Skip to content
Entertainment
Link copied to clipboard

Philly's own Leslie Odom Jr. to perform 'America the Beautiful' at Super Bowl LII

He's the second Philly-connected music act to be included on the lineup.

Leslie Odom Jr. will sing “America the Beautiful” at the Super Bowl.
Leslie Odom Jr. will sing “America the Beautiful” at the Super Bowl.Read moreMICHAEL ARES / Staff Photographer

With their victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday, the Eagles are one step closer to the Super Bowl. Whether they will make it to the big game is still up in the air (they'd have to win the conference championship  game first), but the NFL's latest choice of musical performer could be taken as a good omen.

Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr., who was raised in East Oak Lane, will perform "America the Beautiful" at Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4 in Minneapolis, the NFL announced over the weekend. As announced last week, Doylestown native Pink will perform the National Anthem at the game, making Odom the second Philly-connected music act to be included on Super Bowl LII's lineup.

Odom is best known for his role as Aaron Burr in Hamilton, for which he won a Tony Award and Grammy in 2016. Since landing his role as Burr, Odom has expanded his career in films and commercials. Last year, he starred in Murder on the Orient Express, and became a spokesman for insurance company Nationwide.

Now, Odom will bring his talents to the Super Bowl — just as several Hamilton actors already have done. Last year, original cast members Phillipa Soo (Elizabeth Hamilton), Renee Elise Goldsberry (Angelica Schuyler), and Jasmine Cephas Jones (Maria Reynolds and Peggy Schuyler) sang "America the Beautiful" at Super Bowl LI.

Halftime entertainment at Super Bowl LII will come from pop star Justin Timberlake. Timberlake infamously ripped off a portion of Janet Jackson's outfit during a halftime performance in 2004 — an event that today is referred to as "Nipplegate." In October, the pop star said on a Sunday Night Football broadcast that a similar situation "won't happen this time."

Super Bowl LII will air Feb. 4 on NBC. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.