My first Winter Classic as the Blackhawks’ new Anthem Singer. 40,000 fans packed Wrigley Field in the freezing cold for one of hockey’s greatest rivalries. The energy was electric. A moment I’ll never forget.

Three hundred thousand fans. The largest single-day sporting event in the world. The race does not begin until Back Home in Indiana is sung. It is a privilege I never take for granted.

A playoff night at Soldier Field in 2026. The crowd roared from the first note, sixty thousand voices rising together in the cold. Moments like that remind me why I still do this.

Chicago had waited 49 years for the Cup. Ticker tape and confetti filled the streets as the city became one. To sing in that moment is something I will carry forever.

Ten years after 9/11, I stood at Soldier Field to sing. The silence before the first note. Sixty thousand people standing together. In that moment, it was more than a song.

On September 11, 2014, Stephen Colbert asked me to close the show on the anthem’s 200th anniversary. Not a stadium. Not a ceremony. Just one voice and one song.

Chosen to perform at one of golf’s greatest events. But the real moment came Sunday morning at the first tee, eight impromptu songs for thousands and live television. When even the Europeans cheered, I knew it was special.

After meeting General Ray Johns at a Blackhawks game, I was invited to Scott Air Force Base. Serving as Honorary Squadron Commander for the USAF Band of Mid-America was an extraordinary honor. To be recognized by those who live that anthem every day meant everything.

My mom served as an Army nurse in World War II, advancing through France into Germany. Having her honored on the ice while I sang the anthem was the most personal moment of my career. This one was for my parents.

The NFL’s 100th season began at Soldier Field before a national audience. The league could have chosen anyone. Being the voice that opened that celebration remains one of the great honors of my career.