One of the greatest names in American music will be making a stop at Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, PA this spring. The Pittsburgh-based venue will host Gladys Knight on Saturday, April 23rd at 7 pm on the Events Center stage.
Performing since the 1960s, Knight has won seven Grammys in her career, three with her backup singers The Pips. With the Pips, she recorded her signature #1 hit “Midnight Train to Georgia” in 1973. She has been enshrined into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Knight has charted hits on the pop, gospel, R&B, and adult contemporary charts over the years. She remains a living legend at 77 years old and a major draw from a unique period of American music.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming the iconic Gladys Knight to our Event Center this spring,” said Rivers Casino’s Vice President of Marketing Shannon Redmond when the show was announced on February 1st. “Our guests are in for a night of hits with one of the greatest singers of all time. It’s an honor to have her performing here at Rivers Casino.”
Gladys Knight Super Bowl Prop Flop
Knight is one of the many iconic names in music bestowed with the honor of singing the National Anthem before America’s biggest annual sports event, the Super Bowl.
She performed before Super Bowl LIII in 2019, the first SB following the launch of sports betting to new states following the Supreme Court decision that struck down PASPA in May 2018.
The anthem time has become one of the most popular Super Bowl prop bets on the most popular single betting event on the annual calendar. The sportsbook set the total running time of her rendition of the “Star-Spangled Banner” at 1:50.
Many betting experts were confident it would go under 1:45 because of consistent rehearsal times. Knight decided to elongate the anthem by adding a second “brave” at the end. When she finished, the song went 2:02, well over the total. She was the first “over” to hit on the anthem in four years.
- This caused controversy among the sportsbooks.
- Some graded it as an “under”, ending it on the first “brave” when the lyrics end.
- Others had to pay out both sides of the prop.
Can You Bet On The National Anthem This Year In PA?
Unfortunately, you can not bet on the length of the National Anthem in Pennsylvania. Even though some other states may offer those types of wagers, prop bets in PA are only permitted on actions that take place within the bounds of the playing field. That means you’ll have to drive over the Walt Whitman or Ben Franklin Bridge into NJ if you want to place a wager on the color of the Gatorade shower, as well as the National Anthem.
This year, Mickey Guyton will be performing the National Anthem, and taking the “under” may be the best choice. Apparently, Guyton’s previous renditions of the Anthem don’t include many dramatic moments, so expect this year’s Anthem to at least come well under last year’s version by Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church. The duo clocked in at a whopping 2 minutes and 17 seconds.
But there is good news, in PA you can bet on the pre-game coin toss, along with many more Super Bowl 56 prop choices. Just type the player or team you want to see prop odds for in the search bar below:
Featured image credit: David J. Phillip – AP
