The Chicago Bears gave Monday Night Football a very different kind of opening at Soldier Field, and it had nothing to do with the quarterback situation.
Chicago went into the primetime matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles with Case Keenum starting at quarterback. Caleb Williams was still out after a Week 2 hamstring injury, and Tyson Bagent had also been in the mix after entering concussion protocol from that same game. Bagent cleared protocol and returned to practice earlier in the week, but the Bears still turned to the 38-year-old Keenum for the spotlight game.
Still, the pregame moment that grabbed the most attention came before a snap was even taken. The Bears used Monday night as their “Vamos Bears” Latino Heritage Month celebration, and the national anthem performance was anything but standard.
Mariachi Herencia de México, the Chicago-born, two-time Latin Grammy-nominated group, performed the anthem before kickoff. According to ABC7 Chicago, it was the first time a mariachi band handled that duty at Soldier Field.
The group brings in musical traditions from Guadalajara and Mexico City, and their style blends classic mariachi with a more modern repertoire. The anthem wasn’t the only part of the night built around the theme, either.
Two local students, Alison Segarra of Amundsen High School and Alejandro Gonzalez of Dundee-Crown High School, were honorary captains for the coin toss. Both were also recognized as Youth Leaders for Latino Heritage Month 2026.
Local artist Fedz, a Berwyn resident who moved from Zacatecas, Mexico, at age six, designed the official game day poster. A Bears design coordinator said the pick reflected his range and his pride in both his heritage and his city.
Halftime kept the focus on the same celebration, with a performance centered on the history of Latin music in Chicago. Fans entering the stadium also received wearable “Vamos Bears” flags while supplies lasted.
Once the anthem hit social media, the reaction split fast. Some fans loved it.
“It sounded phenomenal! Mariachi trumpet players do not miss.
If a beautiful rendition of the national anthem gets your blood boiling, that’s strictly a YOU problem. 🎺” one fan wrote. Another added, “NFL trolling MAGAs with a mariachi band doing the anthem in Chicago for MNF….btw that was awesome!”
Others were sharply against it. “The Chicago bears national anthem by a mexican mariachi is the most unamerican anthem ive ever seen,” one user claimed.
“Dumbest choice for national anthem in history, MNF, get the Blackhawks singer Chicago Bears,” another wrote, referring to Jim Cornelison, the singer Bears fans are used to hearing. A fifth person said, “Chicago Bears: ‘Let’s have Mexicans do the National Anthem on MNF,’”
The Bears have not commented on the reaction, and there’s no sign they’re expected to. Latino Heritage nights have become a regular part of pro sports calendars, but this one stood out because it featured a milestone performance, not just another pregame nod.
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