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Lady Gaga performed a moving rendition of "Hold My Hand" in the center of Bourbon Street prior to the beginning of the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans on February 9.
Gaga sang her Oscar-nominated song while first responders, including troopers from the Louisiana State Police, New Orleans police officers, and others, stood by and applauded. She was wearing a flowing white gown and a wide-brimmed hat. A live band and a heartfelt choir joined the Grammy winner for the unexpected performance.
The premiere concert takes place one month after a truck attack in the French Quarter of New Orleans left 15 people dead, including the attacker, and 57 injured. The event opened with a message of resiliency from former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Michael Strahan, who was sporting a "NOLA Strong" jersey.
Tom wore a T-shirt from the New Orleans Fire Department and declared, "The resilience of New Orleans is matched with the resolve of our country," as he and a group of others made their way to Gaga. "We remain strong in the face of disaster. We get together. We overcome evil and never allow it to triumph.
"In moments when heads are down and hope feels lost, something powerful always rises," he said. "The American spirit of courage, generosity, and unity."
Michael, meanwhile, honored other American communities that had suffered from catastrophes like the American Airlines crash over the Potomac River in the county capital, as well as natural calamities like the wildfires that devastated Southern California.
"As we get ready for sport's biggest day, we gather together with heavy hearts for our families and friends from North Carolina to Los Angeles," the host of GMA stated. "From Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia, whose last few months have left us relying on each other in ways we never imagined."
