NFL fans overwhelmingly approved of the national anthem before Saturday's playoff opener in Houston.
Instead of a big name celebrity like Beyoncé, the local Texans hired another local talent, opera singer Nancy Curtis, for the wild card game against the visiting Los Angeles Chargers.
What followed has since been described as a “simple” national anthem, and that's no insult.
“Wow, a real singer singing a national anthem,” one fan commented on X.
“Phenomenal national anthem,” added another.
One fan announced: 'this is how our National Anthem should be sung!'
Instead of a big name celebrity like Beyoncé, the Texans hired another local Houston talent, opera singer Nancy Curtis, for the wild card game against the visiting LA Chargers.
Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh joins players during a moment of silent reflection for victims of the California wildfires before Saturday's playoff opener in Houston.
NFL fans overwhelmingly approved of the anthem before Saturday's first playoff game.
Fans were particularly impressed with Curtis' range and stamina.
“Nancy Curtis did a beautiful job singing our nation's anthem,” one fan wrote on X after the singer's dramatic crescendo. “She hit the high notes beautifully.”
There were some detractors, but they were an extreme minority.
“That National Anthem was really horrible,” commented one critic.
One person suggested the microphone was somehow to blame.
“I really thought it was the sound guys fault (sic)… the microphone was everywhere,” he wrote.
But overall, Curtis seemed to gain new fans with his performance. As one fan wrote, “Nancy Curtis rocked that anthem.”
Curtis is a veteran of the local opera scene and has performed with the Austin Symphony and the Houston Choral Society, as well as the New York City Opera, according to her LinkedIn page. He teaches voice and piano in The Woodlands, Texas.
Also before the first game of the NFL playoffs, the Chargers paid tribute to the Los Angeles Fire Department amid the Palisades fire.
Players and staff wore warm-up t-shirts and caps with LAFD printed in their team colors. The team announced the kit hours before the playoffs.
'Get ready for the city,' they wrote on social media with a blue heart emoji.