NFL marks 9/11 25th anniversary in Seattle with Mike McCready guitar solo

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The NFL marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks during Week 1. The Seattle Seahawks' home game against the visiting New England Patriots included a pregame tribute at Lumens Field.

The league promised that its Week 1 games would honor the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks on the 25th anniversary. However, individual teams had some leeway in how they did so. The pregame announcement in Seattle was set to be heard throughout the league Thursday in Australia, before Sunday's games and ahead of Monday Night Football.

The Lumens Field announcement said: This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, the deadliest in our nation's history. The announcement continued: We now ask that you join us in a moment of silence in honor of those affected by the September 11th tragedy. One of the NFL's loudest venues fell mostly silent. After the moment of silence, the crowd was directed to both a sign language and guitar solo interpretation of the national anthem.

The guitar solo was performed by Pearl Jam's Mike McCready. McCready, a liberal who has advocated all things ObamaCare and former President Obama, started out quite well. For a moment, it hearkened back to Jimi Hendrix's rendition.

Then McCready apparently remembered he is a Seattle grunge rocker and went totally off the Francis Scott Key script. NBC's Mike Tirico noted on NBC that it was authentically Seattle. The report also described the Sept. 11 attack as a jihadist attack, saying that might have been a more accurate description, while noting that readers know what kind of terrorists perpetrated it.

The Seahawks also invited some first responders who actually flew across the country to aid in the recovery effort after Sept. 11. Seattle loved all of it, according to the report. The military flyover at the end provided some high-drama punctuation overhead. The tribute in Seattle opened the NFL's Week 1 slate of 9/11 remembrances.

The current article described the tribute as beginning in Seattle with a wild guitar solo during the national anthem. The guitar solo was part of a pregame ceremony that also included a moment of silence and a sign language interpretation. The game was between the visiting New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks hosted the Week 1 matchup at Lumens Field, where the pregame announcement was delivered to the crowd.

The national anthem performance by McCready drew attention for its departure from the traditional arrangement. It started with a Hendrix-like feel before shifting into a grunge style that NBC's Mike Tirico called authentically Seattle. The first responders invited by the Seahawks had traveled across the country to assist in the recovery after Sept. 11. Their presence was part of the team's tribute, and the crowd responded with support.

The military flyover closed the pregame ceremony with a dramatic overhead display. The combination of the moment of silence, the anthem performance, the first responders, and the flyover made Seattle's tribute a notable part of the NFL's Week 1 9/11 commemorations.

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Seattle Seahawks New England Patriots Super Bowl September 11 Seattle NFL Week 1 9/11 25Th Anniversary Mike Mccready National Anthem Tribute

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