Missouri fans will get a familiar voice to open the 2026 football season.
Sheryl Crow, the Missouri-born singer and Mizzou graduate, is set to perform the national anthem Thursday before the Tigers face Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Columbia. The game, billed as “Kickoff in CoMo,” starts at 7 p.m. at Memorial Stadium and doubles as the first home game in the building since the renovation of the north end zone. It also arrives in a milestone year, with the stadium marking its 100th anniversary.
Crow’s return to campus comes as she prepares to release her newest album, “Pick You Up,” on Oct. 9.
The project includes “Freedom Bus,” a song centered on free speech and the need for respectful dialogue between people who disagree. She recorded the lead single with Arkansas folk singer Jesse Welles, who has drawn attention for his acoustic protest songs, including “Join ICE,” about current political and social events.
A Kennett native and 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Crow earned a degree in music education from Mizzou in 1984. Missouri deputy director of athletics and chief of external operations Eric Morrison announced her appearance with a warm welcome back to Columbia.
“We’re thrilled to invite Mizzou fans to welcome Sheryl Crow back home to Mizzou and Memorial Stadium for what promises to be a special night to kick off our 2026 football season,” Missouri’s deputy director of athletics and chief of external operations Eric Morrison said when he announced her appearance.
“Sheryl is an incredibly accomplished artist, a proud Missouri native and an outstanding ambassador for the University of Missouri and Mizzou Athletics. We’re excited to have her back where her Mizzou story began and to share this special moment with Tiger fans.”
Crow’s connection to the university runs deep. She was grand marshal of homecoming in 2003 and returned for a benefit concert in 2015. Last month, a Facebook page for sorority members posted photos of her from her time as a Kappa Alpha Theta at Mizzou.
Her summer also included a stop in Kansas City, where she performed at the FIFA World Cup Fan Fest in July.
In a statement tied to the new album, Crow said, “I do not take freedom lightly because our freedom has been paid for in the lives of others throughout history and that is something I wish we could all remember when we are interacting with each other,” Crow said in a statement about the album.
“Our dialogue and ability to disagree must reflect what has been paid for in the blood, sweat, and tears of those who fought for every man and woman to be created equal and to enjoy the rights that our constitution has allowed each of us.”
This weekend, we’re sure all she wants to do is have some fun.
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