Styx to perform National Anthem at Steelers-Patriots Thursday Night Football

Get pumped Steelers fans. You probably already have Renegade playing in your mind. Now Styx, the rock group responsible for the classic hit and team hype song, will sing the national anthem tonight at Acrisure Stadium.

So checking out pre-game on Amazon Prime for Thursday Night Football is a definite must. The Steelers announced the special guests Thursday afternoon, hours before Pittsburgh plays host to New England.

If you’re a hardcore Steelers fan, then you know Renegade. That’s the song that comes on usually between the third and fourth quarters. It serves as the music for a defensive hype video on the giant video board of Steel Curtain plays. Although Styx released the song in 1979, it found its way to Pittsburgh games nearly a quarter-century later. The first time the song played was believed to be in 2002, when it served as an alarm clock to both a stagnant team and fans watching the Steelers lose to Cleveland.

Here’s a little mood music.

There’s usually a concert component sponsored by Amazon Music that accompanies Thursday Night Football. But it’s also perfect that Styx performs the national anthem, given how much Steelers fans love one of their best-known hits.

Styx released Renegade back when Jimmy Carter was president. In concert, the group usually saves it for its final song of the night. But in Pittsburgh it’s always before the team needs a final bolt of energy for the final quarter.