It took a while to be able to say this definitively: On Sunday, Gladys Knight will kick things off at Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta by singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Pop-rock band Maroon 5 will headline the halftime show, backed by rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi.
The National Football League didn’t confirm this year’s lineup until mid-January, following months of reports that other artists had turned down offers to perform in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. The NFL effectively blacklisted the former 49ers quarterback after he knelt during the national anthem in protest of police brutality throughout the 2016 season.