NFL’s Week 1 9/11 tribute begins in Seattle with wild guitar solo during national anthem
The NFL marked the 25th anniversary of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks during its Week 1 opener between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, with each team given some freedom over how to pay tribute. Seattle's Lumen Field held a moment of silence before pairing a sign-language interpretation of the national anthem with an unconventional guitar performance, reflecting the city's own character within a league-wide day of remembrance.
The anthem's musical interpretation was performed by Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, who began with a rendition reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix before veering into an improvised, grunge-inflected solo, prompting NBC commentator Mike Tirico to call it "authentically Seattle." The Seahawks also hosted first responders who had travelled from across the country to assist in the September 11 recovery effort, and the pregame ceremony closed with a military flypast over the stadium.
- NFL's Week 1 marked the 25th anniversary of 9/11 attacks
- Seattle held a moment of silence before Seahawks-Patriots game
- Pearl Jam's Mike McCready gave an unconventional anthem guitar solo
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Bright, glaring stadium lights aside, here's the background.
Every September, National Football League teams hold pregame tributes to mark the anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks, in which hijacked aircraft were flown into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania, killing nearly 3,000 people. This year marked the 25th anniversary, and the league's opening week of games fell close to the date, so clubs were given some leeway in how they chose to commemorate it.
The Seattle Seahawks hosted the New England Patriots for their first game of the season at Lumen Field, and built their tribute around local character, including a sign-language version of the national anthem and first responders who had taken part in the September 11 rescue and recovery effort. The anthem's music was performed by Mike McCready, guitarist with the Seattle rock band Pearl Jam, whose city has long been associated with the grunge music scene of the 1990s.