Brandi Carlile sang to her heart’s content.
The artist rocked the stage at the Super Bowl 2026 pregame show with an emotional acoustic rendition of “America the Beautiful.”
Carlile performed with deaf artist Julian Ortiz, who sang the song in ASL.
“Not a dry eye in the house including mine!” one fan tweeted during Carlile’s performance. “Thank you for bringing us the spirit of America!”“Brandi Carlile is always a win,” added another. “Great choice NFL.”
“Brandi Carlile might be the most talented musician on the planet,” penned a third. “Awesome to see her on the world’s biggest stage.”
The 11-time Grammy winner released her ninth studio album, “Returning To Myself,” in October 2025.
Later this month, Carlile is kicking off her 2026 Human Tour on Tuesday, alongside special guest The Head and The Heart.
“This is the biggest tour we have ever done,” the singer, 44, wrote via Instagram. “I have never been more ready to meet this moment…let’s make an arena feel like a living room.”
Ahead of her performance, Carlile attended a press conference for Apple Music on Thursday and opened up about this massive opportunity.
“One of the things I love about being in my 40s versus when I was given opportunities for big moments when I was younger is I would just disassociate from the pressure,” she explained. “But now, you get that superpower at this point in life. You calm down and centralize yourself. Be there. And actually experience these milestones in life.”
“When your life flashes before your eyes, you’ll see things like this,” Carlile mused. “And you don’t want to be gone. You want to be there.”
The star was ready to make the rendition her own.
“I would offer these songs and lyrics, as they are, up, with a sense of humility and hope but to also sing big and try and be a presence at the same time.”
Along with Carlile, Green Day also took the stage at the pregame opening ceremony.
“We are super hyped to open Super Bowl 60 right in our backyard!” Billie Joe Armstrong said when the news was first announced. “We are honored to welcome the MVPs who’ve shaped the game and open the night for fans all over the world. Let’s have fun! Let’s get loud!”
According to the NFL, the band’s performance was meant to “celebrate six decades of the championship’s history, with the band helping usher generations of Super Bowl MVPs onto the field.”
Armstrong, 53, Mike Dirnt, and Tré Cool performed some of their biggest hits during the set.
Green Day first shot to stardom out of San Francisco with the 1994 album “Dookie.”
Since then, the group has released 11 albums and has taken home five Grammy awards.
