Super Bowl entertainment: Brandi Carlile sings, Benson Boone hits the field

by · The Seattle Times

It’s going to be a very Seattle Super Bowl.

Yes, our territory’s large, blue men — including a generational route runner with hands stickier than the gum wall and a defensive unit that crushes opposing offenses like quahog clam shells — will compete between advertising breaks in hopes of bringing honor, glory and a fun parade to the Emerald City.

But the Seahawks are not the only local emissaries dispatched to the roman-numeraled event in the San Francisco Bay Area. Two famed Washington musicians are getting in on the festivities.

At Sunday’s game, Brandi Carlile is set to perform “America the Beautiful” during an opening ceremony that also features pop singer Charlie Puth tackling the national anthem, while actor and R&B artist Coco Jones sings “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” With the Super Bowl being held in the band’s backyard, pop-punk giants Green Day will also perform as part of the opening ceremony, which starts at 3 p.m., a half-hour before kickoff.

Before gameday, Monroe-reared pop star Benson Boone will participate in a YouTube-backed flag football game (7 p.m. Saturday) featuring reggaeton star J. Balvin, country star Kane Brown, former NFL stars Cam Newton and Deion Sanders, comedian-influencer Druski and a handful of other YouTube personalities. The game will be livestreamed on (you guessed it) YouTube, via the NFL’s official channel.

While in town, the back-flipping Boone will headline a Feb. 5 concert at San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, an 8,500-capacity venue that is a tad small by the singer’s current arena-filling standards. Despite being one of this year’s notable snubs, Boone was spotted at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards last weekend grabbing a selfie with Washington country star Zach Top, who picked up his first Grammy win.