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NOLA's national anthem: Preservation Hall Jazz Band performs in Superdome

"I was so proud, number one, that it was what I call our boys. Preservation Hall represents New Orleans the world over, and for them to be in that spot, on that day, I was so excited," said WWOZ jazz host Leslie Cooper.

NEW ORLEANS — A Preservation Hall musician said Sunday's perform may have just shy of two minutes, but he felt like he had arrived after a lifetime of work and achievement.

There have been some infamous renditions of the national anthem, where crowds didn't like the rendition. But at the Saints playoff game against the Eagles this weekend, jazz lovers and fans are giving it a "Who Dat" approval.

The day after the Saints knew they were going to be in the playoffs, and home in the Mercedes-benz Superdome, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band got a call. The franchise told them they wanted a group to sing the national anthem that represented the spirit of New Orleans.  

When Eyewitness News spoke to the band, it was on its way to play a festival in Cuba, but before boarding a plane in Miami, sousaphone player Ben Jaffe talked about the experience by phone.

"You can't imagine the amount of pressure you put on yourself when you know you're performing in front of 80,000 people," Jaffe said.

Jaffe said they knew the fans would start swaying when the familiar drum role and trumpet sounds began.

A Canadian tourist, who was at the game, saw the swaying for himself.

"During the anthem itself, there were a lot of people doing just a few moves and shaking a little bit, so I thought it was a real cool way to present the anthem," said Reg Olsen of Calgary, Alberta who went to the game.

The Dave Matthews Band vocal coach (a native of Atlanta) worked with the vocalist before their performance. The musicians sent a version of the arrangement to the Saints for approval, and the jazz experts at radio station WWOZ loved the rendition.

"I was so proud, number one, that it was what I call our boys. Preservation Hall represents New Orleans the world over, and for them to be in that spot, on that day, I was so excited," said WWOZ jazz host Leslie Cooper. 

"And any time New Orleans musicians are featured on a national stage, that's alright with us at WWOZ. We love that," said station General Manager Beth Utterback.

Now, the group is taking Star Spangle Banner requests.

"Last night the trumpet player from Preservation Hall walked into another bar at my son's birthday party and stepped up on stage and everybody was screaming, you know, play the national anthem!  Play it! Play it!" said Cooper. 

Instead, they played 'When the Saints go marching in," which, of course, is the national anthem in New Orleans. 

The Saints organization only revealed on Tuesday that the announcement about this Sunday's game entertainment will be released sometime "between now and Friday."

You can watch the Saints' full video of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band's national anthem performance here: 

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