To introduce this year’s Super Bowl, Mickey Guyton delivered a powerful, gospel-tinged rendition of the National Anthem to an excited crowd of fans. Before hitting the stage at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, Guyton was described as having the “voice of an angel.” In a floor-length, blue gown, her crystalline vocals soared, and she looked as if she was nearly moved to tears during the track.
Ahead of Guyton, Jhené Aiko kicked things off with a moving performance of “America the Beautiful” alongside a harpist.
This evening’s game in Los Angeles wasn’t the first time the “Black Like Me” singer has performed the “Star-Spangled Banner.” For the last six years, Guyton has sung it on numerous occasions including Nashville’s CRS conference and a Memorial Day concert in Washington D.C. Her Super Bowl set follows the release of her critically-acclaimed debut studio album Remember Her Name, which was released in September.
Earlier this month, Guyton expressed her excitement about the opportunity on Twitter saying, “I am shook, I am grateful, I am praise dancing. So excited to be singing the national anthem.” The “Star-Spangled Banner” has loomed large in Guyton’s life over the years. She revealed in a 2015 interview that watching LeAnn Rimes perform the national anthem during a Texas Rangers game as a child helped inspire her to become a country artist herself.
Tonight’s Big Game will feature the Cincinnati Bengals battling the Los Angeles Rams, and the halftime show will host a slew of hip-hop icons including Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar.
Faith No More appear to be hinting at a return to the stage in 2027.
The influential alt-metal band have remained mostly quiet over the past decade following the release of their reunion album ‘Sol Invictus’ in 2015. After its arrival, they played what would become their most recent live performances in 2016 and later called off several touring plans in the years that followed.
Now, however, they seem to be preparing fans for something new. The group recently shared an image of a concert crowd on social media with nothing more than the text “2027” placed across it.
No additional information accompanied the post, but it quickly sparked speculation among fans, many of whom believe a full scale tour announcement could be coming next year.
After wrapping up their 2016 run of shows, the band intended to return to the road in 2020. Those plans were ultimately abandoned because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Further touring plans surfaced in 2021 as venues began reopening, but those dates were also cancelled before they could begin. Frontman Mike Patton later explained that mental health struggles were behind the decision and revealed he had been diagnosed with agoraphobia during the pandemic.
Until recently, a reunion seemed unlikely. Patton spoke about Faith No More’s lengthy break and said that he did not “see it as a sad thing”.
Speaking on the Kyle Meredith With… podcast and reflecting on whether he felt a “sense of closure” after the 2016 tour, the vocalist said: “I didn’t really think so at the time, but, yeah, maybe. I think that we all kind of felt it, but it was unspoken.”
“It’s funny: when you’ve been in a band or a musical situation for a period of time, you always, in the back of your head, you’re kind of thinking, ‘Well, maybe this is it.’ And I don’t mind that feeling,” he added. “I don’t see it as a sad thing. I see it as being present and being able to really appreciate it while it’s happening.”
Faith No More have never formally announced a breakup following the cancellation of their 2021 tour, although other members have suggested in recent years that the chances of touring again were uncertain.
Last year, guitarist Roddy Bottum discussed the band's future and admitted they were in a “really weird spot”. “I can’t really tell you what’s going on. I don’t know myself. I get different information from people… and I’m in the band,” he said.
Drummer Mike Bordin echoed similar thoughts last spring, saying that he and some of the other members were willing to perform again, but claimed Patton was “unwilling to do shows with us”.
In addition to leading Faith No More since 1989 after replacing original singer Chuck Mosley, Patton has also been involved with projects including Mr Bungle, Fantômas, and Tomahawk.
Tomahawk recently unveiled plans for their first tour in 13 years, with a series of US dates scheduled for this summer. The run begins in Nashville next month and will also see Patton and his bandmates reunite with longtime labelmates Melvins for the first time since 2003.
Patton has also recently launched his tour with Avett Brothers and teamed up with Jehnny Beth on the new single ‘Look At Me’.
