The NFL brought its own French flair to the pregame festivities ahead of the kickoff between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints in Paris on Sunday, which predictably resulted in a mixed reaction.
After both teams took the field at Stade de France, The Soul Rebels, an eight-piece brass ensemble, played a unique rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” It was far from the typical version of the national anthem that fans are accustomed to hearing ahead of contests, but the jazz-style rendition made sense with the French influence on the city of New Orleans, which is where the brass band is originally from.
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The Soul Rebels released a new song in the days leading up to the game and their performance in Paris, appropriately titled ‘Saints in Paris.’ According to NOLA, the band will take the stage on the sideline to perform at the end of each quarter. The group also performed during pre-game festivities ahead of Super Bowl LIX in 2025 in New Orleans.
The Soul Rebels perform the US national anthem before an NFL football game between Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)
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With the national anthem being a bit more upbeat and entirely instrumental, some fans tuning in loved what they heard, while others, not so much.
“A New Orleans brass band doing the anthem in Paris is a perfect touch, The Soul Rebels delivered,” one user wrote on X.
“Whoever’s idea that was, give them a raise,” another fan wrote.
“We might have a new worst national anthem,” a user wrote with a crying-laughing emoji. Another negative review simply read, “It was a – -.”
Saints players warn-up before an NFL football game between Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano)
NFL OVERCOMES CIVIL UNREST, TRUMP CONCERNS AND CALLS TO POSTPONE AS STEELERS AND SAINTS KICK OFF IN PARIS
While the game between the Steelers and Saints got off to a smooth start, the civil unrest in and around Paris continues to be one of the biggest stories around the globe.
Police officers patrol outside the Stade de France stadium before the start of an NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)
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On Saturday, the French government estimated 110,000 protesters consisting of students, workers, farmers, socialists, communists, pro-Palestine Muslims, anarchists, Antifa and other radicals took to the streets to march, battle police, and cause civil unrest.
Paris Saint-Germain, one of the most popular soccer teams in the world, rescheduled its Saturday match to Monday because of the unrest in the area. President Donald Trump expressed concern about the NFL moving on with the game as scheduled, and suggested that the game could probably have been postponed.