DURING COLLEGE FOOTBALL’S BIGGEST GAME EVER Battle at Bristol Drew Over 150,000 Fans to Speedway
NASHVILLE, TN — GRAMMY® Award-winning singer/songwriter Jennifer Nettles knew she was singing the National Anthem in front of more than 150,000 fans during Battle at Bristol when she took the stage at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night (9/10). Billed “College Football’s Biggest Game Ever,” she also knew a few million viewers at home would also tune in for the Tennessee vs. Virginia Tech matchup. But none of that fazed her. The singer, who Billboard dubbed earlier this year as “one of 21st Century’s most compelling Country stars” performed the “Star Spangled Banner” with such gusto and bravado that sent the internet into an impressive fervor. Fans were instantly tweeting about the performance that was further amplified by fireworks and a military flyover. Over the weekend and into Monday morning, “Jennifer Nettles” was trending on Facebook as thousands continued sharing videos from what USA Today called “incredible.” Several posts on YouTube created more enthusiasm, some simply recording their TV screen with phones and uploading it for the world to see. You can watch one fan’s upload here, which has been viewed over 250,000 times.
Country radio programmers like Kay Manley at WGKX in Memphis, TN said the station has been getting calls requesting the she play Jennifer’s version of the anthem from Saturday.
Nettles will release “Hey Heartbreak,” the second single from her latest album PLAYING WITH FIRE on Big Machine Records, to Country radio on September 26.