Chris Stapleton’s performance of the National Anthem at the 2023 Super Bowl stands as one of the best renditions of “The Star-Spangled Banner” ever. In a new television ad for his Traveller whiskey set to air during Sunday’s Super Bowl LX, the country singer calls back to that moment and exactly what made it so remarkable.
While he credits the emotional punch of his performance to some skillful television editing — Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni in tears on the sidelines remains an indelible image — Stapleton admits he stuck the landing.
“I did an all right job with it, and I remembered all the words,” Stapleton tells Rolling Stone. “But I also took it back down to a song. I played it as a song, not as a production, and I think maybe that is why it resonated.”
In the 30-second Traveller ad, Stapleton is seen prepping for the anthem performance, a glass of presumably Traveller whiskey nearby, and then making his way through a football stadium tunnel for his moment on the 50-yard line. The singer says everything seen in the ad was filmed in real life. “It’s a very non-AI commercial,” he quips.
Albeit an expensive one. According to reports, a half-minute Super Bowl ad in 2026 can cost upwards of $8 million to air. That bill is footed by the Sazerac Company, the alcoholic beverage company that oversees Traveller, not by Stapleton, he stresses. “The Super Bowl is historically the big stage for commercials, so I think we’re hoping to create a moment,” he says. “The ‘made for the moment’ thing is really a discussion of the quiet moments and the work that goes into all the things that we do.”
Stapleton launched his Traveller whiskey — made by Buffalo Trace Distillery, located on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, not far from where Stapleton grew up in Lexington — back in 2024 as a partnership between himself and Buffalo Trace master distiller Harlen Wheatley. Along with the Super Bowl ad, they plan to debut a more potent blend, Traveller Full Proof, later this month. (“I was always more of a high-proof, barrel-proof guy,” Stapleton says.)
Following a string of one-off shows and a festival stop at the Two Step Inn in Texas, Stapleton will resume his All-American Road Show Tour on May 23 with a stadium date at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium. First launched in 2017, the trek, which is on its way to Dylan “Never-Ending Tour” status, will hit stadiums, ballparks, and amphitheaters throughout the summer. According to Stapleton, he’s constantly tweaking the show to keep it interesting for both longtime fans and himself.
To that end, he and his wife and bandmate, Morgane Stapleton, take an active role in booking the tour’s supporting acts. This year, they include names like Carter Faith, Molly Tuttle, Maggie Rose, and Nikki Lane. Lainey Wilson will join him at some stadiums.
“We are very involved in that and we are very specific in who we ask to do those things and who we don’t ask. Sometimes, people want to make math out of it, but it’s not really math for us,” Stapleton says of his selection process. “It’s ‘Does this fit with what we do, or is it different enough from what we do that it gives fans a different experience? Are we exposing people to some music that they might not find otherwise?’ We try to find people that may be outside of country music too.”
This year, that slot is filled by Allen Stone, who will play numerous dates with Stapleton. Stone is an R&B and soul singer from Washington state. “Allen Stone is great, man,” Stapleton raves, “and he’s a fantastic person who deserves all the attention he gets.”
At last Sunday’s Grammy Awards, Stapleton took home his 12th trophy for “Bad As I Used to Be,” his contribution to the F1 movie soundtrack. Fans will surely hear it on the All-American Road Show Tour this summer, but don’t expect any other new music just yet. When asked if he’s been writing, Stapleton drops a one-word answer that’s as smooth as a shot of Traveller whiskey: “Nope!”
