When it came time to kickstart Super Bowl 2023 on Sunday (Feb. 12), country superstar Chris Stapleton was more than up to the task.

Following the presentation of the colors, Stapleton appeared on the field dressed in all black with his trusty guitar in hand to give a rousing rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.” Joining him on the field was Academy Award winning actor Troy Kotsur, who took home best supporting actor for his role in CODA, to offer an ASL interpretation of the national anthem.

Stapleton kept his performance simple, letting his gruff voice convey all of the raw emotion necessary for the national anthem, while his restrained guitar performance offered a further sense of gravitas to the set. A number of players and coaching staff — including the Eagles’ head coach Nick Sirianni — were seen crying on the sidelines during the country star’s performance.

Stapleton was one of three performers to open up the show at the 2023 Super Bowl: Abbott Elementary star and Broadway legend Sheryl Lee Ralph gave an emotional rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” while super-producer Babyface joined the pre-game ceremony to deliver his take of “America the Beautiful.” Later on in the evening, Rihanna is set to take the stage as this year’s halftime show performer.

Stapleton made history in November at the 2022 CMA Awards, becoming the first six-time winner of the male vocalist of the year award, surpassing Vince Gill, Blake Shelton and George Strait, who all were tied with Stapleton for the record with five wins each.

Watch Stapleton’s emotional performance of “The Star Spangled Banner” above.