GLENDALE, AZ – The sun and planets couldn’t have been in better alignment for Jordin Sparks when she was chosen to sing the national anthem at Super Bowl XLII. Consider, If you will, the circumstances: The American Idol champ’s father, Phillippi Sparks, once played for the victorious New York Giants, her favorite team. Combine this with the fact that the game was held at the University of Phoenix stadium just a few miles from her home, and the job seemed almost a birthright.
Putting on her best for the game, Sparks cut through the heavily-saturated RF environment using Shure UHF-R wireless, and went on to watch her dad’s old team stun the New England Patriot’s with a 17-14 win. Sparks herself was the winner of Season Six of Fox TV’s popular reality-TV competition.
“When they approached me to sing at the Super Bowl, I was like, ‘Yeah, I want to sing at the Super Bowl — are you crazy?” she told AP entertainment writer Nekesa Mumbi. “I was very, very, very happy.”
Supported by a six-piece band, three backup singers and four dancers, Alicia Keys warmed-up the crowd at Super Bowl XLII 90 minutes before kickoff with songs including “As I Am,” an admitted favorite of several players seen on the field later in the day. An avid Giants fan who predicted the team’s win at a news conference last week, Keys chose Shure UHF-R wireless for her performance.
