North American tour of the Irish theatrical show Riverdance, and at non-profit concert events.
