The national anthem became a very sacred pledge for American’s beginning in 1931. Francis Scott Key originally wrote the poem in 1814, which translated into the anthem we usually hear at major sporting events. For decades, popular musicians have performed the anthem before the first pitch of baseball games along with the first kick-off at football games.

Let The Games Begin

The performance will definitely give you the chills during the high notes. While some music artists go down in history performing their legendary renditions of our National Anthem, it’s become an honor to sing the famed lyrics. When Australian native and award-winning country artist Keith Urban was invited to sing

‘An Urban Legend’

The Star-Spangled Banner for the Nashville Predators Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, he was so grateful for the opportunity. Keith Urban had been living in the United States for 25 years before he’d ever been invited to sing the classic anthem.

National Debut

Making the Nashville Predators performance his very first time singing The Star-Spangled Banner. He and his wife Nicole Kidman attended the hockey match and Urban even posted on Twitter cheering on the Nashville hockey team and thanking them for inviting him to sing the anthem!

Incredibly Grateful

Go #Preds!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/ljifWPjVQy

— Keith Urban (@KeithUrban) May 17, 2017

Urban was introduced to the arena and the entire crowd cheered for the Grammy award winner. When finally, the crowd silenced to hear his opening anthem. Urban immediately captivated the audience with his raw talents while he brought his own special twist to the renowned song.

Gifted Artists

The National Anthem brings out the pure skill in every artist because they rarely use voice over to enhance a musician’s voice. All performers usually have a microphone and a recording of the instrumentals to back them up. But, Urban only had a microphone to debut his first Star-Spangled Banner performance. Urban’s raw talent was a perfect way to open the Western Conference Finals and was a huge honor for Urban to sing.

Honored Anthem

His organic yet amplified voice spoke volumes as he sang the American anthem with pride. The video of his performance has been viewed over 800 thousand times on YouTube and continues to dazzle audiences who weren’t able to see it live. Countless country artists have performed at the Bridgestone Arena, including Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, and Lady Antebellum who were all invited to sing the acclaimed song. Keith Urban’s first-time performance couldn’t have gone any better, as the crowd roared after the country artists’ performance.

Standing Ovation

Another outstanding Star-Spangled Banner show was done by the great Whitney Houston in 1991. Houston’s performance will go down in history as one of the best Anthem performances, hitting notes that will leave your arms with goosebumps.

An Epic Debut

One thing’s for certain and Urban’s first National Anthem show won’t be his last. It takes some serious skill to engage an audience, especially without any music in the background. Urban’s Acapella rendition is one you won’t want to miss and really show’s his natural talent as an artist.

To watch the full Star-Spangled performance click the video below!

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Source: Shareably, History.com, NHL