Music talk
“All My Rowdy Friends” returns
This fall, ESPN will crank up the volume and cue the rowdy friends the only way Monday Night Football knows how — with Hank Williams Jr. For an unprecedented 20th season, the legendary singer will perform the anthem that ushers in the NFL’s weekly prime-time showcase game, a ritual that has earned him four Emmy awards (1991-1994) and national acclaim among legions of football fans.
Williams first performed “All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night” — based on his hit song “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” — in 1989 during the 20th anniversary season of Monday Night Football on ABC. Through the years, the opening has featured Williams in a variety of settings — cruising the highway in a convertible with Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, tapping with famed dancer Savion Glover, even flying through outer space. After performing alongside an all-star band the past two years on ESPN, Williams will be a solo act this fall, welcoming fans to the weekly game with a house-party theme, ESPN said.
The Monday Night Football opening video will feature team-specific lyrics and visuals each week based on the 17 regular-season ESPN match-ups. The new opening will debut prior to kickoff of ESPN’s season-opening doubleheader on Sept. 8 — Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders.
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