So… how did she do? Following several days of controversy over her decision to sing the national anthem prior to the Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams, Gladys Knight stood around midfield and belted out the country's theme song. She was dressed in all-white and a trio of jets buzzed over the stadium during her final note, while the crowd in Atlanta gave Knight a rousing ovation. But was it deserved? Did Knight do enough to silence the critics who thought she shouldn't have agreed to the performance in the first place? These folks believed Knight should have turned down the offer due to the NFL's treatment of Colin Kaepernick, a topic she addressed late last week. “I am proud to use my voice to unite and represent our country in my hometown of Atlanta. “The NFL recently announced their new social justice platform Inspire Change, and I am honored to be a part of its inaugural year.” On the Today Show on January 31, she added: “I can only say how much I feel … about the country itself and my family, and like I said, those family members of mine that are risking their lives and their futures … to make this a better world, not just a country. “So I felt like I could do my part.” After agreeing intially, Knight – known as the Empress of Soul -also reflected on the honor in an NFL video released at the time. She said the following: “I hope that this anthem will touch people in a different way. We’ve been singing it forever, but this time I would hope that [people] will feel it so deeply that it will lift them to a higher place. That’s what I feel when I sing this song. “This is who we are, this is how we are and this is what we do. Get ready, Atlanta. I’m coming home!” So, that's the background to the performance. As for the performance itself? Give it a grade below: AND WATCH IT HERE!
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Gladys Knight Sings the National Anthem: Grade It!
