For the first time in her decade-plus run of singing the opening theme of NBC's Sunday Night Football, Carrie Underwood attended the week's marquee primetime matchup.
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Early in Sunday's (Sept. 24) game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the hosting Las Vegas Raiders, the broadcast showed Underwood in the stands at Allegiant Stadium. Announcer Mike Tirico introduced Underwood to viewers before describing footage that was shown of Underwood in the production truck, where her weekly intros get woven into the live game.
Ms. Sunday Night Football herself ? @carrieunderwood | @SNFonNBC
?: #PITvsLV on NBC
?: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/oKZBIH1jw0 pic.twitter.com/kYaRWHkU8A— NFL (@NFL) September 25, 2023
Underwood was in town for Reflection: The Las Vegas Residency.
It's Underwood's 11th season as the voice of SNF. Set to the medley of Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself for Loving You," "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night" was sung for SNF's debut season in 2006 by Pink. Country star Faith Hill took over as the voice of the song and the broadcast from 2007-2012. Since then, Underwood has sung it aside from a three-year span, with her belting out her own "Oh, Sunday Night" in 2016 and 2017 and "Game On" in 2018.
A "surprise new element" promised for the intro by NBC plays off Underwood's rockstar way of life when she busts out a drum solo. Though longtime fans weren't caught off guard, it might've shocked those only familiar with her pseudo Joan Jett cover "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night."
Per NBC, the new opener features performance footage from Underwood's Vegas residency. In addition, there's "augmented reality highlights displayed across a halo scoreboard."
"We're thrilled to work with Carrie to capture a new vision for this season's show open," shared Tripp Dixon, creative director for the SNF show open. "It sets the tone for the broadcast and pays tribute to the teams, star players and fans in a fun and dynamic way."
